For forty days in the fall of 1918, Port Coquitlam hosted a hastily built military hospital on the Agricultural “Aggie” Park grounds, the army erected a tent city, and used the existing buildings in an attempt to halt the spread of Spanish Influenza, by quarantining suspected cases there. Sadly thirty-four people lost their lives here while the hospital was in existence.
This possibly explains why the commemorative cenotaph was at one time located in this park, even though none of the dead that died in this event are commemorated upon it, nor upon the local Honour Rolls. Although I am sure that many of the people who paid into the fund to create the cenotaph knew the story.
The cenotaph was located here from 1923 until 1968 when for some unknown reason it was moved to its present location beside City hall.
Note that the date on this photograph does not agree
with the reported year of the cenotaph being erected 1923.
Cenotaph beng rebuilt at City Hall
Chronology of Events
October 1 First report of flu on troop train.
2 Troop train of the
Siberian Expeditionary Force, (S.E.F.;
more detailed history) placed under quarantine in the C.P.R. yards. Temporary hospital being built.
3 Coquitlam Military Hospital opens for business
7 Quarantine now also in effect in New Westminster.
10 First to die was,
George Augustus Johns, Canadian Army Service Corps,(C.A.S.C.) Siberian Expeditionary Force,(S.E.F.)
1891 — October 10,1918
514729
12 William Bradley, C.A.S.C., S.E.F.
1891 —
October 12, 1918
2688553
The Coquitlam Times:
Spanish
Influenza
Although
it was true when Dr. Sutherland reported to the City Council on Wednesday night
that there had been no fatalities among the military patients suffering from
the prevailing epidemic called Spanish influenza, unhappily it is no longer so.
Private Johns succumbed to the disease on Thursday and was interred in
Westminster.
There
seems to be a lot of puerile secrecy or a perverted conspiracy of silence in
regard to the epidemic that can serve no good purpose. It is well that the
public should at all times know the true state of affairs in regard to such
matters.
There
are at present about 160 cases in camp, but the hospital authorities’ state
that they are doing reasonably well.
In
respect to the civilian population of the city, Dr. Sutherland in an interview
with a Times representative, authorizes the following for publication:
From
reports received from various sources Spanish Ia grippe is nothing more than a
severe form of the old Russian Ia grippe. Its rapid spread and severity may be
due to the ill-nourished condition of the people in the European states and to
the fact of the people congregating more at the present time. No chances of
infection should be taken. Avoid travelling in closely confined carriages. All
living rooms should be clean and well ventilated. Plenty of open air exercise
with scrupulous care of mouth and throat are necessary. The people of Coquitlam,
living in sanitary houses and surrounded by large open areas, are exceptionally
favorably situated.
Take
no chances of infection and keep on with your work.
Should
the medical health officer here deem fit he can wire to the Provincial Board of
Health requesting it to pass an Order-in-Council making the regulations
applicable to Port Coquitlam That would mean power to close all public places
of assembly, including schools, churches, classes, theatres, poolrooms, auction
sales, trades union and society meetings, social clubs or dances. So far this
has not been necessary.
Agricultural
Hall Matters
The
agreement verbally negotiated with the military authorities in regard to the
taking over of the Agricultural hall and grounds by the military officials came
under review, over the eviction of Charles Smith from house and home. Mr. Smith
had to get a house at four hours notice, and the question who was to pay the
rent, which did not enter into the conference with the military men, was
discussed.
The city had agreed to give the hall and grounds for the hospital
camp at 75 a month. The consensus of opinion was that he military should pay
Mr. Smith’s rent. As regards Mr. Smith’s duties as janitor of the hall, it is
uncertain when he will resume them, owing to the uncertainty of the soldiers’
stay in the city.
It
was finally resolved to bill the military authorities with Mr. Smith’s rent and
accessories.
SPANISH
FLU AT SOLDIERS’ CAMP
City
Health Board and Military Doctors Confer on Necessary Precautions to Prevent
Spread.
On
Saturday night the City Council, as a board of health, and Dr. Sutherland, city
medical officer, met Col. Doherty and Major Morton and other military officers, and considered the health
situation of the city as effected by the establishment of a military hospital
within its confines.
The
commandeering of the Agricultural hall and grounds had been effected by the
military men during the day. The subjects discussed were among others the
renting of the grounds, the care of the invalids, quarantine of the uninfected
soldiery, the sanitary arrangements and supply of water of the temporary
hospital. The military medical men expressed the opinion that it was an indoor
disease and unlikely to be contacted out of doors even at the distance of five
feet. It was agreed that a strict quarantine should be enforced upon the
soldiers, and the side walk next the fence of the Agricultural grounds should
be closed and it was left to the military authorities to see this order carried
into execution. No definite information is available at present as to how long
the hospital will be stationed here.
13 Charles Bernard Kirk, 2
nd Depot Battalion
1882 —
October 13, 1918
2140913
Harold Dickens McCann, driver 85
th Battery, S.E.F.
1897 —
October 13, 1918
334765
John Alexander Wood 85th Battery, S.E.F.
1890? —
October 15, 1918
3034807
14 Brooks Wilson 69
th Battery, Canadian Field Artillery
1898 —
October 14, 1918
340590
15 Bruno Costa 11
th Battalion, Canadian Garrison Regiment
1886 —
October 15, 1918
2024550
Thomas Richard Davies, A/Corp.11
th Engineer Depot
1871 —
October 15, 1918
2735024 /
2735025
16 Albert Edward Candler 2
nd Depot Battalion, British Columbia Regiment,(B.C.R.) 1892 —
October 16, 1918
2138793
Alvin J Forler, gunner 85
th Battery, S.E.F.
1896 —
October 16, 1918
3132784
18 William Edward Finn 11
th Battalion, Canadian Garrison Regiment
1895 —
October 18, 1918
2024356
James Robert McBain, L./Corp 11
th Battalion, Canadian Garrison Regiment,(C.G.R.) 1888 —
October 18, 1918
2021272
Frederick Edward MacMillan, 172
nd Battalion, British Columbia Regiment
1890 —
October 18, 1918
688183
George Frederick Kennedy R.N.W.M.P., S.E.F.
1884 —
October 18, 1918
2772525 George Kennedy was attached to the S.E.F. as a policeman,
read more of his story
19 Elie Felix Joyal 11
th Battalion, Canadian Garrison Regiment,(C.G.R.)
1887 —
October 19, 1918
2140278
The Coquitlam Times:
The
number of patient’s under treatment in the military hospital here 141 and they
are progressing favorably. Up to date there have been eleven deaths among the
soldiers, one having occurred yesterday.
20 Edward Graham Boaden, 11
th Casualty Unit, District Depot
1891 —
October 20 1918
430730
Chris Johnson 1886 —
October 20, 1918 he is buried at Mountain View cemetery, Vancouver, B.C. Johnson was a Group One defaulter, who was a prisoner brought down from Prince Rupert; it appears that he had not signed his attestation papers; so in turn he is not commemorated at all.
21 Walter Edmond Eglington, 1
st Depot Battalion
1879 —
October 21, 1918
2015444
18 more soldiers to the Coquitlam hospital.
22 Joseph Evans, formerly 172
nd Battalion, prior to his death he was a Railway Service Guard, 11
th Battalion, Canadian Garrison Regiment, (C.G.R.)
1862 —
October 22, 1918 667 /
687244
Joel Frederick Haas, Army Medical Corps Training Depot,(A.M.C.T.D.)
1897 —
October 22, 1918
2139710
Roderick McKenzie, 11
th Battalion, Canadian Garrison Regiment,(C.G.R.)
1881 —
October 22, 1918
2015349
Ernest William Reukauf 1888 —
October 22, 1918
Ernest was also a Group One defaulter, who lived at Prince Rupert, and was probably also a prisoner; also misspelt as
Ernest William Renkauf
23 William Delsell, Ammunition Column, S.E.F.
1888 —
October 23, 1918
334776
Edward Blair Hughes, 1
st Depot Battalion
1896 —
October 23, 1918
2015426
George MacKay , 11
th Battalion, Canadian Garrison Regiment
1888 —
October 23, 1918
2023958
25 Nick Tom, 11
th Battalion, Canadian Garrison Regiment, (C.G.R.)
1896 —
October 25, 1918
2015258
26 William Dale 1887 —
October 26, 1918 buried at Mountain View cemetery, Vancouver, B.C. William was also a prisoner and a draft defaulter from Atlin.
Allen Dale Smith, Sgt. 259
th battalion
1887 —
October 26, 1918
66287 Witness for nearly all of the death certificates was: Dr.
Major Walter Stewart Baird and the Brigade-Major arranged a bulk rate for all of the funerals with Murchie & Sons to cost $30 each.
Marjorie Beatrice Moberly, Canadian Army Medical Corps,(C.A.M.C.)
1895 —
October 26, 1918
The death occurred at the Coquitlam Military Hospital on Saturday of Nursing Sister
Marjorie Beatrice Moberly, aged 23. She had applied for overseas' service eighteen months ago, but was not called on until the influenza outbreak, when she immediately went to Coquitlam. After a few days she contracted the disease. She was the first military nurse to die from the epidemic. She was the daughter of Major Moberly of the Board of Pension Commissioners. Marjorie was a recent graduate of the Royal Jubilee Hospital at Vernon, B.C.; she was given a military funeral.
Sadly she is not listed with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission nor does she have a military headstone although she is buried in a row of soldiers in a military section of the Mountain View cemetery, Vancouver, B.C.
A great injustice appears to have been done by not recognizing her ultimate sacrifice in the cause of helping the soldiers to regain their health.
Her obituary was briefly mentioned in an article in the
Canadian Nurse 1918 issue
Some
good coverage of the story at this blog
And and ongoing researchers discussion at the
C.E.F. Researchers forum
27 Roy Harris Wilson, sapper 11
th Engineer Depot
1888 —
October 27, 1918
2022597
28 John Maxel Bannon, 259th Battalion, S.E.F.
1890 —
October 28, 1918
3236193
30 Edward Thomas Fry 259th Battalion, S.E.F.
1890 —
October 30, 1918
3033916
Summary: 845 Flu cases on the Mainland, 36 deaths so far.
Coquitlam Military Hospital had 396 flu cases; 83 others with pneumonia; and 31(32) deaths.
November
4 Party of N.C.O.’s and twelve men to Port Coquitlam to repair drains and sewer in connection with the vacant building the Engineers had converted into a Military hospital.
8 Toni Rosi /
Antonio Rose, Canadian Army Medical Corps
1897 —
November 8, 1918
2140657
404 soldiers and officers released from the Coquitlam quarantine, they retire to Vancouver to live under canvas at the Cambie Street camp.
11 Armistice signed, the war is over for some.
13 Tennison Hennis Cornwall, sapper Canadian Engineers
1891 —
November 13, 1918
2024882
Coquitlam Military Hospital was closed, the remaining patients were moved to the Fairmont section, of the Vancouver Military Hospital,( Shaughnessy Hospital )
15 Victoria: The 15
th Field Ambulance, arrived back in Victoria from the Coquitlam Military Hospital.
And the reports then close the short chapter of the Coquitlam Military Hospital by mentioning that the tents were returned from Coquitlam in bad condition, and that they need more tent menders.
“Aggie Hall” was officially opened on September 12
th, 1912. Built by the local Agricultural Society and was a well-used community building for many years. Sadly under rather strange circumstances the local parliamentarians decided secretly to have the building torn down, which was done at night on the 13th of April 1976.
And we lost a historical well-loved building that had one more story to tell.
What the area looks like today on
Google StreetView ( Aug 2011 ) where “Aggie” hall once stood.
Chester Street on the above map, was also previously known as
Cypress Street on a 1937 plan. (
1977 plan )
This appears to be taken during the war; men in uniforms on the right.
Ca.1914-1918. Photo: Coquitlam Archives
85th Battalion - Canadian Siberian Expeditionary Forces West, 1918
A15655 photographer: Stuart Thomson. this photo is also found in the New Westminster Archives as:
IHP1907 their description is more telling:
Canadian Siberian Expeditionary Forces in training in Queen's Park, New Westminster, B.C. The fisheries building (later Vagabond Playhouse/Bernie Legge Theatre) can be seen in the background. The Canadian Siberian Expeditionary troops were sent to secure logistics in post revolution/pre Communist Russia during WW1 to ensure safe trans-shipment of stockpiled supplies in Russian ports via the trans-Siberian rail road.
Note: The railways played a large role in moving people and supplies to the Coast so that the expeditions could continue; since the Armistice had just been signed there was no need to send war supplies back east, so a huge backlog occurred in the C.P.R. yards in Port Coquitlam, which was not cleared up until late in 1919.
More detailed references and study of this part of our history:
Epidemic and Public Health:
Influenza in Vancouver, 1918-1919
Margaret W. Andrews
Spanish
Influenza in the City of Vancouver, British Columbia, 1918-1919
Buchanan, Sarah
The horror at home: The Canadian military and the 'great' influenza pandemic of 1918. Humphries, Mark Osborne (2005).
Numerous nice images of the Siberian Expeditionary Force can be viewed at the Vancouver Archives using the search terms :
Siberia and
Siberian
The Spanish influenza did not take long to reach
Essondale Hospital, only a short delay of eight days before it claimed its first victim there.
Stuartson Upjohn 1868 —
October 18, 1918
Mike Barovich 1878 —
October 27, 1918
Joseph Young 1871 —
October 31, 1918
Hobson Edwards 1898 —
November 2, 1918
Carlo Cazioli 1890 —
November 6, 1918
Richard Gilbert 1861 —
November 6, 1918
John William Dickenson 1891 —
November 8, 1918
George Shand 1895 —
November 9, 1918
William Edmund Maturin 1880 —
November 10, 1918
There were 54 deaths at Essondale in 1918; 23 of which occurred from October to December, nine of those 23 died of influenza and are listed above.
Thirty-one more souls to add to my ongoing
Lest WE Forget blog, about those who served their country in WWI, locally.
I knew some of this story, but always assumed that the hospital was based at Essondale somewhere. So from what others have researched before me, and myself,
Port Coquitlam has the dubious distinction of being where the Spanish Influenza started to take its toll in the Lower Mainland, all because of the Army moving its soldiers across the country to fight a war in Russia.
It is strongly believed that the Flu actually did NOT come here via Canadian soldiers coming back home from Europe, But from American’s who signed up to fight in the Siberian Expeditionary Force, and they in turn spread it along the many routes that were taken, in the Canadian Army bureaucrats quest to get over to Siberia in a hurry; and their not fully understanding the implications of not forcefully exerting a proper quarantine on their soldiers.
The flu killed quickly usually in 5-10 days, it reached its height in October-November and then subsided for a while then peaked again in January 1919.
There should be a memorial of some type to remember what happened
at this park in the Winter of 1918.
Roughly 50,000 people in Canada died from influenza; and thirty-four souls in a Port Coquitlam park, are part of that number.
