As a history buff, tonight was a cool experience.
As you may know, members of council sit on various community boards and committees. One of the ones I will be fortunate to sit on for the next year is the Brandon General Museum and Archives committee (BGMA). As a bit of an armchair historian, I couldn’t resist taking a couple of photos inside the former council members desks (as members would often sign them). Tonight I sat at the desk of former councillor and local architect W.H. Shillinglaw. Walter Henderson Shillinglaw was a WW1 veteran serving on city council before spending time overseas. He was responsible for designing many prominent structures across Westman, including locally the Dome Building No.2, as well as the now removed first and eight street bridges. He died in 1957 at the age of 93 and rests at the Brandon Cemetery. He signed the desk a year before leaving to serve in WW1. (Source: MHS.)
W.H. Shillinglaw’s service records (compliments of my crafty research friend Mr. John Ball)
W.H. Shillinglaw biography (compliments of the Manitoba Historical Society)
Just a bit of a cool aside I thought would be fun to share. You can check out more about the BGMA on their facebook page or even better, pay them a visit at #19 – 9th Street.
Cheers,
Shaun
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