Object number
4201.317.2
Title
Royal Engineers in British Columbia
Creator
Description
Red leather book, titled 'Royal Engineers in British Columbia' in gold. There are coat of arms, and 'Souvenir' also in gold. The inside covers are green, blue and gold. There is a piece of paper slipped into the beginning of the book which has 'UBIQUE QUO FAS ET GLORIA DUCUNT' written in Latin across two British flags, a laurel wreath and a Royal Engineers symbol, all coloured brightly.
The beginning of the book contains the information and circumstances leading the British to go to British Columbia, with the area rich with the "lure of gold" in the 1850s. The area attracted many people, and therefore there was an establishment of civil government, law and order and taxation. However, with the lure of the land, many people came from different places, including California, who acted in an anti-British manner, and caused James Douglas, the Governor of Vancouver Island, to fear them. This then brought in men from the Royal Engineers.
At the end of the book, there is a 1909 honour to twelve survivors of the Corps of Royal Engineers who founded the Royal City. The twelve men, along with two others, were entertained in Westminster in October 1909. There was written a dialogue between two men: Johnny and Hughie discussing their journey on the Thames City ship when they were younger. They mention the 'Emigrant Soldiers' Gazette' being read to them on their voyage to British Columbia to colonise it. They talk about balls and entertainment they received on the ship, along with the story of a murder on-board.
There are a number of photographs in the book. These include a picture of Lieutenant H. S. Palmer, R.E., the Royal Engineer camp, the suspension bridge, New Westminster, and a portrait of the surviving members of the Royal Engineers that met together in Westminster in October 1909.
Date
1858 - 1909
Production period
World War One, 1914-1918
Material
Dimensions