About Us
RCL Branch 239 Ninetieth Anniversary Speech
History of Branch 239
Service Officer Bob Fenton
Veterans, distinguished guests, Legion members, members of our community, and children:
Our Legion’s roots reach back to 1918. The war to end all wars had ended. It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. Too many people were killed, injured, or never found. There was serious sadness. Sixty-six thousand lives lost; one hundred and seventy-seven thousand wounded between Canada and Newfoundland.
This was also a time of great joy; the troops came home; nurses and doctors and sawyers and horse handlers and road builders and too many contributors to mention – all returned to a thankful nation.
There were parades and fetes and garden parties and ceremonies – and tears.
There was not a hit parade or top one hundred in those days. Irving Berlin was a very popular songwriter at the time. He wrote, “I’m Gonna Pin my Medal on the Girl I Left Behind” and “How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning” and “For My Country, For Your Country”. In the first year after the war, he published “I’ve Got My Captain Working for me Now.”
The government of the day promised to look after them. But as the years went by, veterans became less and less of a priority as new challenges arose and new commitments took priority. Andy Anderson, Alfred Nicholls and Dr. Scott saw this happen and so they began to attend an organization called The Great War Veterans’ Association in 1922. Meetings varied between the Town Hall and the upstairs of Cecil Pogue’s garage on Bolton Street.
By 1932, they decided to establish a proper local legion. They felt this support for veterans was necessary to help veterans obtain pensions and benefits from a stingy government. Because of their networking, they could find needed jobs for veterans. They also wanted a place where veterans could meet for fellowship and to share their military experience.
Our family has two soldiers laid to rest at Vimy Ridge for over 100 years. They were local boys from the Argyle/Woodville area. Our son Michael, a serving Major, has a job that sends him around the world. He told us he was going to SHAPE in Brussels, Belgium for work.
I told him about his great, great uncles and asked if he would visit those graves. I thought he might say, “C’mon Dad, it was over 100 years ago, or that his schedule might be too packed.
He looked me in the eye and said, “I will find those graves. I will visit them. There will be whiskey involved.”
That’s how veterans feel about one another – especially those with combat experience.
Just as today, veterans like to compare experiences, talk about postings, ex-commanding officers, and tease each other.
Stories like this:
An ex-naval member might say, “An army sergeant entered the mess and was bragging up and down and loud about how a member of his platoon finished a puzzle in two weeks. The bartender asked, “What’s so special about that?” The army sergeant said, “Well, on the side of the box it says four to six years.””
So, on June 30, 1932, some prominent veterans applied for and received the Canadian Legion Charter (239) of the British Empire Service League.
They didn’t hold regular meetings until 1949, but they got a big break. An old church located in Verulam Township was offered to the Legion. They got together and deconstructed the church, saving windows, doors, joists, and planks and moved it to this very location. The Boyd Family graciously donated the land now known as 96 King Street east. They built the first building that summer. There exists a picture of the first Legion from around 1959.
WWI Veteran John Grant supervised a crew of fifteen men. After the first winter, they installed a box stove and so it became Bobcaygeon’s Hot Stove League. Meetings could be held all year round.
Veterans met for fellowship and told their stories. Such as…
It’s amazing how the armed forces use the stars. The army sleeps under the stars, the navy navigates by them and the air force uses stars to choose their hotels.
Legion member Tom Powell designed the memorial board displaying the names of the fallen; Carpenter Len Mills constructed and painted it. This was the envy of many Legion branches.
The first President was elected in 1950; Mr. Nigel Pilcher was an Englishman who went to school with King George VI. The secretary was Lloyd Beatty, an air force vet, and the first treasurer was army vet Jack Kennedy.
In 1952, then Premier and Lindsay boy Leslie Frost opened the Canadian Legion of British Empire Service Branch 239. A crowd of fifty invited guests
was on hand and they had a grand time – partly due to the spiked punch that was served. At that time, Bobcaygeon was a dry town – no liquor! Can you imagine?
Just as now, Legion members had to work hard to maintain and complete the building. All kinds of fund raisers were completed. They raffled off a car, a new freezer, and had 50/50 draws to keep up. Many members paid their dues three to four years in advance to keep the place afloat and raise money to purchase the hardwood flooring.
Just as you’d expect, the old-timers didn’t have a mortgage until 1965. They borrowed the princely sum of $12,500 to build the new addition. Sheila Boyd was approached and once again, the Boyd family helped by donating more land for the new construction.
On October 18, 1973, the name of the Canadian Legion was changed by permission of Her Majesty Elizabeth II to the Royal Canadian Legion. In all, we have had three separate charters in our history.
The Branch grew. It began to accept social members – this provided income from membership. But, each application had to be approved by ORDINARY members who were veterans. In 1973, Dominion Command created Associate members, allowing sons, daughters and wives of veterans the chance to join.
The Cenotaph where we have traditionally held our Remembrance Day ceremonies was built in 1933; that is a story for another day.
By 1982, there was good news. We needed to expand again. As always, the Boyd family was there to support us. Once again, they gave more land so we could have a proper parking lot.
Tenders were offered and on July 22, 1985, construction manager Ian Faulkner was hired and he used local tradesmen to complete all the work. The Branch obtained a mortgage for $115,000 and, combined with $83,000 of the Branch’s own money, the project began on October 19, 1985. This addition is what you see now as the present-day club room. The building was now 7,000 square feet.
The Grand Opening was held on Canada Day in 1985. A drumhead ceremony was held by the locks. They paraded back to the Legion for a BBQ Steak Dinner followed by a fireworks display. By all accounts it was a terrific day, just like today.
In 1989, renovations were completed to the kitchen, front entrance, and upstairs washrooms. More storage space was created and an office for the Service Officer was established.
Over the ensuing years, many upgrades occurred. The upstairs Hall and Bar were improved. Our building has become handicapped accessible. Wheelchair accessible doors with electronic openers have been provided.
More recent kitchen renovations feature new cupboards, flooring and appliances. Our parking lot was paved in asphalt in two installments due to the high cost – but it made a big improvement if you remember the old lot.
We obtained a grant from the Community Chest Fund to build the beautiful deck which you see before you. It is becoming a focal point for entertainment, BBQs and of course, some veterans’ stories: “An airman walked into a bar in Halifax and spotted his favourite bartender. ‘Hey man, I heard a great joke about the navy – you’re gonna wanna hear this.’
A big guy in a navy uniform sitting at the bar (he was huge 6’5” and 250 lbs) looked down at him and said, “I’m in the navy; are you sure you want to tell a joke about the navy?”
Another great big guy sitting at the bar said, “I’m also in the navy. Are you really sure you want to tell that joke?”
By this time the airman was really exasperated and said, “Well I don’t want to tell the joke now. It’ll ruin the joke if I have to explain it twice.”
If those vets from 1918 could be here today, I’m sure they’d be proud. Their building is still here. Indeed, it’s better than ever.
But the work of the Legion is also thriving. We remain an important community hub. There are dart leagues, euchre, pool and bingo. There has been Boy Scouts, a Drum and Bugle Corps, Minor Hockey Teams, a nursery school and cadets.
When I sit in meetings and hear of all the donations made to hospitals, walk-in clinics, the local Food Bank, summer camps and too many other local community organizations to list here – I am very proud. The Legion is one of the few organizations that raises money and then gives it all away in the name of service.
All these good deeds are the work of every member; their hard work and dedication make the Legion what it is today.
As I think about it, I recall the words of Lt.Col John McCrae from “In Flanders Fields”:
“The torch be yours to hold it high
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not rest although we lie
In Flanders Fields.”