Early Years

Hermia Fraser was born Hermia Rose Harris in 1902 in Buctouche, New Brunswick, and was the middle child of five girls. Her mother was Sophie McManus from a Catholic Irish farming family which had been in the Maritimes for several generations. Her father was James Parkin Harris who was directly related to the well-known Parkin family and Sir Charles G. D. Roberts. 

J. P. Harris took the family west to the Yukon gold rush. Three of the girls were born in New Brunswick and two came later in Dawson City. The girls went to Catholic school and received a strong primary education. Prior to the First World War, the family split up as mother Sophie and the five girls moved to Victoria, while dad stayed in Dawson City. The five girls went on with their education and the two eldest went to work early to help support the family. Prior to her marriage, Hermia attended the Victoria Normal School for her teacher education. She briefly taught at Strathcona Elementary in Vancouver, and in Salmon Arm.

Hermia spent several years focusing on First Nations' art and culture including long hours in the BC Provincial Museum. She became well known for her poetry and First Nations designs.

Following the First World War, she married a veteran, Wallace Irving Fraser, who had spent five years in the military with his three brothers. They all returned from duty in the Middle East (Greece and Turkey) as well as France and England. 

In 1924, Rupert Brook (Nick) Fraser was born and was a joy to the Fraser family. Nick became Hermia's support person in her life. Nick grew up to be a wonderful son and was everyone's favorite relative.

Hermia tried to have more children and there was more than one miscarriage. In 1938, I was born, Douglas Alastair Fraser, however I was a very sickly child. Although I was a difficult young child due to illness, the medicine that was available eventually helped to improve my health. 

By this time, Hermia's Harris family (her mother and two sisters) had moved to Vancouver and lived in West Point Grey. In 1941, before Nick joined the Air Force he had decided he wanted to become an architect. With the help of his dad, he designed a new house on Topaz Avenue in Victoria, and Wallace built the new home. It was much larger than anything we had before with a master bedroom on the main floor and two bedrooms upstairs -- one for Nick and one for me. Although Hermia was writing poetry and articles at this time, she was suffering from serious hay fever and stress from her marriage.