Chapter 6: World War II Years in Edmonton 3

1940 swing, In the Mood, Sentimental Journey

War Years, Edmonton”

Verse 1
We followed the war as it happened,
Even from Edmonton.
The first years brought nothing good—
Europe invaded,
Britain under air attack,
Ships going down in the Atlantic,
German submarines everywhere.

One uncle lived in Barrow-in-Furness,
Bombed out of his house,
Forced to move on.
A cousin in the British Army Artillery
Was killed in the blitz of Liverpool.
Another cousin, a ship’s stoker,
Shoveling coal in a destroyer’s furnace,
Died when his ship was shelled
By a German battleship.

Verse 2
There was rationing in Canada,
But it wasn’t severe.
Coupons limited what you could buy—
Poor-quality jam,
Only so much at a time.
My mother made raspberry jam at home,
Heavy with fruit,
So we didn’t go without.

Food mattered more elsewhere.

Verse 3
My mother had two elderly cousins
On the Isle of Man.
When supplies grew short in Britain
And rationing had ended in Canada,
She sent them food—
Canned butter,
Good canned meat,
Tea and sugar.

Once a month,
I rode my bicycle to the post office
With a heavy box of tins.
Freighters and frigates were being sunk,
But every parcel got through.
They were lucky.

Verse 4
The war was visible in Edmonton.
The Alaska Highway started there.
American soldiers—
Around ten thousand of them—
Were stationed in or near the city.
The RCAF navigation school was there too,
So airmen were everywhere.

Commonwealth pilots wore badges
Showing where they came from—
South Africa,
New Zealand,
Rhodesia,
Britain,
The United States.
You could read the war
On their sleeves.

Verse 5
American pilots flew fighter planes to Russia,
Our ally then.
One wing carried a white star,
The other a red one.
When they arrived,
Only one star needed repainting.

Every day,
Hundreds of planes circled Edmonton,
Waiting to land—
Three or four loops around the city
Because the runway was too small.
It looked like endless aircraft
Even when it wasn’t.

Verse 6
The trains ran only at night.
Long trains—
Supplies for the Alaska Highway,
Munitions for Alaska and the Aleutians.
We lived three blocks from the tracks.
All night long,
The trains shunted back and forth.
Sleep came in pieces.

Then one night,
The noise stopped.
No trains moving.
That’s how we knew
The war was over in Europe.

Verse 7
The war with Japan went on,
But Canada wasn’t fighting there directly.
The end came suddenly—
With the atomic bomb.

That was how the war years passed
In Edmonton.
News from far away,
Noise close to home,
And waiting for things to stop.

2484/7500

War Years, Edmonton” Verse 1 We followed the war as it happened, Even from Edmonton. The first years brought nothing good— Europe invaded, Britain under air attack, Ships going down in the Atlantic, German submarines everywhere. One uncle lived in Barrow-in-Furness, Bombed out of his house, Forced to move on. A cousin in the British Army Artillery Was killed in the blitz of Liverpool. Another cousin, a ship’s stoker, Shoveling coal in a destroyer’s furnace, Died when his ship was shelled By a German battleship. Verse 2 There was rationing in Canada, But it wasn’t severe. Coupons limited what you could buy— Poor-quality jam, Only so much at a time. My mother made raspberry jam at home, Heavy with fruit, So we didn’t go without. Food mattered more elsewhere. Verse 3 My mother had two elderly cousins On the Isle of Man. When supplies grew short in Britain And rationing had ended in Canada, She sent them food— Canned butter, Good canned meat, Tea and sugar. Once a month, I rode my bicycle to the post office With a heavy box of tins. Freighters and frigates were being sunk, But every parcel got through. They were lucky. Verse 4 The war was visible in Edmonton. The Alaska Highway started there. American soldiers— Around ten thousand of them— Were stationed in or near the city. The RCAF navigation school was there too, So airmen were everywhere. Commonwealth pilots wore badges Showing where they came from— South Africa, New Zealand, Rhodesia, Britain, The United States. You could read the war On their sleeves. Verse 5 American pilots flew fighter planes to Russia, Our ally then. One wing carried a white star, The other a red one. When they arrived, Only one star needed repainting. Every day, Hundreds of planes circled Edmonton, Waiting to land— Three or four loops around the city Because the runway was too small. It looked like endless aircraft Even when it wasn’t. Verse 6 The trains ran only at night. Long trains— Supplies for the Alaska Highway, Munitions for Alaska and the Aleutians. We lived three blocks from the tracks. All night long, The trains shunted back and forth. Sleep came in pieces. Then one night, The noise stopped. No trains moving. That’s how we knew The war was over in Europe. Verse 7 The war with Japan went on, But Canada wasn’t fighting there directly. The end came suddenly— With the atomic bomb. That was how the war years passed In Edmonton. News from far away, Noise close to home, And waiting for things to stop.

0/500