Search Results for: WREN

Lawrence Fish was born in Crowle, England in 1923. He was the eldest of four siblings. In school he went to seventh grade and then started to work in farming and driving trucks. Most of his childhood was spent working as well as helping with his siblings. In 1941, once he was old enough to enlist,

Joice Foley was born April 1, 1924, in Wick, in Hampshire, England.  It was a rural area where she has fond memories of the animals in the fields – and of the long walks to school and everywhere else.  Joice’s parents were in service, an occupation they expected her to join too.  Joice consequently left

John Colleran was born March 21, 1924 in Saintfield, Ontario.  He grew up in the Ontario countryside near Port Perry, attending a one room schoolhouse on nearby Scugog Island.  The family was hard hit by the Great Depression and John left high school in Grade 9 because the books were too expensive.  By then the

Brenda Reid (nee Cruikshank) was born August 24, 1924 in Beirut, Lebanon.  Her father was a doctor at the American University in Beirut, and Brenda attended the community school there; the family – including her mother and two younger sisters –  lived there in relative peace until the war.  In 1940 France came under the

Gwen Settle was born August 16, 1944 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  She was born into a military family; her father had served aboard a corvette during World War Two, and her mother had been a nurse, and her aunt was a WD.  The family relocated several times in early years, but upon completion of high

Raymond Goulet was born January 14, 1923 in Lawrence, Massachusetts.  His parents were French-Canadian, so Ray and his brothers grew up speaking French and English, and attending Catholic schools, all against the backdrop of the Great Depression.  When the war came, Ray chose to volunteer, while his two brothers were drafted.  He went through basic

Lloyd Bentley was born August 1, 1923.  He grew up in northern Ontario, in Kirkland Lake and Sault Ste Marie, during the Great Depression years; the family was on the move as Lloyd’s father searched for work.  When the war came, Lloyd joined the air force, and he began his training for the RCAF, following

Madge Trull was born July 22, 1922.  Madge is a Londoner, though she was born in Chile; her father was involved in the import-export trade.  He brought his young family back to England as his children were growing up, as he wanted them to be raised and educated in the proper English tradition.  Madge attended

Suzie Stohn was born in Toronto, growing up in the “Village”, not too far from Russell Hill Road in the city’s north end.  Her family was well off, fortunately insulated from the effects of the Depression.  Suzie lived a good life, enjoying school at BSS and in a boarding school in Quebec’s Eastern Townships.   From

Mike Vencel served in the Canadian Navy during the Cold War era.  He joined up in the 1950s, fresh out of high school in southern Ontario, with the goal of pursuing a trade.  Mike set his sights on becoming an electrician’s mate, and he served in this capacity on several ships, notably the HMCS Assiniboine

Paul Murphy served in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War.  Paul served aboard several ships, notably the Cobalt and the Wallaceburg, and he was involved in the RCN’s convoy system in the western Atlantic, working the triangle between New York City and Newfoundland.  Paul’s ships would escort convoys in that zone, both

Evelyn Bloom grew up in prewar Montreal, enjoying life near “her beautiful mountain”, while at the same time seeing the harsh realities of the Great depression.  When the war came, she and her sister decided to enlist.  They understood that Canada was under assault, and stories of U-Boats in the Gulf of St. Lawrence only