Traditions add a great deal to a community's culture, history, colour, overall character and heritage. In New Westminster, one of these traditions - arguably the loudest - is the annual salute to the sovereign by the Ancient and Honourable Hyack Anvil Battery.
Tracing its roots to the late 1800s, the Battery is carefully piecing together its history that includes a long roll of dedicated members, a very interesting list of persons "receiving" a salute, instances of special salutes, sites of these salutes in the town (and elsewhere on rare occasion), and many other points of community and group interest.
Work on the story of this Royal City tradition has been ongoing for some time, but the list of topics still to be researched is getting shorter and shorter.
One aspect of this story has to do with royal jubilees such as the Diamond Jubilee in 2012 for Queen Elizabeth II.
Coming up on Victoria Day, May 21, 2012, the Battery will fire, as is its tradition, a 21-"gun" anvil salute to the memory of Queen Victoria and to the current monarch. As part of this salute, the Battery will take great pride in dedicating a special shot to Her Majesty in this, her very special year.
In 2002, the Battery fired in honour of Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee at a very well-attended Victoria Day. Looking back a bit further, to the 1800s and Queen Victoria's jubilees, the Battery was certainly involved.
In 1897, the local British Columbian newspaper reported on the Battery's involvement in the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria.
"The chief event in the city was the firing of the customary anvil salute, which is now one of the recognized institutions of the city. Punctually at high noon, this royal salute of twenty-one guns was fired, on Douglas Street, opposite the machine and blacksmith shop of Alderman T. Ovens, which worthy sup-plied the heavy ordinance and ammunition."
A note for those readers new to the city: "Douglas Street" is now called Eighth Street and the "heavy ordinance and ammunition" are anvils and gunpowder.
A decade earlier, in 1887 and Queen Victoria's 50th Jubilee, a galvanizing event for the Battery took place.
Officials in Victoria had ruled that the cannons in New Westminster were not to fire a salute because the salute would be fired in the capital.
A group of citizens in the Royal City were not about to accept that decree, so "Chief Bonson and a crowd of loyal citizens got possession of an anvil, and with twentyone rounds they waked the echoes far beyond the Fraser."
We would love to see you at the Victoria Day salute in Queen's Park Stadium.
It's happening Monday, May 21, beginning with a few speeches about 11: 45 a.m., followed by the salute of "21 guns" starting at noon "punctually."
Tradition, history, culture and a wonderful royal anniversary.
