Better call Billy - Glimpses of the Past with Karen Webster

Some people bring light into a room by entering it; others cause light in a room by their vocation. A perfect example of the latter was William Cecil Thuell, commonly known as Billy. He was born May 31, 1896 on a farm just southwest of Brussels, one of nine children of William Chapple Thuell and his wife, Mary Jane Smith. When he was 17, he began to work for his uncles’ business called Thuell Bros. at their feed mill and the steam-powered generator plant that provided the village of Brussels with streetlights.

In August of 1919, Billy took over the power plant in Blyth and it was in that village that he spent most of his career. Even though he did work as an electrician at the Domestic Gas and Oil Company in Bothwell (1943-1944) as well as for short periods at the Clinton Radar School and the Guelph Reformatory (1951), he always returned to Blyth.

What amazing changes to the business of electricity occurred during his career! When Billy took over the power plant from Walter Taylor in Blyth, there was a generator along Blyth Creek on the west side of Queen Street. There was a generator which was a 30-kilowatt machine with 133 cycles, driven by a high-speed engine. There were two boilers of about 75 BHP which were used one at a time. The steam had to be kept up at all times as it was used in operating the Geddes-Tyson sawmill, as well as the fire pump.

The early arc lights, operated by a direct current, were made up of two carbon sticks. When contact was made, they had an effect similar to the electrodes of an arc welder. The light, much brighter than an arc welder’s, was accompanied by a noisy sputtering. The plant was owned by the municipality and was operated by one man. The cost of lighting for homes around 1920 was about $1 or $2 per month with lights on only at night.

The Ontario Power Company began generating electricity in 1905 by harnessing the magnificent flow of the Niagara River before it spilled over the falls by diverting some of the water through turbines at the Niagara Generating Plant. By 1910, lines were built to take the electrical power to Toronto. Shortly after World War I, power was being distributed to smaller municipalities and, in 1924, electricity came to Blyth. Lines connecting most rural properties to the grid were in place after World War II. With the advent of electricity coming to Blyth, a new career opened up for Billy, as an electrician, wiring homes and farms to receive power to run lights, which was the first use of the utility. Slowly, other uses were found to be beneficial and homeowners began to purchase labour-saving devices. That led the way to another opportunity for Billy - that of running the Blyth Electric Shop.

As well as being in charge of the power distribution in Blyth, Billy was in charge of the waterworks under the umbrella of the Public Utilities Commission. At first, the water lines in the village, which were installed in 1912, were solely for fire prevention and suppression. It would be 1953 before the taxpayers could see the benefit of a village-wide network of waterlines.

In 1919, Billy had married Ruth Breckenridge and to them were born, William Ross, Joseph Samuel, Margaret Ruth, Violet Mae and Jeanette Isabella. Ruth Thuell was a steadfast support to Billy. She relayed the calls of distress that came at all hours of the clock. Billy was known for his even temperament and arrived at the site of the electrical or water breakdown with a cheerful attitude and quickly sought to remedy the problem. One man who knew him said, “He belonged to the old school: love of work and interest in people came first, and remuneration last.” An industrious sort, Billy supplemented his income by running his own electrical business. In 1949, his son Ross, who had been the manager of the Seaforth PUC, and Ken Forbes joined Billy in his business.

Following Billy’s retirement from the Public Utilities Commission in 1972, a large reception was held in his honour at Memorial Hall on April 25. The venue was packed and so popular was Billy that some people had to be turned away. It was an evening of remembrances and accolades for the man who had kept Blyth well supplied with electricity and water. He was also honoured by his peers in the Huron Chapter of the Ontario Electric League in the same year.

Sadly, the great heart of William “Billy” Thuell stopped beating on June 29, 1976. He left behind a legacy of service. In addition to his professional life, he had been a school board trustee, a member of Trinity Anglican Church, Blyth and a member of both the Orange Lodge and the Independent Order of Oddfellows. Also beneficiaries of his time and talent were the Blyth Fire Department and the Huron Pioneer Thresher and Hobby Association.

Billy’s final resting place was at the Brussels Cemetery.

In 2000, a delegation approached North Huron Council proposing a memorial park for the man who gave so much to the village of Blyth. The green space was to be located where Billy supervised his final project: the site of the burial of a large storage tank.
On Sunday, July 15, 2001 this proposal came to fruition when a plaque was unveiled at the Billy Thuell Memorial Park located at the waterworks at the corner of Queen and Thuell Streets.  

Now residents and visitors can enjoy some relaxation and reflect on the man who worked to keep the lights in Blyth burning brightly.