Talk:Royal Engineers, Columbia detachment
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A fact from Royal Engineers, Columbia detachment appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know? column on 25 June 2007. |
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[edit] lots of euphemisms
words like "settlement" and "maintaining order" could have various meanings. are we saying that this group helped remove indigenous peoples from the area? Michaeljwsiegel 02:31, 26 June 2007 (UTC)
Not really, that's what smallpox is for. The role Moody's men played in settlement was in choosing townsites, surveying (to allow for land sales by the colonial gov't), and building infrastructure (roads and buildings). It's true that they were aiding European settlement, but they weren't a band of indian fighters... that kind of open hostility against first nations people wasn't (much, as far as I know) a part of BC history. Not that racist policy didn't exist in British North America or BC, but it was a bit more subtle than that.
As for "maintaining order", this refers to their duties to act as a police force in BC. If it's a euphemisism, it should be read as "dealing with rowdy Americans" (see McGowan's War). At that time, the population of BC was more American than British; a lot of American prospectors were up from California for the next Gold Rush. The Royal Engineers were tasked with ensuring that British law was enforced and establishing Columbia as a British possession. Stevecudmore 15:51, 26 June 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Cap Badge
I fail to see what a badge bearing the St. Edward's Pattern Crown, adopted in 1952, has to do with this article? 68.146.200.201 20:36, 26 June 2007 (UTC)
