The British Isles Historic Society History, Traditions & Customs 06-20 June Issue Happy Birthday Queen Elizabeth II World War II The Queen celebrates two birthdays each year: her actual birthday D-Day Invasion on 21 April and her official birthday. (June 13th. 2020) June 6, 1944 The Trooping the Colour takes place on the second Saturday in June at Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall in London. On this historic day in 1944, Allied troops invaded the The official birthday of Queen Elizabeth II is marked each beaches of Normandy, France. It is the largest amphibious year by a military parade and march-past, known as Trooping assault in world history. This massive, bloody battle was the the Colour (Colours' was the name given to the flags turning point of the war in the European theater. representing the different regiments in the British Army). Canada was a full partner in the success of the Allied Each June, the Queen and other members of the Royal landings in Normandy (‘D- Day’). Family attend the Trooping the Colour ceremony on Horse Of the nearly 150,000 Allied troops who landed or Guards Parade, Whitehall in London. The Queen attends the parachuted into the invasion area, 14,000 were Canadians. ceremony to take the salute from thousands of guardsmen who They assaulted a beachfront code-named “Juno”, while parade the Colour (their regiment's flag). It is only the Foot Canadian paratroopers landed just east of the assault beaches. Guards of the Household Division that take part in the Queen’s Royal Canadian Navy contributed 110 ships and 10,000 sailors Birthday Parade, with the exception of the King’s Troop Royal in support of the landings while the R.C.A.F. had helped Horse Artillery, (based in St. John’s Wood). The Kings Troop, prepare the invasion by bombing targets inland. On D- Day and parade round with the Household Cavalry after the Foot Guards during the ensuing campaign, 15 R.C.A.F. fighter and have trooped the Colour in slow and quick time. fighter-bomber squadrons helped control the skies over Normandy and attacked enemy targets. On D-Day, Canadians The Queen's birthday parade is the biggest royal event suffered 1074 casualties, including 359 killed. The British troops of the year. In 1748, the celebration of the official birthday of landed on Gold and Sword beach. And, American troops landed the sovereign was amalgamated with the Trooping the Colour. on Omaha and Utah beach all at the same time, 4,000 Allied The Trooping the Colour is tradition going back to the troops died on these beaches on D-Day. days when the Colours (regimental flag of the regiment) was trooped in front of soldiers to make Please take a moment of silence on June 6th to thank sure everyone could recognise their the many soldiers who fought and died for our country on flag in battle. D-Day. https://www.royal.uk/trooping-colour Monarchy in British Columbia Portland Island Members of the Royal Family The City of Victoria B.C. and have owned property in British The Empress Hotel in Victoria, both Columbia in a private capacity: of which were named for Queen Princess Margaret, Countess of Victoria. Snowdon, owned Portland Island, Mount Alfred, named in though this was offered by her on permanent loan honour of Prince Alfred to the Crown in Right of British Columbia. Princess Margaret returned the island to British Columbia in Princess Louisa Inlet, the name 1967, after which point it became a provincial park. of which remembers Princess Louise, Today, Portland Island is a part of Gulf Islands Duchess of Argyll National Park Reserve. The Royal British Columbia Portland Island was Museum, Victoria. The "Royal" named after the HMS title was approved by Queen Portland, flagship of Rear Elizabeth II and bestowed by Admiral Fairfax Moresby. The HRH Prince Philip in 1987 HMS Portland was commanded The Strait of Georgia, named by Captain Henry Chads. The for King George III island was named by Captain G.H Richards of the HMS Queen Elizabeth Secondary School Plumper, in 1859. in Surrey, named for Queen HMS Portland is a Type 23 frigate of the British Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) Royal Navy. She is the eighth ship to bear the name and is the fifteenth and penultimate ship of the 'Duke' class of frigates, and is named for the (now extinct) Dukedom of Portland, and more particularly for the 3rd Duke, who was Prime Minister. The Queen Sir George Henry Richards, Elizabeth Theatre in KCB FRS (13 January 1820 –14 Vancouver, named for Queen November 1896) born in Antony, Elizabeth II https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Cornwall, was a hydrographer to the monarchy_in_British_Columbia British Admiralty. Bay Company during the period of its greatest power. From 1820 to 1860, he was in practice, if not in law, the British viceroy for the whole of Rupert's Land, an enormous chunk of northern North America. His efficient administration of the west was a Fort Langley’s History precondition for the confederation of western and eastern Canada. He was noted for his grasp of Built in 1827, Fort Langley was a Hudson’s Bay administrative detail and his physical stamina in Company fur trading post. Located on the banks of traveling through the wilderness. Excepting the Fraser River, it was once part of a trade route for voyageurs and their Siberian equivalents, few men the British Empire at the centre of a large population have spent as much time traveling in the wilderness. of Indigenous people. Simpson was the first known person to have "circumnavigated" the world by land. Fort Langley drew Indigenous people who https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Simpson_ traded furs and fish for blankets and other goods. To (HBC_administrator) strengthen its position, the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) encouraged its men to marry Indigenous George Henry women. These alliances allowed the HBC access to Indigenous trade networks, and the fort prospered. Richards They also gave Indigenous families priority access to Sailor b. 1820, England; d. the European resources for sale at the fort. c. 1898-1910, England. Joined the In recognition of its importance in the story of British Royal Navy in 1833. Served Canada, Fort Langley became a national historic site in the Opium Wars against China, in South America, in 1923. And in 1931, the one remaining original Falkland Islands, New Zealand and Australia. Second building was opened to the public. commissioner in the British Boundary Commission Starting in the 1950s, many buildings were (Pacific to the Rockies), and served as hydrographer added to restore the atmosphere of the original fort. on the coast (1856-63). From Dec. 23, 1860 to 1863, Today, Fort Langley National Historic Site is part of a he surveyed the B.C. coast and Burrard Inlet aboard nation-wide family of protected areas managed by the HMS Plumper and HMS Hecate. Parks Canada. Canada’s national parks, national Named geographical features such as False historic sites and national marine conservation areas Creek. In 1859, after his engineer Francis Brockton help tell the story of Canada. found a vein of coal, he named the area Coal https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/bc/langley Harbour. Knighted in 1877. Retired as rear admiral in 1879. Sir George Simpson https://www.vancouverhistory.ca/whoswho_R.htm (c. 1792 – 7 September 1860) Born TRIVIA: British Columbia is four times the size of at Dingwall, Ross-Shire, Scotland, Great Britain. British Columbia's land area was a Scottish explorer and is 944,735 square kilometres (364,800 sq mi). Britain colonial governor of the Hudson's with an area of 209,331 km2 (80,823 sq mi) of the BC Southern Railway and founder of the BC city that bears his name. A bachelor, he retired to Victoria in 1906, where he was noted for his beautiful Oak Bay home and his philanthropy. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/william-fernie James M. Fernie B.C. is named after William Fernie who, McGavin alongside Colonel James Baker, was the driving force McGavin behind the coal mines located here. Starting in 1887, founder b. Dec. 28, for ten long years they struggled to raise the money 1882, Galston, necessary to build not only the mines but also the Scotland; d. April 17, 1969, Vancouver. Learned his railway needed to transport the coal to outside trade in Scotland. Bakery manager, Darvel world. Finally, in 1897 they achieved their goals, Co-operative Society, Ayreshire. Came to Canada in though effectively losing control of the company to 1913, joined Edmonton firm of J.A. Stinson. Bought eastern interests. the company in 1914. In 1928, incorporated as A. With the arrival of the Canadian Pacific and J. McGavin, with brother Allan McGavin Sr. Railroad in Fernie in 1898, the production of coal in (b. c. 1893, Kilmarnock, Scotland; d. Aug. 29, 1955, the Elk Valley began in earnest and the new town of Vancouver). Moved to Vancouver in Fernie took shape opposite the CPR tracks, to the 1924. President, McGavin Bakeries (1929 north of the original settlement. People built more -47). Built eight Western plants; also substantial houses, while the business community founded Bee Cee Honey (Vancouver), hired contractors to build estates, retail stores and Peace River Honey (Dawson Creek) and office buildings. Barbara Ann Baking (Los Angeles). https://www.vancouverhistory.ca/whoswho_M.htm https://tourismfernie.com/history/an-overview-of-fernie-history William Fernie The SS Minnow William Fernie, prospector, miner, from “Gilligan’s Island” entrepreneur (b at Kimbolton, England 2 Apr 1837; resides in BC now.