We continue last month’s discussion of the impact of war brides from WWII by providing a few profiles of some of the 48,000 ladies that came to Canada as newlyweds with babies in tow or en route to make a new life in a new country.
With almost half a million Canadian service men landing in Britain over the course of WWII, it’s no surprise than many young girls succumbed to their charms.
The romance was dampened somewhat by the Canadian army that began to screen both parties to the marriage proposals to set some ground rules. Soldiers required permission of their commanding officer prior to the event, which required proving he was debt-free. For their part, brides had to be “of good moral character”.
Some were met in Canada by loving spouses and their families, but others were not so lucky. Dashing soldiers sometimes did not make it home, or did so in a drastically different state, both physically and mentally. Their brave spouses took a leap of faith, bringing their energy, enthusiasm and grit to carve out a future in a strange land.
Photo Karen Graham.
A collection of marriage and anniversary photos of local war brides was on display last month in Pontypool.
The contributions of Canadian war brides had a huge impact on their newly-adopted country, enriching it with their attitude, abilities and hard work for which we remain eternally grateful.
