Photo supplied.
Wedding photo of Dorothy and Thomas De Mille.
Dorothy met her husband-to-be in the Black Prince Pub across the street from her home in New Haw, Surrey, just 20 miles from London.
Thomas began their conversation with a timeless pick-up line that still makes Dorothy smile – “Hello, stranger”. It was 1945 so the war was nearing its end. Because of the town’s proximity to the capitol, its residents had been through a lot over the course of the previous years, with many service men passing through town, but Thomas made a lasting impact on Dorothy that day.
The following year, she found herself married to this handsome young Canadian soldier and travelling, six months pregnant, to her new home in Burketon, Ontario. She was met by her father and brothers-in-law at the station, and immediately took her place as the female head of the farm household as her mother-in-law was deceased. Dorothy was unaccustomed to life on the farm. Trips to the outhouse were made more stressful by the unwelcome accompaniment of roosters chasing her to her destination, but she took it all in stride.
The most unusual experience for the new Canadian was eating corn on the cob: in England this form of nutrition was restricted to the cattle trough. Like other war brides, she appreciated white bread, which had been part of the diet as soon as they boarded the ship to Canada.
Within a few months of her arrival, Dorothy was reunited with her husband who returned in time to see the birth of their first of three sons at the end of August. The following year, the couple left the farm and relocated to Oshawa as Thomas had secured employment with General Motors. Dorothy remains in Oshawa today, and last weekend celebrated her 92nd birthday surrounded by family and friends. In 2015 she made a nostalgic trip back to Pier 21 in Halifax where she first landed in Canada, visiting the Immigration Museum. KG
