Living History

WWII 1939 – 1945 in Canada

Everywhere you went were boys and men in uniform because Canada was at war with Germany! Now was a very sad time and yet a time when we had lots of fun going to 'Wing Parades' and cocktails at the Officers Mess. It was fun putting on nice clothes for the boys. One of my girlfriends came home from a Wings Parade engaged - yes, only lasted a month but she had a great time. As time went on the affects of war made themselves visible and our food shelves became barer and barer and we needed ration tickets for nearly everything.

My Father signed up in the Royal Canadain Air Force the day after war was declared and we were lucky if we saw him twice a year. He was just in his element in the Air Force and made promotion rapidly finishing the war as a Wing Commander.

It was during these years that most of my friends left school and took jobs as Typists and Secretaries in the Government. It sounds terrible to say that although it was one of the saddest times in our lives it was also one of our happiest years - that is socially. I must confess that as a young person I did not notice , but it must have been very hard for my Mother to be parted from my Dad for such long periods ( this later caused a marriage break-up).

The scarcity of men in the city made it possible for the females to try their hand at harder jobs and they did themselves proud. As the final flying school (EFTS) was in Ottawa we girls were always meeting boys from every part of Canada as well as other parts of the world and if we ever got a chance we would like to travel and see them! It was to be many years before international flying was available for the passenger airlines.

Everyone had to buy 'War Bonds' and the money was taken out of our pay and was credited to an account in your name and when the war was over and things had settled down, you would receive your money. We all took it as forced saving and no-one grumbled. Before the movies started each night a picture would come on giving the amount donated each day etc. It became quite exciting and Department played against Department. We spent our spare time helping the boys studying at the beach on the weekends and spare evenings.

New cars were very expensive and scarce and if you were one of the lucky ones, whenever you stopped to shop etc everyone would come around to see what the future car was.

Five years was a very long time to be at war, saying goodbye to relatives and friends. My life was altered altogether as I met a very handsome gentleman and it came to pass that we were married and had a beautiful baby boy born in Ottawa, Canada, and when we settled in Melbourne we then had another son and a baby daughter who are now grown up with families of their own and a credit to us and we are very proud parents.

I have never regretted what the war led me into. I have had a wonderful married life, thanks to a kind and patient husband.

KJP, Mornington, Victoria

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