The War Brides, Part 6: Jean Margaret McArthur

 

By Terrie Todd

At age 17, Jean Margaret McArthur was evacuated from London to the British countryside by the company she worked for. Jean’s love story began with a blind date. Though dubious, she agreed to go out with the Canadian soldier. She then agreed to a second date, and it was on that date that he proposed. Naturally, she thought he was crazy. He won her over, though, with the words, “As soon as I looked at you I said to myself, ‘Here’s the girl I’m going to marry.’”

And so she was. They got married on a 48-hour pass, but her new husband extended it an extra 24 hours. When he returned to his camp, his officer rewarded him with 21 days of KP (Kitchen Patrol), 21 days of CB (Confined to Barracks), and 21 days without pay. He figured it was worth it.

By 1945, Jean had moved to London to be closer to her family before leaving for Canada. With two young children by this time, the amount of paperwork was daunting. Jean wanted to wait until her husband was free to return home, but after a near miss with an incendiary bomb, he begged her to take the children to Canada. She left on March 31. 1945, crying with the conviction that she’d never see her parents again. She was 22 and her children were two and ten months old. Jean had a clear sense that she was burning her bridges and must make the most of it.

The RMS Franconia

Jean’s voyage on the troop ship Franconia felt like a mixed blessing. She appreciated the abundance of food and the kindness of the crew. But due to limited amounts of fresh water, she had to drag two babies down to the ship’s hold for washing. She arrived in Halifax feeling dirty and disheveled—not the way she wanted to meet her in-laws for the first time. She described her overnight stay in a hostel there as worse than an air raid. Her children refused to settle, and Jean spent the night cuddling them and crying with them.

War brides and their children en route to Canada. Photo taken in England, 17 April 1944. (photo by Lieut. W.J. Hynes, Canadian Department of National Defence, courtesy Library and Archives Canada / PA-147114)

 

At the end of her train journey, her mother-in-law was there to meet them and Jean easily recognized her from a photograph. The man with her, however, left Jean baffled and more than a little disconcerted. She hadn’t seen her husband in eighteen months, and never in civilian clothing. This man looked like him, but not in an attractive way. Had her soldier somehow made it home? Her relief was palpable when she realized it was her brother-in-law. Her husband came home six months later—as handsome as ever to Jean.

Housing was scarce in the postwar years, but eventually Jean and her husband were able to purchase an old building and renovate it into a home in Fredericton, New Brunswick. There, they raised their children. Having been raised in London, Jean always felt sorry for her children because “all they had was a big backyard and all the woods to run in.”

Fredericton's City Hall

Sources:

Promise You’ll Take Care of My Daughter: The Remarkable War Brides of World War II, by Ben Wicks, Stoddart Publishing, Toronto 1993

Nina’s one task is to keep her family together while a world war threatens to rip them apart.

 Warned they “mustn’t cry,” British teenager Nina Gabriel and her two young siblings board a ship bound for Canada as part of the WWII child evacuee program in 1940. Nina’s mischievous brother and seasick sister test her limits on the long voyage—but her burden of responsibility grows still heavier in Canada.

 Determined to fulfill her promise to her parents, Nina battles to keep the siblings together through what they all hoped would be no more than one school term. Months turn into years. Unfamiliar Canadian customs, a foster sister who resents them, the mysterious deaths of their host family’s other children, and the birth of a new brother back in England complicate Nina’s world. It doesn’t help when David, the boy she’s grown to love, enlists in the Air Force with no end to the war in sight.

When a telegram arrives after a London bombing, will Nina find a way to fulfill her promise for the brother she’s never met? Will the Gabriel siblings learn that each of them is loved, even if they cry?

Terrie Todd's novels are set mostly in Manitoba, Canada, were she lives with her husband, Jon, in Portage la Prairie. They have three adult children and five grandsons. Her next novel, Even If I Perish, releases in November 2025.

 

Follow Terrie here:

Blog

Facebook

Quarterly Newsletter Sign-up

Andrew Jackson Higgins by Nancy J. Farrier

During World War II, General Dwight Eisenhower was quoted saying Andrew Higgins is, “the man who won the war for us.” Adolf Hitler spoke of Higgins as “the new Noah.” Who is this man who left such an impression on the top commanders of their respective armies?

Photo by Higgins Industries, Public Domain
Wikiemedia Commons

 

Higgins was born in 1886 and his parents were residents of Columbus, Nebraska. His father was active in politics, a lawyer, judge, and editor of a paper. Andrew’s father died from a fall when Andrew was seven years old. Afterwards, his mother moved them to Omaha, but there were hard times with no husband and little money.

 

At nine years of age, Andrew became an entrepreneur. He started a lawn service in addition to running several newspaper delivery routes. He was the business manager, hiring older boys to do the actual work. 

 

Andrew attended Creighton Prep school until his junior year, when he was expelled for brawling. He then joined the 2^nd Nebraska Infantry, part of the National Guard. Through this unit, he had his first taste of amphibious training in the waters of the Platte River.

 

In 1906, he went into the lumber business in Mobile, Alabama. In 1922, he opened the Higgins Lumber and Export Co. in New Orleans. They imported hardwood from the Phillipines, Central America, and Africa. He also acquired the largest fleet of sailing ships in the US. He also opened his own shipyard to do repairs. 

 

Higgins Boat, Wikimedia Commons

In 1926, Higgins designed the Eureka boat, used by oil drillers and trappers along the coast and in the Mississippi River. The boat was made for use in shallow waters, making it easy to navigate. He added a “spoonbill” bow, allowing the boat an easy way to be beached on a riverbank.

 

When boat trade declined, Higgins kept on by designing and producing motorboats, tugs, and barges for individuals and firms, but also for the Coast Guard. 

 

In 1938, the Marine Corps was looking for an easier way to get men across a beach via amphibious landing. They expressed an interest in Andrew’s boat designs. They tested the Eureka boat, which surpassed their expectations. The only drawback was the soldiers would have to clamber over the sides to the beach. 

 

Plan for Higgins Boat
Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons

Meanwhile, the Japanese were using ramp-bowed landing boats. When Higgins was shown a picture of the Japanese craft, he contacted his engineers and described the ramp-bowed idea and asked them to have drawings for him to examine when he returned. Within a month, Higgins had a boat built and ready for testing. The boat passed with flying colors.

 

Thus was developed the LCVP (landing craft, vehicle, personnel), or the “Higgins Boat.” All during WWII Andrew’s plant produced what the Navy needed from landing craft to torpedo boats, to gun turrets and smoke generators.

 

One of the statistics I read for this post said that 93% of the boats used to transport soldiers to the beaches in Normandy and other landings were Higgins boats designed by Andrew Higgins. He had a great impact on the war 

 

Memorial: by A. Carty, Wikimedia Commons

Andrew Higgins died in 1952 in New Orleans. He held 30 patents, most of them for amphibious landing craft and vehicles. He held an honorary Doctor of Law degree from Creighton University in Omaha, bestowed in 1943. There is a memorial to him in Columbus, Nebraska, his birthplace.

 

He started in humble beginnings working a lawn business and delivering papers. He was quoted as saying, “If it had not been for the Missouri River at Omaha there would have been no Higgins Industries of New Orleans..." They turned out ships, planes, engines, guns and what have you for the army and navy. Looking at the Missouri shallows, its snags and driftwood led to his first shallow-draft boat. Everything else came from that.

 

Have you heard to the “Higgins Boat?” I know we’ve all seen pictures of them on the beaches disgorging troops, but I didn’t know the name of them or their designer. Andrew Higgins played an important role in WWII with his boat designs. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Nancy J Farrier is an award-winning, best-selling author who lives in Southern Arizona in the Sonoran Desert. She loves the Southwest with its interesting historical past. When Nancy isn’t writing, she loves to read, do needlecraft, play with her cats and dog, and spend time with her family. You can read more about Nancy and her books on her website: nancyjfarrier.com.

Gault & Galt: A Family Legacy

 By Tiffany Amber Stockton

Only 1 more month until the festivities surrounding the 100th annual Pony Penning Day celebrations, but I'll cover that in July. :) Actually, the famous fair is having a special allowance this year and will be open every weekend during both June and July. I recently shared some family history with my daughter, and that set me to thinking about family legacy.

If you missed last month's post about the Beebe family legacy on Chincoteague, you can view it here.

When History Gets Personal

When I was a little girl, my mom read me the beloved classic Misty of Chincoteague. I was completely captivated—wild ponies, island adventures, brave kids. But the best part? My mom didn’t stop at the story. She followed it up with tales of her own childhood and how her dad actually knew Grandpa Beebe, Paul, and Maureen. Then she pulled out a photo—a real picture—of her standing next to Misty. The Misty.

To little me, it was like finding out my mom and grandfather were local celebrities. In my eyes, they kind of were.

But let’s rewind a bit. Way back to 1919, when my grandfather—Pop-pop, as I called him—was born on Chincoteague Island. His parents, Daniel W. Gault, Sr. and Carrie Jester Gault, each brought a child from previous marriages, and together they had seven more. Pop-pop was the first of those seven. A big, bustling family.

In 1925, when Pop-pop was just six years old, the very first official Pony Penning Day took place. I love imagining him as a little boy, heart racing as he ran toward the beach, waiting for the moment when the saltwater cowboys would herd the wild ponies across the channel from Assateague to Chincoteague for the big auction. That tradition still lives on today, but for him—it was just part of growing up.

The Great Depression hit everyone hard, and my family was no exception. My mom used to tell me how Pop-pop’s father, my great-grandfather, would get creative just to keep the family going. He’d cut up old car tires to use the rubber for resoling shoes. Can you imagine? That kind of grit always stuck with me. By age 13, Pop-pop was already cutting hair in his dad’s barbershop to help make ends meet.

He graduated from high school in 1937, and not long after, the family sold the island barbershop and moved to Washington, D.C. That’s where he met my grandmother, Esther Mae Seiple. They got married after he returned from serving in the Army for five years stationed in the Panama Canal during WWII. After the war, he joined his father once again, this time at the “Father & Son Barber Shop” on Pennsylvania Avenue, just steps from Capitol Hill.

And let me tell you, their client list was impressive. Senators, congressmen, and D.C.’s elite sat in their chairs. It ran in the family, apparently. Another branch of our family, the Galts (spelled without the “u”), owned Galt & Bro., Inc. Jewelers. That shop served U.S. presidents and opened in 1802, right near the White House. The stories that came out of that business—like fixing Abraham Lincoln’s watch during the first shots at Fort Sumpter, or Edith Galt marrying President Woodrow Wilson—could fill an entire book. Maybe that can be my next project.

 

But back to Pop-pop.

Around 1952, not long after Congress opened a barbershop in the Capitol basement, my great-grandfather retired and moved back to Chincoteague. That left Pop-pop running the D.C. shop on his own. He kept it going until 1966 when Safeway bought out the block for a new loading dock. That’s when he, my grandmother, and my mom (who was born in 1950) packed up and moved to Suitland, Maryland.

He rented a chair in a barbershop in Fairfax Village, and that’s where my older brother had his very first haircut. Pop-pop stayed there, cutting hair and telling stories, until 1979 when he returned to his roots on Chincoteague Island. He took over a barbershop there and moved into a little apartment across the street.

That apartment became special to me. I can still picture myself sitting on his knee, spinning wild tales about my brother and me being in some sort of danger, and Pop-pop swooping in to save the day. What can I say? I’ve always been a storyteller...even at age four. :)

Sadly, our time together didn’t last as long as I wish it had. Pop-pop passed away from a heart attack in 1983. I was only seven. But the stories, the history, and the legacy we shared have stayed with me ever since.

And now, through this blog and the books I’m currently writing, his story lives on.

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN:

* Do you have a family story that connects you to a famous place, person, or moment in history? Share how your family’s past has shaped your perspective or inspired you.

* What childhood memory or family tradition still sticks with you today, and why? Whether it’s a holiday ritual, a special person, or a place you visited, we’d love to hear about it.

* Have you ever felt a personal connection to a book or story that tied into your real life? Maybe like me with Misty of Chincoteague, a fictional tale suddenly felt real. What is it?

Leave answers to these questions or any comments on the post below.

** This note is for our email readers. Please do not reply via email with any comments. View the blog online and scroll down to the comments section.

Come back on the 9th of each month for my next foray into historical tidbits to share.

---

BIO

Tiffany Amber Stockton has embellished stories since childhood, thanks to a very active imagination and notations of talking entirely too much. Honing those skills led her to careers as an award-winning and best-selling author and speaker, while also working as a professional copywriter/copyeditor. She loves to share life-changing products and ideas with others to help them get rooted and live a life of purpose.

Currently, she lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, along with their two children, three dogs, and three cats in southeastern Kentucky. In her 20+ years as a professional writer, she has sold twenty-six (26) books so far and has agent representation with Tamela Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. You can find her on Facebook and GoodReads.

The War Brides, Part 5: Connie Burrill

By Terrie Todd

SS Duchess of Bedford

The British War Brides who came to Canada found a whole new world waiting for them. Connie Burrill, leaving her husband Henry behind with his unit, took comfort from the other brides aboard the SS Duchess of Bedford. These women began to realize their lives were about to change when the music on board morphed from Vera Lynn to some brand of country music. 

1940s British singer Vera Lynn

When someone declared, “That’s good old Don Messer and his Islanders,” they realized the music was being transmitted from Canada and they were close enough to receive radio signals.

A record album cover

Connie had mixed feelings, going ashore in Halifax. She’d heard that live bands had played to welcome war brides ashore from other ships, but to her disappointment, none appeared. The women found themselves in a large building with rows of desks and tables spaced across the floor. As she sat at one desk, being interviewed, Connie felt warmly welcomed. She was handed an envelope containing free meal tickets for the remainder of her journey, as well as a newspaper clipping in which her husband appeared in uniform. Someone had clearly invested time and effort into making her feel welcome.

The women were given bed and board at a Salvation Army hostel and were thrilled with hot baths and an abundance of food. Imagine two boiled eggs for breakfast after being limited to a ration of one egg per week! Touring the streets of Halifax, the women gaped at all the food in store windows, hardly believing things like bananas and oranges were real.

Saying goodbye to her friends—and her last connection to home—was difficult. A Salvation Army captain escorted Connie to her train for Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, and his kindness helped alleviate her nerves about meeting her husband’s family without him.

In Yarmouth, Connie began to realize how her wartime experiences back home had affected her. “I would dive under the kitchen table from pure reflexes in heavy thunder and lightning storms,” she said. To her, it sounded like gunfire and bombs. One funny thought that struck her as she walked down a street was how everybody “spoke Canadian—even the children!” Though she laughed at her own foolishness, she longed to hear another English accent.

Connie’s husband arrived home three months after Connie. Although the transition wasn’t easy, Connie adopted the biblical attitude of “Your people shall be my people.” It served her well and, though she never forgot her English heritage, she enjoyed living in Canada as a Canadian citizen.

Sources:

Promise You’ll Take Care of My Daughter: The Remarkable War Brides of World War II, by Ben Wicks, Stoddart Publishing, Toronto 1993

One secret. Three sisters. One is desperate to discover the truth. One wishes the truth would simply go away. And one would give her life to keep the truth hidden forever.

“I couldn’t stop turning the pages of this compelling story! … With God’s help, good can come from evil, and that lesson is beautifully shown in April’s Promise. I recommend this story for lovers of Christian fiction and compelling stories.” 

-Jeanne, Goodreads

April’s Promise won the 2024 Word Award and was a finalist in the 2024 Carol Awards.

Terrie Todd’s novels are set mostly in Manitoba, Canada where she lives with her husband, Jon, in Portage la Prairie. They have three adult children and five grandsons. Her next novel, Even If I Perish, releases in November 2025.

Follow Terrie here:

Blog

Facebook

Quarterly Newsletter Sign-up

The War Brides, Part 4: Jean Chartrand

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.

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!

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.

 

Terrie Todd’s novels are set mostly in Manitoba, Canada where she lives with her husband, Jon, in Portage la Prairie. They have three adult children and five grandsons. Her next novel, Even If I Perish, releases in November 2025.

Follow Terrie here:

Blog

Facebook

Quarterly Newsletter Sign-up