1876 Where Rugby in BC Began: The Canteen Grounds in Esquimalt – Vancouver Island Rugby Union 150th Anniversary
Doug Sturrock in his book, “It’s a Try – The History of Rugby in Canada” notes, “the first game [in BC] can be traced back to the year 1876, when records show that sides from the Royal Navy played matches against the land forces and civilian teams from Vancouver Island on the historic Canteen Grounds at Esquimalt”. Similarly Don Burgess in his summary in the 1976 VIRU Centenary program noted, “The site of the first Rugby games in Victoria, and for that matter in British Columbia, was the Canteen grounds in Esquimalt, a position now occupied by Yarrow Shipyards.”
Yarrows eventually closed in 1994, and the property was absorbed back into CFB Esquimalt. Today, the area is part of the Fleet Maintenance Facility. The Canteen grounds served as the heart of Vancouver Island rugby for nearly 40 years (approx. 1876 to 1914) before being repurposed to support the World War I mobilization. It was home to the Royal Navy and newly formed Royal Canadian Navy (1910). It would never return to “civilian” sporting life after the war.
The photo below is from the BC Archives and is recorded as being from the 1870s, it’s interesting to note the rugby posts visible at the far end of the field. The Canteen itself would be the primary social hub for sailors and marines stationed at Esquimalt. It would have acted much like a modern clubhouse where players and spectators would congregate after matches.
I asked my Ai research assistant, Bob, to provide a colour rendition of the photo. That’s posted below. The photo shows the pavilion/grandstand on the far side, the bandstand, and what looks to be a “gymnastic frame” possibly for training. The ships in the background likely Royal Navy provided the rugby opposition for matches against civilian and land force teams.
Another photo from the BC Archives recorded as from the 1900s shows an actual rugby match taking place at the Canteen grounds.
Again Bob did his magic and produced a colour version. Bob thinks the main ship in the background is HMS Warspite, and suggested the caption, “The game is being played under the watchful eye of HMS Warspite, the 8,400-ton flagship of Britain’s Pacific fleet.” I did a search through the Daily Colonist and found a news clipping from October 8th, 1892, JBAA vs Warspite at the Canteen grounds (see below). So Bob is probably right.
Daily Colonist October 8th 1892
J.F. Foulkes: Likely John Fortescue Foulkes, who was a legendary athlete in early BC.
W.H. Langley: Likely William Henry Langley, a prominent lawyer and later the Clerk of the BC Legislative Assembly.
Ed. Mallandaine Jr.: Edward was an architect and surveyor (and notably the boy famously pictured standing behind Donald Smith at the “Last Spike” of the CPR in 1885).
What does the area look like today? We found another photo estimated around mid 1890s of the grounds and matched it up to one taken recently from a similar perspective, I asked Bob to do an overlay and it gives you an idea of where the grounds would have been 150 years ago.
So 150 years later here we are, celebrating rugby with the a team from Ontario visiting. This Sunday at UVic’s Wallace Field, Vancouver Island Crimson Tide vs Ontario Blues. The match poster is below with times. We’ll run another article on the match when we get the rosters from both teams.
If you want to read up more on Vancouver Island Rugby History, check out these two articles:
Great article.