Following World War 1, the Great War Veteran's Association (GWVA) was formed and some of our original members were part of this association. When it folded, the Canadian Legion was formed in its place.

On August 20th, 1934, nine WW1 veterans held a meeting in the Union Steamships coffee bar on the waterfront in Sechelt for the purposes of forming a branch of the Canadian Legion. Robert McNicol, Provincial Secretary at that time was invited to attend the next meeting on September 6th, 1934 to advise on how to proceed with the formation of a branch. As a result of these meetings, Sechelt was awarded membership in the Canadian Legion of the British Empire Service League on September 18th 1934. Fifteen names appear on the original document and are referred to as our charter members. The total enrollment at the outset was made up of twenty veterans.

Today the Branch boasts a membership of nearly 800 persons made up of both regular and affiliated categories.

The first President of the Branch was Mr. A.E. Genower who held the position for the years 1934 and 1935. Mr. J.W. Mayne was the first Secretary. Some of the names listed in the original twenty were also instrumental in the early days of the Village of Sechelt and are recognizable to this day.

Mr. E.S. Clayton was our President in 1942. Mr. Clayton was the manager of the Union Steamships store in Sechelt and was the founder of what was the Tom Boy grocery store that has evolved through the family into what is now Trail Bay Mall and boasts Clayton's Heritage Market.

Mr. J.W. (Jack) Mayne is a well known name in the Branch. Jack was one of the original charter members and remained so until his passing. He also worked for the Union Steamship Co. as postmaster and later became the Notary Public for the village and in this capacity handled many official duties for the Branch. In recognition of his contributions to the branch, Jack was the Honourary President for many years.

Unfortunately early records of the Ladies Auxiliary were destroyed but some information is still available. The ladies originally met in a small back room of the Union Steamship Tea Rooms and it was from these premises that the LA came together. Under the organizational skills of Mrs. Alice French, the L.A. was formed in 1934. Mrs. Janet Nickson was named the first Honourary President with Mrs. Margaret Allen elected as the first President.

In the 1930's, a private lot was purchased on Mermaid Street and with the help of volunteer labour, a small building was erected and became the first Legion Hall. Branch members at that time each donated $5.00 for the necessary lumber and materials. Although it has gone through several renovations, the original building still stands at 5591 Mermaid Street.

With the arrival home of veterans following the Second World War our branch flourished, as did most branches in the country. These "new" veterans took over the reins from the Great War members and continued to develop the branch. The original building was enlarged and in October 1958 additional premises were purchased in Selma Park to house the Club Rooms. This building also contained our first licensed premises and remained so until the current building was constructed and opened in 1973. The Selma Park Club Room shared some general meetings with the Mermaid Street Hall, which was also used for Legion functions and available for rent by the public.

Interesting to note that at the first general meeting in the new club rooms the financial report was pretty straightforward. The general account showed a balance of $155.50, the War Memorial Account contained $93.86 and the Social Club reported a figure of $15.21. New Year's Eve tickets for the year 1958 were $1.50 or less providing all costs were covered.

This arrangement served us well until 1971 when it became increasingly more difficult to

There has always been a thread to connect Sechelt to the Union Steamship Company who were instrumental in the development of our village. So it is with the Legion. A proud monument honouring the fallen from past conflicts sits at the cenotaph on property that was donated to us by the USS Co. The original cenotaph was relocated and currently sits in front of the building on Wharf Street.

In 1999, Branch 140 proudly celebrated its 65th Anniversary.

Bruce Redman
August 3, 2001

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