January 1, 1930

Up usual time, hung around home most of the day, supper then went out with the Dixon Bros. Had a few drinks and felt a little high, home 12am.

February 1, 1930

Nothing unusual happened all day, in the evening went uptown with A & R Dixon played snooker and I won 2 cames, home 11 pm, talked , bed.

February 2, 1930 - May 31 1930

no record kept, Somewhere in the period Albert taught me to drive, so I now work at John Erzinger Ltd.

June 1, 1930

I like driving Erzingers truck, very interesting, the deliverys Etc. I am now going back with Lil Roberton & we talked about going to the beach this summer, also the house they live in in on Helmsdale on river bank must be haunted, funny sounds and experiences there.

August 1, 1930

I like this job driving & enjoy it very much delivery to stores, etc, Big Stock Market crash for 1929 is starting to effect things, people suiciding etc. Got bad news today, will be laid off along with others, business bad because of the world crisis in the markets.

August 9 1930

Up quite early to Rose’s to trains to Grand Beach to stay at their cottage. Lil Roberton with us, she wasn’t feeling too good having her tonsils and adnoids removed recently. Arrived Ok to cottage and got settled in

August 16 1930

All the dates above I was at the beach and did not have as much fun as I thought we would. Lil was acting strange too. Harold came down today & we got ready *& took the 8pm train back to Wpg. Albert was at station with a car and it took a lot of coaxing to get Lil to go in car but finally did, to Lil’s place at Helmsdale then home.

November 9, 1930 Sunday

Up at 10:30 am * breakfast 10:55 am left at 11:15 to corner, streetcar to Alberts place on William, got turkey, talked left & took streetcar home 12:30pm played crib with Art, Won 3 games up shaved & washed & changed, out at 2pm. I have never heard from Lil in a long time, waited but Nelson M. never came so came home, read, supper, nice turkey, out at 6:10 pm met boys walked over to northend & back to Vintar’s store, Met a friend of Roberton’s, Cyril Eagan, talked had a milkshake, home 9:45 pm, played crib with Art & Henry Woods (cousin from England) gave Mum $2 for rent of our garage to A Dixon.

November 10, 1930 Monday

Up 10 am * talked & read most of morning, lunch out at 2:30 to Vinter’s store, Nelson Murray came, streetcar uptown, Fort St to Orpheum Billiards. We shot a few games of snooker, home by 5:30 pm talked supper read awhile, out at 6:40 pm to corer, boys came to Roxy Theater, walked around, finally came home at 9:30 pm, read Chums book, Rose & Harold left at 10:30 pm.

November 11, 1930 Tuesday Armistice Day

Up at 8 am * breakfast talked out at 8:40 am , met Lil Roberton, talked she said she would get in tough with me, walked uptown to Free Press, Eatons, home by 12:10 pm
In lunch slept awhile, out meet R. Coates, Nelson M, played some Snooker had 2 beers, home 10:30 pm read & talked then bed 11:30 pm


November 18, 1930 Tuesday

Up 7 am * breakfast left at 8:30 am down town to Law Courts Bldg on Broadway, heard trial of Forsyth & Hamilton, they were convicted of holdup & shooting of a woman in a drugstore, left. Home at 3”30 pm, talked read paper supper, out at 7:30 to Rose’s, got some books talked awhile, left and home, Saw Nelson, he went north, read then to bed at 1pm.


November 19, 1930 Wednesday

Up 9:40 am * did not do much of anything all day, supper out at 7:10 pm met Nelson, talked then went to North Star Billiards on Nairn, played snooker home by 10:30 pm in Rose & Harold here, talked . Roddy our dog in a fight, leg badly chewed, Dad working on it. Rose & Harold gone, bet 11:30 pm

November 20, 1930 Thursday Weather: snow

Up 7 am * out at 8:15 am downtown walked to Eatons King Geo Billiards, Woolworths, indoor golf, saw Lil on streetcar, home 12:10 pm lunch slept read & slept all afternoon, Snowstorm on outside, supper out, walked around but snow too wet so home and read.

November 21,, 1930 Friday weather: snow

Up early * still snowing out, did not do much of anything all day, supper, out to Vinter’s talked to Nelson, home played records til 11pm, Nelson gone, bed.

November 22, 1930 Saturday weather: cloudy, mild, snow

Up at 9:30 am * shovelled snow from walks, lunch, talked, out for a walk, home, read paper, supper, stayed in all night, worked on puzzles in tribune, played cards with Mom & Dad. Bed 11:30pm

November 23, 1930 Sunday weather: cloudy mild

Up 10:30 am * left walking, saw Lil on streetcar, to Unemployment Office, they say theres no work, to Free Press, to Eatons, Hbay, back to Eatons, 12:15pm lunch, our dog Roddy’s leg all swollen up, looks bad, slept on & off all afternoon, supper, stayed in and read all evening. Bed 11am

1919 I am 10 years old, I remember seeing the police ride their horses on sidewalks at the time of the General Strike
192314 years old, in grade seven and failed so don't want to go back to school. Mom said if I got a job I don't have to go back. Finally did in August at Russell Lang's Bookstore. Delivery boy and answer phones for $5 a week. I got the job with the help of Bessie, Albert's wife, who knew Mrs. McRae who also worked there.

Got bawled out for smelly feet but corrected that with bathing feet in salt water.

1924 15 years old. We moved to 188 Chalmers a bigger house.

1925 16 years old & first long pants suit, still working at Russell Lang's Bookstore and promoted to printing shop, working with William Curley and Manny Bronesky at $14 a week.

1928 In the summer Albert said that there might be a job at Erzinger's driving their truck on deliveries. Also met a girl, Lil Roberton at the skating rink, and started to go out with her around christmas time.

There is a consistant format to John's Journals, but they do change over the years. He started to write on a regular basis in 1929, but in times of stress, often did not write on those days. This Blog consists of his daily life and some of the world events and family tragedies that occurred over the years. John was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada and lived most of his life there. To learn more you will just have to keep up as his words are transcribed to this blog...

I was Born on December 1st 1909, while my family was living at 162 Gladstone Street, My parents were John F. Barker and Elisabeth J. West. I had 2 brothers, Albert Frederick and Arthur and three sisters, Lillian Mary, Jessie Adelaide, and Rose.

1912 Art was born, and King Edward VII of Great Britain died, King George V became King. I was 3 years old.

1915 I am 6 years old & going to kindergarten, also as the first great war was started in 1914, Dad joined the Winnipeg Genediers, & we watched him go by on a train with a grey tuke on his head for overseas.