The Travellers Block was erected on Bannatyne Avenue in 1907 as headquarters for the North West Commercial Travellers’ Association. Architects Darling and Pearson provided many amenities such as meeting rooms, lounges, and even a Turkish bath in this municipally-designated historic site. A plaque is mounted on the southeast corner of the building.
On 13 January 1917, an honour roll for the Winnipeg Typographical Union was unveiled by Salem Goldworth Bland at a patriotic concert held in the Travellers’ Block. It identified 75 members of the local union who had enlisted for military service in the First World War, some of whom were killed.

Travellers’ Block (September 2015)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough

Travellers’ Block (August 2020)
Source: George Penner

Travellers’ Block commemorative plaque (2009) Source: City of Winnipeg
Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.89835, W97.14112 denoted by symbol on the map above
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War Casualities in Winnipeg Typographical Union Members
Name |
Occupation |
Service |
Rank |
Birth Date |
Death Date |
Maxwell Frederick William Drennan
[Next of Kin, St. Matthew's Anglican] |
Printer |
8th Battalion, Canadian Infantry |
Lance Sergeant |
25 September 1892 |
10 November 1917 |
John Thomas Evans
[Next of Kin, Vimy Ridge] |
Printer |
44th Battalion, Canadian Infantry |
Private |
19 July 1879 |
31 March 1917 |
Percy Ogilvie Fowler
[Next of Kin] |
Printer |
27th Battalion, Canadian Infantry |
Private |
11 January 1890 |
14 November 1921 |
Roy Fowler
[Next of Kin, Vimy Ridge] |
Printer |
44th Battalion, Canadian Infantry |
Private |
26 April 1892 |
3 February 1917 |
Frederick Kennedy
[Next of Kin] |
Printer |
10th Battalion, Canadian Infantry |
Private |
12 March 1890 |
22 April 1915 |
Daniel Joseph Madden |
Printer (Winnipeg Telegram) |
27th Battalion, Canadian Infantry |
Private |
29 January 1886 |
29 March 1917 |
James Masterton
[Brandon Armoury, Kildonan Presbyterian, Next of Kin] |
Printer |
78th Battalion, Canadian Infantry |
Company Quarter Master Sergeant |
27 January 1873 |
9 April 1917 |
James Harvey Montgomery
[Virden] |
Printer |
28th Battalion, Canadian Infantry |
Private |
4 June 1890 |
4 January 1916 |
Douglas Robert Whyte
[Next of Kin] |
Printer |
8th Battalion, Canadian Infantry |
Private |
6 February 1891 |
14 June 1916 |
Josiah Wilkinson
[Next of Kin] |
Printer |
1st Canadian Mounted Rifles |
Private |
1 November 1879 |
12 April 1917 |
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Inglis Building / North West Commercial Travellers’ Association Building (291 Garry Street, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Municipally Designated Historic Sites
Sources:
“Dr. Bland Unveils Printers’ Honor Roll,” Winnipeg Tribune, 15 January 1917, page 11.
“3 Winnipeg Printers Named in Honor Roll,” Winnipeg Tribune, 2 May 1917, page 5.
Travellers Building (283 Bannatyne Avenue), City of Winnipeg Historical Buildings Committee, 1979.
Information for this page was provided by The City of Winnipeg’s Planning, Property and Development Department, which acknowledges the contribution of the Government of Manitoba through its Heritage Grants Program.
We thank Darryl Toews and George Penner for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 24 April 2022
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