What do children of veterans really know about wars and their parents’ part in it?
It could be they paid close attention in history classes and absorbed every nuance told to them like a sponge. It might be that one of their homework assignments was to interview a veteran and write a full report. Maybe info was gained while eavesdropping on Dad with his cronies one afternoon. But it seems to me sitting down and having a fulsome chat with that same parent as an adult might never have occurred.
What the writing group for the book Veterans of Innisfil discovered was the topic was basically one to be avoided; photos and documents were best left in the boxes in the basement — until, that is, one of our interviewers came along in 2011 asking.
Word got out: The Innisfil Historical Society is at it again. This time, the book is about veterans, both male and female, plus stories and memories of those who kept the home fires burning.
I hope you enjoy these selected excerpts:
From Vernon Abrams (who died in 2012 before the book was published): When Dad (Walter Abrams) was overseas, we (my mother, brother and I) lived with Mom’s parents at Highfield in the Weston area, where the Woodbine Racetrack now stands. I can remember Mom and her parents shipping many packages to Dad. I was six years old when Dad came home. I remember going to Union Station in Toronto and meeting the trains — many, many trains and many, many soldiers.
In 2019, Bonnie Abrams, wife of Vernon, kindly mailed us this ‘welcome home’ banner as an Innisfil Historical Society keepsake. Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Bonnie.
From Judy (Belton) Slinger: Dad (Victor Henry Belton) received the 1939-45 (France and Germany Star). I remember going to the Stroud post office to mail him parcels. Sometimes she even sent food. He used to send me postcards and I still treasure the ones from Holland and France even though I was too young to really remember much about him. Finally Dad returned home after sailing to Halifax on the Queen Elizabeth. We were in a big building called the coliseum and Mom kept saying, “There’s your dad,” but I didn’t know him. All I could see was a very large group of men in uniform who all looked alike to me. Dad seldom discussed the war, except to say the food was awful and that he looked forward to packages from home. It never pays to eavesdrop and yet I did. He spoke about bodies stacked up like piles of wood. This created an unforgettable image in my mind.
From Mary (Fox) Taylor and Kathy (Fox) Thompson: Ronald Aubrey Fox joined the army on Sept. 28, 1940 and married Bernice Bugg two months later. He served in the Caribbean, the U.K. and the Mediterranean where he sustained head and leg injuries from shrapnel and (was) taken prisoner in Italy. Here are snippets from his prisoner of war journal: Jan. 26, 1945: Left the hospital in a covered wagon drawn by two grey horses and came to Stalag 339. Feb 25: More than 300 prisoners here now. Food portions smaller and stew thinner. 50 Canadians. Mar. 1: Called out at 5pm roll call. Made camp gardener and put on permanent staff.
From Mehdi Imtiaz, peacekeeper with the Canadian Armed Forces since 1980: My family has never been with me on my deployments (Sudan, Afghanistan) with Ecuador being the exception when I was teaching a military observer course during the summer months — a rare treat indeed. For all military families, there is a high price to be paid when the father figure is missing. I have heard: “Why do you have to go, Dad?”
Truly, I could have filled many pages with these poignant clips of memories. Instead, I am encouraging all interested parties to come out to Innisfil Town Hall on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 2 p.m. to listen to two children of Second World War veterans (Sue Jessup and David Taylor) tell their parents’ stories. You might even have a story of your own to add and you might even care to buy a society membership. Love to see you there. Please note, our change of location is for this upcoming meeting only.
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