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My first glimpse of Fort York was a decidedly underwhelming one. To my young eyes, it seemed a worn-down, dilapidated, and uninspiring place. We were, of course, told of its great historic importance and were charged to revere its memory and also that of the graveyard attached to it, which was tended by the nice ladies from the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire. David Crombie, age about 9 years. Credit: the author. The idea of offering homage to our military institutions and remembrance to the bravery of our soldiers was of course not a new lesson to a generation of boys and girls raised during World War II.
Indeed, if we lifted our eyes beyond the fort, we looked out across a vast open public space ringed with reminders of our military heritage. Within the perimeter of the fort itself, secured and set apart, sat the solid Fort York Armoury. Directly across the expanse, on the waterfront, rested HMCS York and next to it stood the Men of the Trees Park, Bicentennial Timeline: July to September July 20 Eight men convicted of treason in a special assize at Ancaster were hanged at Burlington. July 25 British and American troops fought to a standstill at Lundy’s Lane, thus killing US plans to advance on the Niagara Peninsula and conquer it.
commemorating the regiments and the lads who went to war in 1914-1918. In the southeast corner, next to the magnificent Art Deco Tip Top Tailors building, lay our own secular cathedral, Maple Leaf Stadium, where if you hit a home run over the centre field fence, the ball, they said, would land in Little Norway, a military installation across from the George VI airport, where young Norwegians were taught to fly for the war effort. All of this came together for us when we watched the forming up of the legions of veterans of the two world wars to begin their march past through the Princes’ Gates at “the Ex” to the cheers of tens of thousands of citizens at the annual Warriors’ Day Parade.
Today, with the renaissance of Fort York and its neighbourhood well underway – a new library being the latest evidence – my profound thanks goes to those who, over many years, fought to preserve the fort as a landmark. You have made a remarkable contribution, both breathing new life into these historic grounds and delivering to a new generation of Torontonians, in a new century, the old stories that continue to inspire us still. David Crombie, mayor of Toronto from 1972–78 and MP for Toronto-Centre from 1978–88, continues to be much involved in advancing the well-being of the city.
“My First Visit” is an occasional series in which some Torontonians remember their introduction to Fort York.
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