Freeman, Wilfrid Edward

Wilfrid Freeman was born on October 12, 1881 in Falmouth, Cornwall, England. He was the son of John Albert “J.A.” Freeman and Florence Lee (Collinson) Freeman. He never married. He died on January 21, 1952 in the Princeton General Hospital.

He came to Princeton in 1910. His death registration notes he had lived in Princeton for 42 years.

He contributed to the Princeton Hospital maintenance fund in January 1921.

In November 1922, he was a draughtsman in the office of Percy W. Gregory. According to his obituary in the Similkameen Star, January 1952, he was responsible for the drawing of most maps of this area. In 1922, he drew a map of the proposed new route of the Hope-Princeton highway.

He was also an accomplished artist, painting the scenery for the “Hello Princeton Revue” at the Orange Hall in April 1927. In 1952, he was remembered as a well-known artist who specialized in watercolour scenes of the Similkameen.

He donated 1.50 towards the purchase of an x-ray machine for the Princeton Hospital in March 1925.

He worked on Red Cross Drive in 1942. He also volunteered at the library.

Wilfrid Freeman was an avid outdoor enthusiast and fisher. In addition to hiking to Hope and back several times, he helped stock Smelter lake with trout. As reported in the local newspaper, he enjoyed long camping trips and, with Percy Gregory, named Bromley Vale.

As of 1952, he had been fifteen years secretary of the Princeton School Board of Trustees.