Elizabeth Gladys Wilson

This is a story submitted by Monique Wilson of the District Office in Hamilton. It is a story about her mother-in-law, Elizabeth Gladys Wilson.

"My mother-in-law, Elizabeth Gladys Wilson, always tells us of how she met "PA Edward 'Eddy' Roy Wilson."

It was an unusally warm winter in 1940 when Mrs. Saunders had met two nice Canadian boys at the local pub and invited them over for a nice British Christmas supper. Eddy and his friend Al Dunn came in the front door with Mrs. Saunders. Betty and Eddy stared at each other from one end of the hall to the other. It was love at first sight. Betty was furious at her mother for bringing any part of the war in the family home. As the months went by, Betty and Eddy soon became best friends, even though he took her most prized possession, her bicycle, and wrecked it. Love bloomed and Betty and Eddy were married on March 29, 1943. Eddie went over to Germany, France, and Italy. In Italy, it seemed that Eddie and his pal had found a winery and had "fallen" asleep. They were a few days behind their troop. Betty in the meantime received a Missing in Action telegram. It seems she broke a few treasured antiques. At the end of the war, Eddy returned to the Summerside, Prince Edward Island area where he was raised and soon started up a farm on the homestead. Eddy's friend Al Dunn was killed in action near the end of the war. Betty arrived later on the ship, the Britannia. Betty could not believe her eyes when Eddy showed her around the homestead; he opened the floor of the kitchen to show her the fruit cellar. It was just like the same reoccuring dream that she had; but it was reality. Betty made everything look special; even the outhouse. She decorated it with flowers taken out of catalogues and even put ashes from the stove in the hole, so it would not smell. She was so proud. A few days later, the outhouse went up in smoke. Folks on the Island still tease her to this day. Eddy eventually did join the air force as a cook and settled in Ottawa. He became renowned at RCL Branch 451 and a few restaurants in the Carlingwood area for his famous bread. He passed away May 5, 1989 of cancer after over 47 years of marriage. He was buried in Victoria West, P.E.I. Betty resides in Nepean, Ontario, in the winter at her daughter Diane's, and spends the spring and summer at her daughter Jeannette's in Summerside, P.E.I. It just shows that dreams do come true!"