By Terrie Todd
English War Bride Jean Chartrand said goodbye to her Canadian husband Wilfred in January 1946, when his unit was shipped back to Canada. Shortly afterward, Jean discovered she was pregnant, which only delayed her own departure. Though she didn’t know it then, it would take an entire year before she could join Wilfred in Oak Point, Manitoba.
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| Nottingham, England in 1946 Photo from Nottingham Facebook page |
After the birth of her son Garry, Jean awaited word. As Christmas approached, she assumed she and her baby would be celebrating with her parents in Nottingham. Suddenly, on December 4, she received word that she would be sailing on December 9 and would have to take the train to London on the eighth. Although she’d been packing odds and ends into trunks for months, it was a scramble to pull everything together for her departure and fill out all the necessary forms. She and the other war brides stayed at the YWCA in London overnight, then boarded the train for Liverpool. She could have taken the train from Nottingham to Liverpool in less than half the time, but procedures had to be followed. (A look at the map below will show you how ridiculous that trip was.)
Map from Google Maps
The morning their ship was to dock in Halifax, the war
brides awoke to a snowstorm. They were not allowed to disembark until the
troops onboard went. Having been told that the brides would become Canadian
citizens as soon as they stepped onto the docks—and determined to be first—Joan
ran down the gangplank. On the deck, a burly military officer ordered her back
onto the ship. When they could finally get off, the women found their trunks in
a huge shed. Red Cross workers gave them hot drinks and cookies, plus clothing
and other supplies for their children. They were given an opportunity to
exchange their pounds sterling for Canadian currency before boarding trains to
complete their journeys.
When they reached Montreal, the brides were told to go to the dining car for their evening meal while a Red Cross nurse cared for their children. The women welcomed the break. Unfortunately, the railroad chose that time to split the train cars between those going on to Toronto and those going to Winnipeg. You can imagine the chaos when the mothers discovered their dining car sat a mile away from the car on which their children remained. It took about an hour to reconnect mothers with children, but not without a lot of squalling, squawking, and distress.
When she arrived in Winnipeg, Jean could not find Wilf. She’d rarely seen him out of uniform. When a smiling man approached in a blue parka, relief flooded her to realize it was her husband. At long last!
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| Winnipeg's Union Station - courtesy Historical Winnipeg Facebook page |
At her new home in Oak Point, Jean met her mother-in-law who spoke mostly French. Jean’s French was rusty, but she brushed up. Her first Christmas brought deep loneliness for home and family. She recalls showing up to a community event wearing a kilt, sweater, tweed jacket, knee socks, and brogues. She was freezing! By her second winter, she knew to wear ski pants, a doeskin shirt, parka, and snow boots. Electricity would not arrive in Oak Point for three more years.
Years later, Jean was able to join a War Brides Association, where members could reminisce, share their experiences, and laugh about the many faux pas they made when first introduced to their new country.
Sources:
Promise You’ll Take Care of My Daughter: The Remarkable War Brides of World War II, by Ben Wicks, Stoddart Publishing, Toronto 1993
Rural Electrification, Manitoba Historical Society Archives, https://www.mhs.mb.ca/
Orphaned and adopted as a toddler in
1922, Lilly Sampson pursues a nursing career in hopes it will redeem the
shameful crime of arson she committed as a child. When her self-sabotaging
choices only build the ash heap higher, Lilly prepares to sacrifice everything
for the sake of a child she tried to abort. Can Lilly reconcile with the one
person who shares all her secrets and find the strength to raise a son with
special needs?
2019: While unraveling a mysterious link in her ancestry, 36-year-old Diana DeWitt is fear-stricken by the two most staggering invitations of her life: to adopt a teenager’s baby, and to marry her best friend. Will the truth Diana uncovers about her Grandmother Lilly release the grip of rejection and free her to embrace a life she only dreamed of?
Lilly’s Promise received the 2023 Best Fiction Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild.
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