Collection search - Harry D.W. Wethey fonds [textual record, graphic material, architectural drawing]

Record information – Brief
1
Harry D.W. Wethey fonds [textual record, graphic material, architectural drawing]

Hierarchical level:

Fonds

Date:

1890-1910, 1949-1974.

Reference:

R5353-0-0-E, MG30-E530

Type of material:

Photographs, Textual material, Architectural and technical drawings

Found in:

Archives / Collections and Fonds

Item ID number:

105795

Context of this record:

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Harry D.W. Wethey fonds
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Record information – Details
Fonds includes:

2 lower level description(s)
View lower level description(s)

Date(s):

1890-1910, 1949-1974.

Place of creation:

Ontario

Extent:

236 photographs b&w.
45 cm of textual records.
2 architectural drawings.

Language of material:

English

Scope and content:

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Fonds consists of photographs depicting: Canadian Society of Civil Engineers Pacific Coast trip, 1906; views of Winnipeg, Manitoba; Medicine Hat, Cochrane, Banff, Frank, Arrowhead, MacLeod, and Crownest Mountain, Alberta; Nakusp, Victoria, Bonnington, and Trail, British Columbia; streets, buildings, office interior, railways, constructions, agriculture, steamers, irrigation, trade show, Indians, factories, and hydro-electric plants across Canada.

Fonds also includes textual material that consists of files concerning the Postal Union Conference, held in the Parliament buildings in the late 1950s, documents the first attempt at simultaneous translation in the House of Commons. Bilingualism was a major political issue in the fifties and the system for translation used for this conference later served as a model for the important decision to provide simultaneous translation of the proceedings of the House of Commons. The files documenting the development of a theft-proof mail receptacle reveal the federal government's response to a public need. Somme files contains diary of events, notes for talks and correspondence documenting Mr. Wethey's personal life.

Fonds also include architectural drawings that consists of a floor plan of the House of Commons along with a floor plan and a "Brief Operational Sequence Description" relating to an unidentified committee room.

Provenance:

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Wethey, Harry D.W., 1907-1999

Biography/Administrative history:

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Wethey, Harry D.W., 1907-1999 : Harry Wethey, engineer, Post Officer Department, federal public servant, came to the Post Office in 1957 when he was appointed Chief Engineer. During his time as Chief Engineer both the Research and Development Division and the Systems Engineering Division were created, while the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Division was expanded in size and in the scope of its work. In 1957 and again in 1961, Wethey attended the American-British-Canadian Post Office Technical Information Exchange Conferences in Washington, D.C., and he made three trips to Europe on postal mechanization matters. In May 1965, Wethey became Director of Engineering of the Post Office Department, heading the PO Engineering Branch which was responsible for all aspects of postal mechanization in new or improved major post offices. His responsibilities ranged from industrial engineering studies during planning, to production of plans and specifications, supervision of the installation and organization of maintenance for equipment in completed plants.

His Branch was also responsible for Research and Development and for the provision of a wide range of "standard" equipment from sorting cases to platform trucks. In 1970, Wethey was appointed Director of Special Projects (Engineering) to plan decentralization of certain of the Engineering Branch functions to the Field. He retired in 1972 after 41 years of public service. Harry Wethey died on March 30, 1999.

While Harry Wethey is not himself a figure of national prominence, the work he was involved in had an impact across Canada. Henry (Harry) D.W. Wethey was born 18 December 1907 in Winnipeg, and received his education in Electrical Engineering at the University of Manitoba. On graduation he was commissioned in the royal Canadian Corps of Signals and served in World War II in field units receiving a Signal Staff appointment in 1940 with the rank of Major. He served as Liaison Signal Officer with the United States Signal Corps in 1943 and 1944 at the Pentagon when he was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel. In 1944, he was Officer Commanding No. 1 Canadian Special Wireless Group on loan to Australia and at the close of the War he was appointed to command the Royal Canadian School of Signals at Kingston. In 1948 Wethey was the Army member of the Canadian Delegation to the Provisional Frequency Board in Switzerland. Death date from the Ottawa Citizen, 1 April 1999, C15.

Finding aid:

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Photographs (accession no. 1972-260): (Paper) See "Photographic inventories, indexes, and caption lists arranged by accession number." FA-500

Photographs (accession no. 1991-251): (Paper) List of captions located in 326 with a copy in Photography Art and Research. FA-244

Architectural, technical drawing (Paper) Please consult lower level descriptions. Finding aid consists of an itemized listing. Wethey, Harry D.W. 912007. (90: Open)

Additional information:

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General note:

Presented by Harry D.W. Wethey, Ottawa, Ontario in 1980 and 1990.

Arrangement note:

The diaries are arranged chronologically and are followed by two files concerning the Postal Union Conference about simultaneous translation in the House of Commons and the development of a theft-proof mail box.

Also material from MG31-K16 has been integrated into MG30-E530.
Subject heading:

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Canada - Officials and employees, [195-] Canada. Parliament. House of Commons, [195-]

Postal Union Conference, [195-]
Source:

Private

Related control no.:

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118-020018-7
1972-260 NPC
1991-251 DAP
91-143

Former archival reference no.:

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MG30-E530
Ordering and viewing options

Conditions of access:

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Graphic (photo)

[Consultation90 Open]

Box [WETHEY, HARRY D.W. 1991-251] 05572.1

[Consultation 90 Open]

Textual records

[Consultation90 Open]

Volume [MG30 E 530] 1--3

[Consultation 90 Open]

Architectural: technical drawings

[Consultation90 Open]

Terms of use:

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Photographs: No restrictions on use or reproduction. Various copyrights on items less than 50 years old; copyright expired on items greater than 50 years old. Credit: name of photographer / National Archives of Canada / copy negative number.
Architectural, technical drawings: No restrictions concerning access or reproduction. Credit Library and Archives Canada.

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Date modified:: 2024-07-24