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So, all my little heritage explorers have headed back to school for the fall. This marks the end of our summer children’s program and the beginning of a new project for me!
In the spring, the museum was given a complete Boer War uniform that belonged to a young man who enlisted here in Revelstoke. Most would be surprised to learn that nearly fifty men enlisted for the Boer War in Revelstoke between 1900 and 1902. These men served in five separate units – the Canadian Mounted Rifles (2nd, 5th and 6th Regiments), Lord Strathcona’s Horse and the South African Constabulary. Two of these men never returned to Canada – they were killed in action.
Often called “Canada’s Little War,” the Boer War, although much smaller when compared to later wars, was the first time Canadians were sent overseas to represent the young nation of Canada. Many of these men went on to serve in the First World War as well.
The particular uniform that we’ve so generously been given belonged to Walter James Dunne of the South African Constabulary. Walter was a still just a boy, a mere seventeen, when he enlisted here on February 27, 1901. He served overseas for just under two years, during which time he was taken prisoner-of-war, stripped naked and left to find his way across the South African veldt.
Walter went on to become the first settler at Blind Bay where he successfully raised a family on his homestead. He served in the Vosges Mountains in France during World War One (in the Canadian Forestry Corps) and he joined the Pacific Coast Militia during World War Two. Walter died peacefully at in 1964. His daughter, Mrs. Phyllis Parkes still spends her summers on the original family property on the lake at Blind Bay. There, on Dunne Road, the cabins that Walter built in the 1920’s still stand, almost as a testament to the life of their creator.
The Boer War exhibit is set to open at the end of September. It will highlight the efforts and the sacrifices of the young men from this area who served in this “little” war. As the Dunne family lived in Revelstoke for numerous years, this exhibit will also provide some insight into their time here.
Stay tuned for the official opening date!
Thanks,
Jen Busch
-Research assistant
In the spring, the museum was given a complete Boer War uniform that belonged to a young man who enlisted here in Revelstoke. Most would be surprised to learn that nearly fifty men enlisted for the Boer War in Revelstoke between 1900 and 1902. These men served in five separate units – the Canadian Mounted Rifles (2nd, 5th and 6th Regiments), Lord Strathcona’s Horse and the South African Constabulary. Two of these men never returned to Canada – they were killed in action.
Often called “Canada’s Little War,” the Boer War, although much smaller when compared to later wars, was the first time Canadians were sent overseas to represent the young nation of Canada. Many of these men went on to serve in the First World War as well.
The particular uniform that we’ve so generously been given belonged to Walter James Dunne of the South African Constabulary. Walter was a still just a boy, a mere seventeen, when he enlisted here on February 27, 1901. He served overseas for just under two years, during which time he was taken prisoner-of-war, stripped naked and left to find his way across the South African veldt.
Walter went on to become the first settler at Blind Bay where he successfully raised a family on his homestead. He served in the Vosges Mountains in France during World War One (in the Canadian Forestry Corps) and he joined the Pacific Coast Militia during World War Two. Walter died peacefully at in 1964. His daughter, Mrs. Phyllis Parkes still spends her summers on the original family property on the lake at Blind Bay. There, on Dunne Road, the cabins that Walter built in the 1920’s still stand, almost as a testament to the life of their creator.
The Boer War exhibit is set to open at the end of September. It will highlight the efforts and the sacrifices of the young men from this area who served in this “little” war. As the Dunne family lived in Revelstoke for numerous years, this exhibit will also provide some insight into their time here.
Stay tuned for the official opening date!
Thanks,
Jen Busch
-Research assistant
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