Winifred Maitland-Dougall:
A Cowichan Valley Pioneer and Red Current Jelly Winner
Born on November 26th, 1873, in Thurgoland, Yorkshire, Winifred Maitland-Dougall (née McKinstry Watson) moved to the Cowichan region in 1890 with her family. She married James Maitland-Dougall and had two children with him: William in 1895 and Hamish in 1897.
Tragically, both of her sons were killed in WWI. William graduated from the Royal Navy Collage of Canada (Halifax) with honors. As the captain of the submarine HMS D3, he was mistakenly attacked by a French airship in 1918. Meanwhile, Hamish participated in the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary
Force in 1915, and he passed away in the initial Canadian assault on Vimy Ridge in 1917.
The loss of her children depressed Winifred greatly, and she built a memorial plaque for them in St. Peter’s Anglican Church in 1921.
