Yorke Island Remembered: A public presentation by the Nanaimo Historical Society

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Thursday, November 8th, 2018
7:30 PM to 9:00 PM

Vancouver Island author, Catherine Gilbert, will be tonight’s guest speaker at the Nanaimo Historical Society’s general in November. Gilbert is the author of Yorke Island and the Uncertain War.

Visible from Kelsey Bay, Yorke Island is a small (130 acre) rocky islet located in the south end of Johnstone Strait. Located in the Inside Passage, it occupies a strategic choke point at which all marine traffic between the Mainland and Vancouver Island has to pass.

Many British Columbians, including Vancouver Islanders, have never heard of Yorke Island and that a substantial Second World War coastal defence fort stood guard there. ,

Construction of the fort on the previously uninhabited island began in 1937 and it continued until its decommissioning after Victory Over Japan (VJ) Day in August of 1945. Final construction of the garrison and 60 buildings involved placing almost 4,000 cubic yards of concrete on this isolated post.

With the used of archival photos and artwork from private and museum collections, Catherine will be delivering a pictorial presentation that will answer what were the determinative factors for establishing the fort and how it was significant to Canada’s war efforts.

Catherine was featured discussing Yorke Island in Episode 8 the Canada Over the Edge film documentary series. Copies of Yorke Island and the Uncertain War will be available for purchase and signing after the presentation.

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About Our Speaker:Catherine Gilbert is a Vancouver Island author, editor, historian, and lecturer who has written numerous articles about British Columbia history. She currently contributes to the Western Mariner Magazine and Nauticapedia.ca. Catherine was with the Museum at Campbell River for seven years where she wrote a monthly column, and has been a historical interpreter on boat cruises along coastal BC.

Catherine was awarded her Masters Degree in History from the University of Victoria in the Spring of 2018 and continues to lecture on both land and sea, and to write about the BC coast. ###

The Nanaimo Historical Society is a non-profit organization. Founded in 1953, the Society’s mission is to preserve, promote, and celebrate the history of Nanaimo and central Vancouver Island.

Annual membership is $10 for a student, $24 for an individual, $30 for a family, and $34 for an organization. Membership includes a subscription to the British Columbia Historical Federation Magazine.

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