Imagine arriving in Canada as a young woman after marrying a Canadian soldier in the Second World War.
And think about what life would be like for the next several years.
People with the Bancroft North Hastings Heritage Museum have pondered those thoughts. As a result, they’re recognizing “war brides” this Remembrance Day season.
The Museum’s Mark Kavanagh says a wreath recognizing war brides will be placed at the cenotaph during Saturday’s Remembrance Day ceremony.
She says war brides faced extraordinary challenges. Many arrived in unfamiliar communities, just after serving in the war, and did hard work on farms, while mothering children. But this worked helped Canada grow as a country.
Edna Armstrong, one of the last surviving war brides in this region, has been invited to lay the wreath on Saturday.
After the ceremony, guests will be invited to the Bancroft Legion to learn more about the Museum’s war brides project.
Kavanagh says she’s encouraging people who know war bride stories to get in touch with her, as the Museum plans to document their lives in a book.