Souvenir Programme (source)
On October 16, 1951 then-Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh stopped in Winnipeg as part of a month-long tour of Canada. During their brief time in the Manitoba capital they did many of the things expected on a Royal visit: inspected troops; visited the Legislature, and attended a gala performance at the Auditorium that showed off the best of Manitoba talent.
Something not on the itinerary was a public appearance. Even catching a glimpse of the couple was difficult as unseasonably cold weather meant that the top had to be put on the Royal convertible. The only exception, it appears, was when a group of people broke through barricades near Portage and Main causing the motorcade to slow down long enough for some to catch a Royal wave.
Deer Lodge ca 1940s (Tribune Archives)
Though the official itinerary did not include a visit with injured and aged Veterans at either Deer Lodge Veterans' Hospital or the Veterans' Home on Academy Road, it was assumed that this Royal prerequisite would be worked in sometime during the day. As their visit wound down, it was apparent that no such stop was going to take place and which angered some local Veterans' organizations.
Local Veterans reminisced about the visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth I in 1939. When the couple was informed that their schedule would no longer permit them time to get to Deer Lodge, the King insisted on meeting Veterans. Patients from both facilities were hurriedly bused to the CN Station for a meet and greet and to see the Royal couple off.
October 18, 1951, Winnipeg Free Press
The day after Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip left, the Royal Canadian Legion issued a statement of protest stating that it was "stupidity and callous neglect” on the part of organizers that those who had so recently been wounded for King and country were not part of the day.
The oversight was blamed on the Ottawa officials who organized the tour. They limited the number of Veterans' hospital visits for the Canadian tour to three and Deer Lodge did not make the cut. It wasn't their only oversight as the visit was oblivious to issues such as the 1950 Red River flood which made headlines around the world, prompted relief flights of food and clothing from Britain, and left many parts of the city in ruin.
Dozens of angry letters to the editor were published after the visit. The tone was best summed up by "Irate Citizen" from Wildwood Park which appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press of October 22nd:
No time for Veterans but time for every politician in Manitoba. No time for children unless they happened to have a politician as a parent. No time for the Princess to visit a flooded home as she wished because 135 politicians and their wives had to be introduced to the Royal couple.
October 25, 1951, Winnipeg Free Press
It was said that when the Royal couple learned of the oversight, visits to Veterans' hospitals were added to the itinerary of the remaining cities of Vancouver, Edmonton, and Saskatoon. The question became what to do about Winnipeg?Saskatoon marked their final stop in the West. After that, they boarded a plane for Fort William, (now Thunder Bay), and from there it was down to the United States. The Saskatoon to Fort William flight over of Manitoba was the only chance to make a visit happen and organizers chose the Joint Air Training Centre at Rivers, Manitoba as the location.
At 8:30 a.m. on October 28, 1951, three buses filled with Veterans from Deer Lodge and the Veterans' Home left Winnipeg. (There was still some bitterness as men that were too injured to be away from hospital all day could not go.) Upon their arrival at Rivers, the Vets were provided with a full-course meal before being brought to the reception area to wait for the Royals to arrive.
They weren't the only ones to make the journey that day. RCMP, with the assistance of military planes, attempted to direct the 12,000 cars or 60,000 people that descended on the town to take in the occasion.
The Royal plane landed at 3:03 p.m. and the couple were received by military brass and VIPs that included Lieutenant Governor R. F. McWilliams, Premier Douglas Campbell, and mayor Sinclair of Rivers. (As if expecting to be somewhere less remote, Elizabeth asked the mayor where the actual townsite was located.)
After an inspection of the troops and a 21-gun salute, it was a drive down the runway to the reception area. Over 1,000 servicemen and cadets from Shilo and Brandon acted as a human barrier to hold back the tens of thousands of people who crowded in to get a glimpse.
Above: with Ed Smith (Oct. 29, 1951, Free Press)
Below: with Bill Raithby (Pathé Films)
One Veteran the couple spoke with was 81-year-old Ed Smith. He was a Veteran of South Africa and a one-time member of the Royal household guard who had seen Elizabeth when she was a baby. Another was Sgt. Bill Raithby who was stretcher-bound after recently breaking his back during a parachute training jump.
The stopover was to have lasted an hour, but it was more than two hours later when the couple finally re-boarded their plane.
Less than four months later Elizabeth became Queen when her father died. In 1954 Philip returned to Rivers on a solo visit.
Related:
Raw footage of Rivers visit Pathé Films (from 00:35 to 01:35)
History of the Rivers Air Base Rivers and Daily Heritage
Photos of CJATC Rivers in action Hillman Web
CJATC site today Hillman Web
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