The postcards are small and yellowed with age, and the handwriting, though elegant, somewhat hard to read. But peer closely at the words and it becomes clear Alexander Windram loved his family.
When he shipped out to Europe on Nov. 1, 1916, the Fraser Mills steamfitter asked his daughter Elsie “to be a good girl and don’t forget your dadie.”
Fast forward a century and these postcards are a tangible link between Coquitlam and the First World War. Stored in the city’s archives, they teach us a lot about the impact of the war on local residents.
“It’s like a little time machine. There is something really powerful about these postcards,” said Emily Lonie, the city archivist, who has been compiling information about Coquitlam WWI vets for a remembrance project.
This month, the postcards are on display at city hall to mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
The story of the Windram family has also been compiled with photographs and war documents and is available online and through the Canadian Letters and Images Project.
Lonie credits the forethought of the little girl, Elsie — who grew up to be Elsie Windram McKinnon — who saved the postcards that had been handed down to her by her mother, Mary.
Alexander (Sandy) Windram died on April 9, 1917 at the Battle of Vimy Ridge and reading the postcards for the online legacy project brought Lonie to tears as she considered how his death would have affected his widow, Mary, as the family had only recently arrived from Scotland, and included sons John and Andrew in addition to Elsie.
“She was suddenly by herself,” said Lonie, describing Mary’s lonely job as head of the Maillardville household.
As the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge approaches, Lonie said it’s important to remember the sacrifices of local families.
The Battle of Vimy Ridge, which took place from April 9 to 12, 1917, was a defining moment in Canada’s history as all four divisions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force fought together for the first time. It was a moment of victory but also one of great loss. Of the 100,000 Canadians who fought at Vimy, 3,598 died.
Alexander Windram’s cousins were also killed in action in 1917 — John on March 16, William on Sept. 8.
The postcards were kept in the family until McKinnon gave them to Mackin House Museum, which forwarded them to the Coquitlam city archives.
Now, thanks to digitization, the post cards — and the memories of lives lived and lost — are available for all to see and reflect upon.
