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WEST VANCOUVER ” ^He OfficiaC Voice of the West Vancouver JfistoricaCSociety Volume 24 March 2007 Number 2 A “West Vancouver Vignette”. Philip Timms photo, Vancouver Public Library VPL 7199 It is 1909 and the ferry West Vancouver passes the S.S. Britannia in the first narrows. The West Vancouver was owned and operated by the West Vancouver Transportation Company, formed in 1909, by John Lawson, W.C, Thompson, John Sinclair and Robert MacPherson. It was West Vancouver’s first ferry and was acquired in order to assist in the sales of building lots. It was a gasoline powered launch with seats for 34 passengers and initially ran from the foot of 17*** Street to its City dock at the foot of Columbia Street in Vancouver. The Company was not profitable and when the District of West Vancouver was established in 1912, the shareholders sold the boat to the Municipality. The West Vancouver was the first of eight vessels which served the Community until the last sailing on February 8, 1947. The Britannia was operated by Captain John A. Cates’ Terminal Steam Navigation Company Ltd. and was built at the False Creek Shipyard by John’s brother George. When the Britannia was launched in 1902 she was the most modern excursion boat in Vancouver capable of carrying 300 passengers and boasted a dining room. The ship serviced ports-of-call on the east Howe Sound Route, and called at Caulfeild Cove until the Pacific Great Eastern Railway was opened and Marine Drive completed. In ‘Church and Village’, H. A. Stone, an early camper and then settler in Caulfeild, recalled how tCont’d. next columnt West Vancouver vignette - cont’d the ship could be summoned. “If one wished the Britannia to call in at Caulfeild Cove on her return trip to the City, you needed, in good time, about 6 pm, to scale the signal rock, which is quite near the wharf, and haul up the flag, and you were lucky if you did not have to wait one or two hours before hearing the welcoming sound of the steamers whistle.” New Editor on Board With this issue of History-Onics, we are pleased to announce, we have a new editor. Peter Strelaeff, when approached, immediately accepted the position. With his experience and enthusiasm, we expect a continuation of quality, entertaining newsletters. Peter will be elected to the Board at our next meeting. Welcome aboard, Peter. Peter and his wife, Carroll, have been residents of West Vancouver since 1962 and since then, we are sure, they have seen many changes in our Municipality since they first arrived in West Vancouver. Carroll and Peter are both Life Members of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 60, West Vancouver and are Volunteers at the West Vancouver Museum & Archives. The Board of Directors. PUBLIC MEETING. MARCH 28. 2007 WEST VANCOUVER SENIORS’ CENTRE - 7;00 PM The Scoutins Movement in West Vancouver It is exactly one hundred years since Lord Baden- Powell started the Boy Scouts in England. There are now 28 million boys in 150 countries who are either “Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Venturers or Rovers”. Scouting came to West Vancouver in 1929 and an estimated ten thousand boys have since participated. Our speaker for this evening, Mr. Les Strike, has been active in Scouts for fifty years and has held the positions of West Vancouver Regional Commissioner, B. C. Regional Commissioner and also ran the Sea Scouts at Caulfeild for ten years. Copies of the recent book on Scouting, sponsored by Society member Katie Dickinson, will be available for purchase at the meeting. Page 1