Vancouver Voyager: 1942 Again

Monday, November 5, 2012

1942 Again

Here's some more photos the haunted Old Spaghetti Factory on Water Street. I will show you those while filling you in on more activities of 1942.

On June 21, 1942, broadcaster and Mount Pleasant organizer Dave Adair was born. Nine days later, a favourite of mine and someone I have written on before, Terry David Mulligan, was born.

Alexander Maitland Stephen was a writer and poet who had been born in Hanover, Ontario in 1882. In his early years, Stephen worked in the fields of mining, logging and rural teaching. He served in World War I where he was wounded. After the war, he opened an engineering company here in Vancouver. Alexander Stephen was a well-known progressive social activist, a nationally known critic and the author of two novels in addition to plays, poetry and romances. In fact, his 1934 poem Vancouver, has been widely anthologized. He died on July 1, 1942.

Edgar Kaiser, future industrialist, was born on July 5, 1942.

On July 28, the Nine O'clock Gun at Stanley Park was silenced to save on gunpowder.

On August 19, Colonel Cecil Merritt became the first Canadian to win the Victoria Cross in World War II. He was from Vancouver.

The Wartime Prices and Trade Board began issuing ration books that covered the purchase of sugar, coffee and tea on August 24.

On September 30, the first women workers were hired by Burrard Dry Dock in North Vancouver. At the peak of wartime, 1,000 women were part of the 13,000 employees at the dock.

The last of the Japanese-Canadians left Vancouver for the internment camps on October 6.

A month later, November 6, one of the lions in front of the provincial courthouse was bombed. The culprit was never caught. Those lions were carved in 1908 by John Bruce and that building is presently the Vancouver Art Gallery.

The Alaska Highway - originally known as the Alcan Highway, was officially opened on November 20, 1942.

December 2, physicist Enrico Fermi split the atom.

On December 21, butter was rationed.

On the last day of 1942, Canadian word smith Bill Casselman was born.

I would like to thank The History of Metropolitan Vancouver websitge for the above information.