Recently, the Trinity College Archives has acquired two scrapbooks documenting the life of George Henry Kirkpatrick “Pat” Strathy, a brilliant young Trinity College graduate who was killed in the Second World War. How these scrapbooks arrived at the Archives is a reminder of the strength of family bonds, and the deep connections people feel to Trinity.
While exploring his family’s longstanding relationship with Trinity College, independent researcher Tristan Strathy spent time in the Archives examining the legacy of the Strathy family. His inquiry focused in part on the endowed scholarships established in their names, including the Chancellor Strathy Scholarship, named for his great, great grandfather, former Trinity College Chancellor G.B. Strathy, and the Pat Strathy Scholarship, named for Tristan’s great uncle.
Tristan Strathy visits the Trinity College Archives. Photo by Paige Goodman.
During one of these research visits, I noticed something curious. While searching for related materials, I came across a Pat Strathy fonds held at the McMaster University Archives. The fonds consisted of two scrapbooks compiled by G.B. Strathy, documenting the life of his son Pat, a Trinity student who died while serving in the Second World War. Both Tristan and I remarked on how odd it seemed that these records, so deeply intertwined with Trinity’s history, had ended up elsewhere.
When Tristan travelled to McMaster to view the scrapbooks in person, he was struck by their depth and significance. He felt strongly that they belonged at Trinity and formally requested that the materials be transferred. I admit that I expected McMaster might decline. Instead, they graciously agreed.
The scrapbooks have arrived at the Trinity College Archives, and they are remarkable works that stand as a father’s act of remembrance, and an extraordinary historical record. Pat’s life story is rendered in loving detail through letters, documents, and photographs. A gifted math and physics student, Pat later served in the Royal Canadian Navy, where he was selected to work on an early form of radar technology. Sadly, he was killed while serving aboard H.M.S. Ajax during an encounter with Italian torpedo boats and destroyers, a loss that feels palpable through these volumes. Especially moving are photographs developed from Pat’s own camera after his death, offering a rare glimpse of the world as he saw it.
Photos of Pat Strathy found in the George Henry Kirkpatrick “Pat” Strathy scrapbooks. Photo by Paige Goodman.
The arrival of these scrapbooks at Trinity feels like a homecoming, made possible through Tristan’s care, initiative, and commitment to ensuring his family’s history is thoughtfully cared for. The Archives are deeply grateful for his advocacy and trust. The scrapbooks are also closely linked to the scholarships established in the names of Pat and G.B. Strathy, giving present and future students the opportunity to encounter the lives behind those names. These relationships are already beginning to take shape.
Recently, Gracelyn Yang, a Trinity student and recipient of the Chancellor Strathy Scholarship, spent time paging through the scrapbooks. Her response to them was so thoughtful that it is shared here in full:
“Looking through the scrapbooks, I was struck by the thought that, for all their size, two books seemed like a startlingly small container for an entire life. I learned that Pat was a brilliant mathematician, played the piano, and liked to keep his watch accurate to the second. I am sure that he was so much more than paper can hold, but it was truly a gift to spend time with a life so carefully remembered.”
Trinity student and Chancellor Strathy Scholarship recipient Gracelyn Yang examines one of the scrapbooks. Photo by Lindsay Grant.
It is quite a gift. The Strathy family’s generosity has long supported Trinity students. By bringing these scrapbooks to the Trinity Archives, Tristan Strathy has added a deeply personal dimension to that legacy.