Vancouver Voyager: 1942

Today I am looking at 1942 in Vancouver and area.

On January 7, Joe Quoy died. Quoy's parents had come from California, following the gold rush. Quoy's father ran a store in New Westminster and owned several horses. The first races held in New Westminster were held on an unpaved Columbia Street.

Joe was 12 years old and weighed 90 pounds when he first began racing. Quoy rode horses at tracks in Langley, Nanaimo, Seattle, Portland and Walla Walla. When he started to put on weight, he changed to sulky riding.

January 10 was the date that the Vancouver Fire Department's 'inhalator' crew, the Rescue and Safety Branch, was put into service. Over the years, they have saved countless lives.

Three days later, W.A.C. Bennett made his first speech in legislature.

On January 14, 1942, the Canadian Government invoked the War Measures act. Ottawa stated that all Japanese citizens must be moved from the West Coast to government camps. The politicians feared that spies might be harboured aboard Japanese boats at Steveston and Canada could become the next Pearl Harbour.

The federal government announced plans for an RCAF storage depot on the Kitsilano Indian Reserve west of Burrard Bridge on January 22.

It was on February 26 that the federal government took another step and ordered all Japanese to be interned.

March 3 was the day that the City of Vancouver began the acquisition of land from Stanley Park to Burrard Street.

March 26 - Hastings Park becomes an internment camp for Japanese- Canadian citizens.

April 1 was the day that the government stepped in and did the unthinkable. Not only were the Japanese-Canadian citizens stripped of everything they owned - for little or no compensation - the people were moved away from the West coast to camps in the interior and at locations east of Vancouver. Newspapers were suppressed and language schools were closed.

There is a Stanley Park monument to honour the Japanese-Canadian citizens that fought in World War I. That light was extinguished and remarkably not relit until August of 1985.

10 northern bush plane companies were amalgamated by the CPR on May 1. This was the birth of Canadian Pacific Airlines. The planes - first Canadair C4 Argonauts then later DC6s - initially focused on routes within the province from the airport on Richmond's Sea Island.

On June 22, 1925, the Crosby Direct Lines Ferry Company launched the vessel, the Crosline. On May 20, 1942, this vessel arrived in Vancouver to join Burrard Inlet Ferries. She was purchased to take shipyard workers over to the North Shore and could carry 300 passengers and 65 cars.

William Marr Crawford was a master mariner who was born in Scotland in 1883. He came to Canada in 1911 and joined BCs largest waterfront employer, Empire Stevedoring as a manager. By 1923, he was named president and managing director. In 1923, Crawford launched 'the finest private yacht on the Pacific', the Fyfer. In 1941, he donated her to the Canadian Navy for war use.

Captain Crawford served as marine master to the minister of shipping - without pay - during World War I. During the Second World War, Crawford volunteered for the same position but as a civilian. He died on May 20, 1942 at the age of 59.