In Remembrance

Fort Langley farmer Alfred Trattle enlisted in 1916 and was killed the next year near Vimy. He left behind a wife and two small children; his wife's brother, Jesse Wright, was also killed at Vimy Ridge. Trattle and Wright Streets on the western edge of Fort Langley are named for them. Langley's Brian Harper Butler was born in Yorkshire and enlisted at age 23 with the 11th Canadian Mounted Rifles, describing himself as a "woodsman". He assigned his $15 monthly pay to his father, a minister at Gibsons. Brian Butler served with the 29th Battalion at Vimy Ridge on April 9th, 1917 but died on April 23rd from a gunshot wound in the back. He is buried in the Boulogne East Cemetery at Pas de Calais, France. Learn more about those who sacrificed during the Great War in Warren Sommer's book, Canucks in Khaki.   Eugene Allard was the grandson [...]

2021-11-10T03:40:18+00:00October 29th, 2021|

Lest We Forget: Aboriginal Veterans

George Hadden, Tommy Fillardeau, Bob Brown and James Hadden in uniform outside of the Edal Cafe. (Photo: Langley Centennial Museum) Although they had few rights, Indigenous men in Canada stepped forward in significant numbers to serve during the Great War, World War II and the Korean War.  Every eligible man between the age of 20 and 35 from Okanagan Head of the Lake Band enlisted. George McLean, a Douglas Lake cowboy, returned home a decorated hero after single-handedly killing 19 of the enemy and capturing 40 others.  Roy Cromarty (aka Sam Garner) was a Sto:lo man who lost his life in the fall of 1917.  Locally, Thomas “Tommy” Fillardeau, of mixed Métis/Kwantlen heritage, served during the Second World War. (His great-grandfather worked for the Hudson’s Bay Company at Fort Langley.) The Langley Centennial Museum’s digital archive includes the above photo, and a very brief biographical sketch of Tommy:   “Thomas [...]

2021-11-10T03:35:30+00:00October 24th, 2021|

A Year in the Garden

  Sandra Reams is our long time tenant at historic Michaud House (built 1886) in Langley City who spends lots of time caring for the gardens. Langley Heritage Society president Fred Pepin (second on the left) built her a sturdy, raised garden bed in the spring.  It took four people to help move it to the backyard. This is what it looked like after Sandra weaved her magic.   Below: a clever trellis fashioned from used garden tools. Reduce, reuse and recycle. Rose is a rose is a rose. You never know what you'll find underfoot at historic Michaud House. This brick was manufactured by Clayburn Bricks in the Abbotsford area (there was a plant in Clayburn Village and later in Abbotsford itself). These bricks were used all over the world, including the Marine Building in Vancouver and parts of the Empress Hotel in Victoria. And during the summer [...]

2021-10-21T03:05:09+00:00October 20th, 2021|

Community Hall Rentals: Where to Look

Fort Langley Community Hall, built 1931 Langley region is fortunate to have numerous community halls --  many of them are important historic buildings. Langley Heritage Society receives requests about rental availability almost every day, but here's the thing: we don't actually manage these halls. Since we receive so many requests, LHS has prepared a contact list HERE.

2021-10-17T16:34:58+00:00October 17th, 2021|

Fall 2021 Newsletter

Although our regular activities like the Speaker Series and tours of the historic CN Station are on hold during the pandemic, there's still lots of news to share. Read our Fall Newsletter HERE.

2021-10-07T17:44:40+00:00October 7th, 2021|

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