Edgar and Ruth Davies Family

My father, Edgar Beynon Davies, was born in 1892 to Thomas and Margaret Davies, in Rhossili, South Wales. In 1905, he emigrated with his family to the Cochrane area and remained here until his death in 1979.

In 1916, he enlisted in the 211th. “O” Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force with the rank of Sapper. Most of his time in Europe was spent on the French/Belgian border. His leaves were spent in Wales which were the only time he returned to his birthplace. He was discharged from the army in 1919, returning to Cochrane.

Upon his return, Dad, his brother William, and brother-in-law John Beynon Sr. pooled their resources and bought 750 acres from Pete Collins (part of the original Cochrane Ranche). They established the Beynon Davies Dairy Farm, which they operated until its sale in  1949 to O.N. Gilbert. During their time, the farm was affectionately known as the “Brickyard” and was a popular stop-off point for many people. As well, there were always a number of local people employed to help on the farm.

My mother, Ruth Brown, was born in 1902 to Frank and Martha Brown, near Pembrooke, Ontario. She came to Cochrane with her parents in 1904 and they homesteaded north of Cochrane. Ruth lived the rest of her life in Cochrane until her death in 1982.

Ruth and Ed were married in February of 1927. They lived in the Steel home for a couple of years before buying the Davies family home (Cochrane’s first hospital). Dad spent the next 20 years or so walking back and forth from town to the “Brickyard” every day, regardless of the weather. Mum, like almost all women at the time, remained at home looking after the house and children. They remained in the family home until 1977. Mum and Dad were big supporters of the community and their Church, St. Andrews United. Dad was on the board of the Church for more than 25 years and Mum was a member of the United Church Women for as long. I remember that we often had a prospective new minister and his wife stay at our home when the minister would be invited to give a sermon before the congregation to see if he was acceptable. They were tireless fundraisers for the Church and would be most happy to see the improvement made to the Church in 2000.

Mum was involved with the formation of a Home and School Association in the 1950’s. She was also a lifetime member of the Cochrane Art Club, taking up a pursuit she loved rather late in life. She, along with Nancy Boothby and others, worked to get a public library in town. She spent countless hours, like many other women, checking books in and out in the first library in the basement of the community hall. I remember her and Mrs. Boothby taking the Greyhound Bus to Calgary on book-buying excursions.

Besides Dad’s involvement in the Church, he was also president of the Cochrane Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion from 1939-1942. Both Mum and Dad were avid curlers, Mum more so in the early part of her life. I remember helping Dad and Uncle Bill clean and prepare the ice in the old, old curling rink which sat where the Senior Citizen’s Centre is today. Later, when he could no longer curl, his favourite winter past-time was to walk to the ‘ new” rink (beside St. Andrews) and watch the games being played. Aileen and I often felt his presence behind the glass when we were on the ice. In the early days, he talked of going to Banff to play for the Simpson Cup. The curlers would go by train, taking their rocks with them. Dad was a sports enthusiast; he loved to watch professional hockey and was keenly interested in the soccer scores from the “Old Country”. His favourite outing was a day at the races in Calgary.

After the “Brickyard” was sold Dad worked on various construction jobs in Cochrane and Calgary, working as a carpenter for Engineered Homes for 3 1/2 years. The last 11 years of his working life were spent as the night man at the Cochrane Hotel. During the 40 years or so living in the family home he planted a huge garden in the backyard and loved to be the first in the neighbourhood to have new potatoes.

Friends were extremely important and their social life revolved around activities with their many friends. Bridge and whist parties were common in the winter, usually being held at someone’s home. Afternoon tea parties were another form of ocializing for the women, of course. Boxing Day was alway a time to be spent with friends and there were many years that we spent time with the Whittle family a well the Rowe , Thompsons and other neighbours.

By the l 970’s, both were finding it difficult to look after the house and the huge yard and garden. The decision was made to sell the house, which they did in 1977, to Mrs. Millie Zang. Mum and Dad were among the first to move into Big Hill Lodge and they thoroughly enjoyed having someone look after their welfare. They also very much enjoyed the contact with the other residents most of whom they had known for many years.