I was just up in Montreal this past weekend, and did a "nostalgia drive" through Verdun. Damn, it has become "old and tired". But, the pizza at Woodland's was as good as ever. I couldn't believe the "Fleurs des Lys" hanging from all the balconies along Stephens, Rolland, Valiquette, etc . I think I now realize that "all good things" come to an end some time. But, the memories will always be there.....
THANKS for stopping by, I do my best to acknowledge when someone leaves a comment,you do not have to be a member here & everyone is welcome. Ps: This site is monitored but not actively posting on a regular basis. Mostly these are stories & some photos saved from a defunct site known as Verdun Connections which was on MSN Groups initially then on a social network called Multiply.
33 comments:
Hi Glen, The flags are there for St. Jean Baptise Celebrations. There are a lot of flags these days. I will hang my flag on Canada Day. Danny
That is St.Jean Baptiste Celebrations. Danny
Yes, Verdun is getting old and tired, but is still a very special place to me. My Dad still lives on Desmarchais, and I visit him at least once a week. We go to Woodland restaurant often for supper, and I do agree the food is great. I don't see a problem with flags hanging from balconies, however, I do very much dislike people parading up and down the streets in their cars waving huge flags from the open windows. I don't see this as a sign of patriotism, however since they also do this whenever there is an important soccer or hockey event, in which case you will see tons of flags of Italy, Greece, Portugal, or whatever country has just won. The last time the Montreal Canadians were in a contention for the Stanley Cup, there were literally thousands of clipon flags sold and displayed on cars. This was the biggest tacky promotion since Esso gave Tiger Tails to hang on your gas caps in 1965. "Put a tiger in your tank"
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Can anyone speculate how long the Verdun houses will hold up without major renovations? Old wiring, old brickwork, do any houses still use the old gravity flow kerosene heaters? I wonder what the future holds for Verdun housing. High rise apartments? Probably whatever we can guess it will be something totally different.
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Hi Bob, Glad to hear there is a lot of life left in the houses. Copper wiring, copper pipes & sturdy bricks are the best. I lived near Barbara & Michael Kenny on Long Island. They were a British couple who had an aluminum wired house in Hollbrook, Long Island, NY. An aluminium wire fire caused the second floor to collapse during the night & the five Kenny children were killed. The parents had a bedroom over the garage which did not cave in. From what I heard the Kenny parents never recovered emotionally from this trajedy. The builder paid a settlement for the faulty aluminium wiring. Do you remember in Montreal we had a lot of natural gas explosions in the fifties & sixties? I recall a house in NDG being totally levelled from a gas explosing.Then around 1964 there was the explosion in an apartment building in LaSalle which brought down the building. One person was found alive under a bathtub. Sorry to get so gory here but you have an excellent point. The old houses have quality construction which cannot always be said for the newer construction-Walter
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That explosion in LaSalle was in March of 1965, My son was born in March
and 2 of my cousins lived in that building.
Margo
I worked with a girl from Montreal her name was Emily and she had a twin sister Lilly - cant remember their last name. The explosion happened before school started - their mother had left for work and the girls were watching TV eating their breakfast - of course they were not supposed to ever open the door if someone knocked. Firemen went door to door knocking on doors telling people they had to vacate. They didnt answer the door because Mommy had told them - they were too afraid to come out - guess they heard the explosion and saw all the police and firemen. When we were reminiscing about Montreal they mentioned the Lasalle fire - guess they would have been about 10 or 12 at the time.
what year were those houses built in, from osborne to 1st ave
anybody know.
I remember one day in class in 56 or 57 when there was a loud noise. I looked out the window of the classroom of VHS and saw debris flying in the air in the direction of Riverview School. I was immediately concerned about my youger brothers who were in Riverview School. Turned out to be an explosion of a building in the next block opposite the school on Bannantyne.The story at the time was that the mailman rang the door bell and there was a gas leak in the flat and there was a short.
At the time of the explosion My Aunt & Uncle lived in the apartment building directly across the street from the building that exploded on Bergevin Street. A brick smashed through the window of my cousins bedroom. Luckily she was not hurt. This corner was made into a nice park, but I believe it is now just a parking lot for other apartments. I will have to check it out and take pictures on my next trek to Lasalle. I was in Lasalle this morning and noticed that there is a St-Jean show tomorrow with Nanette Workman, and on Canada Day Gino Vanelli will put on a show. I plan on trying to go to his show.
Is Natural Gas Really "Very Safe"?
Gaz Metropolitain placed a half-page ad in the June 6th edition of the Montreal Gazette. The ad asked the rhetorical question:
"How Safe is Natural Gas?" and answered:
"Natural gas is very safe" After the June 10th natural gas accident in Old Montreal that left three dead, the Montreal Gazette catalogued ten more natural gas accidents in the Montreal area since 1965. In thirty-three years: eleven accidents; fifty-six fatalities; over seventy-five injuries; and hundreds left homeless in Montreal alone. Gaz Metropolitain spokesperson Ren챕 Bolt챕 has confirmed that Gaz Met has more than 500 gas leaks per year similar to the one that caused the Old Montreal explosion. Is Natural Gas Very Safe? Your call... June 10, 1998: Three killed and 17 injured when a gas worker cuts into a gas line while installing a gas meter: explosion levels the Centre D'Acceuil Bonneau in Old Montreal. Febuary 24, 1995: Twenty-five people were injured and hundreds forced to leave their homes after a gas explosion blew out the front of a Provigo grocery store on Herron Rd. in Dorval. Dec. 5, 1988: An 85-year-old man was killed and a 77-year-old woman seriously injured when a gas line exploded at their Pierrefonds home. May 10, 1987: A man was killed when an explosion - believed to have been caused by a natural-gas leak - rocked his mobile home on 57th St. in northeast Montreal. Dec. 18, 1984: Five people died and others were injured when a gas explosion leveled three residences and damaged at least 40 others on Poincar챕 St. in Montreal's Ahuntsic neighborhood. May 26, 1983: A 70-year-old woman was killed when the Verdun building in which she lived exploded. Fire inspectors said the blast, which left 15 families homeless, was was caused by a gas leak in the basement of the triplex. Jan. 19,1978: An elderly couple was killed when their Cote des Neiges duplex exploded. Firefighters said the blast was caused by a natural-gas leak. Feb. 19,1977., Three members of one family were killed after a gas leak in the heating system of a Cote St. Paul house led to an explosion. April 11, 1974: A leaking gas pipe that was ruptured by shifting earth caused an explosion that killed a 67-year-old woman in her house in north end Montreal. Oct. 13,1966: A gas explosion at the Monsanto polystyrene plant on St. Patrick St. in LaSalle killed 11 people and injured 10 others. March 1, 1965: an explosion ripped through a 24-unit apartment complex in LaSalle. Twenty-eight people were killed, dozens were injured and hundreds of families were left destitute and homeless. A public inquiry determined that the explosion was caused by a leak in a 6 inch gas main behind the building on Bergevin.
Wasn't that on the corner of Allard and Bannantyne? and wasn't the guy trying to kill himself and ended up killing the postman and he survived?
Dzidawg1, Yes it was on Bannantyne in the block between Riverview ans Allard.. Don't recall the details of who survived and who did not.
Hi Bob, Glad to hear your family was Ok on the explosion day. I lived at 29C 2nd Avenue, LaSalle at the time. I did not hear the explosion but that was all anyone talked about for days. The lesson is that we just have to enjoy every day. I'm glad I've made it to age 62. Many of my friends have not. Sorry to hear about your fixture problems. We moved into a new house last October and things are still being fixed. Probably when everything is repaired, another Florida hurricane will come along. What can ya do? I should have retired to Verdun-Walter
Have a buddy who lives on Brown Blvd. When he bought the house, he had the gas lines removed and changed the furnace to oil. He said,,gee..gas is soooo dangerous..always have wondered if he knows his neighbours beside him, behind him all have gas??
What about the other big explosion and fire in Lasalle at the company , I think the name was "Monsanto" . Maybe I'm wrong on the name of the company , but it was the late sixties also . Keep in touch Steve
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My grandparents lived on Richard just below Bannantyne and we lived near the corner of Valiquette/Beurling. When the explosion hit, I was on a swingset in our backyard and I remember everything kind of shaking. My mom tore outside to make sure I was ok, and by then we could see the smoke from the explosion. She was sure it was her mother's house (she was always thinking the worst!!), and phoned right away to find out (like my grandmother would have answered the phone if her house had just been blown to smithereens - LOL). Anyway, being the macabre bunch we were, we all piled into dad's car after supper to go view the damage and I still remember the whole front of the building being completely gone but able to see the interior of the flats. On the top floor, there were a pair of overalls hanging on the back of the bathroom door -- no sign of who they belonged to however. Rubble was everywhere, and people were kind of in a daze. I guess it reminded many of them of the war. It was a lasting image...I was only around 5 years old and I can still remember it like it was yesterday!
Does anyone remember an RCAF bomber plane crashing & causing a huge explosion in the Bonaventure rail yards around 1939? This would be three years before I was born but I seem to remember being told about it and reading a story on it in The Montreal Star. I cannot find anything about it on the web. Hope I'm not losing it in my old age down here in Florida. I found tons of stuff on the famous Halifax Harbor explosion but nothing on the Bonaventure rail yards.
Hi Fresco, I don't have any details but the plane I believe was a Liberator (RCAF) bomber that crashed in Griffintown just south of DOW Brewery. This was in the 1943-45 timeframe. I remember being taken there by my parents to see the site. Looked like pictures of London we saw in the rotogravure section of the Saturday edition of the Montreal Star during the war. Betcha Les comes up with the details! Art
Hi Art VerdunReader9,,,....... I posted a link about the plane that crashed in Griffintown , it was on April 25th ,1944 it crased at Ottawa & Shannon Streets,.....5 on board and 9 or so on the ground died including a freind of my Mothers at the time ( as she lived a few streets away in those days) If you would like to read the article then go to Remembering Verdun post #4324,....and click on it ,....I think you'll enjoy the article......i had better more in depth stuff on this crash a couple of years ago,....but I can't find it right now........Hope it's of some interest , just click on the link & it will take you to the story......Fresco has already read it and replied to the post..... HF&RV
Oct. 19, 1943: 24 dead after RCAF Liberator bomber crashes near St-Donat, Que.
Hello ShirleyBh2 .there were a few Libertaors lost on Canadian soil,.but the one in Griffin Town ,is amazing becuase the pilot did all he could to avoid hitting the school ,., which was in full session at the time............ the whole flight crew was killed as well as many people in their houses .........except for one fellow who went out everyday to get his Quart of Beer ,......lucky for him he did that everyday at 10 am...... So you see Beer is Good for You,,............ Have Fun & Remember Verdun
We have copies of the Guardian for the second world war period at the SHGV and I will get a copy of the headlines on my next visit to the society and publish the article of the crash. Guy
Hello Guy5479,.......will they allow you to scan any pictures of it as well? That would be interesting...........Your fortunate to live close enough to utilise the library,and there tools......I do what I can to access things on -line,....and of course through my local library,.....but referance material is generally only available locally,...and you cannot take the material out of the library.......also inter-library loans are possible ,but in a lot of cases it's just not done , (you would think it would be easier nowadays ,with computers)...............Have Fun & Remember Verdun
Hello Everyone, I just read the email and I wanted to comment because although I agree that some things have changed in Verdun, mostly due to demographics, I don't think it really has changed all that much. What I mean is; the verduners who are still left there (both physically and those who still live thier in the hearts) feel exactly the same as we did in the "old days". We are proud of our city, know everyone (or at least a family member of) everyone that lives there. The community is just smaller and contains a more diverse group of individuals. My son who is of the 20 year old generation and his friends still feel the same , so I don't think its changed just altered abit. How can a city that has so many dedicated people (just look at this group) not be considered one of the greatest places on earth? What I don't like is the fact that alot of the history of the verdun residents seems to be forgotten. Did you know that one of Dawson's directors threw away alot of our thier old photos and memoribilia and that VCCHS was pretty uncooperative when we wanted to hold a class reunion. We did have the reunion but omg it was so hot in there and the kitchen was so dirty it was disgusting. I know it was summer but geez you think they would want to help their alumni a little. What is up with that? I know we have to move on but some things should be held sacred no? Surely the city was built on all of us and we should be considered a vital part of it, whats your thoughts on that? Madeline
Hi Les, Read the article on Griffintown you posted. Great stuff! An awful lot like the way Verdun was. Another area it really reminded me of was "Goose Village" whose residents were all part of St. Anne's Parish as well. Mostly Irish as well! Another area that "disappeared", as a result of EXPO 67! Remember the "Autostade"? Keep all that good information flowing! Art
Hi Art, The DOW Brewery was right across the street from The Bonaventure rail yards station. That must have been why I thought the plane crashed in the rail yards. Thank God the plane did not hit the school. The site must have looked terrible. You mention the Montreal Star. There has never been a newspaper I've liked as much as The Montreal Star. Especially the Saturday edition. Great comics. Gasoline Alley, Maggie & Jiggs. Very sad it's no longer around-Walter
The Montreal Star had great photographers too - my father was one of them.
Ruth
I'm a little behind in reading my mail as I've been
away. That story you mentioned about the explosion on Bannantyne in 56 or 57 and
someone said there was a guy commiting suicide was correct. I am very proud to
add to the story that my older brother Bill who has since passed away was
working in a manhole near the building and ran in and brought two small children
out. He was commended and received a beautiful award from the Bell Telephone Co.
for bravery.
Bob Archibald
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