Photograph of Burnaby Police Department members. They are posed in two rows, one row seated and one row standing. The back row begins with; Sergeant David Maxwell, Constable Jack Woolens, Constable Eddie Godwin, Constable George Jeffery, Constable Peter Kelsburg, Constable Hatt-Cook, Constable Gor…
Photograph of Burnaby Police Department members. They are posed in two rows, one row seated and one row standing. The back row begins with; Sergeant David Maxwell, Constable Jack Woolens, Constable Eddie Godwin, Constable George Jeffery, Constable Peter Kelsburg, Constable Hatt-Cook, Constable Gordon Waddell, Constable Corbett. Seated in the front row are; the Police Commissioner, Reeve Alexander McLean, Constable Parker, Chief Constable Devitt, [Police Commissioner] Albert Armitage, and [Stuart] Jamieson. A motorcycle is parked on either side of the group, and a large spotted dog is lying in front.
1 photograph : b&w ; 26.5 x 33.5 cm (sight) print in frame 29 x 36 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of Burnaby's Police force standing at attention and wearing dress uniform. The men are: Chief Devitt, and his staff: Sergeant David Maxwell, Constable Parker, former Burnaby Reeve Thomas Sanderson, Constable Bob Henderson, Constable Hatt-Cook, Constable Jack Woolens, Constable Peter Kels…
1 photograph : b&w ; 26.5 x 33.5 cm (sight) print in frame 29 x 36 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of Burnaby's Police force standing at attention and wearing dress uniform. The men are: Chief Devitt, and his staff: Sergeant David Maxwell, Constable Parker, former Burnaby Reeve Thomas Sanderson, Constable Bob Henderson, Constable Hatt-Cook, Constable Jack Woolens, Constable Peter Kelsberg, Constable Jeffery, Constable Eddie Godwin, Constable Gordon Waddell, and Commissioner Matthews.
Photograph of Chief Gordon Waddell of the Burnaby Fire Department in uniform, standing beside a partially visible fire truck parked inside a garage. The fire department's "faithful mascot" Pal is standing next to him. Pal was Firefighter Killer's wire-haired terrier who would come to work with Kill…
Item was exposed with the area between the officer and the dog covered, thus this area appears blank
Scope and Content
Photograph of Chief Gordon Waddell of the Burnaby Fire Department in uniform, standing beside a partially visible fire truck parked inside a garage. The fire department's "faithful mascot" Pal is standing next to him. Pal was Firefighter Killer's wire-haired terrier who would come to work with Killer and even learned to climb ladders during drills.
This portion of the interview is about the equipment used by the fire department over the years, in particular about the pump and ladder trucks, and about Chief Waddell's wise choice of locations for the fire halls.
This portion of the interview is about the equipment used by the fire department over the years, in particular about the pump and ladder trucks, and about Chief Waddell's wise choice of locations for the fire halls.
Recording is of an interview with Al Nixon, conducted by Rod Fowler. Al Nixon was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about the history and operations of the Burnaby Fire Department from its beginning in 1911 to 1990, and Al Nixon’s stories about the various ways photographs, records and artifacts about the department were collected and saved. The interview takes place while looking at photographs, but the information is clear nonetheless (His photographs have been deposited in the Burnaby Archives). Al Nixon also talks about his father's career as a firefighter, and about his Douglas grandparents and their home “The Gables” [Seven Gables] and neighbourhood in Burquitlam. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Al Nixon was born in New Westminster Feb. 8, 1936, the son of Provincial Fire Marshal Basil Nixon (1904-1975) and Agnes Douglas (1909-?). His mother’s family immigrated to Canada from Scotland in 1922 and lived in a large ca. 1900 home in Burquitlam at 9957 Sullivan Road called “Seven Gables” (recently demolished). His grandfather Thomas Douglas, a Coquitlam Councillor and Socialist, was murdered in 1934 in his North Road service station. Al Nixon began his career as a firefighter with the Burnaby Fire Department in 1957, eventually becoming Deputy Fire Chief Operations in 1987 and Fire Chief in 1991, before retiring in 1993. In the mid 1980's Al Nixon became interested in the department’s history after finding a photograph scrapbook at one of the firehalls. It was in very bad condition but he recognized its value and began a project to collect and save photographs, artifacts and stories about the Burnaby Fire Department, a 6 month project that turned into years. The photographs and information gathered by Al Nixon became part of Douglas Penn’s book “Follow that Fire: the history of the Burnaby Fire Department”.
Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Photograph of the total crew of North Burnaby's Fire Department no. 1 sitting and standing in dress uniforms in front of a brick building. Sitting in the front row (from left) are; William Menzies and Chief Gordon Waddell. Standing behind them (from left) are; Albert Killer, Gordon Monk, Fred Blak…
Photograph of the total crew of North Burnaby's Fire Department no. 1 sitting and standing in dress uniforms in front of a brick building. Sitting in the front row (from left) are; William Menzies and Chief Gordon Waddell. Standing behind them (from left) are; Albert Killer, Gordon Monk, Fred Blake and Henry Chapman.
Typed note on verso of photograph reads: "Total crew North Burnaby/ Fire Department No. 1 - 1939/ L to R. front W. Menzies,/ Chief G. Waddell./ Rear. A. Killer, G. Monk/ F. Blake, H. Chapman"
Address sticker on verso of photograph reads: "Mr F. Blake 4165 Pandora Street Burnaby, B.C. Canada V5C 2B2"