Henry Larsen Collection
Dates of Creation: 1876-2007; predominantly 1935-1966 Physical Extent: 0.33 meters of textual records, 3 photographs Administrative History: Henry Asbjorn Larsen was born on September 30, 1899 at Herføl, one of the outermost islands of the Hvaler group. Larsen graduated from the Norwegian Polytechnic of Navigation and he spent a short period in the Norwegian Navy. After leaving Norway, he made two voyages to the Arctic as a Mate and Navigator on Captain Klingenberg’s ship Old Maid. After becoming a naturalized Canadian, Larsen joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 1928. Larsen commanded the R.C.M.P. vessel the St. Roch on her voyage through the Northwest Passage from west to east in 1942 and from east to west in 1944. He was commissioned a SubInspector in the force in September 1941, promoted to Inspector in 1946, and Superintendent in 1953. From 1949 until his retirement on February 7, 1961, he was stationed at Ottawa in command of the “G” Division of the R.C.M.P. whose work dealt with the Northwest Territories and the Yukon. Larsen was a fellow of the Arctic Institute of North America and an honorary member of the Royal Geographic Society. He was awarded the Patron’s gold medal by the Royal Geographic Society and also received the Polar medal and bar. In May 1961, Larsen received an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from Waterloo University College. After his retirement, Larsen resided in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia before moving to Vancouver, British Columbia. Henry Larsen died in Vancouver on October 29, 1964 at the age of 65. He was buried in the R.C.M.P. cemetery at Regina, Saskatchewan and is survived by his wife Mary, a son and two daughters. Scope and Content: Records in the fonds consist of personal papers belonging to Henry Larsen and related items accumulated by his family. Records include correspondence; newspaper clippings; a comic book; notice of medals and awards received by Larsen; a copy of the Life Magazine news article on the R.C.M.P., Larsen and the St. Roch; Larsen’s Honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from Waterloo University; copies of Masonic by-laws; and correspondence regarding the naming of Larsen Sound and the Coast Guard vessel CCGS Henry Larsen. Also included are three photographs and M.E. Foster’s unfinished typed manuscript about the St. Roch. The fonds also includes one file of material that were transferred from the “Lar” book collection housed in the Librarian’s office - Knud Rassmussen’s personal papers (copies), previously listed as ephemera “Lar G 615 R3”.
Leonard McCann Archives_LG (April 2010, updated March 2016)
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Henry Larsen Collection Notes: Source of Title: Title based on the name of the creator of the records. Immediate source of acquisition: Records donated to the Vancouver Maritime Museum by the Larsen family over various accessions; predominant accession #LM 2005.014. Arrangement: Records arranged by Archivist. Related Records: For further records related to Superintendent Larsen and the St. Roch, see the Vancouver Maritime Museum (VVM) St. Roch Research Collection; the Larsen Collection (books & periodicals); VMM photograph collection; and artifacts in the VMM collection. Language: Records in the fonds are in English and Norwegian. Some Norwegian records have been translated into English. Restrictions on access: None. Terms governing publication: None. Finding aids: A box-file list exists for these records. Accruals: Future accruals of personal records belonging to Henry Larsen are expected from his family.
Leonard McCann Archives_LG (April 2010, updated March 2016)
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Henry Larsen Collection Box / File List PartOf Henry Larsen Fonds
Location: Box 1
File No: 1 Date: 1938-1964 Title: Henry Larsen - baptism certificate, passport, wallet identity cards and biography
PartOf Henry Larsen Fonds
Location: Box 1
File No: 2 Title: Henry Larsen - correspondence
Date: 1944-1964
PartOf Henry Larsen Fonds
Location: Box 1
File No: 3 Title: Henry Larsen - medals and awards
Date: 1935-1954
PartOf Henry Larsen Fonds
Location: Box 1
File No: 4 Title: Naming of Larsen Sound
Date: 1965
PartOf Henry Larsen Fonds
Location: Box 1
File No: 5 Title: Naming of Coast Guard vessel "CCGS Henry Larsen"
Date: 1985-1988
PartOf Henry Larsen Fonds
Location: Box 1
File No: 6 Title: Masonic publications and by-laws
Date: 1917-1932
PartOf Henry Larsen Fonds
Location: Box 1
File No: 7 Title: "Canadian Heroes" comic book
Date: 1943
PartOf Henry Larsen Fonds
Location: Box 1
File No: 8 Title: Doreen (Larsen) Riedel - correspondence
Date: 1966-2007
Leonard McCann Archives_LG (April 2010, updated March 2016)
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Henry Larsen Collection PartOf Henry Larsen Fonds
Location: Box 1
File No: 9 Title: Henry Larsen - photographs
Date: 1961
PartOf Henry Larsen Fonds
Location: Box 1
File No: 10 Date: 1950 Title: Life magazine - "Life Goes Around North America: The Mounties Use Northwest Passage and Panama Canal", vol. 28, no. 5
PartOf Henry Larsen Fonds
Location: Box 1
File No: 11 Date: 1961 Title: Henry Larsen - Waterloo University Honorary Degree, Doctor of Law
PartOf Henry Larsen Fonds
Location: Box 1
File No: 12 Title: Knud Rasmussen - personal papers (copies)
Date: 1876-1920
PartOf Henry Larsen Fonds
Location: Box 1
File No: 13 Title: Notice to Mariners, nos. 35, 37, 42
Date: 1943
PartOf Henry Larsen Fonds
Location: Box 1
File No: 14 Title: M.F. Foster's draft manuscript about the St. Roch, 1928-1942
Date: [19--]
Leonard McCann Archives_LG (April 2010, updated March 2016)
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