Learning about the War and Doing Something about It

Heroes Remember

Learning about the War and Doing Something about It

Transcript

The Montreal Star came in the mail everyday at 11:00 and after the mail was sorted and dinner was on the table and we came home for lunch, we always, the, the paper was divided up and there was always a discussion over the important events that were happening. Interviewer: The day that Canada declared war, do you remember that day? Yes, I remember it. Yes, yes. We sat around the dining room table, but the radio was in the corner of the dining room, and I can see it was over in that corner, and I can remember yet sitting and then we, we clustered around the radio. Interviewer: What was your reaction when you heard the news? Well, because my mom had, had relatives that were in, and my dad was a Veteran, you know, so, from the First World War, he couldn't stay in long but I, I heard about it all, because it was asthma, but I heard about it, I mean, I heard about wars in our house. It was something that was discussed, and I knew it was coming, when Chamberlain went over, the Prime Minister Chamberlain, went over to Europe and, and came back and peace in our time was not to be. I remember my mother giving me a blouse. I mean, this was, these were the little things that she did for us. She didn't have much money to come and go, I mean, cause as I say, but "Wings for Britain", they had a program "Wings For Britain", and of course it was to garner money from Canada, and the thing was that it was a blouse with all, wings all over it, the pattern was. And so I remember mom buying us each for Christmas a "Wings For Britain" blouse. And then she explained the meaning of it all, so then I suppose that had an effect on me too. And it was to raise money to buy air planes for Britain to fight the war with. Well, after that, I went to, I mean, I enlisted in Montreal but then we went to Rockcliffe. Interviewer: And you were all women training together? It was all just female and separate... Yes, yes. Oh yes, just women. Interviewer: Ok, ok, so then you graduated from basic training. Yes, from basic training, and then... Interviewer: Yes, what do you remember about the training camp? From basic training? Interviewer: Yeah. What do you remember about it? Anything that stood out as a souvenir about training camp? No, not too much. I mean, I remember lots of things, but no. It was just a form, just a form of discipline, the fact that, that, I mean, your arms were sore from all the injections you got, especially the TABT and then you were supposed to march with your arms just going so, and, and, you know, there was no sympathy, and then the inspector would come in and you'd get your bed all made and the person on the top bunk would probably put her foot on your bed and it would be wrinkled and then you'd be the one to be, to be sank, you know, reprimanded because your bed wasn't neat and that line didn't go up the, the centre of the bed properly. Little things like that. I slept in the lower bunk. So... Interviewer: You had to be nice to the end, to your comrade that was sleeping on top. Yeah, but she, when she put her foot on, on your well-made bed because she got up later than you did, it wasn't so nice. But anyway.

Description

Being from a family well informed about world events, it was important for Mrs Grégoire to enlist when she heard about the war. She tells of her beginnings in the forces.

Christina Janet Grégoire

Mrs. Grégoire was born in Campbellton, New Brunswick, on March 1, 1925, and grew up in Sillarsville, Québec. In March 1943, when she was 18, she joined the Air Force in Montréal. After training at Rockcliffe and a first posting in Scoudouc she was given a Top Secret rating by the RCMP before being assigned to the Air Force Headquarters Intelligence Directorate in Ottawa. She was discharged after VJ Day and released in November 1945. She now gives workshops for the United Church and is involved in volunteering in various Hospital Veterans' Wards.

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