VOL. I

NOVEMBER, 1941

NO. 5

Published at the Hespeler, Ontario Plant of Dominion Woollens and Worsteds, Limited

ON ACTIVE SERVICE

Pte Fred Baker

Pte. Fred Baker

(No. A11166)
M.G. “A” Coy., Perth Regiment Canadian Army Overseas


Fred Baker was born in Laurenceton, Newfoundland, twenty-one years ago and came to Canada when nine years of age. His family settled in Hespeler where he attended Public School.

Fred remained with the Stamped and Enamelled Ware Ltd., which he entered on leaving school, until April 1939 when he started with D. W. & W. His first job here was with the floormen in the Mule Spinning Department. Later he moved to the Weave Room where he assised in examinging cloth.

Fred was very active in sports of all kinds, being especially fond of hockey, baseball and lacrosse. He was a member of local baseball team and contributed in no small way to the club’s success.

He enlisted with the Perth Machine Gun Regiment in Stratford on September 13th, 1939. While stationed at Camp Borden he was sent to Toronto where he attended a course in wireless operating.

Fred was married in August, 1940, and his wife is residing in Stratford.

Word has just been received as we go to press that Fred is now in England.

D. W. & W. Buys Land for Parking Lot

Company Attempts to Solve Traffic Problem at Mill Entrance and Eliminate Accident Hazard

It is reported that D. W. & W. is about to conclude negotiations for the purchase of a strip of land running the full length of Cedar street from Queen to Maple, a distance of about 600 feet, and 200 feet in depth. The vendor is S. A. Lunenfeld of Galt who recently acquired from Dr. H. M. Weaver the entire block in which the property is situated. It is understood that the Company intends to clear and grade a 200-foot square section at the Queen Street end of the property to provide parking accommodation for employees and customers, holding the remainder in reserve for future use.

Traffic congestion at the the plant entrance on Queen street has been an object of concern to municipal authorities, the Company and Works Council for many months and both railways whose lines cross in front of the plant have urged a permanent solution to the problem. (D. W. & W. News, Sept. 1941)

The property now being purchased will provide parking space for more than the usual number of cars now parked in front of the mill and in the mill yard and it is expected that automobile traffic through the plant entrance can be eliminated, except for transport service. Pedestrian traffic across Queen street will be greatly increased and it cannot be claimed that all accident hazard will be eliminated. It is hoped however that it will be greatly reduced and the location of the new parking lot will allow some of the automobile traffic to avoid Queen street entirely.

It is expected that all motor traffic through the mill entrance on Queen street will be prohibited at rush hours and the dangerous stream of mixed traffic will be ended.

“You Can’t Holler Down Our Rain Barrel”

Rebuilt Water Barrels at Rear of Plant

They aren’t rain barrels but they hold part of the half million gallons per day of soft water the D. W. & W. uses for washing wollens. They have just been rebuilt after 23 years’ service.

Dyers Change to Stainless Steel

Dyers are now stainless steel

Ever since dyeing became an industry that was expected to produce uniform results dyers have searched for kettles that would not affect their colours. Drying an ounce or two of material in a glass beaker over an electric hot plate is a fairly exact science. Dyeing one or two thousand times as much in a tank in a dirty dyehouse with heat from a dirty steam coil is another and tragic story. Dyestuffs are complex chemicals readily altered by contact with different substances, particularly metals.

Until recent years wooden kettles were standard equipment in every dyehouse. The wood rotted, the kettles leaked and wood absorbed dyestuff like a sponge. Every new batch in a kettle was dyed not only with the dyestuffs intended for the job but with a trace of all the dyestuffs that had every been put into the kettle before. For this reason certain kettles had to be reserved for certain colours and every dyer had more kettles than he could keep working. 

Wood had one great advantage however. It did not seem to affect the dyestuffs and a clean kettle gave a fairly true shade. Until the development of stainless steel no other material could be used successfully and economically for wool dyeing. Stainless steel is not perfect but it affects the colours very slightly. It is very durable and can be quickly cleaned. The dilute acids used will not even dull its lustre.

After more than a year of tedious sample dyeings D. W. & W. began switching to stainless steel. The illustration above shows the battery of stainless stell skein dyeing kettles for yarns, all controlled by automatic timers and thermostats which insure positive and uniform dyeing conditions. The customer who gets a uniform shade and good colour match on his material has little conception of the battle that is still being fought to give him his money’s worth.

Soldiers’ Addresses

A532041 Fus. James F. Stark, No. 10 Military Training Centre, Kitchener, Ontario

A11149 Pte. A. W. Zvaniga, “A” Company, Perth Regt., (A) Motors Canadian Army Overseas.

R122999 AC2 Dalgleish G. L. No. 1 Manning Depot, Toronto, Ontario

R117000 R. S. Davidson, No. 1 Manning Depot, Toronto, Ontario

A28320 Gnr. Allen I. Gamble, No. 1 C.A.H.U., Canadian Base Units, Canadian Army Overseas

 

Site of New Parking Lot

Parking Lot with Trees
View of party at Queen and Cedar Streets before grading operations commence.

$15,000 Christmas Savings Fund Is To Be Distibuted December 10th, Council Hears

Council Renews Request for Sidewalk on Queen Street

Report of Christmas Savings Club fund submitted to November meeting of Works Council indicated that an amount of approximately $15,000 would be ready for distribution to contributors on December 10th. Arrangements are being made to start the 1942 Fund on January 1st if sufficient contributors are available. Total deposits in the fund for ten months of 1941 exceeded $20,000 but withdrawls have greatly reduced this amount.

Council again discussed the traffic problem at the mill entrance and were informed of the purchase of land for a parking lot reported elsewhere in this issue. It was suggested that opening of the parking lot should be followed by improved lighting on the corner of Queen and Cedar streets and that a side walk should be built on the north side of Queen street beside the G.R.R. tracks to the mill entrance.

Council also discussed normal hours, requested attention be given to repairing dyehouse windows and sliding doors on washers, replacement of steam hood over crab in Wet Finishing department, and alterations in flooring in front of washers.

Letters to the Editor

Aug. 17, 1941

The Editor:

I received a copy of the D. W. & W. bugle last night when I came on duty and was really pleased to read all the local news.

First of all I’m writing this on duty so if it seems rather disjointed it is because I had to get up to quiet a wild Irishman we have here with a fractured skull, and when I say wild Irish I mean exactly that.

The first thing that caught my eye was the pictures. They really looked intersting, but you know I worked at all those jobs and somehow or other they never looked the same to me. Still I wouldn’t mind taking a whirl at it again. Maybe I will after this issue is over.

How is Red Wildfong? Is he still in the dyehouse? And Bill Clark, Shorty Reid and all the rest of the old gang? Is Jimmy Tordoff still on the tubs or has he decided to quit washing khaki and start wearing it? By the look of the paper the mill must be getting a pretty good going over.

Are Red Watson and his trusty .38 still guarding the back of the dyehouse?

Oh yes, one more thing I probably should know myself. Who is the Patriotic Society? I have received two parcels from them and did not know to whom I should send a letter of acknowledgement. Whoever they are must be getting the impression that I am not very grateful.

Next time you go through the dyehouse will you remind Jim Cutting that he still owed me that letter he promised me over a year ago.

Since coming over here I have run across most of the boys in the 1st Division.

Just out of idle curiosity who is June Whorley?

I have never heard of her myself but she seems to be creating quite a sensation among the boys of this unit.

Well, I’ve just finished making rounds and everybody is sound asleep and as usual it is raining. This wouldn’t be a bad country if it only wouldn’t rain quite so much. I’ve been here eight months now and I think we have had rain on an average of five or six days a week all the time.

Most letters that I have read that different fellows have written to the Reporter or something like that, have been very elaborate in describing the beauty of the country, the hospitality of the people, the efficiency of the army as a whole, etc. so that I am beginning to think there must be something wrong either with them or with me. I will admit that the people are as a whole very hospitable, only it is pretty hard to convince some of them that the people of Canada don’t ride down the main trails waving tomahawks and swearing vengeance on all pale faces.

Due to scarcity of films and the fact that the sun never shines people over here don’t take many pictures, but this one was taken in the surgical ward. Never mind I can’t find that one, here’s another one instead.

Tell John From, if he is still in the dyehouse, that he might as well stay where he is, they have no schnapps here and the beer is terrible.

Well I guess that just about winds up the news, although it seems that all I have done is ask questions, so I’ll say, as they say in Scotland.

Cheerie-Bye,
KEN McLAUGHLIN

Mrs. Marie Smith with Marjorie and Jack. Mrs. Smith has tended spinning frames for 5.5 years.

Mrs. Marie Smith with Marjorie and Jack. Mrs. Smith has tended spinning frames for 5.5 years.

D. W. & W. ENLISTMENTS

Army ………………52
Air Force …………29
Navy ……………….0

Mary McLaughlin, Joan Garside, Elizabeth Pulbrook, Velma O'Hanley and Kathleen Highton.

Mary McLaughlin, Joan Garside, Elizabeth Pulbrook, Velma O’Hanley and Kathleen Highton.

Soldiers’ Addresses

A64156 Pte. Elwood Cosgrove, Royal Candian Ordnance Corps, London, Ontario

A31356 Gnr. Frank Coulton, 100 Bty. 4th Lt. A.A. Reg., Sussex Military Camp, Sussex, N. B.

A37994 Ptd. Ellis, B.J., H.L.I. of C., “A” Company, Candian Army Overseas

B83469 Gnr. E. Howlet, 81st Battery, 14th Field Regt., Candian Army Overseas.

A29590 Pte. A. F. Jardine, Wolseley Barracks, C.A.O.C., London, Ontario.

B11415 R.C.A. George Kennedy, C.A.F.C. (A-2), C. Bty., Tent 2, Military Camp 305, Petawawa, Ontario.

R144201 AC2 Wm. F. Lamb, R.C.A.F., Security Guard, Dartmouth, N.S.

R89788 Marshall H. V., R.C.A.F., Gate House, St. George St., University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario

R84186 L.A.C. D. Midgley, No. 1 Wireless School, R.C.A.F., Montreal, P.Q.

R114277 AC1 N. J. Reist, R.C.A.F. Airport, Sydney, N. S.

R114198 AC2 Wm. F. Turner, R.C.A.F., No. 17 Equipment Unit, Ottawa, Ontario

John Wylie, No. 10 Training Centre, Kitchener, Ontario.

 

Letters to the Editor

October 20, 1941

The Editor:

Today, through your kindness, I received my third copy of your most interesting paper. It is great appreciated and more so when one is away from home.

Since I enjoy your paper down here, it can readily be imagined how much it is welcomed by the boys who are overseas.

To us on active service, your paper serves a double purpose, not only does it inform us of the many valuable improvements that are being undertaken, but also helps us to keep in contact with our friends.

Thank you once again for your kind consideration, I remain,

Yours truly,

A.C. 1 N. J. REIST

PERSONALITIES

Mrs. Jean (Levitt) Prior was presented with a tri-light lamp and an end table by the Burling and Mending Department.

The office staff presented Ron Hall, who marriage took place on October 10th, with a tri-light lamp.

The Cloth Packing and Shipping Department presented Bob Homuth, who was married on October 11th, with an end table. 

Elsie Pulbrook, who left the employ of the company on October 10th, was presented with a purse and compact on behalf of the office staff.

The Burling and Mending Department presented Mr. Ferne (Warne) Bunk with a combination book case and china cabinet.

Nell Prestwich on leaving the employ of the company was presented with a Waterman’s pen and pencil set by the Yarn Shipping Dept. and a matching cameo ring and pendant by the office staff.

Mrs. Norma (Meiers) Marquis was presented with and end table by the Cheese Winding Dept. when she left the employ of the company.

Miss Baker and Mrs. Elliott, our plant nurses, have been attending the University of Toronto where they have taken a refresher course on Industrial Nursing.

Word has been received of the death of William Aikens who was killed in a motor accident in Hamilton early Saturday morning, October 18th. He was formerly employed in the Wet Finishing Department where he worked for about a year. He left here in June to work in Hamilton.

Members of the Mule Spinning room held a social and card party at the home of Cassie Dugmore. The proceeds, which amounted to $5.25 were donated to the British War Victims’ Fund.

Mrs. Betty (Hadfield) Hall was presented with a pair of blankets and a comforter by the Worsted Spinning Department.

Mr. Condon, who left here to take a position in Hamilton, was presented with a Waterman’s pen and pencil set and a letter writing portfolio by the Cloth Shipping Department and office staff.

Ab Hern, who has been off work for some time with a fractured arm, is back on the job.

Those who have enlisted in the last month include Lawrence Atchison and Arnold Lawson, both with the Army.

MARRIED

Jean Levitt to Lyle Prior. Will reside in Hespeler.

Helen Beckman to Clarence Deemert. Will reside in Hespeler.

Betty Hadfield to Ron Hall. Will reside in Hespeler.

Winnifred Swatridge to Bob Homuth. Will reside in Hespeler.

Ferne Warne to Jim Bunk. Will reside in Guelph.

BORN

October 16th, a son, Donald Edgar, to Mr. and Mrs. J. Durnford.

We would enjoy hearing your thoughts on our Newsletter.

We appreciate comments from our men and women based in Canada and overseas. If you have anything to add, we encourage you to also leave a comment here. If you'd like to contact us privately, please write to our switchboard operator. Our Office will respond to your letter as time permits.

1 Comment

  1. H. J. Gibson

    I received my fifth copy of your most interesting paper. I want to thank you very much for sending it to me.

    I certainly appreciate it, especially when one is away from home.

    Is Winston Witwam still there? I took him home one weekend and we got snowed in. I haven’t heard from him and was wondering if he had got stuck in another snow bank and forgot to shovel himself out. He certainly doesn’t like the snow. At least he didn’t that night and I did not blame him. I would like to ask more questions but had better close.

    Thanking you once again for your paper, I remain,

    L.A.C. H. J. GIBSON.

    Reply

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