Today, 10 years after writing the blog on the 1906 British Lawn Bowling Tour to Canada; a new interest has been forward as I send the original March 23 2013 (Saturday) blog link to Bruce St-Louis the president of Bowls Quebec.
At the time that the Ontario and West Ontario Bowling Associations began organizing this 1906 Summer activity with the International Bowling Board the decision was for a total of 8 rinks of bowlers. This was such an important event that Illoa Bowling Club gave Bailie George Cousin a set of Bowls tagged as " To Commemorate His Bowling Tour in Canada on 16th July 1906.
For those with interest in this part of Canadian Bowls History which is available in the Canadian Archives for the reading; I will indicate a bit of which exists in the more than 260 Diary pages of the "The British Bowlers in Canada Diary". (internet archives) by Bailie D. Willox from Glasgow.
Following the Introduction and index, Author Willox states " that the event ..was the natural outcome of the Canadian Bowlers. visit.. two years previously, (1904) when they played a series of games in different parts of the Kingdom. A strong desire was then expressed that a return match, or series of matches, should be played in Canada" (page 8).
On the 25th of October 1905 a letter to the various UK Lawn Bowling Associations stated " The International Board suggest that the four associations be represented, thus - Scottish Association by three rinks, English Associations by three rinks, Irish Association by one rink and Welsh Association by one rink." and " The Ontario Association propose that the team leave this country about the beginning of July. The whole trip will entail seven weeks" or two months" absence".
Following 20 pages of the diary listing the actual agenda for the planned two months of the Lawn Bowl's Visit to Canada, a 9th June 1906 letter to the travelling members stated " In regard to berths, I have arranged for 15 rooms on the saloon deck of the Virginian. You will see the numbers from the plan...which I sent you. You can quite easily secure one of the rooms for your family. Three will occupy each room , although there are four berths. I note that you are taking your wife and daughter,and I shall be glad to have your cheque for £15, (15 Pounds) the deposit of £5 each which will have to be made to the shipping company"
The diary is well written as M. Willox who had done several writings and prose and even a romance ("Black Jock" (1903)); so those interested in reading the diary you can sign up for www.archive.org with a small donation for free borrowing to read (photo below). The link above and photo is what I first discovered.
"Sunday, 22nd July (Page 38) This is a fine morning, and it does one good to be astir. There are quite a number of early risers here, and , of course, they all find their way upon deck to smoke and crack and move about. or that evening " It became cold and windy towards evening and most of us sought the seclusion of our cabins. The head winds are telling against us, but the good ship manfully ploughs her way through the billows, trembling and trobbing like a child in pain" and then the following morning.
"The sea is a little lumpy, but not bad, even for a landsman. Our ship is making steady headway, and during the last twenty-four hours we have covered 378 miles." and further down we even find a cure for seasickness. "namely, that a cloth wrung out of boiling water wrapped round the head tightly removes the sickness. There you are, ye sufferers from mat de mer. Of course I have not myself tested tis efficacy, not having been sick".
With the crossing over as they reached Rimouski at 5pm on July 26th and Sea crossing chores completed and newspapers obtained, (Mail moved to a steamer for delivery up river to Montreal)
"A cutting from the Montreal Daily Herald dated the 24th July, and, as it deals with the all-absorbing matter of our tour, I give it in full.
PREPARATION FOR ENGLISH BOWLERS Westmount Enthusiasts getting their greens into shape .... Westmount green bowlers are busy o' nights preparing for the reception of their brother players now on the voyage from the old country to make a tour of the Canadian greens."
"The local turf is admittedly in a wretchedly bad condition this season, worst probably than since it was laid. For this the Westmounters are, however, in no way to blame. since the growing weather set in, in the spring, much time and labour has been devoted to getting it into shape, But so disastrously has the gurf been served by the remarkable weather of the winter, that the task from the beginning seemed almost a hopeless one."
"Sudden thaws and succeeding frosts had played havoc, and when the snow cleared, there are a series of bare patches that gave the enclosure more the appearance of a huge checkerboard than of a bowling green."
"In the interval much has been done. For days the patient keeper worked laboriously picking out by the roots rank growths of grass that so plentifully showed as the springtime advanced; for days he sanded and rolled alternately, and played the refreshing hosepipe in long spells of drought."
"Last night many of the members, including Jimmy Wilson and Willie Brown spend much time with sand and roller eradicating lumps and testing the various rinks running both ways of the green. the heavy rain of the day had, of course, softened the turf very considerably, so that the effect fo the heavy roller was quickly apparent as rink after rink was operated upon and tested by the trial ends of Messrs Brown and Wilson".
"Today, again, the green-keeper is hard at work, and will be until the latest possible moment before the appearance of the old country visitors on saturday, but all the same, these will find it a much more difficult proposition than they are accustomed to face at home, where keen true drawing greens are in order." (Page 47)
With such a description from the newspaper the Diary author wrote. " The reading of the foregoing had rather disturbing effect upon some of us, We didn't doubt for a moment the heartiness of our reception, but we wondered how we might acquit ourselves upon such greens as herein described, and under such conditions. No matter, we were bound to see it through, and, come victory or defeat, we would do the best we could to give a good account of ourselves."
And as for the next 20 or 30 pages with detail descriptions of Montreal in 1906 and the elegant Windsor Hotel (pages 48 to 54) and each room described in detail as the Windsor was the biggest and finest of the Grand Railway Hotels. Also a lot of detail is given to the Westmount players and British. Ever earlier we find detail on the order and preparation of the outfits that were made for the trip and social activities. The Diary is quite easily to read in these sections and a great look into Montreal in 1906.
Of course, the Diary has great sportmanship and appreciation of the Westmount Lawn bowling with "A word of praise is due to Mr. A.w.d.Howell who skipped No. 4 rink for Westmount, and his three partners. Playing against Mr. Telford, who is acknowledged to be one of the best skips in Great Britain, and who has won 12 international matches, the Westmount quartette gained the verdict by three points. Mr. W.Brown and his men are also to be commended for their excellent display."
As I am writing this for my fellow lawn bowlers here in Montreal I thought the following stories would also be of interest before going on to list the other clubs which were involved and documented in this diary,
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