I recently ran into Gary Walmsley and we had a chat about his Dad’s, family. It has been a few years since Gary retired from his sign-making business on Grosvenor but, for many years, he was the go-to guy for signs in Southampton.
Gary’s father Lorne, was one of the five hockey-playing Walmsley boys who were raised on Victoria Street. They were all born in an eight-year period between 1929 and 1938.
There was a lot of red hair amongst them, and it also adorned the two sisters (Ruby and Audrey) born after them.
What always comes to mind when I think of the Walmsley boys is “hockey”. Every competitive hockey team in the region from the late 1940s, 50s and 60s had at least one Walmsley on their team. Some were smooth as silk skaters, and some were as rough and tough as you can imagine. BUT all of them showed up, every night, to play to WIN.
Unfortunately, Southampton was the last town in the region to get artificial ice but the boys were so good that teams from Owen Sound, Chesley (playing in Paisley), Port Elgin, etc. welcomed them all to their teams.
My dad found out early that if he was planning to go to watch the games around the area, taking me along meant “peace” on the home front. My Dad was a sports-watching nut. In later years, he and mom spent a lot of winters in Florida and Mom said that he was the only Canadian who went to Florida to do nothing but watch sports on TV all winter long.
My earliest recognition of the Walmsley Boys was Red and Lorne playing in Port Elgin. Lorne was a smooth skating forward who could handle the puck superbly while Red was as tough as nails along the boards and especially in the corners. There was always action when either one was on the ice but in a very different way. Loren was playmaking and scoring while Red would be hitting and sometimes punching to entertain the crowd.
Now Gordon was another story. He was probably the best “athlete” of the bunch. While Loren was the quiet, smooth skating, control-the-play centreman, the younger Gord, who early on was nicknamed Hezzie, was an aggressive, hard-hitting winger who would not back down from anyone. His penalty totals were countless when he played with an excellent Owen Sound Junior “B” Greys team. Dad and I jeered his aggressive style on many occasions.
My Best recollection of Howard playing hockey was when Chesley organized a Junior D team which somehow included at least four Southampton boys including Doug Wallace, Art Eby, Bob Woods, and Howard Walmsley. Like Southampton, Chesley did not have artificial ice, so they played out of the then-new modern Paisley facility. The four Southampton boys had been coached by my dad as Juveniles for two years before becoming Juniors with Chesley. They had a good playoff run and Dad and I never missed a game. And neither did Howard. He had the Walmsley grit and hard-working ethic.
And to cap it all off; their youngest sister, Audrey married one of the best Hockey players and team leaders our community has ever seen, Port Elgin Sunocos’ Captain, Wimp Lamont.
Red is still living in Kitchener, in his 90s.
Yes, “The Red-Haired Kids of Victoria Street” left their stamp on our hockey history.
Written from memory by G. William Streeter December, 2024.
