British Columbia

Band inscription

Description

1859

In 1859, Colonel Richard Clement Moody selected the site of “New Westminster” to act as the capital for the Colony of British Columbia. The name was chosen by Queen Victoria herself. The city was officially named on July 20, 1859.

1914 - 1919

Citizens of New Westminster actively served in the First World War between 1914 and 1918, when the armistice was signed. The war officially ended in 1919.

1939 – 1945

Citizens of New Westminster served in the Second World War.

Colonel Moody

Colonel Richard Clement Moody was commander of the Royal Engineers Columbia Detachment, stationed in British Columbia. He selected the site of New Westminster as capital for the new colony of British Columbia.

Filip Konowal

Filip Konowal was a Ukrainian Canadian soldier who fought with the 47th (British Columbia) Battalion during the First World War. Konowal reached the rank of Acting Corporal during the war and was awarded the Victoria Cross for his valiant efforts in Lens, France in 1917.

HMCS New Westminster

This corvette style ship was commissioned for use in the Second World War. It was built by Victoria Machinery Depot Co. Ltd. in Victoria, BC and was launched on May 14, 1941.

Jack Mahoney VC

John Keefer Mahoney, a New Westminster native, was awarded the Victoria Cross in 1944 after fighting in the River Melfa (Italy) with the Royal Westminster Regiment. Early in the action, Major Mahoney was wounded in the head and twice in the leg, but refused medical aid and continued to direct the defense of the bridgehead which his company was ordered to maintain.

Royal Engineers

In 1859, the Royal Engineers arrived in New Westminster from England to establish the first capital for the new colony of British Columbia. The Columbia detachment of engineers, under Colonel R.C. Moody, worked to survey, build and settle the area.

Royal Westminster Regiment

The Royal Westminster Regiment has provided continuous service to the city since 1863. The Royal Westminster Regiment Society is currently involved in the active Regiment, Army Cadet Corps, and also runs its own museum.

Sapperton

In 1859, the Royal Engineers established their base camp east of the colonial capital, then called Queensborough (now the downtown of the City of New Westminster). Their camp eventually became known as Sapperton, the town where the “Sappers” (a nickname for the Royal Engineers) lived. In 1889, the city of New Westminster amalgamated Sapperton into its boundaries and it officially became a neighbourhood of the City.

Smokey Smith VC

Smokey Smith, born Ernest Alvia Smith, was a New Westminster native who was awarded the Victoria Cross in 1943 after fighting at the River Savio (Italy) during the Second World War. Smith passed away August 3, 2005 as the last surviving Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross.

Victory Heights

Victory Heights is a subdivision of New Westminster that was created just after World War II ended in 1945. “Victory” referred to the successful outcome of that war. Veterans returning from the war were able to purchase lots in the area at 40% of their value.

“Wait for me daddy”

Photograph of a child (Warren “Whitey” Bernard) reaching out for the hand of his father marching down Eighth Street, during the British Columbia Regiment D.C.O.R. march to overseas embarkation. The photo became the most famous Canadian photo taken during the Second World War and would be re?printed in Liberty, Time, Newsweek, the Reader's Digest and the Encyclopaedia Britannica Yearbook. The photo was also used as propaganda to sell War Bonds during the war.