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 Christmas morning 1967, Port Arthur, Ontario, Canada As my final post for the Heroes, Heroines, and History blog, I'm reposting one of my favourite Christmas posts from the Inkwell Inspirations blog. Although I wrote it in 2015, it's still relevant today, if not more so even. Merry Christmas and may God bless you richly this holiday season and in the coming year.  In honour of Remembrance Day on November 11th, I'm sharing the story of my husband's grandfather, Noah Clement Draper, a man who couldn't swim, but still joined WW1 as a sailor in the Royal Navy Canadian Volunteer Reserve. Noah's story has been passed down in a series of letters he sent to his wife and family starting in November 1916 when he signed up, until March 1919 when he finally came home. Reading about his experience on ship gives a unique account of the Great War not often shown in images and film of those horrendous days. A ditty box was included with Noah's kit. A ditty box is a lockable wooden container where a sailor kept his most treasured items like photographs, money, letters, writing instruments, etc. Anything that mattered to him during those long trips at sea were locked inside...his life in a box...and a lifeline to those he loved. Losing a ditty box was devastating. Although we don't know if Noah painted or embellished his ditty box as some others had done, we know what it held on the day it was stolen.  Ditty Box of James Hoyle Allen, Dover Patrol WW1. Courtesy of BBC A History of the World Join me at Heroes, Heroines and History where I tell and show the story of Noah and his ditty box. We will remember.  EP Ranch, Pekisko, Alberta, 1936. Calgary Daily Herald, Jan 21, 1936 The final post in my series about the EP Ranch in Alberta, Canada, concludes with the coronation, abdication, and death of King Edward VIII.
See the Heroes, Heroines, and History blog for images and newspapers that tell the story about how the ranch has survived after Edward.  "The Calgary Stampede", movie poster, 1925. Wikipedia My series on the EP Ranch in Alberta, Canada, goes Hollywood on Sept 5th as I post the use of the ranch as a film location. It was first used for some of the scenes in the western silent film The Calgary Stampede back in 1925. Recently, it was used as one of the locations for Clint Eastwood's award-winning film Unforgiven.
Join me at the Heroes, Heroines and History blog for photos, a video, and more information about the Movie Location EP Ranch.  Prince of Wales riding Midnight at EP Ranch, Pekisko, Alberta. Sep 1923. Glenbow Archives In 1923, Edward, Prince of Wales, returns to the ranch he bought on his previous visit to Alberta in 1919, and spends a month learning how to be a rancher while still fulfilling the duties of being heir to Britain's royal throne. If you haven't guessed, I'm over at the Heroes, Heroines, and History blog with my second post on Alberta's EP Ranch. If you have a few minutes, stop by and check out the historical photos of the post, EP Ranch Royal Visit 1923.  Prince of Wales "E.P." Ranch, Pekisko, Alberta, Canada I'm excited to announce the start of a new series on Alberta's "Rancher King" on the 5th of every month over on the Heroes, Heroines and History blog. The first post introduces the UK's Edward Prince of Wales and the E.P. Ranch which he bought in 1919 in Southern Alberta when he was still a young man. Yes, this is the same Edward who would become King on January 1936...and then abdicate his throne in December of that same year and exchange it for the woman he loved. Join me as I show you a small part of Edward Prince of Wales and a special place in his heart.  Miniature Railway Train, Atlantic City, N.J., 1903. Public Domain The sound of a train catches my attention no matter what the size, so when I found some stereographs and old images of miniature ridable trains, I wrote a post to share them with you. If you'd like to see what I found, head on over to my Miniature Railroads post over on Heroes, Heroines and History.  My final post on images of snowball throwing begins with a postcard showing the difference between the weather in California on the west coast and that of 'back east'. The sender is leaving California and states he is regretting his return to Ontario, Canada, and we can only assume it's because of the weather.
So, join me over at the Heroes, Heroines and History blog for more images, photographs, and a bylaw about this seasonal sport.  The Snowball Battle near Dalton, Georgia, March 22, 1864. Public Domain The above image is a pencil drawing of a snowball fight between Confederate soldiers on March 22, 1864 near Dalton, Georgia. It's hard to see but the artwork was created on site during the American Civil War. I have more interesting images and film of snowball fights on my post over on the Heroes, Heroines and History blog. Check it out at Snowball Fights at War and Play.  Snowball Fight, Anonymous (Flemish), circa 1510. Public Domain, courtesy of The Walters Art Museum, Wikimedia I'm starting a new series on the 5th day of every month over on the Heroes, Heroines and History blog and since it's January and we have snow on the ground for the next 2-3 months, I thought I'd show you some historical images of snowball throwing. My January 5th post, Snowballs Go Way Back, will feature images from about 1400 up to 1794. Hope you stop by and see where my research took me this time. |
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