It took almost three years after the war began when the women’s division was created for the Royal Naval Service. And boy, there were people, especially men, who did not know how to react to have women aboard. I remember my former employer believed that all women were prostitutes and I took exception to that. Yet as the war progressed, men were starting to feel more at ease with this new concept. Of course many of the friends I made were women, but I had made some remarkable friends that were men. A great friend of mine, Captain F.L. Houghton, knew I was a Wren with my blue stripes on my uniform, in contrast to his gold. He wasn’t so fond of me at first, with the issue of being a woman at war, but he soon saw my dedication and noticed I had always accomplished every task as he asked. He was in fact the man who introduced me to my husband, and I still keep in touch with Captain Houghton to this day. One of the first friends I made was Commodore Percy Nelles. He was very passionate about his work and never judged me once. A few months after I came, he was called to go on a fighting ship, HCMS Ottawa, a destroyer vessel, to help Britain in the Battle of the Atlantic. After the war, I learnt that out of the 341 Canadian fighting ships, his was one of the 21 ships that were lost. I was devastated. Do you remember some of the friends that you have made? What about the ones that you lost? If so, how did you feel when you heard about the news?Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Remembering friends that I made/lost
It took almost three years after the war began when the women’s division was created for the Royal Naval Service. And boy, there were people, especially men, who did not know how to react to have women aboard. I remember my former employer believed that all women were prostitutes and I took exception to that. Yet as the war progressed, men were starting to feel more at ease with this new concept. Of course many of the friends I made were women, but I had made some remarkable friends that were men. A great friend of mine, Captain F.L. Houghton, knew I was a Wren with my blue stripes on my uniform, in contrast to his gold. He wasn’t so fond of me at first, with the issue of being a woman at war, but he soon saw my dedication and noticed I had always accomplished every task as he asked. He was in fact the man who introduced me to my husband, and I still keep in touch with Captain Houghton to this day. One of the first friends I made was Commodore Percy Nelles. He was very passionate about his work and never judged me once. A few months after I came, he was called to go on a fighting ship, HCMS Ottawa, a destroyer vessel, to help Britain in the Battle of the Atlantic. After the war, I learnt that out of the 341 Canadian fighting ships, his was one of the 21 ships that were lost. I was devastated. Do you remember some of the friends that you have made? What about the ones that you lost? If so, how did you feel when you heard about the news?
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I am glad to hear that even though this war was so devastating, you still managed to make some great friends! As a nurse in the war, the people I was around most of the time were other nursing sisters and doctors. I had a good friend who was a Doctor, I called him Doctor Kennel. Many doctors felt that nurses were useless and they could help the patients without our assistance, but Doctor Kennel believed that nurses were just as good as doctors even though they were women. I usually worked as partners with Doctor Kennel during surgeries and we would be very compatible and understood how each other worked and thought.
ReplyDeleteAnother friend I made was a nursing sister by the name of Kathleen Christie. She was one of the prisoners of war with me in Hong Kong. During such a hard time, I was glad she was there with me. Each night after a long day's work, we would sit down together and talk about our feelings. She taught me how to be more patient and to tolerate situations even though it could be hard. I saw many Japanese soldiers hurt the Canadian men but Kathleen taught me that in order to survive, I would only have to do my job correctly and pray for those who were injured. Those 44 months went by much faster with her by my side!
A good friend of mine that I lost was a soldier by the name of Craig Munnel. He was one of the prisoners of war at Hong Kong also. He wasn’t a very experienced soldier but just like the other troops, Britain sent him on this “suicide mission.” Munnel was a young man but he was very charming and showed a lot of knowledge. Before he recruited in this war, he attended medical school and wanted to become a future doctor. Munnel and I talked a lot and he was very interested in the medical works I did every day. Sadly, accidents happen and during battle, a Canadian soldier was aiming for the Japanese but shot Munnel in the chest. I will never forget this young man and I pray every night he will Rest in Peace.
I was fortunate enough to not have lost anyone very close to me in the war. My brother was too young to go to war and my father was retired. However, my father’s cousin’s son, Daniel Hayes, went missing while defending Hong Kong and was never seen again. I had only met Daniel once as a child, but it was still difficult to know someone I was related to was gone for good as a result of war.
ReplyDeleteOn a positive note, I made dozens of life-long friends in the factory, most of whom were women. The few male workers in the factory believed they were better than us because they received higher wages and were more burly and important than we were. Like the Wrens, the men soon learned of how capable and efficient we were and began to trust our abilities. On my first day at work in the Toronto branch of John Inglis plant, I met my life-long best friend Margaret. We worked alongside each other right up until 1945 when were forced to leave the plant, and shared many of the same ideas that women were capable of mothering children and working. Meeting good friends was what kept me going!
The majority of the friends I made, died. We went into our missions knowing that our general chance of success was 5% and so naturally, most of us did not make it.
ReplyDeleteI never officially heard the news. It was either they died in front of me during a mission, or they just never came back. When someone failed to return, we never really talked about it. We all just knew in our hearts what had happened.
I am still haunted by my memories of the war. I have frequent nightmares about interrogations, bombings and dangerous missions. Occasionally though, I'll have a glimpse of one of my friends or comrades. To these, I usually wake up screaming, to a pillow soaked with tears. It is a painfully terrifying experience to relive those memories. Do any of you suffer any of these "repercussions" as well?
Understanding and acknowledging that war is dangerous and you could loose your life at any second is frightening. I lost a loved one in the war. His name was Edward Rosario, my first cousin. He was a loyal man with great morals in life. His dream was to support Canada in the war effort. He died in Britain to help fight against German forces. I was devastated when I heard that someone part of my family actually died fighting in the war.
ReplyDeleteEven though millions of deaths occurred in battle, there is always a positive note. This positive note is meeting new people and interacting with others you have never met before. At training camp, I met several intriguing women, some friendly, others not so much. I made some life long friends, especially this one magnificent woman, Elizabeth. We trained each other through the process of becoming part of the RCAF. We helped each other through the way and showed honesty to each other no matter what. I loved talking to her all night, since she was so attentive and adaptable. She was so supportive and cared so much for me. She stuck with me through the good and bad times and showed loyalty towards me. She ultimately accepts me for who I am, and respected me as a human being. Meeting new people along the way was an important part of the war experience.
You all have had such sad losses. I'm afraid to say that I am no different. I lost many, many friends during D-Day - the Normandy Landings were a suicide mission for many. I remember looking at the list of dead from the landings, and feeling my heart break as I read the names of fellow comrades.
ReplyDeleteHowever, one does have to also look past the pain and suffering and see some of the good that came out of the war. I made more friends than I lost, one really close to me who respected me as an individual. He did not think less of me because I was a woman, did not criticize my work like many men did, and he was an interesting companion to talk and listen to.
The friends I made provided a shoulder for me to cry on when I discovered those I had lost. That I shall never, ever forget.