"To the left of the Eastern gate was a counterpart of the building on the right - this contained the bachelors' quarters, school and residence of the superintendent &c.."
B.C. Archives
J.R. Anderson's Memoirs
AddMss 1912, volume 8,file # 4
"Bachelors Hall was a portion of a large story and a half block building having a common room in the centre, and two rooms on each side with a door opening into each."
J.S.Helmcken's Reminiscences in The Colonist Holiday Number
Nw 971k d133c 1887
"The school and residence of the parson and Mrs. Staines was a large portion of Bachelors hall building - the ladies slept upstairs over our heads, and the little mischief's used to play pranks occasionally pouring water upon us through cracks or holes in the flooring, for our ceiling was not ceiled.
By the same token our proceedings must have annoyed them too for occasionally Bachelors hall was pretty noisy."
B.C. Archives
J.S.Helmcken's Reminiscences
Add Mss 505 volume 12 page 43
"The school building like those of others within the fortyard was constructed of square logs not carefully put together... as regards the exclusion of winter cold and the rats which overan the school, these disgusting rodents not content with making use of our dormitory as a place of meeting and generally disputing our rights in the boldest manner; actually attempted to share our meals, one bold maurader got into my bed."
B.C. Archives
J.R. Anderson Memiors
AddMss 1912, volume 8, file 4
"Sunday at Staines school is to this day a terror to me. After morning prayer we had breakfast such as it was, bread and treale and tea without milk. Church at 11 in the mess hall to which we were summoned by the ringing of the fort bell, then dinner, potatoes and meat sometimes fish, then a dreary afternoon, learning the Collects; how I hated them!
Frequently inspite of the hardened wooden benches I used to fall asleep and woe betide me if I were caught; one could not help it on a hot drowsy summer afternoon....thinking of beautiful country my hands hanging....and my fingers beating the devils tattoo. I would suddenly be brought to time by an imperious order "Jimmy stop that devils drum."
B.C. Archives
J.R.Anderson Memoirs
AddMss 1912/volume 8/file#4
"One of our favourite joys was feasting our eyes on the sumptuous suppers enjoyed by the bachelors who had quarters immediately underneath our dormitory.
By dint of prizing up a board in the flooring which formed the ceiling of the room below, we were enabled to view the mild orgies of the bachelors, oysters, sherry, port and brandy in abundance.
J.W.Mackay, J.D.Pemberton,
B.W. Pearce, R. Golledge, Dr.Helmcken,
and J.W.Macdonald are some I remember.
How they ever missed seeing the row of hungry little faces above beats me."
Robert James Anderson's Memoirs
AddMss 1912-volume 8 file #4
"Bachelors Hall was the rendezvous of all visitors, ie. if they were socially admissible.
So sometimes there was a good number, including Caption Grant - the captions or mates of HM ships when in harbour - and HMS officers and middies.
Of course sometimes they were a little boisterous, but never so much so, because the parson was on one side and Mr. Douglas only fifty feet away in the house on the opposite side."
B.C. Archives
J.S Helmcken's Reminiscences
AddMss 505, Volume 12 page 53
Walk Back To The Chief Factor's ResidenceReturn To The Main "Fort Life" Page
Walk Forward To The Men's Quarters
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