WARFLEET PRESS publishes books about unique British Columbians. We hope their stories will contribute to building a stronger Canadian identity (nationally and internationally). Photo: Terminal City Club Book Launch for The Rise & Fall of Canadian Airlines. Click on the photo for the larger size.

From the colossal achievement of one man’s ambition to do something that others said couldn’t be done (The Life & Times of the Legendary Mr. D) to a legendary Canadian commercial aviation company that today represents one-half of Canada’s commercial aviation history (The Rise & Fall of Canadian Airlines – An Insider’s Story)  to the life stories of an immigrant who became a close friend to many of Vancouver’s business establishment in the sixties, seventies, eighties and nineties (My Greek Barber’s Diary) they represent the best in B.C and Canada’s spirit and accomplishment.

Series I – ARTHUR DELAMONT

The Life and Times of the Legendary Mr. D was published in the spring of 2014. It is the complete story of the Vancouver Boy’s band (aka Kitsilano Boys’ Band) and the band culture in and around Vancouver from the early 1900s to the present. It covers extensively the 14 tours the Kitsilano Boys’ Band made to England and Europe from 1934 through 1974. It is also the first book on the history of the youth band movement in Canada.

The above book took one and a half years to write but the research on the book took over 25 years. Other books in this series were published as the material came in and they are listed below and available.

(1) By Jove What A Band is the story of Arthur Delamont and his world-famous, Vancouver Kitsilano Boys’ Band. This vignette-style book was the first in print and is a short overview of the band’s story.

(2) The Red Cape Boys is a collection of thirty chapters on 30 of the more famous boys from the band. Many are from the 1930s period: Dal Richards, Jimmy Pattison, Bing Thom etc. (Over 125 boys were interviewed for the books and their stories were so interesting that each was made into a chapter and put into a book). There are three books of the boy’s stories. They are The Red Cape Boys, Denton Park and The Lost Chord.

(3) Denton Park has twenty chapters on the 1950s boys. The band made four trips to England in the 1950s. The longest was five months. On one they were booked into the British Vaudeville circuit and played in Vaudeville houses throughout England for four months.

(4) The Lost Chord has twenty chapters on the 1960s and 1970s boys. By the mid-sixties, the band’s director was in his 80s so he started taking tours every two years rather than every four which had been his custom. From 1966 through 1974 the boys travelled to Europe every other year for 2 months.

(4) Woodwinds, Brass & Glory is a pictorial record (photo album) of Arthur Delamont and his band, with 500 photos on 300 pages.

GEORGE CHRONOPOULOS

(1) My Greek Barber’s Diary is the story of one of Vancouver’s venerable downtown characters and a Vancouver national treasure. For 50 years George Chronopoulos cut the hair of Vancouver’s business elite. His Riviera salons, first on Seymour Street and then in the Royal Centre beneath the Hyatt Hotel were a focal point for generations of Vancouverites and the downtown business establishment. He has many stories to tell!

SID FATTEDAD

(1) The Inside Story of the Rise and Fall of Canadian Airlines is one man’s story, ‘Sid Fattedad’. Loved by all during the almost 30 years he spent with CP Air and Canadian, he rose to VP of the Pacific Division and then VP of Quality Control. After he retired came back to Chair the Committee that tried to save the airlines before it merged with Air Canada. This is a real Canadian aviation story told by someone who was there in the boardrooms. The inside story has never been told until now! This is a very important Canadian book which we feel should be in every public library in Canada. It is the only written history of this airline in print and represents one-half of Canada’s commercial aviation history.

To purchase a copy of any of our books, send us an email at chrisbestbyjove@yahoo.ca.

Series 2 – B.C. Public School Music Educators

(1) Hearts, Minds & Souls profiles 23 of British Columbia’s career public school music educators. Most of these educators taught during the Golden Age of B.C. Music Education 1960 to 1990. Their stories tell how they fell in love with music at a young age and decided to go into a career teaching kids to play or sing music. Their stories are all heartfelt and touching and legions of kids, many of who have become music educators themselves, attest to how important music education was in their young lives.

This is the first book in a series that will see at least five or six books of music educator’s stories being compiled. They will serve as a resource library for future music educators.

Series 3 – B.C. Public School Music Programs

(1) The Handsworth Music Dynasty Book 1 covers the beginning years of the music program at Handsworth Secondary School in North Vancouver up to and including 1999. This book is an example, at 286 pages of the many fine music programs that existed in Vancouver’s public schools in those days but unfortunately will never have a book published on them. Bob Rebagliati and the other directors at Handsworth kept detailed scrapbooks over the years which allowed us to compile a book, two books actually as it was a big program. Book 1 and Book 2 serve as an example of what can be accomplished in a public school music program and set a benchmark for educators today to follow if they so choose. It also allows administrators and others to learn firsthand the value of music education to our youth.

(2) The Handsworth Music Dynasty Book 2 picks up in 2000 and goes to 2019. This one covers Keith Woodward’s years and the start of Dave Bradshaw’s tenure, as the present director of the program in 2022. Handsworth was a travelling band in the old-school spirit of Arthur Delamont and was always entering festivals both at home and abroad. Together, both books give an insider look into one of the best high school music programs in Canada in its day.

Series 4 – Community Bands

(1) The British Columbia Beefeater Band was the official showband for the Lion’s FC from 1964 until 1986. It travelled extensively first as the Vancouver Junior Band in the 1950s and early 1960s and then as the Beefeater Band starting in 1969 when it went to Edinburgh Military Tattoo for the first time. It travelled to many tattoos worldwide over the following decades South Africa, Melbourne, Cardiff and back to Edinburgh.

Series 5 – Venues

(1) The Kitsilano Showboat has been an icon and a landmark on the shores of Kitsilano on Vancouver’s west side since 1935. Carefully nurtured by Captain Bea for many decades her son Barry is now the President and carries on the tradition of free entertainment in the summers to all and a place for the youth of Vancouver to get their feet wet in showbiz. 2022 is its 87th year and the Showboat is still going stronger than ever.