Battle of Stoney Creek ~ Canada

"The country which the government of the United States has undertaken to conquer."
~ David Longworth, American Statesman's Kalendar, 1812. [An almanac of census figures, time tables, federal gov't. depts., and army & navy lists.]

Billy Green

www.battlefieldhouse.ca  Photos:  Battlefield House Collection lbw

Canada's Come a Long Way !

[In the thirties] "'Lewd' performances in theatres were forbidden.  In Montreal, where all performances had to be governed "by the dictates of propriety and refinement,' the Board of Censorship explicitly defined a lewd performance as the appearance on the stage of 'bare-legged females,' 'the wearing of one-piece union suits by women,' or any dance that involved 'suggestive or repulsive contractions of the human body.'

"Toronto was equally puritan.  When the distinguished British actor Maurice Colbourne appeared at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Reunion in Vienna, a Robert Sherwood play, the censors were in full cry.  Thanks to the vigilance of Mrs. Henry Cody, wife of the president of the University of Toronto, the police forced a number of script changes.  The word 'bathroom' was deleted, an eight-second kiss was reduced to five seconds, the word 'damn' was cut out, and a love scene was toned down. And when the wildly successful new picture magazine, Life, published a photographic essay on the birth of a baby that year, the issue was denied entry into Canada."

~ Pierre Berton The Great Depression, 1929 ~ 1939, McClelland & Stewart Inc., 1990.

PTE. WILL DUFF KILLED*

Seeking Information ~

One of the exciting pastimes in a bookshop is meeting people from all walks of life ~  "Fascinating People."   This week Brendan Oliver came in looking for any information regarding a WW1 soldier, William Selkirk Duff.
Brendan researched the name and learned that Mr Duff went overseas with the 114th Battalion "Brocks Rangers."  He died of wounds at the Battle of Passchendaele and is buried in Nine Elms British Cemetery in Belgium.
The son of David and Angelina Duff of Cayuga, William had two siblings: sister Jessie and brother Oliver.  David Duff was a well known teacher and Principal in Cayuga.  The rest of the Duff family is buried in the Cayuga Cemetery.

If you have any information about William Selkirk Duff or if you are a relative, Brendan would certainly be happy to "hear" from you.  Please contact Brendan at griff8_@hotmail.com

*The yellowed newspaper clipping that sent Brendan Oliver on his search to find out more about a young soldier from Cayuga killed in the war.

Cayuga Cemetery

Thought for Today ~

"Be lifelong students and also wise and patient teachers.
 
Remember to 'see everything, overlook most
and correct a little.' "

~ Sanjay Gupta, MD, Monday Mornings, Grand Central Publishing, 2012.



 The Recent Past *

In 1919 E. C. Drury became Premier of Ontario and, with the help of his old colleague, Dr. Zavitz, pressed for a much more active and comprehensive approach to the challenge of restoring the forests.  His key recommendation was that the province would share the costs of reforestation projects undertaken by county and municipal governments....
"the first county to take advantage of the financial support offered by the provincial government was Simcoe County.  In 1920, 1000 acres of waste land were purchased in Vespra Township."

* Simcoe County The Recent Past, by John Craig, 1977 The Corporation of the County of Simcoe.
Photo: St. Williams Forestry, Norfolk lbw

Forestry Station St. Williams Norfolk

Some History ~ by John Craig

"In 1905 the first tree nursery was begun at Guelph, a program of lectures was launched by Dr. Zavitz, and advice on forestry was provided to landowners.  Under the Whitney Government a Forestry Station was established in Norfolk County, some local areas were planted, and a few demonstration plots developed."

~ Simcoe County The Recent Past, 1977  by The Corporation of the County of Simcoe, The Bryant Press Limited.

Country

LAMBING IN THE FIELDS ~

"Hill sheep are often brought into a field on lower ground when April and lambing time comes.  Most sheep will not need help, but the shepherd keeps a close eye on the flock for difficult births and weak lambs.  He makes sure that the lambs are being fed and finds a foster mother for the rare occasion when a ewe is not feeding her lambs adequately."

~ The Best of JAMES HERRIOT,* The Favorite Stories of One of the Most Beloved Writers of Our Time, 1982 The Reader's Digest Assoc., Inc.

*James Herriot (1916 - 1995) pen name for James Alfred Wight, British veterinary.
(Photo:  lbw)