Lögberg-Heimskringla - 25.03.2005, Blaðsíða 15

Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 25. mars 2005 • 15
Nearly 85 years since the Winnipeg Falcons became Olympic champions
Daily life in the 223rd Battalion
Among those who fought in the First World War
were soldiers of the 223rd, the Scandinavian-Ca-
nadian Battalion. Hockey was an important pas-
time and Konnie Johannesson kept a diary which
covers the 223rd hockey team in the spring of
1917. The players played for the famed Winnipeg
Falcons and became Olympic champions in 1920.
Brian Johannesson of Kitchener, ON collected
excerpts from his father’s account.
Konnie and many other
people in the diary had
enlisted in the Cana-
dian Army in March or April
1916. Frank F., Wally Byron,
Bobby Benson, Harvey Benson
and Konnie were now playing
on the 223rd Division Hockey
team. Hebby Axford was on
the Executive and Gordon Sig-
urjonsson was the Trainer.
Selected days from the
1917 Diary:
Wednesday Jan 3rd:
Hockey practice at 4 p.m.
Went down early to Recruiting
Office then over to the Am-
phitheatre. Skated awhile then
practiced. Fair condition. Got
seats for game on the fourth.
Got home from practice at
6:30.
Thursday Jan 4th: Took
skates to Brawells. Went down
to Recruiting Office in after-
noon. Ordered special sticks.
Played Vics (Victorias) our
game, their score 4-3. Was in
fair shape.
Friday Jan. 5th: Took
12:05 train for Portage la Prai-
rie (to Camp Hughes) Wrote
F. on train. Rode up to Portage
Hotel in bus. Idled away af-
temoon. Supposed to practice
but didn’t. Skated at Portage
rink for first time. Frank and
I alone all night, many apolo-
gies to girls.
Saturday Jan. 6th: (at
Portage) Got up at 8:00 a.m.
No breakfast, not time. Over
on parade at 8:15. Beat it again
at 8:45 for Wang’s had break-
fast with Capt. Lindal and Tom
Johnson. Hockey practice at
3:00 p.m. Fair work out. Ate
at 6:00. Home and cleaned up
and went to dance, helped Bill
G. Played one extra on fiddle
and drums rest of evening.
Monday Jan. 8th: (at
Portage) Arose at 7:40 a.m. On
parade. Beat it, went to Tailors.
Bummed around Canteen and
Pay Office all morning. Hock-
ey practice at 3:00. Noticed
bad hip for first time. Home
at 6 PM. Meeting of hockey
players at 8:00 PM in Capt.
Hannesson’s rooms in Portage
Hotel. Went over to rink and
looked on. Then home to bed.
rI\iesday Jan. 9th: (at Por-
tage) Arose at 7:40 a.m. Went
on Parade, skipped off. Went to
Tailor’s and Barber’s. Bummed
around canteen. Went down to
Villa at 10. Lay down from 10
to 12. Hockey practice at 3.
Didn’t go out.
Wednesday Jan. lOth: (at
Portage) Arose at 7:40. Break-
fasted at mess, almost choked.
On parade at 8:00, Paymas-
ter’s muster parade. Beat it at
10:00, home to Villa, Frank
and I. Ate at 12:40. On parade
at 2:00. Vaccination, I excused
(hockey players) Beat it down
to rink to pack stuff and send
in to city (Winnipeg). Retired
at 12:00
Thursday Jan llth: (at
Portage) Arose at 8:15, break-
fasted at Mess. Went home
and packed my junk. Woke up
Frank and Joe. Took train for
city at 10:40. Train 20 mins.
late. Got home at 1:00. Ate
and called up F. couldn’t get
hold of her. Went down to Re-
cruiting Office at 2:00 then to
Orpheum with the boys. Went
to Monarch-Vics game in eve-
ning with Lun (?), Monarchs
7, Vics 4. Retired at 11:30
p.m.
Saturday Jan. 13th:
Hockey practice at 4:00. Home
again at 7:20 p.m. H. Baldwin
called up at rink, about 7. Joe,
Ole and I decided to go to To-
boggan party.
Monday Jan. 15th:
Stayed home all moming.
Went to Tom’s with Frank and
got special sticks made. Played
Frank game of Snooker, beat
him 42-6. Played Monarchs,
beat them 5-4. Fastest game
yet. F. waited, bunch went to
Kensington. The 2 Bills beat it
to catch train.
Wednesday Jan. 17th:
Hockey practice at 4:00 p.m.
Home at 6:30. Took F. to
Walker (Theatre) in evening.
Home at 11:40 after spending
time in Waverly. Party already
there, some girls and Axford
too. Retired at 12:00
Thursday Jan. 18th:
Stuck around house all mom-
PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIAN JOHANNESSON
223rd O.S. Battalion (Canadian Scandinavian) Hockey Club, Winnipeg Patriotic Leaguye,
Season 1916 -1917. Top row, from left: Staff Sgt. G.G. Bjornson, Rover. Sgt. G. Sigurjonsson,
Trainer. Capt, A,H. Lund, President. St. H. Axford, Executive. F. W. Walker, Defense. Bottom
row: Cpl. Wally Byron, Goal. Pte. B. J. Benson, Defence. Sgt. Konnie Johannesson, Defence.
C.S.M. H. Benson, Right Wing. Corp. Frank Fredrickson, Captain. Sgt. J. Olson, Left Wing.
ing. Went out to Baldwin’s
and Recruiting Office in after-
noon. Then to Mart Hooper’s
for sticks. Stuck around Stag,
bowling for a while. Home at
5:00. Game in evening 223rd
& Vics. Left for game at 7:00.
Vics defeated us 6-3. Retired
at 12:30.
Saturday Jan. 20th: (at
Portage) Stuck around all
moming, didn’t do anything in
particular. Refereed game be-
tween 223rd and Monarchs in
evening, made a great success
of it. Banquet of hockey play-
ers after game. Home at 1:30.
Sunday Jan. 21st: (at
Portage) Stuck around house
all afternoon. Invited out to
Metcalfe’s for evening. Capts.
Scholer and Hannesson there.
I did some sketching for them.
Pretty fair likenesses. Home at
12:30 a.m. P.S. Hockey prac-
tice from 3 to 4 in aftemoon.
Thursday Jan. 25th: (at
Portage) Took train for city at
10:20, amved home at 12:40.
Hockey practice at 4:00. Went
out to Waverly about 9:30. Re-
tired about 12:30.
Friday Jan. 26th: Stuck
around house. Went to Amphi-
theater in aftemoon. Hockey
practice. Had a good workout.
Home at 6:30. Tubs came over,
F. called up at time. I went
home and made a punch. Re-
tired at 10:45.
Saturday Jan. 27th: Went
to Pantages with Frank. Hock-
ey practice at 5:00 PM. Went
to Orpheum in evening with F.,
dropped into Waverly on way
home. Ole to be there, he was
not.
Wednesday Jan. 31st:
Stuck around house all mom-
ing. Did sketch of F’s portrait
in ink. Hockey practice at 5:00.
Went over to F’s after practice,
stayed the evening. Got home
about 12:00.
The Falcons Exhibit will be
unveiled at the MTS Centre in
Winnipeg in April, 85 years af-
ter the team won the Olympic
gold in 1920. Brian Johannes-
son is a member ofthe Falcons
Forever Exhibit Campaign,
whicli plans to raise $30,000
for the exhibit.
V

1“
J
The Falcons Forever Exhihit Campaign
inpammhipwkh
Ihe Manitoba Sports Haliof Fame
To make a donation, please fill out and return this form.
Name
Address
Home Telephone:
(Oplional)
E-mail:_____________
Work Telephone:
(Optional)
(Oplional)
Amount: $50Q $100Q $200 Q Other$_
Contributions are payable to The Manitoba Sports HallofFame.
1. Please forward your cheque to the following address:
Mr. Brent Stefanson, 200B Polo Park, 1485 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, MB R3G 0W4
or
2. Payment by Q VISA □ MasterCard
Card Number
□
Expiration Date
Signature (Required) _
Ifyou know someone who would be interested in the Falcons Forever Campaign,
please forward their name and address to the address above.
Visit us on the web at http://www.lh-inc.ca