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September 1997 WEST VANCOUVER HISTORICAL SOCIETY Pages AND THIS IS THE WAY IT WAS From ‘Andy Reid’s Memories’ / was recently in correspondence with Andy Reid, a Society member and a long time resident of West Vancouver, now living in Victoria. I remembered his stories of West Vancouver, written some time ago, and thought them appropriate for our contribution page. I know some of his story was printed in early Histrionics. Editor's note: See May 1990, vol 8, No 3, pg 6. / attended Hollyburn School with Andy's brother Robert in the 1920's and this part of Andy’s story brought back lots of memories of my early days and I hope it will for many of you! Barb Johnson, Contributions Editor Our First Canadian Home My grandmother’s home in West Vancouver had been built around 1912. The homestead was four 33 foot lots, #11, 12, 13 and 14, on Esquimalt Avenue, approximately 100 feet west of 14th street and ending up at \^nson Creek. The house was located on lot 13 while lot 14 was on the bank of the creek. Lots 11 and 12 were orchard and garden. Esquimalt Avenue was only a trail at this time. The bungalow was approximately 30 feet by 30 feet. On the east side was the living room at the front and the kjtchen and pantry were at the back. A narrow centre hall ran the length of the house, with three bedrooms facing the creek and bathroom at the back. There was a verandah across the front. The living room had a regular open fireplace, the kitchen an old black majestic wood stove, solid to the floor. This was all the heat we had. The hall, bathroom and bedrooms were real ice boxes in winter. To make matters worse, there was an open crawl space underneath. There was a ladder suspended from the hall roof, leading to the attic. In the winter time, we had to leave our water taps running to avoid freezing the pipes, trusting that the waste pipes, which were all exposed on the outside wall, didn’t freeze. We burned slab wood in our fireplace. Sometimes it was called “edgings” as it was the edges off the trees left over in milling lumber. As these trees had been in salt water for some time, they were very wet. We had to buy our winter requirements in the summer so they could be reasonably dry come winter. We bought these slabs from east Indians who peddled them from house to house. They had to haul from the milk in North \hncouver and had horse and wagon for conveyance. From memory, we paid anywhere from $2 to $4 a loai which was approximately one cord. In midwinter, we bought lump coal so that we could load the woodstove at night and hope it kept its heat till morning. Hot water was heated in a wateijacket that was part of the kitchen stove firebox, and it was stored in a 30 (U.S.) gallon galvanized tank. Our first three years in Canada, coal lamps and candles were our only source of illumination. We had approximately fiffy chickens, an Airedale dog, several cats and eventually, a nanny goat. In those days, sidewalks were all made of wood, so all entranceways and garden walks were approximately 24 inches wide, made with one by fours on two by four supports. By: Andrew Reid My frther had spent his working life until then with the Scottish Post Office. He started out as a “sorter” on the Glasgow to Carlisle railway postal car. Latterly, he was a supervisor in the Glasgow post office. He resigned to emigrate to Canada due to family health problems, and was within four years of pension eligibility when he left. In those days it was all or nothing, so he lost his pension. He thought his experience in the Glasgow Post Offic would assure him a job in the Vancouver Post Office, but such was not to be. In 1920, many veterans were still unemployed, so any openings went to them.He finally found a job with “Swift’s Canadian” in the refrigerator room of the meat packing plant on Water Street, near Carrall Street, in Vancouver. He was on the afternoon shift from 4 pm to midnight. This being too late for the last West Van feny, he had to take the North ferry, then the Capilano street car to its terminus at Capilano Road and 22nd Street in North Van. He then had to walk across the old Keith Road bridge over the Capilano, then two miles along Keith Road over Baby Mountain (then Sentinel Hill) and home. This was brfore electricity came to West Van, so it was pitch black. Batteiy torches were not very efficient in those days, so it was a long, lonely hike. For several years this was the only job he could get. Somehow, he managed to work on a course in bookkeeping, and in due course went to work for his brothers Andrew and Peter in “Reid Bros.” in Kitsilano. Hard times in the 1930’s forced them out of business and he was out of work for some time. I had been working with Forst Ltd., a &st growing concern in 1935.1 got my Dad a bookkeeping job with them. Later my brother Jimmy went to work at their main store at 2400 East Hastings. Dad stayed with Forsts till he retired at well over 70, and Jimmy stayed until the company closed down in the late 1960’s or early 1970’s. Jimmy’s twin brother. Bob, joined the \hncouver Post Office prior to World War n, served in the postal corp during the war, later went through most departments, and when he retired he was District Director for BC. ' In 1936,1 married Christian (Chris, Crissie) Law, moved to North \hncouver and lived there for 30 years, moving to Victoria in 1965. We have three children - Allistair, Henry and Ruby all happily married and living in Vancouver, Edmonton and Mctoria, respectively.