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Archival description
Bennett, W.A.C. (William Andrew Cecil), 1900-1979
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Bruce A. McKelvie papers

The records consist of correspondence, scrapbooks, notebooks and diaries, typescripts of speeches and articles, historical and political notes. It also contains a number of manuscripts, both transcripts and originals, by people other than McKelvie. Series include transcripts of books, articles and speeches; correspondence; notebooks and diaries; miscellaneous notes and material; scrapbooks; copies of nineteenth century manuscripts; and typescripts by persons other than McKelvie.
Boxes 19-50 contain miscellaneous, unsorted material.

W.A.C. Bennett photographs

Series consists of 5908 black and white and colour photographs, including prints, negatives and transparencies, of William Andrew Cecil Bennett (W.A.C. Bennett) taken between ca. 1912 and 1979.

Jim Ryan was Bennett's official photographer from 1955 and remained a friend up until Bennett's death in 1979. Many of these photographs were used in Ryan's book “My Friend, W.A.C. Bennett” which he published in 1980.

The earliest photographs of Bennett were probably acquired by Ryan from Bennett's family. Ryan arranged the photographs by subject although many of the subjects overlap and many copies of the same photograph appear in various subject files.

The subject categories include portraits of Bennett, by himself and with family, visitors and dignitaries; official functions; official visits and cabinet and legislative activities. The negatives and transparencies were kept in envelopes and slide boxes, often arranged by roll. Many are unidentified; BC Archives staff have added occasional identifying notes.

Robert Strachan personal and political papers

Series consists of personal and political material. His personal effects include correspondence with his family in Scotland and memorabilia of Strachan's boyhood (such as badges and certificates earned as a corporal in the 211st Glasgow Company of the Boys' Brigade), and family photographs. Most of Strachan's papers concern his political career, as member of the legislative assembly, and as Leader of the Opposition, and government minister.

These papers were originally arranged by topic and subject, and, as far as possible such arrangement has been maintained. Thus notes and correspondence pertaining to Strachan's constituency have been separated from papers dealing with provincial topics, such as the Columbia River power project. Similarly, papers dealing with the CCF/NDP caucus are distinct from the extensive correspondence that resulted from unrest within the New Democratic Party during the various leadership challenges of the 1960s.

Twenty great years in British Columbia : [compilation footage]

Stock shots. Original footage and outs compiled from various Parry Films for use in TWENTY GREAT YEARS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA (1972). Includes BC Electric buses in North & West Vancouver, ca.1949; section from GIANT MASCOT showing mine fire and aftermath; general views of Vancouver and Victoria (1960s); BC and CN ferries; the commissioning of the ferry "Queen of Prince Rupert" by W.A.C. Bennett and other dignitaries (Victoria Inner Harbour & Swartz Bay, April 1966); sport fishing; skiing; costumed dancers in pageant; agricultural exhibition; installation of picnic tables (Okanagan Lake Provincial Park?); airliner in flight & aerial views; Greyhound bus on highway; tracking shot up Douglas Street, Victoria, 1960s; freight train in Fraser Canyon; Premier Bennett and Hydro officials open powerhouse (Duncan dam, 1967?) and Portage Mountain dam, 1967; ratification of Columbia River Treaty at Peace Arch Park, 1964; Simon Fraser University scenes; family in car on highway. There are also some scenes shot specifically for TWENTY GREAT YEARS.

Press releases and other material

  • GR-1196
  • Series
  • 1946-1955

This series contains press releases and official statements from the Office of the Premier, 1946-1955. The records include a pamphlet on Emergency Flood Legislation.

British Columbia. Office of the Premier

Bury Family. Victoria, Surrey.

Invitations to tea, Mr. and Mrs. W.A.C. Bennett, Kelowna, 1972 and to official opening, Eric Martin Institute, 1970; British Columbia driver's licence, 1947; discount authority card.

Presented by Mrs. C.A. Bury, Surrey, 1980.

Provincial Secretary executive records

  • GR-0285
  • Series
  • 1949-1975

The series consists of correspondence from various members of the Royal family expressing gratitude for arrangements made for them during visits to B.C. (1959 to 1971), certificates, reports of various royal commissions and commissions of inquiry, and minutes of various committees and commissioners on which Mr. Wallace served in his capacity as Deputy Provincial Secretary.

The series also includes a photograph album of the opening of the Hope-Princeton Highway in 1949 and other photographs.

British Columbia. Office of the Deputy Provincial Secretary

Squamish highway

The item consists of two reels of unedited footage. Shows construction work on the Squamish Highway (between Horseshoe Bay and Squamish) and on the Fraser Canyon highway. Premier W.A.C. Bennett, Highways Minister Phil Gaglardi, and other dignitaries are seen at ceremonies.

Slides

Series consists of 3123 black and white and colour photographs taken by Jim Ryan between ca. 1952 and 1991 using slide film. The photographs are mostly of the Victoria area but also include travel photographs and images of W.A.C. Bennett and his family.

Hon. Tilly Rolston : copy of radio speech, Feb-1953

Radio speech made a week after the opening of the 1st session of the 23rd B.C. Legislature [03-Feb-1953], Education Minister Tilly Rolston (Social Credit MLA for Vancouver-Point Grey) discusses t;he recent political history of B.C., the results of the June 1952 election, W.A.C. Bennett, and Social Credit policies with regard to school financing, taxes, automobile license fees, hospital insuran;ce, the economy, natural resources, parks, highways, tourism, freight rates, inequalities faced by women, etc.;

Lady of the lake

The item is a film travelogue, made in 1953. It shows the city of Kelowna and the 1953 Kelowna Regatta. Scenes include car ferry on Okanagan Lake; city streets and park; beach and water sports; Premier W.A.C. Bennett; Regatta parade; nighttime pageant at Aquatic Pool with synchronized swimming, square dancing and crowning of the Lady of the Lake; swimming races at the pool; speedboat and hydroplane races; men's diving competition. The Lady of the Lake introduces and closes the film.

Premier's records

  • GR-1414
  • Series
  • 1953-1972

This series contains official correspondence, reports, briefs to cabinet, articles and messages, etc. accumulated during W.A.C. Bennett's tenure as premier. It includes files on Dominion-provincial relations, civil defence, centennial celebrations, railways and major business corporations. Also includes copies of congratulatory letters sent to senior citizens by Bennett's successor, Premier David Barrett. Photographs transferred to Visual Records Division; maps, plans, and printed material transferred to Library and Maps Section. GR-1414 consists of a large number of records created and accumulated during the tenure of Premier William Andrew Cecil (W.A.C.) Bennett [1952-1972]. The records originally comprised the Central Registry of the Premier's Office. Included are letters from private individuals and business corporations, inter-departmental memoranda, copies of the premier's articles and messages, briefs to cabinet and other reports submitted for the premier's consideration. This unit also includes documents pertaining to Dominion-Provincial relations, as well as correspondence from federal politicians and foreign diplomats. The records, which comprise this unit, were transferred to the Provincial Archives from the Premier's Office in November 1982. Ten years earlier-following the defeat of Mr. Bennett's Social Credit government-the records had been consigned to a vault in the basement of the Parliament Buildings. Sometime later they were placed in cardboard boxes and removed to a builders' shed in the Parliament Buildings precinct. There they remained, apparently untended, until 1982 when they came to the attention of the Archives. When the records were transferred to the Archives a number of file folders were found to be empty. In most cases, the empty folders concerned cabinet ministers and the work of various government departments. Similarly, contemporary file lists [see Box 131, File 11] indicate that a number of folders were missing from the original series of files. No files marked "Anonymous," for example, were among the boxes received by the Archives, despite the fact that files containing anonymous letters inward were maintained over the years by the Premier's Office. Nor were any "Confidential" files included with the transfer, although they were part of the Premier's filing system. These files may have been removed when W.A.C. Bennett left office in 1972, or they may have been removed sometime after 1976 when W.R. Bennett became premier. [In her interview (taped in 1978) Mrs. Mylrea noted that Premier Bennett asked her to "go through" the correspondence files on 31 August 1972, the day after his party's electoral defeat. Mrs. Mylrea spent the next two weeks reviewing "every piece of paper in those files." "I did not find one thing that nobody else could have looked at" she related, "there was nothing that anybody need be afraid that anybody could see, opposition or otherwise." Nevertheless, some of the files were removed and were taken by Mr. Bennett to his Kelowna home. [SMID 3236:1-2, pp.16-17] Researchers should also note the absence of W.A.C. Bennett's constituency files in this collection. According to the premier's secretary, records dealing with the South Okanagan riding were maintained separately in the premier's Kelowna office. After his death in February, 1979, the Bennett family donated the records to the Simon Fraser University archives. [SMID 3236:1-1, p.17] Despite the absence of certain files, GR-1414 is a remarkably rich collection of executive records. The evolution of the Social Credit Party can be detected in many of the memos and reports in the collection; public attitudes towards government policies can be seen in much of the correspondence inward, while the province's economic growth can be discerned in files devoted to industrial development or to particular companies. Federal-provincial relations are also well documented, as are the activities of local chambers of commerce and sundry community groups throughout the province. Indeed, as a source of documentation for British Columbia in the 1950s and 1960s, GR-1414 is unrivalled.

British Columbia. Premier

William Neelands Chant papers

Speeches; correspondence, official and personal; invitations; diverse government reports, memoranda, and briefs; correspondence, speeches, handbooks and papers concerning Social Credit Party organization and campaigns, and monetary policy. Material transferred to Map Collection, Visual Records and the BC Archives Library. During his career William Neelands Chant was a businessman, farmer, MLA (Alberta and B.C.), Minister of Agriculture (Alta.), and the Minister of Public Works (B.C.). The records include speeches; correspondence, official and personal; invitations; diverse government reports, memoranda, and briefs; correspondence, speeches, handbooks and papers concerning Social Credit Party organization and campaigns, and monetary policy. Books, photographs and maps transferred to other units. See list at the end of the finding aid. Material transferred to BC Archives Library (check library catalogue for call numbers): British Columbia. The Law Courts, Victoria, British Columbia [Leather bound copy] British Columbia. Education Building, UBC, Vancouver, B.C. Draft Canadian Constitutional Charter British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority, First Annual Report Power Means Progress. British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Standing Order (adopted February 20, 1930) Queen's Printer, 1955 H.E. Nichols, A Handbook of Social Credit, Edmonton Reading Reference to Social Credit: A Bibliography, compiled by Michael Sinclair, 1963 American Historical Documents from official Archives [portfolio] British Columbia. Centennial Edition. 1964 T.J. Irwin, The Pageantry of Parliament. [Pamphlet, no date] Major C.H. Douglas, "Social Credit Principles". Speech, 1924 Material transferred to Visual Records accession 198006-033 includes: 4 photo albums, with numerous loose photographs 4 boxes (approximately 20 slides each) 35 mm color transparencies metal plate of photo of W.N. Chant Envelope containing 11 loose photos of Chant Cuts of photos of Chant Album "To the Government of the Province of British Columbia" advertising work of Townley, Matheson & Partners, Dexter Bush and Associates Ltd., Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, architects and engineers Material transferred to Map Collection: Map. Columbia River Basin in British Columbia, showing principal water powers. Map registration number 14009B. Map. British Columbia. Electoral districts. Redistribution 1966. Duplicate of this map available. See CM/A1128. Map. Plan of part of the Municipality of Richmond, showing suggested land reclamation scheme on Sturgeon Bank. Map registration number 13829B.

Chant, William Neelands, 1895-1976

Men, mountains and the challenge

Documentary. Highway construction in BC. Includes planning and surveys; opening of contractors' bids by Highways Minister Gaglardi; clearing of route by heavy equipment; culvert assembly; drilling and blasting rock; road bed preparation; paving. Also: traffic control; overpass construction. Sections of Highways 1 and 1A are shown, and Premier W.A.C. Bennett presides at an official opening.

Men, mountains and the challenge

The item is a reel of industrial film showing highway construction in BC. Includes planning and surveys; opening of contractors' bids by Highways Minister Gaglardi; clearing of route by heavy equipment; culvert assembly; drilling and blasting rock; road bed preparation; paving. Traffic control and overpass construction are also discussed. Sections of Highways 1 and 1A are shown, and Premier W.A.C. Bennett presides at an official opening.

[Pacific Great Eastern Railway inaugural run, August 1956]

Special event coverage. Chronicles the August 28-30, 1956, inauguration of through-service on the Pacific Great Eastern Railway between North Vancouver and Prince George. Premier W.A.C. Bennett and other dignitaries ride the three inaugural trains, which are eagerly greeted by the residents of towns along the route. A rockslide at Mile 18 on Howe Sound delays the journey until a bulldozer clears the tracks. At Williams Lake station, a mock frontier lynching is staged for the entertainment of the premier and his party. Following footage of the arrival in Prince George, the film also shows progress on northward expansion of the PGE line (including bridge and grade construction), and ends with shots of oil rigs in the Peace River Region.

Men, mountains and the challenge

The item is a videocassette copy of a documentary film from ca. 1957. It shows highway construction in BC. Includes planning and surveys; opening of contractors' bids by Highways Minister Gaglardi; clearing of route by heavy equipment; culvert assembly; drilling and blasting rock; road bed preparation; paving. Also: traffic control; overpass construction. Sections of Highways 1 and 1A are shown, and Premier W.A.C. Bennett presides at an official opening.

Port Mann Bridge

The item is a videocassette copy of an industrial film from ca. 1957 to 1964. It shows the engineering and construction of the Port Mann Bridge -- the last link in BC's portion of the Trans-Canada Highway -- and its official opening on 12 June 1964 by Premier W.A.C. Bennett. Also includes historical footage of 1930s traffic and the opening of Pattullo Bridge in 1937 by Premier T.D. Pattullo.

Men, mountains and the challenge

The item is a composite print of a documentary film made ca. 1957. It shows highway construction in BC. Includes planning and surveys; opening of contractors' bids by Highways Minister Gaglardi; clearing of route by heavy equipment; culvert assembly; drilling and blasting rock; road bed preparation; paving. Traffic control and overpass construction are also discussed. Sections of Highways 1 and 1A are shown, and Premier W.A.C. Bennett presides at an official opening.

The Centennial show

The item consists of two kinescope reels of a variety show of a BC centennial broadcast for New Year's Day, 1958 (replacing Kraft Television Theatre). The show combines official presentations by BC's Lieutenant-Governor, a speech by Premier W.A.C. Bennett, musical entertainment, skits, tourist promotions (Bing Crosby), and illustrations including cartoon strip of Mr. Magoo.

Port Mann Bridge

Industrial film. The engineering and construction of the Port Mann Bridge -- the last link in BC's portion of the Trans-Canada Highway -- and its official opening on 12 June 1964 by Premier W.A.C. Bennett. Also includes historical footage of 1930s traffic and the opening of Pattullo Bridge in 1937 by Premier T.D. Pattullo.

Princess in wonderland

The item consists of four reels of unedited film elements that make up a documentary from 1958. It shows Princess Margaret's 1958 royal visit to mark BC's Centennial. Includes: numerous official welcomes and ceremonies; Royal Review of ships of the RCN, USN and Royal Navy; visit to natural gas development at Fort St. John; rodeo at Williams Lake; opening of Okanagan Lake Bridge & Fort Langley restoration; UBC convocation (and bestowal of honorary degree on Princess Margaret); aerial and travelling shots from planes and trains. Premier W.A.C. Bennett and Lieutenant-Governor Frank Ross appear throughout.

Princess in wonderland

Documentary. Princess Margaret's 1958 royal visit to mark BC's Centennial. Includes: numerous official welcomes and ceremonies; Royal Review of ships of the RCN, US Navy and Royal Navy; visit to natural gas development at Fort St. John; rodeo at Williams Lake; opening of Okanagan Lake Bridge and Fort Langley restoration; UBC convocation (and bestowal of honorary degree on Princess Margaret); aerial and travelling shots from planes and trains. Premier W.A.C. Bennett and Lieutenant-Governor Frank Ross appear throughout.

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