Search Results | Heritage Burnaby

Summary: This portion of the recording includes Alfred Bingham's memories of constructing a mill for Simpson & Giberson and of working on homes for himself, Angus McLean and Percy Little in the Lochdale area. He discusses the strike at Barnet mill and reads an essay written by Grace E. Carpenter. Land clear…

1 image 1 audio

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Summary: This portion of the recording includes Alfred Bingham's memories of constructing a mill for Simpson & Giberson and of working on homes for himself, Angus McLean and Percy Little in the Lochdale area. He discusses the strike at Barnet mill and reads an essay written by Grace E. Carpenter. Land clearing is described in detail. Alfred also relates a story from 1920 involving early settlers E. Powell and J. Amos.

Date Range: 1919-1955

Photo Info: Alfred Bingham, April 20, 1947. Item no. 010-066

Length: 0:06:06

Subjects: Land Clearing; Buildings - Industrial - Mills

Historic Neighbourhood: Lochdale (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Lochdale Area

Scope and Content: Recording is of Alfred Bingham's writings, as read by Alfred Bingham. Major themes discussed are: Pioneers, early days in Burnaby and the Co-op Movement. To view "Narrow By" terms for each track expand this description and see "Notes".

Biographical Notes: Alfred "Alf" Bingham was born in England in 1892 and moved to Canada in 1912. His first job in Canada was laying track for the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (GTPR) from Edmonton to McBride in 1912. His second was in Vancouver at the Rat Portage Mill on False Creek, working on the Resaw machine. He quit after one week due to poor working conditions. After taking part in the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike as a delegate of the Retail and Mailorder Union (A.F.L.) on the Winnipeg Trades and Labour Council, Alfred moved to Burnaby where he and fellow Burnaby residents Aungus McLean and Percy Little worked ten hour days to build a Shingle Mill on the edge of Burnaby Lake for Simpson & Giberson. George Green, carpenter and millwright (author of “The History of Burnaby”) also helped in the construction of the mill. Alfred built his own home from lumber cut from the mill in the Lochdale area on Sherlock Street between Curtis Street and Kitchener Street. On April 10, 1920 Alfred married Mary Jane “Ada” Reynolds. Alfred and Ada often took in foster children during their marriage. Due to her nursing experience, Ada was often called upon to deliver babies in the Burnaby area. Alfred and Ada Bingham were instrumental members of the Army of the Common Good, collecting vegetables and grains from growers in the area and even producing over 125 tons of vegetables from its own gardens to feed children and youth suffering from the lack of resources during the Depression years. The army was in operation for ten years and during that time the members organised the Credit Union movement of British Columbia and drew up the Credit Union act thorough the Vancouver Co-operative Council. They also started Co-Op stores and the Co-Op Wholesale Society. Alfred was also Secretary of the Burnaby Housing committee and in 1946 he became the Secretary of the North Burnaby Labour Progressive Party (LPP). Mary Jane “Ada” (Reynolds) Bingham died on August 9, 1969. Her husband Alfred died on April 29, 1979.

Total Tracks: 12

Total Length: 1:38:06

Interviewee Name: Bingham, Alfred "Alf"

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Series: Community Archives Collection series

Subseries: Oral history subseries

Transcript Available: MSS142-001 contains transcripts for each of the short stories

Media Type: Sound Recording

Web Notes: Interview was digitized in 2010 allowing it to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council and the BC History Digitization Program of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, University of British Columbia. It was recognized by the Heritage Society of BC with an award in 2012.

Images

Alfred Bingham, April 20, 1947. Item no. 010-066 thumbnail

Audio Tracks

Track two of recording of Alfred Bingham's writings

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/100-13-20-2/100-13-20-2_Track_2.mp3

Birth of a House

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription79788

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: May 1950

Collection/Fonds: Yanko family fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 8 x 5.5 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of the construction site for the Yanko family house at 7385 Broadway (later renumbered 7391) in Burnaby.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: May 1950

Collection/Fonds: Yanko family fonds

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 8 x 5.5 cm

Material Details: Secured to album page with photo corners

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 545-438

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No restrictions

Accession Number: 2012-09

Scope and Content: Photograph of the construction site for the Yanko family house at 7385 Broadway (later renumbered 7391) in Burnaby.

Subjects: Construction; Land Clearing

Media Type: Photograph

Notes: Transcribed title (from album page); Note written on album page reads: "'Birth of a House' / Started May 1950 / Moved in April 6, 1951"; Note in black ink on verso of photograph reads: "#6 House May 1950"

Street Address: 7391 Broadway

Planning Study Area: Sperling-Broadway Area

Images

Clearing for shopping centre

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription85130

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [1958]

Collection/Fonds: Ben Bradley collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 8.2 x 11.5 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of land being cleared for the Brentwood Mall with Burnaby mountain in the background.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [1958]

Collection/Fonds: Ben Bradley collection

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 8.2 x 11.5 cm

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 564-002

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only

Accession Number: 2013-30

Scope and Content: Photograph of land being cleared for the Brentwood Mall with Burnaby mountain in the background.

Subjects: Buildings - Commercial; Land Clearing

Names: Brentwood Shopping Centre

Media Type: Photograph

Notes: Transcribed title; Note on verso reads: "Clearing for shopping centre"

Street Address: 4567 Lougheed Highway

Planning Study Area: Brentwood Area

Images

Clearing for shopping centre

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription85131

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [1958]

Collection/Fonds: Ben Bradley collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 8.2 x 11.5 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph with tree stumps, rocks and dirt of land being cleared for the Brentwood Mall.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [1958]

Collection/Fonds: Ben Bradley collection

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 8.2 x 11.5 cm

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 564-003

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only

Accession Number: 2013-30

Scope and Content: Photograph with tree stumps, rocks and dirt of land being cleared for the Brentwood Mall.

Subjects: Buildings - Commercial; Land Clearing

Names: Brentwood Shopping Centre

Media Type: Photograph

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph

Street Address: 4567 Lougheed Highway

Planning Study Area: Brentwood Area

Images

Clearing for shopping centre

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription85133

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [1958]

Collection/Fonds: Ben Bradley collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 8.2 x 11.5 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph with tree stumps, rocks and dirt of land being cleared for the Brentwood Mall.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [1958]

Collection/Fonds: Ben Bradley collection

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 8.2 x 11.5 cm

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 564-005

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only

Accession Number: 2013-30

Scope and Content: Photograph with tree stumps, rocks and dirt of land being cleared for the Brentwood Mall.

Subjects: Buildings - Commercial; Land Clearing

Names: Brentwood Shopping Centre

Media Type: Photograph

Notes: Transcribed title; Note on verso reads: "Clearing for shopping centre"

Street Address: 4567 Lougheed Highway

Planning Study Area: Brentwood Area

Images

Clearing for the shopping centre

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription85125

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [1958]

Collection/Fonds: Ben Bradley collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 8.2 x 11.5 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of children climbing on a large tree stump on land being cleared for the Brentwood Mall.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [1958]

Collection/Fonds: Ben Bradley collection

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 8.2 x 11.5 cm

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 564-001

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only

Accession Number: 2013-30

Scope and Content: Photograph of children climbing on a large tree stump on land being cleared for the Brentwood Mall.

Subjects: Buildings - Commercial; Land Clearing

Names: Brentwood Shopping Centre

Media Type: Photograph

Notes: Transcribed title; Note on verso reads: "Clearing for shopping centre"

Street Address: 4567 Lougheed Highway

Planning Study Area: Brentwood Area

Images

Clearing for the shopping centre, [1958] thumbnail

Interview with Dennis Brown by Eric Damer September 18, 2012 - Track 3

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory308

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date Range: 1944-1960

Length: 0:09:21

Summary: This portion of the recording pertains to Dennis Brown's memories of reconnecting with his wife Cice (Chandler) Brown on the interurban tram. He discusses his job history and tells the story of single-handedly clearing land for their family home.

1 image 1 audio

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Summary: This portion of the recording pertains to Dennis Brown's memories of reconnecting with his wife Cice (Chandler) Brown on the interurban tram. He discusses his job history and tells the story of single-handedly clearing land for their family home.

Date Range: 1944-1960

Photo Info: Dennis Brown (far left) with his wife Cice (Chandler) Brown (far right) and their five children, [1964]. Item no. 549-018.

Length: 0:09:21

Names: Brown, Cice Chandler

Subjects: Land Clearing

Interviewer: Damer, Eric

Interview Date: September 18, 2012

Scope and Content: Recording is an interview with Dennis Brown conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, September 18, 2012. Major theme discussed: life in Burnaby during the war years.

Biographical Notes: Dennis Brown’s family moved from North Vancouver to South Burnaby, near Central Park, in 1941. Dennis finished his high school in Burnaby and enlisted in the air force, completing basic training. He returned to Burnaby looking for work and found employment stoking the boiler of a cargo ship. He and a friend spent the next year sailing around the world. When Dennis returned to Burnaby, he found work at a local shingle mill, married Cice Chandler and began work on a new home at Willingdon and Imperial. He and Cice had two children in 1948 and 1950, and three more in the later nineteen-fifties. By this time, Dennis had retrained as an accountant and worked in several large businesses in Vancouver. In their later years, both Dennis and Cice were active in the restoration of the Parker Carousel and Interurban 1223 (now on display at the Burnaby Village Museum) and both were honoured independently with “Citizen of the Year” awards. Cice (Chandler) Brown was, additionally, Honourary Reeve of the Burnaby Village Museum.

Total Tracks: 5

Total Length: 0:43:57

Interviewee Name: Brown, Dennis

Interview Location: Burnaby Village Museum

Interviewer Bio: Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.