Recording is the second part of an interview with (John) Gordon Davis conducted by Mabel F. Nichols with her husband Jack Nichols. In this segment of the interview, Gordon provides more background information about his wife Anne while, interviewer Mabel, explains to Gordon how she came about discov…
Recording is the second part of an interview with (John) Gordon Davis conducted by Mabel F. Nichols with her husband Jack Nichols. In this segment of the interview, Gordon provides more background information about his wife Anne while, interviewer Mabel, explains to Gordon how she came about discovering Anne's trunk and old nursing uniform. She explains how the information that he provides will benefit the Burnaby Village Museum who are accepting the uniform into their collection.
00:00 - 4:55
Gordon shares information about serving in the Middle East during WWII and the Dresden bombing raids. He provides biographical information about Anne and her siblings.
4:46 - 06:41
Poor audio quality- hard to discern content from Interviewee- Gordon Davis.
06:42 - 08:
Gordon talks more about Anne and how he was attracted to her.
08:37-22:26
Interviewer, Mabel Nichols explains how this interview with Gordon will assist in providing provenance to Anne's uniform that is being donated to the Burnaby Village Museum. Mabel describes how she discovered the uniform in a trunk that Anne shipped from England to Burnaby in 1946. The trunk was addressed to, "Mrs. A. Davis, 4212 Douglas Road, New Westminster". Years later, the trunk was discovered by a friend of hers with Mabel's uniform and hat inside.
22:27-29:08
Mabel shares her own life experiences living in the Fraser Canyon while Gordon recollects some of his own experiences during the war. Mabel reads from the notes that she has created from her interview with Gordon. Gordon provides more details as needed. Mabel shares information about her brother, Bill who was wounded in World War II.
History
Interviewee biography: John Gordon Davis was born to Elizabeth Ann Vert (nee Eyres) and Gilbert Davis on September 13, 1913 in North Cobalt, Ontario. Gordon was the second youngest of six children. After graduating from high school he attended Radio College in Toronto. He spent two years prior to World War II working in radio on British ships. In 1940, after retiring, his parents moved to British Columbia. They purchased the Flowerland Auto Court in 1941 at 4212 Douglas Road, Burnaby. During this time, Gordon moved to Ontario and sought employment in radio range stations that were dealing with new technology throughout Europe. He joined the RCAF in 1941. While in London, in May of 1941, he met his future wife Anne Williams. In World War II, Anne served as a nurse in Queen Alexandra's Imperial Army Nursing Corps. In November 1943, Anne survived the bombing of the Dutch passenger ship, SS Marnix while it sailed in a convoy from England to the Mediterranean. Gordon did many tours throughout the Middle East, Turkey, Egypt, Italy, the Battle of the Bulge, Sarnia before he was known as “surplus to requirement”. Since Anne was still in the nursing corps, Gordon signed on for another year and was sent north of London to a Repair Squadron where he worked on operational repairs of Mosquito bombers which were manufactured in Canada. Anne and Gordon continued their correspondence and eventually married in North Wales on January 23, 1945. Gordon was shipped back to Canada in October of 1945 and moved in with his parents at their auto court on Douglas Road in Burnaby. Anne joined Gordon in Burnaby in April 1946 when her mission was completed. Anne packed up her things in a large trunk that she addressed to Gordon’s parents on Douglas Road. Gordon moved around British Columbia in his work for BC Electric and eventually retired with HB Contracting Ltd. in Surrey working on the BC pipeline between 1953 and 1954. In the late 1950s, Gordon and Anne purchased a home in Burnaby at 1508 6th Street (now 7591 6th Street) which they lived in until 1984. In 1985, Anne and Gordon sold their house in Burnaby and moved to Hyack House in New Westminster. Anne Davis died in 1989 at the age of 76 years. Gordon's father, Gilbert died in 1957 and his mother Elizabeth Ann Verta died in 1968.
Interviewer biography: Mabel F. Nichols (nee Lawrence) was one of six children born in Hope [ca.1932] to Elmer E. Lawrence and Louise (nee Pennier). Elmer and Louise married in Yale B.C. in 1916. Mabel’s mother, Louise Pennier was part of the Sts'ailes Nation (Chehalis First Nation). Elmer and Louise had three sons and three daughters. Both of Mabel’s parents died in Langley in 1960. Mabel married Jack (John) Nichols [between 1959 and 1960]. They lived at 6004 Wilson Street, Burnaby in 1959; 4910 Willingdon Avenue [between 1960 and 1962] and 4662 Hazel Street [between 1963 and 1987] before moving to Surrey. Jack Nichol's parents, George and Alma Nichols owned and operated Nichols Family Meat Market at 4018 Kingsway (later renumbered 4500 Kingsway). The family lived behind the butcher shop.
Collected by editorial for use in a January 2001 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
Caption from metadata: "Ljubisav Stamenic, of BCIT, checks out the solar photovoltaic cells in the attic of the school's solar energy demonstration house. The solar energy is converted into electricity which is then fed back into the power grid connected to the house."
Photograph of Roger Movold, a member of the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association, opening the hood of a 1912 Detroit Electric car. The car is on display as part of an Eco-Fair at BCIT.
Photograph of Roger Movold, a member of the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association, opening the hood of a 1912 Detroit Electric car. The car is on display as part of an Eco-Fair at BCIT.
Collected by editorial for use in an April 2001 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
Caption from metadata: "Roger Movold, of the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Assocation, opens the hood of a 1912 Detroit Electric, one of the earliest electric cars, that was able to cruise at 5-15 mph for a range of 50-85 miles. In the background is the modern equivalent, a Honda Insight. The cars were on display at an Eco-Fair at BCIT on Wednesday."
File contains photographs of the opening of the Burnaby Central Railway in Confederation Park for the season. Photographs depict Eivind Luffe hooking up an electric switcher to a train and Doug Bach pushing a 1936 Northern Class locomotive out of a shed. Both Luffe and Bach are members of the Briti…
File contains photographs of the opening of the Burnaby Central Railway in Confederation Park for the season. Photographs depict Eivind Luffe hooking up an electric switcher to a train and Doug Bach pushing a 1936 Northern Class locomotive out of a shed. Both Luffe and Bach are members of the British Columbia Society of Model Engineers.
Collected by editorial for use in an April 2001 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
Caption from metadata for 535-2248-1: "Eivind Luffe hooks up his electric switcher as the BC Society of Model Engineers open Burnaby Central Railway at Confederation Park for the season. Luffe says the engine, which is based on a design from his own imagination, took him about three years to build."
Caption from metadata for 535-2248-2: "Doug Bach, of the BC Society of Model Engineers, pushes out to the tracks the group's 1936 Northern Class locomotive, at the Burnaby Central Railway in Confederation Park. The Railway opens for the season this weekend."
Photograph of Colin Stevens, the curator of the Burnaby Village Museum, and Andrew Todd, a conservator, talking while standing next to the Interurban tram 1223 that is undergoing restoration work. The streetcar is draped in plastic sheets.
Photograph of Colin Stevens, the curator of the Burnaby Village Museum, and Andrew Todd, a conservator, talking while standing next to the Interurban tram 1223 that is undergoing restoration work. The streetcar is draped in plastic sheets.
Collected by editorial for use in a September 2001 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
Caption from metadata: "Colin Stevens, the curator of the Burnaby Village Museum, and Andrew Todd, a conservator who's consulting on the move and restoration of the old Interurban streetcar, discuss the plans for the move, which is set to take place next week."
File contains photographs of Dave Shewchuk, of Apollo Hobbies, demonstrating the store's new eight-lane electric slot car track and miniature racing cars.
File contains photographs of Dave Shewchuk, of Apollo Hobbies, demonstrating the store's new eight-lane electric slot car track and miniature racing cars.
Collected by editorial for use in a March 2000 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
Caption from metadata for 535-2099-1: "Dave Shewchuk gets ready to race at Apollo Hobbies' new 8-lane electric slot car track. The track is 148 ft. long, in a 700 square foot room. The miniature cars can reach real speeds of 30 mph."
Caption from metadata for 535-2099-2: "Dave Shewchuk, of Apollo Hobbies, shows off one of the miniature electric racing cars that can be raced at the store's new 8-lane slot car track. The track is 148 ft. long, the largest in the Lower Mainland."
Collected by editorial for use in a November 2000 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
Caption from metadata for 535-1683-1:"George McKay, of McKay Security Supplies, is captured on a video monitor by one of the micro-sized cameras he installs."
Caption from metadata for 535-1683-2: "George McKay, of McKay Security Supplies, shows off one of the micro-sized security cameras."
Photograph of Christine Berka and Marlyn Allison demonstrating Xantrex XPower emergency power generators. The generators are powering a television and an emergency light.
Photograph of Christine Berka and Marlyn Allison demonstrating Xantrex XPower emergency power generators. The generators are powering a television and an emergency light.
Collected by editorial for use in an October 2000 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
Caption from metadata: "Christine Berka and Marlyn Allison,demonstrate the X POWER 300 and X POWER 600, two new Xantrex products that produce portable, household electricity."
File contains photographs of Don Wrigley, the President of the Friends of Interurban 1223, posing inside of the trolley car and outside of rusted, pre-restoration car.
File contains photographs of Don Wrigley, the President of the Friends of Interurban 1223, posing inside of the trolley car and outside of rusted, pre-restoration car.
Collected by editorial for use in a February 2000 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
Caption from metadata for 535-3112-1: "Don Wrigley, the President of the Friends of Interurban 1223, and of the Burnaby Historical Society, surveys the gutted interior of the old trolley car."
Caption from metadata for 535-3112-2: "Don Wrigley, the President of the Friends of Interurban 1223, and of the Burnaby Historical Society, wants to keep the old trolley car in Burnaby."
Photograph of British Columbia Electric Railway Interurban car 1231 "Burnaby Lake Line" on the tram tracks between Science World and Granville Island. The Vancouver Downtown Historic Railway was a heritage electric railway that was in operation between 1998 and 2011 which ran two restored interurba…
Inkjet print of a digital image on white photocopy paper.
Scope and Content
Photograph of British Columbia Electric Railway Interurban car 1231 "Burnaby Lake Line" on the tram tracks between Science World and Granville Island. The Vancouver Downtown Historic Railway was a heritage electric railway that was in operation between 1998 and 2011 which ran two restored interurban trams on the line between Science World and Granville Island. These tracks were formerly used as a frieght railway right-of-way.