Tom Shilton was born in Natal, BC in 1928 to English parents, Tom and Margaret Shilton. Like several families they knew, the coal-mining trail led the Shilton’s to North Vancouver Island.

Tom’s Story

"Miners were brought from England and moved from mine to mine wherever the work went. That is how we came to the Island.

In 1937, mining was on a decline in the Crowsnest Pass area so my family moved to Puntledge and dad went to work in No. 8 mine.Puntledge was a good place for kids, a small community, which was like a big family. We made our own fun and got into lots of mischief.

"When I was about fifteen, I went to work in No. 8 for a while. From there I went to Tsable River. A short time before Tsable River closed I found employment at the Mt. Washington Copper Mine and also worked in logging off and on, which ended after a very bad car accident. After the accident I worked for the school board for twenty-seven years.

"While I was growing up in Puntledge, my future wife, June Robertson, was growing up in Cumberland."