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Each gallery contains several pictures. More important, however, are the stories, descriptions and reminiscence of life in Churchill in the 1950s. Altogether, they give not only a look at the physical structures of the town but a glimpse into the lifestyle of a typical military family of the era in Churchill. Click on any photo to see the gallery it represents. |
Our Life in Churchill
I took these photos in 1954 when we lived up on "The Hill" (as it was known then). I have quite a few photos of Churchill as it was in 1954. My husband was posted to the Navy HMCS Churchill radio station at the time and we lived out on "The Hill" before we were able to move on to the Military Base of Fort Churchill (which I understand no longer exists). I have pictures of that base, too.
We did not have enough points to qualify to live in married quarters on the Fort Churchill Military Base at the time so we lived in a little house just outside the townsite of Churchill, just passed the Harbour's Board Grain Elevator.
We had no indoor plumbing and no water, no sink, no bathtub, etc. In the summertime water was delivered to us by a water truck and was stored in oil drums. We had one drum for consumption on one side of the heater/stove in the kitchen and another one for using for laundry, etc.
In the winter our water was delivered by truck in the form of a load of ice chunks that were dumped outside our door. We had to go out and use an ice pick and axe to break off pieces to bring into the house to melt for consumption. For laundry we had to go outside and bring in snow to melt on the stove to do the laundry. That was an all day job.
We did not have access to fresh milk or eggs. They were shipped in on the train. When we later moved to the military PMQs on the Base, I can remember my husband ordered a large crate of eggs. The eggs came in by train. Jack brought them to our PMQ on the base and some of the families bought them from us. I think there must have been about 24 dozen eggs in this big crate. We had no problem selling them at cost.
One egg incident though I can remember well. The crate arrived and most of the eggs were broken. We had 24 dozen broken eggs to get rid of. I remember taking bowls of broken eggs to give to the neighbours. I think that everyone in the block had angel food cake that day.
The milk that came to the base commissary was often frozen. We got into the habit of using powdered milk (Milko). Fresh veggies were scarce so most of our veggies were either purchased frozen or in tins. Whenever we did get anything fresh it was quite expensive.
Our eldest son was born at the Fort Churchill Military Hospital while we lived on "the hill." We qualified to move to married quarters in the "G" area on the military base when he was about six months old. Michael will be 50 years old next October 7, 2004.
Ray Morrison remembers that each home had a little outhouse, about a hundred yards from away. There was a hole in the ground in this little outhouse. The people who lived in the houses had little "honey buckets" inside, actually a big bucket with a toilet seat on top of it. There was a vent pipe (like a stove pipe) going up from this bucket through the ceiling to the outside for ventilation. Of course, in the winter one could almost freeze one's butt using this toilet. These "honey buckets" could be quite embarrassing when company came to visit. They were kind of noisy if you know what I mean. Anyone who has had to use them would know what I mean.
If was often so cold in the house that when it came time to take the honey bucket outside to dump it in the hole in the "outhouse" that the bucket had to be put beside the stove for awhile to thaw out so it could be dumped. In the springtime the residents would fill in the hole with dirt, dig another hole and move the outhouse over the new hole. At this time of the year the stench was terrible throughout the whole town.
I also remember how bad the black flies and mosquitos were and those little bugs called no-see-ums (or something like that). Once in awhile there would be the occasional dog that would get Rabies and had to be shot.
We were up there for a couple of years and then posted back to Esquimalt for a couple of years while Jack, my husband, served on the navy ships. Two years later we were again posted up to HMCS Churchill for another two years. This time we did qualify for married quarters. Our third child was born at the same hospital as her elder brother in 1959.
Kee Bird Card - A Souvenir of Fort Churchill
Content of this page and of all galleries linked above
contributed by Eileen Jacob, Chilliwack, British Columbia.
You can email Eileen at riverrock@shaw.ca.
| Webmaster's note: These snapshots, about 50 years old, are present here to give an idea of what Churchill was like in the 1950s and 1960s during the time when the military base was most active. If you lived in Churchill during that era (or even before) and have photos or stories you would like to share, please contact sphutchens@hotmail.com. |
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