Fonds AM1458 - Mon Alex Club of Vancouver fonds

The Mon Alex Club of Vancouver was founded in 1945 to foster, in civilian life, the comradeship engendered while on active service in the armed forces during the Second World War. Only those in the armed forces who had volunteered for general service, or those who had been discharged from the armed forces were eligible for membership in the club. The club motto was "Together in War and Peace" and the purpose was to assist veterans and their famililies to re-establish themselves into civilian life.

The club was established by seven service men (Sergeant Frank Kyle, Sergeant D.W. Lovelock, Sergeant George McCauliffe, Sergeant Major Robert Scott, Sergeant W.G. Grant, Lieutenant Harry Robertson and Sergeant Art Wilson) who were convalescing in the Anglican College at the University of British Columbia, which was a division of the Shaughnessy Military Hospital. As a result of bi-weekly meetings of a men's club at the hospital, the group decided to organize their own reunion parties after they were discharged. The first two gatherings were so popular that they decided to form a social club. The name of the club was derived from the names of two generals: Montgomery and Alexander who commanded nearly all of the Canadians who served during the war.

The purpose of the club was to hold monthly social meetings and annual banquets as well as thematic functions such as Halloween and Christmas parties for the members and their wives. As the member's families grew activities such as sports days and picnics that included children were organized. In addition, the men met for monthly business meetings to organize the club's finances, reminisce and play cards. The wives formed an auxiliary to socialize, organize children's activities and to plan the refreshements for the larger group activities. Throughout the years the club kept in touch with each other with the monthly bulletin that was mailed to all members.

By the 1960s membership had grown to sixty-four active members. Over time as the numbers decreased due to relocation or ill-health the club activities evolved into monthly pot-luck dinners, occasional special get-togethers or trips and the annual banquet. By 1995 there were seventeen active members. In August 2003 there were only four active members and by virtue of old age, ill-health or death and no source of new members the activities of the Mon Alex Club of Vancouver were officially ceased after fifty-eight years.