In 1941 when women were finally being enlisted in the Armed Forces, I enlisted in the women's Army Corps and became W- 13080. The first company was made up of 87 of us who had been in the Alberta Women's Corps. This was a "voluntary" organization that hoped to "Go Active". There was no CWAC barracks for us, so some of us were billeted with private families. We wore our Alberta Women's Service Corps uniforms until they were threadbare. That first winter we were issued small size Men's Great Coats and Red Arm Bands. In January, much to the delight of everyone we finally got our new CWAC uniforms. Our pay was ninety cents a day. The first of October I was posted to Calgary, Alberta, to No. 13 District Depot on Documentation. In June of '42 I was promoted to Corporal and transferred to the district Depot Office still at Mewata Barracks.

In November 1942, the first draft of women went overseas. The second draft was getting ready and I was lucky to be on it, We spent a month in Ottawa, Ontario, at Argyll Barracks, and left for Halifax on Dec. 16th and there boarded the Queen Elizabeth II. Once again I was a Private. They didn't need a lot of corporals and I really wanted to go. After three and a half days we landed in Gourock, Scotland.

My "home" on the Lizzie was Main Deck, upper berth, room 31, and first sitting, table 61 "R" Deck in the Officers Dining Room.

We travelled by train to London and arrived at midnite December 19 1942 at our barracks (an old hotel) on Surrey Street. This was 42 Coy. CWAC. We were then posted to offices at CMHQ in Trafalgar Square. I was a General Duty Clerk in "G" Branch for two months, and then moved to SDI section where once again I was a corporal. In July 1943 I was once again transferred to the historical Section where the History of the War was being written as it happened.

In October 1944 the opportunity came along for a move to a Canadian Section 21 Army Group, 2nd Echelon in Belgium. I had been an acting Staff Sergeant for a whole day but still wanted to travel and be a little bit closer to my brother again. Once again I was a Private, and on the move. I landed in Ostende, Belgium on Dec. 22nd and driven to Oalst. In July 1945 we moved up to Germany, and our home in Lemgo was a former German Officer's Training Camp. By Sept, V.E. Day and V.J. Day had come and gone. Some of us were rotated home. On Sept. 3rd 1945, ten of us boarded the Empress of Scotland in London. I was in Cabin115 "A" Deck, berth3 (upper), No.2 dining Room, Table 5, 3rd sitting.

We arrived in Quebec Sept. 9th in the morning. We boarded trains by Provinces and my friend Gertie P. and I were the only women on the train from Quebec City to Calgary, Alberta. In Calgary I boarded a train for Edmonton. This close to home we were allowed to mingle with the men. After a month of Disembarkation Leave at home I went back to Calgary and was discharged on Oct. 27th 1945.

Four years and two days after I enlisted, I was a civilian once again.