Mayor W.P. Loggie of Fairview

W.P. Loggie was born on April 29, 1891 in Chatham, New Brunswick to parents William Stuart Loggie and Elspeth Kerr. His father William, who was also born in Chatham, listed his occupation in the 1871 census, at the age of 21, as a fisherman. He would later be working as a merchant as of 1881. W.P.’s father would work as a merchant for the rest of his life, and it is this occupation that may have impacted his son’s choice of occupation later on.

Loggie would attend university and graduate in 1912. During his time there, he would also meet his future wife, Margaret Crocker.

When the call was out to all able-bodied men to join the war effort in 1915, W.P. Loggie signed up to fight for his country. At the time of his enlistment on April 7, 1915 in Montreal, he was working as a newspaper reporter. Loggie would be sent overseas and see action in Europe. He would rise through the ranks, earning himself the Distinguished Conduct Medal when he was a corporal, and then the Military Cross when he was a Lieutenant.

His citation for the Distinguished Conduct Medal on Feb. 13, 1917 read “For conspicuous gallantry in action. He displayed great courage and determination throughout the operations and is a splendid example to his men.”

It was the Military Cross that would add true legend to Loggie’s name. During the Capture of Monchy, with only a runner with him, Loggie met 20 Germans. He shot two of them and captured the remainder as prisoners of war. “He did fine work,” his citation read on Feb. 1, 1919.

Loggie would return to Canada after the war, but as a changed man. Finding it difficult to adjust to city life, he made the trip west to Saskatchewan. Upon hearing about the Peace River area from Chip Kerr, a Victoria Cross winner, he made the trip to Waterhole in 1920.

Arriving on horseback and, as he referred to it as, a journey of exploration, he was searching for a place to open a store and begin work as a merchant. “Swarms of blood-thirsty mosquitoes welcomed me on my first trip to Waterhole,” Loggie said years later.

Renting ground for $20 per year, he built his small store from lumber he obtained near Bluesky. His sales were small at first, but he began to expand his employee base and the selection in his store over time.

He would marry Margaret on Jan. 1, 1927 and honeymoon in Victoria, where they would later celebrate their 50^th wedding anniversary.

One month after his daughter Isabel was born in 1928, he moved his home and store to the new site of Fairview.

Upon the resignation of Mayor McAdams in 1936, Loggie stepped up and was elected by acclamation. Over his years as mayor, the village would expand and add several services. Loggie would step down as mayor in 1940 to go overseas and fight in the Second World War. Traveling to Edmonton, he was told to go home since he was 49-years-old. Rather than accept this, he paid for his own passage to England and was told once more by the Canadian army to go home. Instead, he enlisted as a private with the British army. He would serve guard duty in London during the blitz, and also serve in Scotland.

In July of 1945, he would be shipped home to be with his family after five long years.

He would retire from his store in the early 1950s, and then travel to Europe to see his ancestral home in 1957.

Margaret would pass away in April of 1978, followed by Loggie in January of 1984.

Many years ago Loggie said of coming to the Fairview area, “I have never regretted my coming. To have seen the country grow up and develop as it has done since 1920 and is still doing has been a grand experience, and I have come to like the Waterhole and Fairview District and the people in it so much that I never intend to leave.”

True to his word, he never left and is buried at the Waterhole Cemetery.

E-mail Craig suggestions for history columns at crwbaird@gmail.com If you enjoyed this history feature, you can read more at canadaehx.blogspot.com, or listen to his weekly history podcast Canadian History Ehx on iTunes.