Story #1: Enough Already!

When we arrived in Vermillion, Alberta, it was December of 1942. The temperature was 60 below zero----- Fahrenheit. All the girls on our train were from the West, and we were all wearing silk stockings. (Actually they were all made of rayon in those days,) As we lined up on the station platform, we could not believe it when a CWAC Officer informed us that we would now march to our barracks. The girls from Vancouver and Victoria did not have any proper footwear for the prairie winter. By the time we reached the barracks, which were about a mile from the station, we were a sorry lot, suffering from frostbite. Our legs were the most common area afflicted. We were so bad they had to call in the civilian doctors from Vermillion to assist the CWAC Medical Officer. To this day I still cannot tolerate any coldness on my legs.

When I was overseas in England, I was stationed just outside of Southampton. The area received frequent bombing raids from the Buzz Bombs, as they were called. One night one of these Buzz Bombs landed just outside our barracks. When things settled down a bit we got up and straightened our room and then we all sat down and talked things over before going back to bed. Shortly after, bomb #2 fell----- BOOM----. We were all up again and then once again decided to go back to bed. Five minutes later down came bomb #3. After # 3 fell, my friend, another Ambulance Driver, went over to the window area, stood there and looked up into the sky. She yelled, "That is enough of that, we have to go to work in the morning!"

Story #2: Canadian TP- a great gift!

Parcels from home or friends were always a big event overseas. One day I received a parcel from my friends and roommates in Work Point Barracks, Victoria, B.C. They had most wisely wrapped and filled corners with good "Canadian Toilet Paper". I never knew till much later that my letter of thanks went far because I had said "You girls are so very thoughtful. Thanks for packing with and filling in with toilet paper. After using the papers from over here, my seat has got the giggles."