Dateline: Cowichan 1942: Japanese rounded up in Cowichan

A pair of Japanese loggers work in the local area in a picture taken sometime in the 1930s.

courtesy Cowichan Valley Museum and Archives

To politicians and many others panicky about an invasion from across the Pacific, it was the “Japanese question;” to families who lived, worked and played alongside Japanese settlers it was shattering news.

On the Leader’s front page screeched the headline: “Organizations Support Internment Of Every B.C. Japanese Immediately.” It was January 1942, and the local Canadian Legion Branch, Elks and Rotarians had all telegraphed prime minister Mackenzie King calling on him to do something about this sticky issue.

Meanwhile, down in Shawnigan the late Sadie Barry (nee Lamb) along with siblings Joe, Mary, Tommy and Vicki, couldn’t understand why their Japanese friends were forced to leave their homes in the little Japanese village nearby. “We were in tears when the government made them go to the sugar beet farms in Alberta,” Sadie told me during an interview in 2005. “They had been our school pals and playmates. It was awful,” she said.

“The children of the lumber mill’s Japanese employees were among the friends we brought home to share Mom’s wonderful fresh-baked cinnamon buns, and they shared their great Japanese cookies and candies with us,” said Sadie. “Their departure was a tragedy in our young lives.”

1942: wars

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Reilly received word that their son Bill, a pilot officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force, had died in England while training pilots to fly bombers. The 22-year-old was a popular Duncan high school grad.

1942: balls

More than 550 people attended the annual firemen’s ball held in the agricultural hall after two years in the Knights of Pythias hall while the larger building was occupied by the military.

1942: skaters

Frozen Somenos Lake attracted hundreds of skaters who skated from end to end during a cold snap which began before Christmas. Surrounding fields also provided plenty of space for beginners.