Convocation 1950

On this day 70 years ago my father marched across the back campus into Convocation Hall and received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Toronto. His degree was much valued and hard fought for.

Russ' elementary years were spent at Hartman Jones memorial School on Carlaw Avenue in East York. He moved on to East York Collegiate where he completed grade 12 or Junior Matriculation in 1939. It was there that Russ' formal education came to a screeching halt. His dream had always been to study music at the University of Toronto. He had prepared for this by engaging in years of study at the the Royal Conservatory of Music. At the time the RCM was located at the corner of College Street and University Avenue in downtown Toronto.

Taken in March 1920, Toronto Public Library, Baldwin Collection

Russ got his love of music from his mother Gertie who was an accomplished musician. He inherited her Heintzmann piano which still holds a place of honour in my mother’s home. Russ followed Gertie’s footsteps in becoming a skilled pianist. Unfortunately we do not have records of his achievements at the Conservatory but according to his was file he completed Grade Ten piano, Grade 4 Theory and the Teacher's Written examination qualifying for ATCM.

 

 

Post secondary education in music in Toronto at the time was coordinated by the Royal Conservatory of Music in conjunction with the University of Toronto, both headed by Sir Ernest McMillan. In 1946 the Faculty of Music intiated the MusBac, a 3 year school music program which would prepare students for teaching instrumental and vocal music at high school level. In its first year 21 students enrolled in the program. With help from the Department of Veteran's Affairs Russ began his studies in 1947. Students studied string, woodwinds and brass, conducting, choral music, music theory and history (Russ is on clarinet).

University calendars had a lot of personal information back in the day. The full class is listed in the 1949-1950 Academic Division Calendar

Further information on Russ' studies was found in 1950 Torontonensis yearbook

Russ completed his degree in the spring of 1950. Convocation was held on October 27th 1950. My mom and grandparents attended

The class was impressive and so is the diploma itself. I was quite jealous when I discovered that my diploma from U of T was not in Latin!

I believe my dad was the first person in his close family to complete a university program.  It was a major accomplishment 70 years ago as higher education was usually out of the reach of the average Canadian. I was proud to follow in his footsteps 31 years later. 

Coming Home 1919

On November 11th 1918 the First World War was officially over when Armistice was signed. However, the war continued well into 1919 for many Canadian soldiers. At the end of the war there were approximately 300,000 Canadians in Britain and Europe. Bringing everyone home was a huge endeavour. One this date 100 years ago my grandfather William Thomas Brooks was one of these Canadians anxiously waiting to come home. Here is his official service photo. 

I had written about his war service in an early blog post: click here to read Bill had spent the war in the Canadian Service Corps using his skills as a stenographer. On Armistice Day he was stationed in France at the CASC Depot at Beaurainville He finished the war with the rank of Corporal with his promotion going through on March 24 1919. 

He returned to England and was assigned to General Head Quarters. He celebrated Easter there on April 20th 1919.

Shortly after, in May, he was transferred to Rhyl, located on the north shore of Wales. There he worked as a Clerk.

The Town of Rhyl did its best to deal with the troops while they were stationed there. Due to shortage of large ships and post war strikes by working class Britons it took some time to ship the Canadians home. Rhyl experienced rioting in March 1919 before Bill's arrival. A mutiny at a camp for Canadian soldiers resulted in several deaths. 

From 2019 exhibit at the Canadian War Museum

Here are some adverts for entertainment that took place during Bill's stay in May of 1919. Since he kept these flyers he likely attended at least some of these events!

On June 2nd 1919 it was Bill's turn to return home:

This is the ship he sailed on, S.S. Lapland. When she returned to being a passenger ship after the war she could carry roughly 2000 first, second and third class passengers. As a troop ship she would have carried about the same number. On this voyage the Lapland carried 79 regular passengers and the remainder of the ship was filled with returning soldiers. 

From 2019 exhibit at the Canadian War Museum

On the page listing Corporal Brooks there were 178 soldiers listed so the ship was overflowing. Unfortunately the list with my grandfather's name is covered with another page but I spotted his number 510813: 

The Lapland docked in Halifax on June 6th 1919 and Bill was home. He was discharged on June 11th 1919. 

Bill was one of the lucky ones - he made it home without sustaining major injuries, though the experience was still likely difficult. Others were not so lucky - you can read about the experiences of Frederick Moorecroft 

From 2019 exhibit at the Canadian War Museum

and Percival, Arthur and Herman Moorecroft  

From 2019 exhibit at the Canadian War Museum

There were welcome home parades and a lot of excitement at the return of the soldiers.

From 2019 exhibit at the Canadian War Museum

These photos were taken by my grandmother Gertrude Kingswell at a welcome home parade in her hometown Kingston Ontario, exact date unknown.

In Toronto the celebrations continued into the summer with the CNE celebrating both Victory and a 40 year anniversary

But once all the parades were over it was time to try and return to normal life. The former soldiers were provided with assistance. This pamphlet, published by local churches, provided useful information:


And local businesses offered discounts:

It's possible that my grandfather took advantage of Mr. Walker's offer. He quickly found work and a place to live. The 1920 Toronto City Directory (which was compiled in 1919) listed him

My grandfather's war ended well with a job, and soon after a wife and family. He might not have spoken about his experiences during the Great War but no doubt they shaped the rest of his life. One hundred years later I'm glad that he returned home safely.

Gertrude Maude Kingswell - A woman's life told by her books

October is Women's History Month, as well as Family History month. That makes it the perfect time to write about my grandmother Gertrude Maude Kingswell Brooks. Gertie started me on my genealogy journey by sharing stories of her family. Here I will share her story.

I inherited from Gertie a pile of amazing vintage books that she collected at various stages in her life. In this post I will use her books to tell her story.

Gertie was born in Kingston Ontario on August 22nd 1899. I've written about her family before click here to read their story. This is the earliest picture of my grandmother. 

Her mom looks not bad for a woman who just gave birth to her 9th child.



The Kingswells initially lived in an area of Kingston known as Portsmouth. The Kingston Penitentiary is located in the same part of town.


The Kingswells were staunch Anglicans and Gertie attended Sunday School at St. John's Church in Portsmouth. This is the earliest book in her collection, a hymn book.

I don't know which primary school she attended but I found this picture in her collection. It was captioned Portsmouth 1910 on the back. Gertie is standing second from the left.

The next book in Gertie's collection was a gift from her mother to Gertie and her sister Chrissie. They were the youngest of the Kingswell brood and clearly in need of some guidance to become proper young ladies! (Chrissie on the left, Gertie on the right, age about 9 and 14)

 

The family had moved to 32B Clergy Street and Gertie attended nearby Kingston Collegiate Institute.She clearly enjoyed her English classes, keeping some of the classic novels she studied.

  

The Kingswell family lived near Queens University and Gertie would have loved to have attended Queens. Her collection included this book which spoke to her love of music and desire to have a University education. 

Unfortunately the cost of university tuition was above the means of a lower income family and it still wasn't the norm for women to seek higher education. Instead Gertie attended Kingston Business College and developed skills that led her to work as a stenographer.

Before meeting and marrying my grandfather Gertie had several beaux. She would often remark to the family that she could have married a doctor, no doubt after an argument with her husband! Some of her book collections had intriguing inscriptions. 


These mystery men can probably be seen in the many photos from Gertie's collection that remain unidentified.

After marriage Gertie still took time out to read. This popular novel was in her collection.

Gertie was a doting mother to her two boys. Both my dad and my uncle served overseas during World War Two. My dad sent this Bible home in 1944 and it had a special place in her collection.

I don't remember seeing my grandmother with a book in her hand and there were no later books in her collection. However, I love this photo of Gertie and me taken on my 2nd birthday. I'm not sure what book she is reading to me, but I still have the second book in my own collection!








My grandmother passed away in 1985. I have a special memory of calling her from England when I made my first trip there in 1982. I had visited the Isle of Wight and saw the church where her parents were married in 1883. It was exciting sharing some of my early genealogical discoveries with the person who started me off. She'd be impressed with what I've found since and I wish she was here to share my finds with.