Sunny Harbour

First there was Lido Plage, a 16-acre resort on a relatively straight stretch of the Assiniboine River near Headingley, Manitoba. In its heyday from 1931 to 1953, it featured “picnic tables, toilets, dressing rooms, eleven cabins, a dance hall, dining hall, and restaurant.” [1]

Lido Plage resort was a 15-minute drive west from Winnipeg. [Google maps]

Estelle Thomson wrote a brief history of Lido Plage for the Headliner, a weekly newspaper published by the Winnipeg Free Press:

Lido Plage, 1932 [2]

It began as a race track in the early 1900s, featuring sulky races. From 1906 to 1931 the area was used as a gated horse pasture that doubled as picnic grounds (for a 25 cent fee to open the gate). 

In 1931 the area was developed into a resort area with a beautiful beach, trees, small store and gas pump. It was at this time the official name of Lido Plage was bestowed — Lido for a town in France and Plage meaning beach.

The area proved to be incredibly popular and a dance hall with live music, restaurant, picnic areas, outdoor entertainment venues, and cabins were developed and enjoyed until the early ’70s. In the ’80s the area was developed into a rural residential community.

Today Lido Plage remains a tranquil residential community where a rural lifestyle can be enjoyed in close proximity to the city. [2]

A more recent resort named Sunny Harbour was built in 1957 north of Lido Plage inside a tight curve of the river. The site featured an artificial lake that had a mud bottom for its first year, but was soon lined with concrete. 

Excerpt from Map 62H/13h St Francois Xavier (1969) 

Surveys and Mapping Branch, Department of Mines and Technical Services,

University of Manitoba Libraries Map Collection (Flickr)

Sunny Harbour was the brainchild of Heinz Adams (1923–2004). Adams was born in Bessarabia, Romania and immigrated to Canada in 1948. A devout man, his obituary notes that, “Four thousand people were baptized in the pool he built.” [3]

The new venture had a rough start. On July 23, 1958 John Ernest Banera drowned at Sunny Harbour. The family sued the owners for $60,000. Their claim noted that there was no lifeguard on duty and the search for Banera was hampered by dark and dirty water. Other criticisms stated the pool’s slope did not adhere to provincial regulations, and water depths were not posted.  

A lawsuit against Sunny Harbour was filed in 1959.  [4]

The coroner’s jury returned a verdict of accidental death. There had been a lifeguard on duty, but he had not noticed Banera in difficulty until other swimmers located the drowned man. Artificial respiration efforts failed. 

The 1958 case prompted a review of beach and pool protocols and rules, and the need for more life saving equipment, supervision and training.  [5]

Despite the bad publicity and difficult start, Sunny Harbour attracted large crowds, and developed into a popular full-featured resort.

A 1962 advertisement. The price was right for thrifty Frasers. [6] 

At 2½ acres, this salt-water cement pond with the sandy beach would have impressed Jethro Bodine. Advertisements claimed it was the only artificial lake in Canada. The 27-acre site boasted a children’s pool, showers, picnic grounds, restaurant, barbecue pits, camping and trailer park. It was intended to be a year-round resort, with tobogganing and skating facilities. A golf course was planned for 1963.  

A 1975 advertisement in a rural newspaper invited campers to the site.  [7]

To Heinz Adams, it may have been a place for baptisms, but to the general public Sunny Harbour was an affordable family swimmin’ hole and camping site.  [8]

Sunny Harbour was a fast drive from the Fraser home in St. Charles. The family would pile into the station wagon and be at the site within minutes to enjoy a long summer evening there. I recall Myrna teaching me to swim, explaining, “Yeah, you sink at first, but you come back up.” Oh! That’s all it took.

Who needs swimming lessons when Myrna can teach you in no time?  [9]

A 1976 advertisement noted Sunny Harbour’s many features, including hundreds of tenting and trailer spaces and fully qualified life guards.  [10]

It seems Sunny Harbour operated from 1957 to 1981, when the property was listed for sale.

A brief real estate listing in August of 1981 referred to Sunny Harbour as a trailer park camp.  [11]

By this time, entrepreneur Heinz Adams had branched out into other ventures. In 1973 he built a furniture factory and showroom north of Sunny Harbour and Hwy. #1. White Horse Furniture also had a showroom in Winnipeg. The company was known for its custom-made furniture of solid woods, and Adams became known as “the King of Solid Oak.” 

1980 advertisement. The White Horse Furniture company featured locally made solid furniture.  [12]

1981 advertisement. The invitation to design your own furniture and have it built by the professionals at White Horse Furniture was a unique offer. [13]

As with Sunny Harbour, Heinz Adams’ furniture business also faced challenges. 

In 1988 a fire roared through the factory.  [14]

Although their insurance coverage was inadequate, the company was able to attract investment that allowed them to rebuild and carry on.

But a year later, the factory burned down again.

1989. “Someone’s got a hate on for them.” Heinz had a suspect in mind.  [15]

Newspapers do not report any arrests for either fire, but both were labelled arson. As before, the company recovered and carried on for a number of years.

In 1999 equipment from “the former White Horse Furniture factory” was sold.  [16]

Meanwhile, the name “Sunny Harbour” continued on. The swimming pond was filled in, a road was built across it, and “Sunny Harbour Estates” replaced the campground. The new development featured 13 exclusive lots and custom-built homes. 

1997 advertisement. The 13 Sunny Harbour Estates properties were .8-hectare river lots. [17]

A 1998 Winnipeg Free Press article profiled the custom home of Sunny Harbour Estates developers Peter and Anne Feeleus, who explained the transformation from beach to housing development. “The road goes right over the pool. […] When we came here the pool was a swampy mess. We pumped it dry and poured the concrete in.” [18]

But buyers of vulnerable river-front properties should always take a hard look at their location. While Manitoba is better known for Red River floods, the Assiniboine River could also be a threat. Homes in Sunny Harbour Estates have been threatened by floods and owners have had to dike their properties. It seems Mother Nature wants the area to revert to a swimmin’ hole.

River-front properties, indeed. This photo of Sunny Harbour Estates threatened by the Assiniboine River accompanied a 2015 Winnipeg Free Press article.  [19]

Bison Park 

Those who remember Sunny Harbour might recall a similar resort across Hwy. #1 to the north. According to Estelle Thornson’s brief history of the site [20], the 100-acre Bison Park was developed by a group of Air Canada pilots. The park opened on June 12, 1960 and featured three cement-bottom pools, a concession stand, and change rooms. Advertisements claimed Bison Park had the “largest concrete paved swimming pool in the west with continually circulating mineral water; filtered and purified.” [21] Visitors from Winnipeg could take a bus to the site.

After going bankrupt in 1963, a few original owners and new partners re-opened the property as Jellystone Park. Over time, camping facilities and bicycle trails were developed and the property was renamed White Horse Campgrounds. 

The business still struggled, and was sold to a First Nations Band who renamed it Tansi Resort. A family dining area was popular, and the spot attracted snowmobilers along the Assiniboine River. 

In 1996 Marquette Homes bought the property intending to develop a 55+ trailer park. But regulations stymied their plans and the land remains vacant.

SOURCES (links retrieved December 28, 2021)

1. “Lido Plage,” Manitoba Historical Society, http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/sites/lidoplage.shtml 
2. Estelle Thornson, “Humble Beginnings of Lido Plage,” Headliner, February 10, 2013, https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/headliner/correspondent/Humble-beginnings-of-Lido-Plage-226153141.html  
3. “Heinz Adams” obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, July 26, 2004, https://passages.winnipegfreepress.com/passage-details/id-87661/ADAMS_HEINZ

4.     “Family Files $60,000 Suit Against Pool,” Winnipeg Tribune, May 13, 1959

5.     “Beach, Pool Alarm System Is Urged,” Winnipeg Free Press, July 31, 1958

6.     “Come to Sunny Harbour Beach” advertisement, The Jewish Post, June 21, 1962

7.     “CAMPING” advertisement, Grandview Exponent, August 13, 1975

8.     “Swimmin’ Holes,” Winnipeg Free Press, August 25, 1962 

9.     “Fun in the Sun” advertisement, Winnipeg Free Press, June 8, 1968

10.   “Sunny Harbour Resorts” advertisement, Winnipeg Free Press, August 6, 1976

11.   “Suburban Property” classified advertisement, Winnipeg Free Press, August 20, 1981

12.   “Custom Made Furniture Factory Direct to You” advertisement, Winnipeg Free Press, October 18, 1980

13.   “Custom Made Furniture” advertisement, Winnipeg Free Press, May 9, 1981

14.   “Fire guts factory, leaving 40 jobless,” Winnipeg Free Press, July 5, 1988

15.   “Skilled arsonist suspected in fire,” Winnipeg Free Press, April 17, 1989

16.   “Notice of Sale: Equipment from Furniture Manufacturing Plant,” Winnipeg Free Press, May 28, 1999

17.   “Build Your Dream Home in ‘Sunny Harbour Estates’” advertisement, Winnipeg Free Press, September 20, 1997 

18.   Treena Khan, “Luxury in the country,” Winnipeg Free Press, October 4, 1998 

19.   Murray Waddell, “$48M to protect against flooding,” Winnipeg Free Press, March 11, 2015

20.   Estelle Thornson, “100-acre slice of Cartier awaits a new owner,” Headliner, February 7, 2014, https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/headliner/correspondent/100-acre-slice-of-Cartier-awaits-a-new-owner-243514081.html 

21.   “Beautiful New Bison Park is Now Open!” advertisement, Winnipeg Free Press, July 27, 1963

 

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Keep ’em flying

“Keep ’Em Flying” was coined on May 17, 1941 by the U.S. Army’s chief recruiting officer, Lt. Col. Harold N. Gilbert. The simple slogan was an effective, patriotic battle cry introduced by the U.S. War Production Board to inspire WWII aircraft factory workers. [1] The motto was popular and versatile, just what a public relations campaign needed.

A poem by Jack Childs entitled “Keep ’Em Flying” was published on a 1941 poster by artist C.C. Beall issued by the United States Army Recruiting Service. The slogan encouraged recruitment and civilian participation in the war effort. [2]

Keep ’Em Flying

Keep ’em flying—
            Airplanes—flags—
Machines—production—
            Nothing lags. 
Put your shoulder
            To the wheel;
Courage staunch
            With nerves of steel.
Greet each day,
            Or pledge a toast—
“Keep ’em flying”
            Is our boast.
Here’s a slogan
            For us all—
An answer to

           Our country’s call.

Keep ’em flying;
            Keep ’em clear.
The time is ripe,
            The time is HERE.
To pull together—
            One bold front—
Each one prepared
            To do his stunt.
Workers and
            The men who hire—
Housewives—children—
            All aspire
To help and work
            With little pause—
One mind, one heart,
            One goal, one cause.

SO—“KEEP ’EM FLYING!”

 

A typical U.S. Army recruitment poster, 1942.  [3]

The slogan was versatile and adaptable, all right. Every citizen was encouraged to support the war effort, even Miss U.S.A.

“Uncle Sam needs stenographers!” Imagine the paperwork a war generates.
Poster produced by the Royal Typewriter Company for the U.S. Civil Service Commission.  [4]

The “Keep ’Em Flying” message was widely promoted and adopted. It was the title of a half-hour 1943 U.S. Army Air Force job placement film that explained for new recruits the roles and importance of many supporting occupations they might consider.  [5]

The slogan was also the title of a 1941 Abbott & Costello movie [6] and a Glenn Miller & His Orchestra foxtrot recorded December 8, 1941, the day after Pearl Harbour [7]. (It works well as a motto for today’s antique aircraft enthusiasts and restorers, too.)

RCAF outfits like No. 6 Repair Depot in Trenton, Ontario were all about keeping 'em flying. Nil nobis irreparabile (“Nothing Beyond Repair For Us”) was their official motto, but a less formal version used by The Sixardee newsletter was “You Bend ’Em, We Mend ’Em”—a snappier slogan akin to “Keep ’Em Flying.”

It was easier said than done, especially for overseas ground crews servicing badly damaged aircraft limping back from their bombing raids.  [8]

The slogan worked in Winnipeg, too. It was especially appropriate for MacDonald Bros. Aircraft Limited, a local firm that truly was keeping ’em flying.

The photo is unclear in this 1942 advertisement in the Winnipeg Free Press, but may have featured Avro Ansons assembled at the MacDonald Bros.’ new plant.  [9]

A feature in the two Winnipeg daily papers highlighted the remarkable efforts of MacDonald Bros. Aircraft Limited to meet wartime production contracts. 

This article by Dick Sanburn ran in both Winnipeg dailies on December 29, 1941.  [10]

The  newspaper article was a glowing public relations piece. However, the best tribute to MacDonald Bros. Aircraft Limited may have been penned by Sgt. L.R. Silver. The R.C.A.F. bomber navigator praised MacDonald Bros. for keeping ’em flying in a letter to a “fellow worker” there.

Letter to the Winnipeg Tribune, April 22, 1942.  [11]

Sources (retrieved October 24, 2021)

1. Stephen Joiner, “And Then There Was One: Ten airplanes that are the last still flying,” Air & Space magazine, March 2007, https://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/and-then-there-was-one-15867954
2. Jack Childs, “Keep ’Em Flying” poem, United States Army Recruiting Service poster, 1941, https://discover.library.unt.edu/catalog/b2849053 
3. 1942 U.S. recruitment poster, https://vintagraph.com/products/keep-em-flying-is-our-battle-cry?variant=12105156886630  
4. U.S. recruitment poster, “Victory Waits On Your Fingers – Keep ’Em Flying Miss U.S.A.,” https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/powers-of-persuasion#womens-war and https://catalog.archives.gov/id/515979 
5. U.S. Army Air Force, “Keep ’Em Flying” film, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oAb0LNmzM4 
6. Abbott & Costello, “Keep ’Em Flying” movie, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvBkw46lBmw 
7. Glenn Miller & His Orchestra, “Keep ’Em Flying” foxtrot, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfpJyBSngK4 
8. Pathé Gazette, “Keep ’Em Flying” video, 1944, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l612hBWNmII  
9. MacDonald Bros. Aircraft Limited advertisement, Winnipeg Free Press, December 29, 1942
10. Dick Sanburn, “Doing Their Bit: Vast Assembly Plant Is Landmark of Canadian Industrial Speed in War,” Winnipeg Free Press, December 29, 1941
11. Sgt. L. R. Silver, “Airman Thanks Men Who ‘Keep ‘’Em Flying’,” Winnipeg Tribune, April 22, 1942

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Shop floor showdown

Wartime was a hectic time for a lot of workers. Shifts were running around the clock at companies like MacDonald Bros. Aircraft Limited. The firm had an enormous new plant at Stevenson Field and was busy meeting defence contracts. This war work was in addition to its long-time contract for the manufacture of Edo floats, which continued apace at their original site on Robinson Street.

The pressure was on in wartime. Building wings and assembling Anson training aircraft, for instance, was a major job. Completed aircraft were thoroughly inspected and each was flown by Roy Brown, the company’s own test pilot. MacDonald Bros. ran its own training school, and its diverse wartime workforce included women, under-age men, over-age cabinet makers, and others unfit for war service.

Building Anson wings at the new Stevenson Field plant.  [1]

Other contracts involved the repair, maintenance and overhaul of aircraft of all sorts.   

Overhaul division at the Stevenson Field plant.  [1]

A 1942 Industrial Development Board of Manitoba profile of MacDonald Bros. Aircraft Limited was full of praise:

When war broke out and the Commonwealth Air Training Plan developed, MacDonald Bros. became an outstanding cog in the huge war machine. Increased facilities were required. In addition to expanding the original company’s premises, a huge modern industrial plant was put into operation on the raw prairie six months after the first sod was turned.

Over 2,000 employees are now engaged in the company’s operations. Skilled mechanics are employed as far as possible, and others are trained by the various departments.  [1]

The publication’s glowing assessment claimed, “They are doing a remarkably good job, and have proven what can be done in Greater Winnipeg through harmonious and aggressive teamwork.” 

But for 28-year-old sheet metal worker Stanley Victor, a 12-year employee of MacDonald Brothers, it was aggressive indeed, and not at all harmonious. In fact, it was deadly.

Stanley Victor  [2]   

The Winnipeg Free Press reported a fight during the midnight shift between two employees at MacDonald Bros. Aircraft Limited’s Stevenson Field plant on Friday, February 27, 1942: “Victor is said to have received a fractured skull when his head struck a work bench after being struck in the scuffle. He never regained consciousness.”  [2] 

Victor was attended to by the company nurse and rushed to the Winnipeg General Hospital, where he died at 8:30 p.m., Monday, March 2.

Co-worker Edward Burke (later spelled Erwin or Edwin Bourke) of 2 Winston Road, St. James, was “alleged to have had an altercation regarding some tools.” [2] He was not arrested, but was directed to attend an inquest.

The St. James police investigation reported that “during the scrap Victor slipped and fell, striking his head against a work table and becoming unconscious.”  [3]

On March 4 the Winnipeg Tribune announced an inquest would be held.  [3]      

March 6 obituary for Stanley Victor  [4]

The inquest presented more details about the fight between Stanley Victor and Edward Burke.

Among the evidence turned over to the attorney general was the assertion that “there had been constant friction between the two men” and that when Victor slipped and fell he might have struck his head on a vice.  [5]

Bourke was acquitted on Friday, May 15, 1942:

The court’s decision made the front page of the May 15 Winnipeg Free Press. [6]

The Winnipeg Tribune also announced the acquittal, adding that General Hospital physician Dr. Oliver S. Waugh suggested that “the patient had undergone a skull operation in 1939, which might have left him with a somewhat irritable disposition.” [7]

A witness told of an argument between Bourke and Victor before Bourke walked away: “While Bourke's back was turned Victor aimed a kick at him. Bourke swung around and struck Victor in the face, knocking him to the cement floor.”  [7]

Regardless of whether Victor hit his head on his workbench or a vice prior to landing on the cement floor, the result could only be fatal. 

Reports do not confirm whether Stanley Victor had indeed taken tools or work that belonged to Bourke. But it’s no wonder that workers had padlocks on their toolboxes.

 And if there is a ghost at the plant (now Magellan Aerospace), it is likely the aggrieved Stanley Victor.

 

Sources

1. Industrial Development Board of Manitoba, “One of our Roles in the War Picture,” Manitoba Industrial Topics, 1942.
2. “Aircraft Plant Worker Dies After Fight,” Winnipeg Free Press, March 3, 1942, p. 13
3. “Inquest Called in Man’s Death,” Winnipeg Tribune, March 4, 1942, p. 8
4. “Stanley Victor,” Winnipeg Tribune, March 6, 1942, p. 27
5. “Death Ruled Accidental,” Winnipeg Tribune, March 6, 1942, p. 5
6. “Bourke Acquitted Of Manslaughter,” Winnipeg Free Press, May 15, p. 1    
7. “Erwin Bourke Wins Acquittal,” Winnipeg Tribune, May 15, p. 13

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The strangler

In the autumn of 1927 eight-year-old Murray Fraser caught a bad cold. He was lethargic, had a sore throat, a mild fever, and chills. But this was no ordinary cold. Soon he felt sicker than he had ever felt in his life. His mother summoned the doctor, who determined that a throat swab was warranted. It would take a few days for a Winnipeg lab to confirm a diagnosis.

Annie Fraser was having none of it, and insisted her boy be given an antitoxin immediately. She was right. It was diphtheria, and the quick action probably saved his life. 

Early samples of antitoxin serum for diphtheria [Warner, 2013] 

Known to the Greeks in the 4th century B.C., diphtheria is not a new disease. During a 17th century epidemic, the Spanish termed it “The Strangler,” and it appeared in New England in the early 1700s. By 1900 it was one of the leading causes of death for infants and children.

Extremely contagious, diphtheria is airborne, typically spread through person-to-person contact, coughing and sneezing. With a two- to five-day incubation period, it is one of the fastest moving diseases, and its victims die quickly, either from suffocation or the spread of toxin in the bloodstream that can cause heart failure or paralysis. [Ciok, 2000]

The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) describes how frightful and horrid diphtheria is:

Early symptoms include malaise, sore throat, anorexia, and low-grade fever (less than 101°F). Within 2 to 3 days, a bluish-white membrane forms and extends, varying in size from covering a small patch on the tonsils to covering most of the soft palate. Often by the time a physician is contacted the membrane is greyish-green or, if bleeding has occurred, black. [...] The membrane is firmly adherent to the tissue, and forcible attempts to remove it cause bleeding. Extensive membrane formation may result in respiratory obstruction.

While some patients may recover at this point without treatment, others may develop severe disease. The patient may appear quite toxic, but the fever is usually not high. Patients with severe disease may develop [...] a characteristic “bull neck” appearance. If enough toxin is absorbed, the patient can develop severe prostration, pallor, rapid pulse, stupor, and coma. Death can occur within 6 to 10 days. 

Without an antitoxin, doctors could offer few remedies beyond tracheotomies and intubation to counteract the suffocation. Diphtheria kills 5–10% of sufferers, and up to 20% of those under age five or older than 40. In the U.S. in the 1920s there were between 100,000 and 200,000 cases each year, with 13,000–15,000 deaths. [IAC, n.d.]

In 1924, the worst year for diphtheria in this country [Canada], there were 9,000 cases and 2,000 deaths. 

A diphtheria antitoxin had existed since 1894. It was produced in many countries but not in Canada, where it had to be imported from the U.S. at a price so high that one in every three children infected with the disease died. 

What Canada needed was a public health laboratory capable of producing and distributing diphtheria antitoxin in the quantities needed, at a price that would be affordable for all. In 1913 this challenge was taken up in Toronto by 31-year-old John Gerald FitzGerald. Driven by his determination, a diphtheria antitoxin would eventually be free and the foundations of vaccine research, development and production would be built in Canada, with consequences that would be felt worldwide. [Longley, 2020]

FitzGerald’s Connaught Antitoxin Laboratory at the University of Toronto was an industry leader.  [Rutty, n.d.]

In Canada, campaigns to inform the public and encourage vaccination were numerous. Efforts included short health films to educate moviegoers about the need to get vaccinated against diphtheria and smallpox. A February 16, 1927 article in the Lethbridge Herald explained that “The view commonly held that vaccine is a filthy material taken from the ulcerated sore of a diseased cow was disproved.” The old-time sulphur and molasses treatment for illness would only spread an epidemic.   

The Lethbridge Medical Society produced two health films shown with the regular offerings in its movie theatres.
[Lethbridge Herald, February 16, 1927, p. 10, emphasis added]

In a 1955 Maclean’s magazine article, June Callwood explained how the diphtheria antitoxin was produced:

Diphtheria is caused by bacteria that settle in the throat and pour out poison, or toxin. To produce diphtheria antitoxin, this poison is injected in minute quantity into the bloodstream of a horse, causing the horse’s body to form substances—known as antibodies—to fight off the invading poison. The next injection contains more toxin, which produces more antibodies in the horse’s blood. Eventually, after about four months of injections, the horse can tolerate without discomfort an injection strong enough to kill a thousand horses; his blood is hyper-immunized. This blood, drawn off in small quantities at regular intervals, is treated to become diphtheria antitoxin. When it is injected into a human suffering from diphtheria it bolsters the victim’s feebly developing antibodies and results in a cure. Antitoxin is used in the treatment of diphtheria; diphtheria toxoid, developed in 1924, is used to prevent the disease. [Callwood, 1955]

“The treatment for diphtheria, developed in the late 19th century, still relies on injecting horses with a toxin and harvesting their antibodies.” [Kupferschmidt, 2020]

If young Murray Fraser had known the contribution horses had made, perhaps he would have had a better opinion of them. Recent efforts are exploring ways to make diphtheria treatment without injecting horses with toxin. [Kupferschmidt, 2020]

Murray was fortunate to have recovered unscathed. His four-year-old cousin Mildred Fraser was not so lucky.

Murray Fraser with his cousin Mildred and his sister Jessie
     

Carman Dufferin Leader, October 27, 1927
     

Pilot Mound Sentinel editor Ron Tuckwell knew the Frasers well, and was sorry to learn of Mildred’s death. He reprinted the Carman newspaper article under the headline “Sad Death of Little Fraser Girl” with an added preface: “The many friends of Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Fraser were shocked and saddened to learn of the sudden death last week of little Mildred, their four-year-old daughter, a winsome little lass loved by all who knew her—and the sincere sympathy of all is extended to the stricken parents so sadly bereft of this tiny flower.”

The disease was raging in the area, but Murray always worried that his cousin had caught the disease from him. The newspaper hints at this: “Mr. and Mrs. Fraser were visiting here up until a week ago, and it was immediately after their return home to Carman that news was received here of their loss.” 

In Canada during the 1920s diphtheria remained a leading cause of death for children under 14, despite the availability of diphtheria antitoxin. Dr. John G. FitzGerald, founder of Connaught Laboratories in Toronto, led the world’s public health war against diphtheria, conducting Canadian field trials between 1926 and 1931, and producing a new toxoid on a large scale. [Rutty, 1996] 

The challenge was to get the vaccine into the arms of susceptible children.

Another four-year old dies of diphtheria. Pilot Mound Sentinel, November 17, 1927   

The two deaths prompted action. The same newspaper that told of the death of the Laird boy announced a ban on all public gatherings:

Front page notice in the Pilot Mound Sentinel, November 17, 1927

The ban remained in effect a week later:

Pilot Mound Sentinel, November 24, 1927

Impressive public health efforts battled diphtheria and numbers dropped as vaccinations became commonplace. Health officials in Brandon, for instance, launched extensive campaigns to encourage immunization, and results were encouraging. Manitoba editors pushed for aggressive efforts:

It is a well established fact that smallpox, diphtheria and typhoid fear can be absolutely prevented and banished from our midst. These frightful diseases can be rendered extinct as the dodo, leprosy or yellow fever. Yet they continue to stalk through the land claiming their thousands of victims every year. Why? Because of what amounts to criminal negligence on the part of health officials and people generally.

Our Western prairie provinces pride themselves in their work for the promotion of health, but they still have a long way to travel in the direction of the eradication of preventable disease. There is much educational work yet to be done, and it is sincerely to be hoped that provincial health departments, municipal councils and health offices, all doctors, and every organization interested in the health, happiness and well-being of the people will throw themselves unreservedly into the campaigns now in progress [...] for the wiping out of preventable disease. The community which does not engage in this warfare stamps itself as hopelessly backward, and indifferent to the best interests and highest welfare of its people. [Baldur Gazette, April 7, 1927]

Public Health initiatives across the globe promoted immunizations. [Wikipedia]   

A Creston Review editorial claimed that many illnesses were largely preventable, and warned that preventable death breaks up the home and can lead to juvenile delinquency. That would lead to poverty, improper living conditions and a breeding ground for disease, creating a vicious cycle. An extreme argument, perhaps, but the editorial ended on a wise note: “Science has made possible the accomplishment of this highly desirable result. It remains for the people to inform themselves and profit by the information which is so readily available to them.”  

That last point rings true today.

Canada has one of the lowest child vaccination rates in the developed world. With about one-tenth of Canadian children now going unvaccinated, this means that up to 750,000 young Canadians have no immunity whatsoever against diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus and measles. [… Federal Government efforts need to remind] Canadians of the alternative to vaccination: A country wracked by fear, tragedy and landscapes of dead and paralyzed children.

As late as the 1920s diphtheria was killing up to 2,000 young Canadians every year. Even as late as 1943, vaccination apathy meant that the disease was still able to kill 200. Diphtheria hasn’t killed anyone in Canada since 2000, but the disease remains in check purely due to immunization. [Hopper, 2019]

 

Number of cases of diphtheria in Canada [Government of Canada, 2018]

The arrow marks 1926, the year in which Canada introduced the diphtheria vaccine. Cases start at 9057 in 1924. Between 1929 and 1931 a sharp decline from 9010 to 2031 cases is shown. Another decline begins in 1945 and cases are down to 38 by 1959. From 1984 onward fewer than 10 cases were reported each year, and between 0 and 4 cases were reported between 1992 and 2012. [Government of Canada, 2018]

Today, Canadians give little thought to diphtheria because it is prevented by routine vaccination. But some may recall it through heroic Arctic tales from the 1920s.

In the winter of 1925, a dogsled relay rushed diphtheria antitoxin from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska in what became known as “The Great Race of Mercy.” In temperatures nearing –50˚F several teams took a mere 5½ days to make the dangerous 674-mile (1085 km) trek.

“The Great Race of Mercy” 1925  (3:30)

Four years later in similar winter conditions, pilots Wilfred “Wop” May and Vic Horner made history by flying diphtheria serum 410 miles (660 km) from Edmonton to Fort Vermillion in an open cockpit Avro Avian. (May was already a notable World War I pilot. His was the plane the Red Baron was chasing when the Baron was finally shot down.)

May’s story was featured in a National Film Board vignette:

Canada Vignettes: Wop May  (5:02)

Stompin’ Tom immortalized Wop May in song:

Stompin’ Tom knows a Canadian hero when he sees one.  (3:30)

Although we no longer fear it, diphtheria has not been eradicated world-wide. We would all be wise to heed the lesson Annie Fraser and her family learned. Listen to the science and don’t be complacent. 

Do it for Mildred.

Murray Fraser and his wee cousin Mildred, in front of Gordon Fraser’s harness racing truck.

Sources

“About Diphtheria,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). https://www.cdc.gov/diphtheria/about/index.html, Retrieved July 9, 2021

June Callwood, “The Miracle Factory that began in a Stable,” Maclean’s. October 1, 1955. https://archive.macleans.ca/article/19551001017/print Retrieved July 9, 2021

Amy E. Ciok, “Horses and the Diphtheria Antitoxin.” Academic Medicine. Vol. 75, Issue 4, 2000. https://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/fulltext/2000/04000/horses_and_the_diphtheria_antitoxin.22.aspx Retrieved July 9, 2021

“Diphtheria Causes Death of Little Boy,” Pilot Mound Sentinel, November 17, 1927

“Diphtheria: Questions and Answers,” Immunization Action Coalition (IAC), n.d. https://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4203.pdf Retrieved July 9, 2021

Government of Canada, “Diphtheria for Health Professionals,” Ottawa, April 17, 2018 https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/immunization/vaccine-preventable-diseases/diphtheria/health-professionals.html#fig1 Retrieved July 9, 2021

Tristan Hopper, “Vignettes from a pre-immunization Canada as childhood vaccination rates plummet.” National Post. June 26, 2019. https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/paralysis-spreads-throughout-canada-horrific-reminders-from-a-pre-vaccination-age Retrieved July 9, 2021

Kai Kupferschmidt, “Scientists find way to make diphtheria treatment without injecting horses with toxin.” Science, January 17, 2020. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/01/scientists-find-way-make-diphtheria-treatment-without-injecting-horses-toxin Retrieved July 9, 2021

Richard Longley, “Toronto pandemics past: Diphtheria ‘the strangler’ “ NOW Magazine, April 26, 2020. https://nowtoronto.com/news/toronto-pandemics-past-diphtheria-the-strangler Retrieved July 9, 2021

“Promoting Health—Preventing Disease,” Creston Review editorial, December 2, 1927

“Puts Ban on All Public Gatherings,” Pilot Mound Sentinel, November 17, 1927

Christopher J. Rutty, “Connaught and the Defeat of Diphtheria.” Conntact (Connaught Employee News), Vol. 9, No. 1, February 1996. http://www.healthheritageresearch.com/Diphtheria-conn9602.html Retrieved July 9, 2021

Christopher Rutty, “History of Connaught.” Defining Moments Canada, n.d. https://definingmomentscanada.ca/insulin100/timeline/connaught Retrieved July 9, 2021

 “Sad Death of Little Fraser Girl,” Pilot Mound Sentinel, November 3, 1927

“Show Health Films,” Lethbridge Herald, February 16, 1927

“Too Late!” Baldur Gazette editorial, April 7, 1927

Mallory Warner, “How horses helped cure diphtheria.” National Museum of American History, August 15, 2013. https://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/2013/08/how-horses-helped-cure-diphtheria.html Retrieved July 9, 2021

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