These 2 photos may seem just another typical accident in Verdun but they have a story to tell. These photos where taken by the Verdun Police Department on the 7th of August 1955 at the corner of Bannantyne and Church. The police department decided to make a clean up in their archives and they where donated to us ()SHGV) for safe keeping by one of our loyal members. I was on duty today and decided to go through our albums and wanting to share the photos with MVC members, i took them home and scanned them.
First of all we can see the tramway tracks which as we all know where removed in 1959. The photo showing the Pontiac against the Steel post is looking towards the south east and on the right is Bannantyne going towards Hickson and on the left is Church going towards the Aqueduct. The building in the background was replaced by a more modern building and I will take a photo on my next trip to Verdun.
The other photo showing the Pontiac's front end smashed against the steel post was taken looking west on the right towards LaSalle and on the left is Church street looking towards the river.
This is the same corner where the lady who garded the school children crossing the street was killed about 2 years ago and was mentioned on this site.
Also I have a personal reason for my posting these photos is that I also was a gardian helping the school children crossing the street in the early 40s when I went to the Notre Dame du Cénacle school which was just down the street between Church and Hickson. which was replaced by a residential complex.
Another incident that happened in the early 40s on a cold slippery winter evening when me and one of my friends where crossing the street, my friend was hit by a car and ended up under it. He was taken to the hospital with severe head injuries and spent several weeks in the hospital but survived with no permanednt damage as far as I can remember. You can't keep those Verdun boys down.
Isn't it amazing the story a photo can tell.
Guy
7 comments:
Those are great photos Guy, I hope you come across more like these ......thanks
...........HF&RV Cheers! - Les
In 1951 I was hit by a beaver taxi. They were panted yellow and black(maybe that color pattern could be used by Montreal if they decide to have taxis of the same color). The reason I got hit besides stupidity was that they had just changed the streets in Verdun including Egan to a oneway. Getting used to looking on only one side I came out of Yellow shoe store between Desmarchais and 6th Ave. at full speed and got bounced. Yellow isn't my lucky colour.
Robert the colour may not be lucky for you,but you sure were lucky you didn't get killed.
What did beaver Cab company become ? Hemlock, Pontiac ??
...........Cheers ! HF&RV - Les
ps: listen to your parents ,they told us constantly for the first few years of our lives going out & crossing a street by ourselves "Look both ways,before you cross the street" - lol
I wonder how many hallways that reminder echoed through in Verdun..
& of course the other warnings of life......."Don't talk to stramgers" & Don't go down to the river"
I also was hit by a car while running out of my yard into the lane when living on Galt near Bannantyne. Fortunately I only suffered bruises. I consider myself very lucky but this was part of growing up in Verdun.
Guy
I remember a school mate friend of ours Tommy Boland slipped off a snow bank in the lane running parallel to Wellington btwn Rielle & Gordon ,an oil truck was rumbling down the lane & we all started to make a run for the cross lane to escape (perpendicular lane that lead to Verdun Avenue) We all new we couldn't make it to the other lane & we leaned close to the wall & stopped running on top of the snowbanks which lined each side & only the tire tracks or ruts in the snow were the only path vehicles had,well all of us stopped running atop the bank except old Tommy, he slipped right in front of me a few feet ahead, just as the oil truck rumbled by & Tommy slipped & under the truck he went,.very lucky for him he went behind the front wheels but got run over by the rear wheels (on one side) he ended up with a broken leg ,and that was it, he quite easily could have been squished...Yikes ! i think the deep snow saved him from a worse fate..well at least that's how I remember it.
I was with a few friends I think it may have been Ken (who may read this) & maybe DannyB (who we haven't seen on here for a while) anyway that was a long time ago,early 60's ...... Cheers ! HF&RV - Les
Boot skying behind oil trucks was training for doing it behind busses and later on cars. I remember one time Norman English on the way back from Central theater in Lasalle instead on just hanging on to the bumper hung from the rain gutter above the side windows and made faces at our friends on the inside. Sometimes bumper riding in Crawford park the driver would try to remove us by swerving the bus from side to side. Those were the best rides. After that we moved to Angrillon park's parking lot surfing on a toboggan tied behind Norman's car.
And whe are still alive with no helmet and no safety gear at all.
Yup right you are ,& never mind some of the crazy adult risks we have all taken,,,,,we are still here (so far) & some stories I would never repeat to our kids ......lol no helmets seems odd to me now, as they do make sense,however we drove motorcycles & didn't wear them then,,,,,(early 70's no mandatory law yet)........................... HF&RV - Les
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