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REMEMBER THIS: Soldier Stories — Welcome Home (4 photos)

Wartime houses began to be built in Barrie in August 1945 around Peel and Codrington streets with the purchase of farms in the area

For decades now, Barrie has struggled to keep an adequate supply of affordable housing. Some eras were worse than others.

One of the most challenging time periods came immediately after the Second World War.

Their lives put on hold for months or years, returning soldiers wanted some kind of normal back. They wanted to marry their sweetheart and find a little house to raise a family.

Enter the Veterans’ Land Act (VLA), which was passed by the Canadian government in 1942 to address the shortage of suitable housing for war veterans and their growing families.

This legislation was modelled after the Soldier Settlement Act of 1919, which sought to assist the veterans of the First World War. That particular system was only a partial success. The scheme burdened the recipients with excessive debt and had pushed most into farming for which not all war veterans were equipped to handle.

The Act of 1942 improved upon the 1919 one by allowing long repayment periods, choices between farming, fishing or small holdings, loans for livestock and equipment, loans for building homes, and classes on how to construct a house.

Despite getting to work on returning soldiers’ housing almost the minute the war ceased, Barrie was forever trying to catch up with the demand. The first project began in August 1945 with the purchase of Charles Newton’s 35-acre farm which bordered on Peel Street. The Somers farm on Codrington Street, some 18 acres, was also purchased.

Within a year, all of the wartime houses were sold and the demand for more was only growing. In 1946, 1947 and 1948, the town broke its own record-high for building permits as compared to the previous year.

In 1949, large families were living in tiny apartments while it was estimated that 450 more houses were needed just to make a dent in the backlog.

The desperate situation led the town to look to the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) for help. In mid-1949, enough land was obtained to build 50 rental houses on Gunn Street.

The idea behind these small one-acre properties was that a veteran could better himself and his family by using the land to their benefit.

The Barrie Examiner described the expectation: "There is no intention that the veteran will make a subsistence off one acre of land. He must have a job in Barrie and the acre near the outskirts of Barrie will enable him to augment his living by keeping chickens, a cow, and having a sizable garden. Fruit trees can be planted and other farming done on a small scale.”

The houses were small but comfortable, most a storey and a half, generally four or five rooms in each and rented for the monthly rate of about $37.

Douglas McGibbon was 20 years old when he signed up to serve in the Second World War. His father was the son of a successful Penetanguishene lumberman and his mother was the fourth daughter of Judge Hewson.

In 1942, midway through his military training, Sgt. McGibbon of the Armoured Corps contracted a bad case of mumps and spent over a month recovering in the Camp Borden Military Hospital. The day after his release, McGibbon took a trip to Orillia with an army buddy, which ended in tragedy, finished his military career and nearly finished his life.

With his friend behind the wheel, the car went off the road on Highway 12 near Brechin, badly injuring McGibbon and killing another passenger. Sgt. McGibbon suffered a fracture of the leg above the knee and several head wounds. An eye that he had nearly lost during a hockey game in his youth was once again at risk, but it was eventually saved.

He spent the next year in the Camp Borden Military Hospital. From there, McGibbon got work with the Bell Telephone Co., and became very active in the Barrie branch of the Royal Canadian Legion. By 1957, he was branch president.

He and his wife, Marion, raised a family at 172 Gunn St.

This is just one veteran’s story among many connected to the wartime houses of Barrie.

Each week, the Barrie Historical Archive provides BarrieToday readers with a glimpse of the city’s past. This unique column features photos and stories from years gone by and is sure to appeal to the historian in each of us.


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Mary Harris

About the Author: Mary Harris

Mary Harris is the Director of History and Research at the Barrie Historical Archive. The Barrie Historical Archive is a free, online archive that centralizes Barrie's historical content.
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