Jardine, Robert "Bob" Laidlaw

Person

Jardine, Robert "Bob" Laidlaw

• Jardine, Bob

September 26, 1918 - March 27, 2008

Robert "Bob" Laidlaw Jardine was a lineman, firefighter, and Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) pilot who grew up in Whistler during the 1920s and 1930s. He was born on September 26, 1918, just over a month after his father was killed in a speeder accident while working for the Pacific Great Eastern (PGE) Railway in Squamish. He was born the son of John Alexander and Lizzie Jardine (later Neiland), and had two older siblings: Jenny and Jack. His mother, Lizzie, and his two older siblings were living in Squamish when Lizzie found herself widowed and eight months pregnant with her third child (Robert). She packed up the house in Squamish and made the long journey to Kelowna, BC to live with her parents. She and her young family: Jenny the oldest, John Alexander (known as Jack), and the new baby Robert, stayed in Kelowna until Lizzie found work keeping house for her husband’s old friend, Tom Neiland, in North Vancouver. Tom worked for the PGE railway as a conductor, but he had always had dreams of working for himself. He bought some land and, in May 1921, moved the whole family up to Alta Lake (known today as Whistler) to start his own logging camp. Lizzie and Tom were married on May 2, 1922. This marriage was of huge financial significance to the Jardine family, as Lizzie lost her widow’s pension of $35 a month - a significant sum at the time. At first, the family lived at the Alta Lake townsite, but in January 1922, they moved down to Thomas Neiland’s first venture at Alpha Lake, where he was harvesting cedar logs to be exported to Japan. In July 1922, the export log prices of cedar logs collapsed, and so did Thomas Neiland’s business; he had to file for bankruptcy. The family moved back to North Vancouver. Later that month, Lizzie gave birth to their son, Thomas Neiland Jr. (Robert's half-brother), at the age of 40. For three months, Thomas Sr. looked for work in Vancouver. Eventually persuaded by both a lack of employment and his wife’s desire to return to Alta Lake, he gained financing under her name. The family returned to their Alpha Lake cabin, and in 1923 they moved into an old loggers cabin at 34½ mile (present day Function Junction area) that was being sold by the crown, and this became the family's home for the next 20 or so years. Bob had been educated by correspondence until first school at Alta Lake was opened in 1932; Bob was one of only ten students and was editor of their school paper, the Alta Lake School Gazette. Bob left Alta Lake to join the RCAF during World War II at the age of 21, however he served in Canada as a fireman. One day, Bob received a telegram from his brother, Jack, which stated that he was going to be in Vancouver and asked if Bob would be able to go and meet him. The Jardine brothers hadn’t seen each other in five years, but the Air Force wouldn’t give Bob the time off. During an argument with his superior over the matter, he was asked if he wanted a discharge. Bob said yes, and he was given $100 for clothes and 30 days leave. Bob went to Vancouver and had a month-long party with his brother. However, Bob became lonely and began looking for some work to fill up his time away from the Air Force. He returned to Whistler and worked with Bob Williamson as a lineman (telephone communication) with the PGE railway. One day he went to work on a telephone pole near Function Junction. His boss asked him to climb the pole and make sure the lines were properly hooked up by calling the Vancouver operator and then ask to be connected to an outside number. Bob pulled out his address book and happened across the name Stella Stracken. He couldn’t even remember who the girl was, but decided to call the number anyways, and her mother happened to answer the phone. He asked where Stella was and was informed that she had gone to work. He asked Stella’s mother to inform her daughter that he was coming to Vancouver that weekend and intended to take her out to dinner. Stella showed up for the date and Bob took her to a café. Not long into the date, Bob said, “This is a helluva time to mention this, but why don’t we get married?” At Stella’s justifiably shocked expression, Bob went on to say that they were never going to make a better connection with anybody else like the one they were making at that very moment, with each other. Somehow, over the next two hours, Bob convinced Stella to marry him. He married Stella, who had worked in the RCAF canteen at his base during the war, and they ended up married for 58 years until her passing. Bob was laid off from his lineman job and rejoined the RCAF. The couple were posted all over Canada. Bob and Stella retired to Kelowna, BC. He passed away on March 27, 2008.

Kelowna, BC
North Vancouver
Whistler
Alta Lake
Alpha Lake
34 1/2 Mile
Function Junction
Canada
Kelowna, BC

Lineman
Firefighter
Airman

Neiland, Thomas (Sr.) (September 25, 1869 - March 1, 1949)

Neiland, Lizzie (February 24, 1882 - December 9, 1984)

Neiland, Thomas Warren (Jr.) (July 29, 1922 - 1995)

Jardine, Jack (July 27, 1914 - Spring 1999)

Betts, Jenny Anderson (December 7, 1912 - August 1, 2003)

Jardine, Stella (fl. 1930s-[2000s?])

CA-BC-JRL001

RAD, July 2008 version. Canadian Council of Archives.

Catalogued December 2022.

1) Archival material
2) Family tree by Louise Smith
3) First Tracks, by Florence Petersen
4) Email from Louise Smith, January 25, 2012
5) https://blog.whistlermuseum.org/tag/bob-jardine/
6) https://www.todayinbc.com/obituaries/janet-anderson-betts/
7) http://www.whistlermuseumexhibits.org/subsistence-living/
8) https://blog.whistlermuseum.org/2012/02/11/love-and-romance-whistler-style/