Book: Duty Done: Memories of Fairmont Barracks
Edited by Donna Morse and Ric Hall
Published by Your Nickel's Worth Publishing
Review by Toby A. Welch
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have a lengthy, distinguished legacy in our country’s history. They were established in 1873, just six years after Canada was created. This phenomenal book delves into a slice of that RCMP history.
In 1914, a building was erected in the Cambie Corridor in Vancouver, BC. It served as a private boys school and then a military hospital before the Mounties took up residence there in 1920; they renamed it Fairmont Barracks. I’d wager they had no idea at that time that members of the RCMP would call the place home for the next 93 years.
Duty Done was clearly a labour of love for dozens of people. Beyond the Vancouver division of the RCMP Veterans’ Association, the list of people who devoted time and energy to ensure this book came to fruition is impressive.
You'll find 28 chapters in this book, although they are called memories instead of chapters. Each of the 28 sections is a story from someone with ties to the Fairmont Barracks. The stories they share are diverse but they all have one thing in common - the ability to suck us readers into life at the Fairmont Barracks.
I truly enjoyed reading every story in this book but a few stand out. In the memory We’re Closed. Come Back on Monday!, Supt. Ric Hall (Ret’d) shared how he took a three hour bus ride to the Fairmont Barracks and just knocked on the door, hoping to be hired on the spot. Arnold Friberg: A Friend of the Force tells of the connection between the Fairmont Barracks and Friberg, an international master painter. Albert Douglas Lorenzen’s memory, Making a Silk Purse Out of a Sow’s Ear, shared some hilarious stories about the building itself and some of its quirks. Romantics will enjoy another story by Hall - Cpl. Sidney Floyd, Reg #9254: A Story Within the Story!. I could go on and on but you need to delve into the memories yourself for the full impact.
The list of acronyms at the front of the book is a huge help and I encourage you to look it over. For example, I had no clue that CIB meant Criminal Investigation Branch or that a Tptr is a Trumpeter and Bugler.
This book is filled with pictures that give you an even deeper look into life inside the Fairmont Barracks. We see pics of most of the people who submitted memories as well as plenty of shots of events, parades, ceremonies, and memorabilia. The photos do a superb job of rounding out the stories.
I encourage fans of Canadian history or readers with an interest in the RCMP to pick up a copy of Duty Done: Memories of Fairmont Barracks.
THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE OR FROM WWW.SKBOOKS.COM.