World War Two Begins

World War Two Begins

 

 

In 1938, the possibility of war in Europe seemed unavoidable. Most Canadians, including my mother, were very patriotic when it came to Britain. It seemed that almost everyone had family or relatives living in England or the British Isles. Back in those days many English, Scotch, Irish and even Canadians had served in the Army, Navy or the fledgling Air Force during World War One; the war to end all wars, they said. Now Germany was back at it again. They had walked into Poland and Lord Chamberlain was trying very hard to appease them. No one, including Mother, had much hope that he could avert war. I mention this as she was mad as hell, and bound and determined that if war did break out, she was going to find a way to help. We didn't have to wait long.

Canada declared war on Germany in 1939, the day following Britain's declaration. Right after that, Mother signed up for a motor mechanics course that was being offered by the Ford Motor Company. She then completed numerous first aid courses and helped organize a local "Women's Ambulance Corp." They were training to be ambulance drivers. She thought women could drive ambulances and consequently free men to do the fighting. When the Canadian Government called for women volunteers, all applied and were accepted. Mother was assigned to the R.C.A.F. (Royal Canadian Air Force).

Perhaps I should regress a bit and tell you about my mother's early history and why I believe she was so patriotic.

She was very proud of her British heritage. Her grandfather had fought the Maoris, in New Zealand, around the mid 1800's. As she said, he would sit her on his knee and tell her, and her brother and sisters, exciting tales of how he led his troops into battle for his Country and the Queen. Her father, James Smith, had fought in the Boer war, in South Africa, in 1881. He came from a well to do English family. He took up architecture in College and was a very popular rugby player.

Mother just wanted to follow in the steps of her military family. They lived near Sandhurst Military College, in England. Not too far away was Aldershot, home to many famous military regiments. Also nearby was Farnborough Airport where she and her brother would spend hours watching the planes and dreaming of how pilots must feel, so free of the earth. Her brother Albert was fascinated by airplanes and spent hours making wooden models of the biplanes they would watch. Later he learned to fly and accumulated many hours in his twenty years of flying as an instructor and as a bush pilot, in Northern Canada.

In many respects, I shared in her patriotism. I did a great deal of reading as a youth and had a couple of subscriptions to English magazines that featured World War One stories of the RAF and adventures of soldiers during the war. Like many young boys, I thought the stories of dog fights over France or Britain were exciting. We could almost see ourselves in that Sopwith Camel cockpit, fighting the Red Baron.

I had a good friend as a youth, his name was Bill Applegath. His father was a retired military man and Bill would often say that if war ever came he was going to join the army. We were great friends and had many shared interests. We liked to go hiking up Hollyburn Mountain, in West Vancouver. We both had dogs, we both raised chickens and we both built and flew model airplanes. Although we would speak of war once in awhile, I don't believe either one of us ever thought we would meet again in the future, both in uniform.