Albert “Ginger” Goodwin
1887 - 1918
Coal miner and activist
Albert "Ginger" Goodwin was born on May 10th 1887 in Treeton, Yorkshire, U.K. As a boy, he joined his father working in the British coal mines, and at the age of 19, Albert emigrated to Canada in 1906 to work the Canadian mines. His journey led him to Halifax, where he arrived on September 1st, 1906. Shortly thereafter, he ventured further west and eventually settled in Cumberland during the fall of 1910. During his time in Cumberland, Goodwin lived at 2725 Penrith, where he boarded with the Clark family.
After the Big Strike, blacklisted by the Canadian Collieries Co. for his leading role alongside Joe Naylor and other key antagonists, he was forced to leave Cumberland in search of work in 1914. He worked in various mines in the British Columbia mainland during this period before returning to Cumberland. In 1918, after being initially found not fit for duty and following a controversial health re-evaluation, Albert was conscripted. A conscientious objector, Albert and the union attempted to have him exempted but were unsuccessful. Albert was forced to flee. On July 27th, 1918, Constable Dan Campbell, part of the special police tasked with tracking down conscientious objectors, shot and killed Albert at Comox Lake.
Outside of mining and activism, Goodwin was also an accomplished soccer player.
