Editor:
Re: “Searching for Sunshine Coast Rangers,” Nov. 9.
It was nice that an interesting and not widely known part of coast history was brought to light with the story of the role of the Pacific Coast Militia Rangers in WWII. They were local lads who used their knowledge of their rugged and remote terrain to guard our coast during war. I heard about other roles my grandfather, Ernest Parr-Pearson, had on the Sunshine Coast but I didn’t know much about the PCMR and was glad to find information on the CFB Esquimalt museum website a few years ago. Reading your story on the Rangers’ role in WWII made me see that my grandpa’s experience logging in local woods, and his previous army training, would have made him an ideal choice as captain of the Sechelt company. He was also very community-minded and would have been apt to take a leadership role, as later he did as part of the formation of the Sechelt Board of Trade, becoming first president among other hats he wore. There are no photos or archival items of my grandfather’s role in the PCMR, maybe due to the secrecy of the times. Only one small memento was inherited by my father Kendall, his son: a little button that was likely part of the uniform.
With lack of government records, I hope families with known PCMR members can provide information to researcher Stu McDonald. It would be nice if their contributions to the protection of Canada’s coast during war could be remembered.
April Parr-Pearson, granddaughter of E. W. Parr-Pearson
