What Do the Boy Scouts of Canada, the Tower of London, and Prentice Bloedel Have in Common?
After reading the below blog, be sure to check out these letters and historical documentation!
It’s impossible to walk the grounds of the Bloedel Reserve without feeling the lasting legacy of Prentice and Virginia Bloedel. Their deep commitment to enriching communities is woven into every acre of the Reserve. This spirit of generosity wasn’t limited to Bainbridge Island—it was a lifelong hallmark of the Bloedels’ lives. And nowhere is this more unexpectedly illustrated than in a story connecting the Boy Scouts of Canada, the Tower of London, and one remarkable tree.
Let’s travel back to 1945—eighty years ago. At just 45 years old, Prentice Bloedel was already a respected leader in British Columbia, where he and Virginia were then living. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic in London, a dinner was held in support of the Red Cross. Presiding over the event was Field Marshal Lord Chetwood, then Constable of the Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London. Among the guests was Canadian banker and prominent Boy Scout supporter, Mr. Jackson Dodds.
During the dinner, Lord Chetwode mentioned that the Tower’s historic flagstaff was deteriorating and needed replacement. Dodds, inspired by this small but symbolic need, replied, “Oh, do let me see if I can’t get you a pole from Canada.” True to his word, Dodds brought the matter to the attention of his friend Prentice Bloedel—who immediately offered a towering Douglas Fir from his Vancouver estate as a gift on behalf of the Boy Scouts of British Columbia.
In researching this story, I corresponded with the Royal Armouries in London. James Fenton, Curatorial Assistant, shared fascinating details:
“The flagpole was processed by the lumber yard of Bloedel, Stewart, and Welch Ltd. The tree came from near Alberni Inlet, on the west coast of Vancouver Island. It was felled on January 20, 1948. At that time, it was approximately 389 years old—dating back to around 1559. At the installation ceremony, Field Marshal Philip Chetwode, a former Constable of the Tower, remarked on the tree’s age, linking it to the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, who ascended the throne in 1558.”
A special commemorative booklet, A Canadian Tree with a Destiny, was published to mark the occasion. Its opening lines evoke the majesty of the moment:
“Cast your imagination back—back through the pageantry-packed pages of history, past the sunny days of Queen Victoria, beyond the marshalled might and critical days of Waterloo… to the day when Elizabeth came to the already famed Tower of London for a second time—this time as Queen. It was about this time that a tiny, scarcely discernible Douglas Fir seedling first broke through the overburden into the sunlight on a distant shore in a foreign land—in truth, an island in the North Pacific Ocean.”
The flagpole was shipped aboard the S.S. Bernard L. Rodman, traveling via the Panama Canal. Prentice Bloedel personally covered the transportation costs. The pole arrived in London on June 3, 1948. Spectators were reportedly impressed by the care with which it had been transported—encased in cedar slats and wrapped in oiled paper along its entire length.
The pole was installed on July 29, 1948. At the formal presentation ceremony, Canadian High Commissioner Norman Robertson presented it to Field Marshal Archibald Wavell, then Constable of the Tower. The Union Flag was raised and blessed by the Tower Chaplain.
True to his character, Prentice downplayed his role in the endeavor. In a letter to Lord Wavell, he gave credit to Jackson Dodds, the foresters who selected the tree, the sawmill workers who processed it, and, as he emphasized, “most importantly, the craftsmen—the fellers who felled the tree and the carpenters who hewed it to shape.”
To this day, the flagpole still stands proudly atop the White Tower—the central keep of the Tower of London. I had the pleasure of seeing it myself this June while riding a river taxi along the Thames.
In a letter dated January 10, 1982, a friend wrote to the Bloedels:
“My husband and I spent a month in London recently and it gave us great pleasure to see the flagpole at the White Tower and the plaque stating that you had given the tree in honor of the Boy Scouts of British Columbia. When I saw the flagpole in London, I felt as if it were a ‘touch of home’—and given by a friend.”
Indeed, how true. Some 4,785 miles from the forests of Vancouver Island, a living symbol of friendship and generosity still flies high above London—a testament to the quiet, enduring legacy of Prentice Bloedel.
–Written by Jane Carlin
Photographs taken upon the occasion of the presentation of the new flagstaff to the tower of London, July 29th, 1948, by Mr. Prentice Bloedel of Vancouver on behalf of the Boy Scouts Association of British Columbia. Mr. Norman Robertson, High commissioner for Canada performed the ceremony of handing over the flagstaff and it was accepted by Field Marshal Earl Wavell, P.C., constable of the Tower of London.
Photo credit: MacMillan Bloedel Limited fonds, Rare Books and Special Collections, University of British Columbia Library.
Images:
RBSC-ARC-1343-BC-1930-392-5-6; RBSC_ARC_1343_BC_1930_392_0005
RBSC-ARC-1343-BC-1930-392-1-2; RBSC_ARC_1343_BC_1930_392_0001
RBSC-ARC-1343-BC-1930-392-1-2; RBSC_ARC_1343_BC_1930_392_0002
