Elinor Florence's Blog, page 11
April 18, 2017
Canadian Lumberjacks Go To War
Thousands of lumberjacks, members of the Canadian Forestry Corps, logged the forests of Scotland during the Second World War to produce desperately-needed lumber for the war effort. Among them were Carl and Jack Jones, two brothers from Invermere, British Columbia.
March 14, 2017
What Did You Do in the Air Force, Grandma?
A treasure trove of photographs showing members of the Royal Canadian Air Force Women's Division performing their wartime duties has fallen into my hands. Although women weren't allowed to fly or to engage in combat, they filled many valuable roles and these photographs show them hard at work.
February 14, 2017
Abandon Ship! Ted Davis
Survived Torpedo Attack
Former naval pilot Ted Davis of Toronto, now 95 years old, will never forget the agonizing night of March 17, 1945 when his minesweeper HMCS Guysborough was torpedoed twice by a German submarine.
January 17, 2017
Raising the Halifax
A group of passionate volunteers at the Bomber Command Museum in the tiny town of Nanton, Alberta, are resurrecting the pieces of a Halifax bomber from the ocean floor near Sweden and bringing them to Canada, where they plan to rebuild an entire aircraft!
December 20, 2016
Christmas Cards in Wartime
The Christmas season was especially lonely for the homesick men and women serving overseas in wartime, as well as their families on the home front. Here are just a few examples of the many thousands of Christmas cards that winged their way between loved ones in both world wars.
November 15, 2016
Wartime Music To Warm the Heart
Since I started to write Wartime Wednesdays three years ago, my Top Ten Wartime Tunes is one of my most popular blog posts, drawing almost 10,000 visitors. With Remembrance Day still fresh in our minds, take a few minutes to walk down this musical memory lane, beginning with the wonderful Dame Vera Lynn.
October 18, 2016
Ship Named for Heroic Canadian Nurse
Sixty-eight years ago this month, a German submarine torpedoed the SS Caribou, a ferry travelling from Canada to Newfoundland. Within five minutes, the ferry sank to the bottom of the Atlantic. Margaret Brooke valiantly tried to save her friend Agnes Wilkie, who became the only Canadian nursing sister to die from enemy action in World War Two.
September 20, 2016
The Fighting Ballendines:
Four Generations Strong
Eight Métis brothers from Battleford, Saskatchewan served in the Canadian Army during World War Two, following in their father’s footsteps. One brother married and fathered a son while stationed in England, but returned to Canada without ever seeing the boy. The marriage ended, and Ben Ballendine died without knowing that both his British son Colin, and his British grandson Ian, continued the family tradition of The Fighting Ballendines. Here is their fascinating story.
August 23, 2016
New Book Available: My Favourite Veterans
It is my great pleasure to announce that a collection of twenty-eight veteran stories from my Wartime Wednesdays blog is now available as a printed book titled: My Favourite Veterans: True Stories From World War Two's Hometown Heroes. And in spite of my love for the internet and the way it has allowed me to make new friends all over the world, it is still VERY satisfying to hold the printed book in my hands!
July 19, 2016
Merle Taylor: Maven of Morse Code
When this Manitoba farm girl joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, she proved to be such a whiz at Morse Code that she was assigned to instruct the air crews. Now almost ninety-three, Merle still practises her dots and dashes every day, claiming that Morse Code keeps her mind sharp.
