thebravestcanadian

Many thanks to the staff at Touchstones Nelson – Museum of Art and History for hosting the launch on Saturday, Dec. 15 for “The Bravest Canadian – Fritz Peters, VC: The Making of a Hero of Two World Wars”.

A steady stream of interested Nelsonites came by to see the exhibits of photos, comics and news articles related to the book, and chat about Fritz Peters and the book. I was pleased to sign more than a dozen books that were bought during the launch.

Fritz’s mother Bertha Gray Peters died 66 years ago, but three of the visitors at the launch remembered her in Nelson back in the 1930s and 1940s. She was well-known about town – particularly among bridge players – until about 1935 when she became an invalid restricted to her bedroom as a result of a fall down stairs.

Many of the questions from visitors at the launch related to the comic in “The Victor” series of comics in Britain in May 1962 that tells the story of the Victoria Cross action of Capt. F.T. Peters. These comics were a popular item — particularly among young boys — in Britain at the time, but they never came to Canada. I only became aware of the Fritz Peters comic when my cousin Pam noticed it at the Ashcroft Gallery of the Imperial War Museum in London, England. She put me in touch with the rights holder for The Victor comics in Scotland.