Captain Doctor Francis Duncan Forbes
Born - 03/25/1932; Died- 08/19/2024
Dr. Francis Duncan Forbes, known to family and friends as Blackie or Grandpa Kiwi, passed away peacefully on August 19, at the age of 92 in Delta, with his daughter Susan by his side.
Born on March 25, 1932 in New Westminster, he is predeceased by his parents Duncan and Ellen (nee Peterson) Forbes. He is survived by his wife Thea, son Duncan (Cynthia, Paul and Thais), and daughters Karen (Andy and Dallas), Britta (Tyree) and Susan (Scott, Jade, Jesse and his sidekick Remy). Dr. Forbes lived most of his childhood years in logging camps in various places on Vancouver Island. The last of those being at Woss, north of Campbell River, where he would return to work during summer breaks from University. He also spent a lot of his youth with his maternal grandmother Emma ( a full blood member of the Salish People of the Pacific Northwest), who encouraged him to obtain his medical degree.
Graduating in 1950 from Duke of Connaught (New Westminster), he went on to receive a Medical Degree from the University of British Columbia in 1957. His career started as a resident with the Government of Newfoundland in St. Johns in 1958. He then became the Medical Officer with the Government of Canada in Europe from 1959 -1967, where he was stationed with the family in Holland, Germany, Denmark, Italy and Portugal. Moving back to Canada, he became the Zone Director with Northern Health and Welfare Canada in Vancouver from 1967-1981. In 1975 he received his Doctor of Public Health degree from the University of Toronto and then retired upon working as the Health Service Officer with the R.C.M.P. of Vancouver from 1981-1995. He also served continuously for the Canadian Forces (Primary Reserve) 15th field Artillery Regiment from 1977-1987.
Dr. Forbes loved to volunteer and one most notable stint was in 2000. At 68, he took part in the St. Roch II Voyage of Rediscovery to retrace the 1942 voyage across the Northwest Passage. A 22,000 nautical mile trip around North America, he served as Medical Officer, on board the CCGS Simon Fraser (the Canadian ice breaker). He was also a past member of the Gizeh Shriners and the Masons.
He lived a long and fulfilling life, enjoying gardening, travel, scuba diving, coin collecting and philately. Dr. Forbes will be deeply missed by family, friends, and all who knew him.
Delta Optimist Obituary
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​Gail Gruban, the wife of Warrant Officer (ret'd) Dag Gruban passed away on 23 August 2024. Our sympathy goes out to Dag and his family.

During a recent trip up north, I stopped by the Prince Rupert Battery to check out the possibility of gaining access. Unfortunately, the site is fenced off and has been turned into a gravel pit. Google Maps indicates that the structures are still there but little infrastructure could be seen from the road. It appears that pre-planning is required prior to another trip to Prince Rupert.

A 17-car train filled with 23 officers and 315 men of the 2nd Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery headed from the Prairies to the coast to embark for Korea on 21 November 1950. At mid-morning, they approached Canoe River and began a long, winding curve ascent. From the opposite direction, the 11-car Vancouver-Montreal passenger train entered the same loop on a descent.
The locomotives met head-on. The forward cars of the military train were thrown down an embankment and demolished . In just seconds, 17 of the Canadian Contingent to Korea, one as young as 17, most of them in their early 20s, were dead or dying and 60 more injured. Four soldiers' bodies were never recovered. The four CN Rail crew members were also killed and there were many injured gunners (33 non-walking and nine walking). There were no casualties to passengers on the East bound train. The event is remembered through a memorial on CN property beside the railway tracks, the BC commemorative sign beside the highway and a cairn at the Valemount Royal Canadian Legion. The names of the 17 soldiers are recorded in the  RCAA Lest We Forget project.

Ian Newby has been kind enough to allow us the use of some of his property in Aldergrove to work on the trucks. After some work hacking away some blackberry bushes and levelling off the ground somewhat, we laid down some landscape fabric and 12 tons of crushed gravel. Unfortunately, the gravel truck driver was not able to spread the load very far so we had to shovel it from the two large piles. Final product looks good! Thanks Ian!
Anyone interested in bending wrenches? Send me an email [email protected]