• Coral Eswyn Lyster 1923-2009
  from Eswyn's son Stuart

  It is with deep regret that I announce that mother passed away this morning at Victoria General Hospital, surrounded by family. For further info please send e-mail to francislyster@shaw.ca.

• Eswyn's health #3
  from Eswyn's son and some-time webmaster, Stuart

  Mother was transferred to Victoria General Hospital a few days ago as part of the rehabilitation. Daughter Jane has been a god-send, even reading William F. Buckley to mom - (editor's note: one must be hale of mind and body to listen to and digest Buckley!).

  As of today, she has been in hospital for 37 days, which will require physiotherapy just to get her back to normal again. Her doctors and family remain confident she can access that stubborn English-pluck to get her home again. My partner, Catherine, is an occupational therapist and is over on the Island assessing the situation.

  In the meantime, Eswyn wishes all correspondents well and is grateful for the contact, good wishes, and prayers.

  Please do not hesitate to be in touch if you need further details: francislyster@shaw.ca is where same-day info can be found.

• Eswyn's health #2
  from Eswyn's son and some-time webmaster, Stuart

  My mother wishes it known that she still is in Nanaimo General Hospital but making a good recovery after many serious age-related afflictions. The key day was last Thursday when the doctor made a timely intervention. She is now resting comfortably and eating while looking forward to a session of physiotherapy to clear the physical cobwebs and get her back on her feet. Her daughter and granddaughter are at her house making sure the garden and cat are watered, etc. As of today, she has been in for 16 days, which explains your unanswered e-mails and telephone calls.

  francislyster@shaw.ca is where I (Stuart) can be reached.

• Eswyn's health
  from Eswyn's son and some-time webmaster, Stuart

  My mother wishes it known that she is in Nanaimo General Hospital after a bout of exhaustion and peripheral ailments. As of today, she has been in for 6 days, which explains your unanswered e-mails and telephone calls.

  The prognosis is good, so we ask your thoughts and prayers for her. However, it may be a while before she is back at the computer.

  It is a giant relief that the book is off to the publisher - many thanks to daughter-in-law Carolyn and son Terry for that part of it. Fortunately, Eswyn's daughter Jane and granddaughter Suzy have been at the house to manage things here. I am also keeping watch on stuff at her house.

  There still may be another book coming yet. Check back here frequently for updates as e-mail tends to go unanswered. If you are in a real pickle, please contact francislyster@shaw.ca which is where I (Stuart) can be reached.

• The Book
  The long awaited history of Canada's War Brides of World War II, Most Excellent Citizens, will be published by Trafford Publishing, Victoria in the New Year. Watch this space for more details.

• Lumber Jills
  The 5000 members of the Women's Timber Corps (a division of the Women's Land Army) have been recognised by a life-size statue of a Lumber Jill in Queen Elizabeth Forest Park near Aberfoyle, Scotland. War bride and ex Lumber Jill Rosalind Welch of Parksville, BC who took an active role in bringing about this recognition, was represented by her granddaughter at the unveiling.

• In Remembrance
  I was sad to learn that war bride April (Vaughan) Berezowski from Uckfield, Sussex, passed away April 2008 in Truro, Nova Scotia. I met April at the February 2006 ceremony at Pier 21, Halifax which opened the Year of the War Bride. It had been wonderful to hear the familiar Sussex accent once again. April sat next to Terry during the ceremony. She said in a letter, "I loved the way (Terry) rolled his eyes when you asked him to take down the names and addresses of the Brides you were speaking to. I've seen that look in my own sons!" April had problems getting a passport in 1976, despite having obtained two previous ones. She was not told that war brides had been citizens of Canada since the 1977 Citizenship Act and that all she need do was to apply for a document of citizenship. Apparently her husband, Steven, had never been registered, so they both travelled to Saskatchewan to visit his mother, only to find that church and school records had been lost in a fire. A lawyer was engaged who searched census records and found enough information to obtain a birth certificate. It makes you wonder how Steven managed to serve in the First Div, 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade!

• Attention all ex Women's Land Army and Timber Corps members:
  Joyce (Spooner) Fraser, a war bride living in Parksville, British Columbia, has just received a pin and plaque in recognition of her war service to Great Britain as a member of the Women's Land Army. She worked at Chailey,(near Lewes) Sussex. The application form was sent to her from England by her sister, and has taken about a year to process, so apply as soon as possible. There appears to have been little publicity about this in Canada, so other web sites please copy.
  Write for application form to:
  • Dermot McInerney
    befra
    5e Millbank
    c/o Smith Square, London, England, SW1P 3JR
    
• Better late than never, I suppose. Land Girls and Timber Jills worked very hard in all weathers performing a vital service when so many imported foodstuffs had been cut off, and when so many male agricultural workers were away in the services. They richly deserve to be recognised. I have not seen the pin but would suggest that if there is room it would be even more valuable to future generations if it is engraved with your name. Eswyn.

• Please see Pics of RBCM Warbride exhibit Bev Tosh's paintings - 11 May, 2008

  On Mother's Day, 2008, Vancouver Island warbrides gathered at the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria to hear Bev Tosh speak about and see her pictures of the warbride experience. This exhibit runs until 1 September 2008.

  On Mother's Day, Eswyn's family gathered in Victoria to take in this incredible experience. Please enjoy the pictures!

• Please see the "Citizenship issues" link from the front page for an issue important to all war-brides and their off-shore-born children.

• Newfoundland warbrides
  Nowhere in the website have I mentioned the coverage of Newfoundland's war brides in Most Excellent Citizens. Although the vast majority of Canada's war brides were British, nearly twenty other nationalities are represented. Newfoundland war brides were mainly British, but did not necessarily come to Canada under the auspices of the Canadian Wives Bureau (CWB) because until 1949, when Newfoundland became Canada's tenth province, it was not part of Canada but Britain's oldest colony. Those who are listed in CWB records are termed "Newfoundland" rather than "British", presumably because their final destination was Newfoundland.

  According to St. John's Memorial University 800 war brides came to Newfoundland.

  Here is a table of contents from Most Excellent Citizens:

  Part One: British War Brides
  • Chapter 1 Future War Brides at War
  • 2 The Friendly Invaders
  • 3 Paths Cross
  • 4 Wartime Weddings
  • 5 Curity Diapers and Johnson's Baby Powder
  • 6 On to Victory, D-Day and Ever Present Dangers
  • 7 End of the War in Europe, the Men go Home
  Part Two: War Brides from Northwest Europe and Other Parts of the World
  • Chapter 8 Brides from Holland, Belgium and France
  • Brides From the Rest of the World
  • 10 Newfoundland, A Special Case
  Part Three: On to Canada
  • Chapter 11 Leaving Home
  • 12 On Board Ship
  • 13 The Canadian Train
  • 14 Culture Shock: A Far Cry from Thornton Heath
  • 15 Happily Ever After?
  • 16 Crimes, Mischiefs and Misdemeanors
  • 17 Achievements, Honours and Awards
  • 18 War Bride Clubs and Associations
  • 19 The Next Generation
  • 20 She Remembers . . .
  • 21 A Matter of Citizenship
  • 22 Betty's Story

• It may seem that Newfoundland war brides, being mainly British, belong in Part One. However Part One is devoted to war brides from Britain who married Canadians, and of course Newfoundland was a Colony of Britain in the 1940s. It was in fact Britain's oldest colony, dating back to the 16th century and, as mentioned above, did not become Canada's tenth province until 1949. The Newfoundland war bride story is so different and so interesting that I felt it deserved a separate chapter.

• I first interviewed a Newfoundland war bride when I met Maida (Wilson) Fudge from Leeds, Yorkshire, who described herself as a "back door Canadian war bride" (referring to being at first a Newfoundlander). She had joined the WAAF as a trainee so early in 1939 that it still had its World War I name, The Women's Royal Auxiliary Air Force (WRAF). Early in 1940 Maida was stationed at Digby RAF where she met Walter (Wally) Fudge who, she said, "spoke somewhat differently". Newfoundlanders do indeed have a distinctive accent. Maida and Wally were married at St. Stephen's Church, Leeds in November, 1940.

• Maida left England in May, 1945. She and her small son, Malcolm were aboard the Scythia which docked at Pier 21, Halifax, and from there they took the train to North Sydney, Nova Scotia to wait in snow for the ferry to Port aux Basques, Newfoundland. They were dressed for an English spring, Maida's trunk having been lost in England before it even reached the Scythia. She was very grateful when a volunteer took her shopping for winter weight jackets and boots. On reaching Port aux Basques she boarded the legendary "Newfie Bullet", a narrow gauge railway not renowned for its speed, and arrived in Grand Falls in time to celebrate Victory in Europe Day with her in-laws.

• It was Maida who told me about traditional Newfoundland dishes, so that I knew all about (seal) Flipper Pie before reading the book and seeing the film "Shipping News". After some years she had to return to England for a serious operation, and when she and Wally returned they settled in Ontario, but she has warm memories of Grand Falls. She told me, "Newfoundland is a place where I made a lot of friends. This is standard. People are so friendly you gather them like flowers." It was a place where no doors were locked and where, if you were sick, a neighbour would drop in and leave hot food on the stove. Maida loved Christmas in Newfoundland. You left Christmas treats on your table and your door unlocked, and visited your friends to exchange gifts. When you arrived home most of the treats would be gone, and in their place there would be more gifts.

• There have been radical changes in Newfoundland since Maida arrived, particularly since it joined Confederation. Its first Canadian Premier, Joey Smallwood, made radical changes, believing his Province had to be brought into the 20th century. A massive system of roadbuilding ensued, providing access to areas that had previously been approachable only by train or boat. Premier Smallwood implemented the removal of people from the isolated Outports (coastal fishing villages accessible only by boat) to more populated areas where they could obtain schooling and health services. Whatever the advantages of the scheme it changed a way of life that had existed for hundreds of years. The roadbuilding radically affected the railway and caused the demise of the Bullet. In recent years 900 kilometres of track have been taken up and the rail bed has become the Trailway Provincial Park, a part of the Trans-Canada Trail.

• Melynda's book
  Congratulations, Melynda, on the release in Britain of your new book, The War Brides. Melynda was commissioned by the UK Tempus Publications to write about the British war bride experience. Details, including how Canadian readers can place their orders, are to be found on Melynda's website: www.canadianwarbrides.com

• Getting closer to publishing... rewriting like crazy
  I am now in the incredible position of having several chapters of Most Excellent Citizens in the hands of one publisher, while three (3) others are in the wings awaiting their turn!!! Carolyn is doing an incredible job with the proof-reading and we are about half-way through the re-write of the entire manuscript. If nobody decides to publish I will go into self-publishing mode at the end of 2007.

• Bev Tosh
  I was sorry to hear that Bev Tosh has had quite a serious fall, and send her my best for a speedy recovery.

• Submissions gratefully received
  To all those who continue to send their own, their mother's or their grandmothers' experiences my most grateful thanks. I don't always have the time to send a gracious acknowledgement, so I trust this will convey my appreciation.

• Summer in Qualicum with family
  The weather if finally hot and sunny in Qualicum, and open doors and windows admit the summer sounds of children playing on the beach, while desserts are topped up with strawberries from the veggie garden. A fine crop of boysenberries will be ripening within the next few weeks so I will have to stop typing long enough to make a pie! The rest of the garden prospers despite almost criminal neglect. I guess once plants get their roots down deep they are fairly permanent and don't take off in a huff for the Elysian Fields. (If you don't know your Greek mythology, Wikipedia will help.) This Old House may not have all the desired insulation, but it is so well built that it is reasonably cool inside except on the hottest of days.

• Melynda's visit: In April 2007 I met Melynda from the Fredericton plane in Comox (well . . . not quite directly from Fredericton!) and we participated in a talkathon ride south, which continued for ten days, in Qualicum, and then all the way back to Comox.
  There was only one topic of conversation, of course, and during the limited time we managed to proof-read each others' books. Melynda did a fantastic job on mine and her suggestions are being incorporated. Unfortunately I'm developing cataracts which makes distinguishing a comma from a period a major decision. Carolyn and I were recently discussing the irony of ballet dancers having things go wrong with their feet or their balance, and writers having to contend with paper cuts, carpel tunnel syndrome, eye strain and the sudden inability to decide where apostrophes belong, and whether quotation marks should be single or double. (This, despite having a copy of Eats, Shoots and Leaves to hand. Lynn Truss reduces the usefulness of her admirable book by omitting an index.)
  Busy writers don't have the time to read the entire book in order to hunt down the fine point of say – well almost any contentious usage. However, read enough style books and you are bound to find one that agrees with you! I am sticking with The Oxford Dictionary of Canadian English and The Oxford Book of Canadian Usage.

• Carolyn, the literary assistant: Carolyn has blossomed into my literary assistant. She's a needle-eyed proof-reader, and has sorted most of my mountain of filing into (would you believe) 14 subjects for my later sorting into keep or chuck.

• Lost and Found on this webpage: . I hoped this would be a useful adjunct to my website, and it certainly is. However occasionally the electronic version of a printer's devil decides to add an unwelcome comment. I am grateful to those thoughtful people who inform me of this juvenile pastime so that my other able assistant may swiftly consign the unwanted material to the discard bin.
  Incidentally, I've added a Note at the beginning of that section that may make it easier for some genuine inquirers to find what they are looking for. I hope summer has come to wherever this is being read. It certainly is taking a long time to reach Qualicum Beach.

• A NOTE FROM ESWYN - seeking a warbride? The following are suggestions for those who are new to seeking help in locating war brides. The more information you can give the more possible you make it that someone may be able to help you.
  When giving a surname specify whether it is the name BEFORE marriage or the MARRIED name (give both whenever possible).
  If you know the name of the husband that also is important. If you know his branch of service (Army, Navy of Air Force) that is helpful as well.

• BOOK publishing: This week I have begun an all-out campaign, sending letters of enquiry to seventeen Canadian publishers. If all that comes to nothing I will consider self-publishing. To me it is incomprehensible that there is so little interest in publishing an integral part of Canadian history. Will keep you posted.

• THE WAR BRIDE TRAIN - VIA Rail will be celebrating Canada's War Brides by bringing a special train from Montreal to Halifax (with connections from various communities in Canada) for a unique celebration at Pier 21.

  The train will depart Montreal November 6, 2006 at 6:30 P.M. and arrive in Halifax November 7 at 4:20 P.M. Pier 21 will be hosting the War Brides on November 8 with many different things planned. On the train to Halifax we will have music from the era.

  Where to stay: The Westin Nova Scotian Hotel, which is connected to the Halifax VIA Rail train station and is the closest hotel to Pier 21, has offered us a rate of $99.00 per night with continental breakfast included.

  For More Information: You can e-mail us at:
  

  thetrooptrain@hfx.eastlink.ca -or-
  Peggy_Topple@viarail.ca -or-
  thetrain-lady@hotmail.com

  You can phone: 902-494-7903 - please leave a message and we will get back to you.

• The Nova Scotia War Brides Association is sponsoring a War Bride Reunion August 18, 19, and 20th, 2006 at the Lord Nelson Hotel, Halifax. Registration fee:$50.

  Deadline for registration is August 1 (deadline for special rates and hotel registration is July 7). There will be a reception at Pier 21 on the Saturday afternoon.

  For full information phone Joan Schnare (902) 477-2779 or Marguerite Turner, (902) 454-0133.

• Ontario declares, "Year of the War Bride"
  June 15, 2006: The Hon. Jame J. Bradley, Minister of Tourism, Minister responsible for Seniors, Government House Leader, announced in the Ontario Legislature, with a representative group of War Brides present:

  "It is my privilege to declare 2006 the Year of the War Bride in Ontario. We acknowledge with gratitude the spirit and courage of the remarkable women who are with us today and the many thousands of others who have contributed so much to our families, our communities and our way of life. Thank you."
  Mr. Howard Hampton(Kenora-Rainy River) then spoke of the loneliness experienced by these young women, traveling after their husbands had been repatriated, and arriving often in the middle of the night at some rural point, espectially when (as was the case for several thousand war brides) English was not their first language.

• Click here for Nancy Whelan's "Williwaw's" which appeared in a local Qualicum (B.C.) newspaper just before Eswyn and Terry left for Halifax last February. It is basically my story....

• British Columbia declares, "Year of the War Bride"
  On April 2, 2006, the Government of British Columbia declared 2006 to be "Year of the War Bride", enacting Order in Council 903, which was passed 11 Oct 2002. The Honourable Iona Campagnolo, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, commands it!

  Click on: BC Proclamation (216 kB) for the declaration.

  Congratulations to warbrides everywhere! British Columbia now joins the provinces of Manitoba and New Brunswick with similar proclamations. Can the Government of Canada be far behind?

• Jean Spear, MBE, on 10 May 2006
  Jean Spear, who was originally from Kingston-on-Thames, Surrey, is the Ottawa war bride who was mentioned in the Queen's New Year's Honours. She will be invested with her MBE at Buckingham Palace on May 10, 2006. She will be accompanied by husband, George, son Ian and daughter Heather. Jean has been informed by the Palace that she will be able to purchase a video and photographs of the event. (Jean and George will be celebrating their sixty-fourth wedding anniversary on August 22nd.)

• Eswyn on DVD!
  Since returning from that very moving Pier 21 ceremony in Halifax last February, I have received many newspaper clippings from friends (my thanks). Terry made a DVD with a cover showing 11 photos of his Ma from mewling infant to -- shall I say "mature individual", and there is one of Bill at position 7. (He always said he scuttled the British Navy, which must have delayed tbe end of the war by at least twenty minutes.) Veteran's Affairs Canada also sent a video of their interview with me while I was at Pier 21, in which I am astonishingly referred to as "a Canadian Hero!".

• Back to the book
  Am hoping to have some news of the book for the next update (I didn't say "good" news).

• THE PIER 21 CEREMONY, HALIFAX

  Click here for photos

  Halifax Daily News press coverage

  I suppose if I ever thought about it in years past I imagined that we war brides would be recognised in our dotage with a stamp and a few speeches. It was not until last year that I realised the media was bringing out war bride stock footage and new interviews in a year that belonged to the Canadian veteran.

  There was even talk of a special war bride stamp, but instead a commemorative envelope was issued about which only stamp collectors seemed to be aware. An event celebrated in Ottawa to mark its release had very little coverage in the rest of the country. A selection of war brides were thrilled to be invited to the opening of Ottawa's new War Museum, but in general it seemed that 2005 would pass with these relatively minor events and that 2006, the sixtieth anniversary of the year when the vast majority of war brides sailed to this country, would pass in silence. Someone has said that if you want something to be, act as if it is. In October 2005 I wrote in this section of my web site: Remember, 2006 is the Year of the War Bride. It was wishful thinking on my part but Melynda Jarratt took it from there, and the rest is history.

• MELYNDA JARRATT - "WE DID IT, KID!"
  We have been e-mailing for years, but when Melynda and I met for the very first time in Halifax on February 9th she was flitting around Pier 21's auditorium like an overactive humming bird, against a backdrop of The Year of the War Bride logo on the large screen on stage. The chairs were in place, and there was an air of expectancy. "We did it, kid," one of us said, and we hugged. On a miniscule budget Melynda did wonders, mostly I sent e-mails. Lacking money for publicity we were forced to let the event itself publicize The Year. This it has done admirably. Television, print and even on-line publicity has been tremendous. If not too many people knew about it on the 8th. on the 9th and the days following hardly anyone in Canada could have missed it.

  The people milling about in the large room outside the auditorium were a fluid mix of war brides, Legion members, a few children of war brides, Pier 21 executives and reporters. I had just been interviewed downstairs by Veterans Affairs Canada. Don Chapman of Lost Canadians, who has worked so hard to champion war brides' citizenship issues, was there. He was there because he had been working in an advisory capacity on a documentary on the Lost Canadians. Members of the Band marched through, instruments zippered into protective jackets, and there was a stir as The Honourable Myra Freeman, Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia,arrived.

  Soon the platform guests were escorted into the auditorium by members of the military.

  We, Terry and I, spent an hour in the Pier 21 Museum. The theatre presentation in the form of holograms, is breathtaking. One virtual war bride on stage was reading a guide to her new life in Canada, and reacted as might be expected when she came to the section, "How to deliver your own baby." I was very glad that booklet had not been presented to me!

  Too soon the day was over. Melynda and I were both tired, but she looked great, I looked as if I had survived a traumatic event (see photo coverage). We talked as much as we could but postponed a real "natter" until she comes to the coast some time later, in this the Year of the War Bride.

  Very early next morning, Terry and I were on our way back to Vancouver.

• AND NOW FOR THE REST OF 2006
  Many events are planned including a big celebration in Saskatchewan. One new member of the Legion in Prince Edward Island plans to honour those who came to that historic part of Canada. Send me particulars of any event you plan, or ideas you may have, and I will publicize them on this web site.

  How can you, individually, celebrate the year? There are many war brides who are now widowed, who live alone and who are not members of any war bride group. Many are in Senior facilities. If you know a war bride send her a card or a flower. If you don't know a war bride phone your nearest Senior's Home and ask if there are any war brides among the residents. A visit, a word of friendship, will make her feel good ... and you too! Then, let me know about it.

  We will soon be gone, like a puff of smoke that drifts away. 2006 is not a minute too soon.

• YEAR OF THE 'WAR BRIDE'
  The Year of the War Bride has really taken off, thanks to the organization and skills of Melynda Jarratt. I may have had the idea, but an idea does not become a reality until someone takes the idea and runs with it. All the information is on Melynda's website: http://www.canadianwarbrides.com/documents/war-bride-op-ed-2006.doc

  The Year began with a Royal honour when Jean Marguerite Spear of Ottawa was named in the Queen's New Year's Honours. Under the Overseas Honours: MBE - Jean Spear for contribution to British/Canadian relations. Jean came to this country just before Christmas, 1944 on the Pasteur (if possible render the name in italics). The very next year she became a founding member of the war bride club ESWIC, which stands for England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Canada., and is believed to be the first war bride club organized in Canada. Jean is no stranger to honours and awards having received the Queen's Jubilee Medal in 2002.

  PIER 21 on FEB 9 - The first recognition of The Year of the War Bride will be the ceremony at Pier 21 on February 9th next, marking the arrival sixty years previously of the first all-war bride sailing of the Mauretania. Many war bride groups are sending representatives, and I am very excited that Terry and I will be there as two of the Canadian Dependents who were aboard. I am being given five minutes to speak! What an honour, but how does one speak of a lifetime, or sum up the story of the war brides in five minutes?

• DEFINITION OF A 'WAR BRIDE'
  I have had a couple of e-mails from concerned daughters or granddaughters who are unhappy because I do not appear to recognize certain people as "War Brides". Personally I do indeed recognise all war brides anywhere in the world, most certainly including those of World War I, and would like to say: 'a war bride is a war bride'.

  The restrictive definition objected to REFERS ONLY TO MY BOOK. There must have been millions of women across the world who would qualify for the larger definition. British men, for instance, spent years away from home and brought war brides back after the war, but very little is known about them. Some British women married Poles and Czechs who had fled their occupied countries to continue fighting the war. These women spent years of privation behind the Iron Curtain.

  The many Canadian women who married airmen who came to Canada with the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, from Britain, Norway, Poland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, etc.deserve a book of their own, but for space considerations alone could not be included in mine. "Most Excellent Citizens" has had to be strictly about Canadian war brides of World War II, 'the approx. 48,000 women from a number of countries, but mainly Britain, who met Canadian servicemen while the latter were on overseas service in World War II, 44,000 of whom came to Canada 1942-1947 and later.' It has a chapter on Newfoundland brides who are subdivided into three different categories (yes, it is that complicated.) I'm glad to say that someone is working hard to discover more about Canada's WWI brides. It is a difficult task My sincere regards to ALL war brides, past and present, but we sincerely hope, not future. War brides are dandy, it is the wars we do not want. Eswyn

• OBJECTIONABLE MATERIAL IN THE "LOST AND FOUND"
  My thanks to those who report undesirable material that infiltrates the website, usually on the Lost and Found feature. It is impossible for me to monitor the site, and I appreciate having offensive material brought to my attention. At this time I should recognise and thank Stuart Lyster who carries out the necessary surgery, which is beyond his mother's expertise. Eswyn.

  Ed. note: once the internet 'bots have found a site like the Lost and Found, the only option is to shut it down or change its URL. So far we rely on your reports when onjectionable material is found. Please be patient... S. Lyster

• THE BOOK
  About three weeks ago the manuscript of Most Excellent Citizens came back from the publisher. The Editor still found the book worthwhile, but announced a change of policy that means her firm no longer publishes popular history. However disappointing this is, a Canadian writer has to face the fact that it is difficult to get published, and that few books are accepted the first time they are submitted. (Even in Britain the first of the popular James Herriot Veterinary novels is said to have been turned down over thirty times. His books went on to sell 50 million copies in 20 countries.) In the interval I've researched the market and have come up with 25 possibles. (I hope they don't all change their policies midstream!) and query letters will be going out to them all. Meanwhile three more very interesting people have been in touch, one the war bride daughter of a legendary actor, the other two high-achieving children of war brides. I'm adding their stories and giving the book one last polish. Onward and upward, as we used to say during the war!

• THE YEAR OF THE WAR BRIDE
  Let's not forget that 2006 is the Year of the War Bride. It will then be sixty years since the majority of the 44,000 who actually came to this country journeyed across the Atlantic. The war ended in May 1945 and for the balance of that year (and into January 1946) all available shipping carried Canadian soldiers, sailors and airmen back to their homes. Some of the men had been away since December 1939. February 5 1946 saw the Mauretania leaving Liverpool, for the first time carrying all-warbride passengers. It was a really rough crossing as I can personally attest, and many of the children aboard were quite seriously ill, including my son Terry. We docked in Halifax on February 9, and many who were settling in Eastern Canada disembarked. Those of us coming to the West had to wait one more day. By the end of 1946 about 37,000 war brides had made the journey.

• WAR BRIDES and CITIZENSHIP
  Despite promises by Citizenship and Immigration Canada to speed the paperwork there are still war brides and children of war brides who are awaiting documentation of Citizenship. A slightly belated Happy Thanksgiving. Eswyn.

• Congratulations to the ESWIC Club of Ottawa who are celebrating their 60th anniversary, their war bride group having been inaugurated very early -- 1945. I believe it is the only war bride club in Canada which has remained active without a break since its inception, mainly due to the enthusiasm and hard work of Jean Spear. She will be remembered for her appearance in the documentary war bride film, From Romance to Reality, where she was interviewed in her log-home while she was making . . . what else? . . . a pot of tea! (My Canadian-born son, Stuart, who created and supervises this web site, is completely baffled by a certain war brides' delight when a pot of tea is brewed. Quite evidently he was not on the south coast of England during the Battle of Britain!) (Ed. note... what am I supposed to do about that?)

• February 9, 2006 will mark the 60th anniversary of the arrival in Halifax of the first dedicated war bride sailing of the Mauretania. May 1945 to January 1946 were the months devoted to the repatriation of Canadian servicemen, and 2005 has rightfully been dubbed The Year of the Veteran. 1946 was the year when the greatest number of war brides sailed for Canada, and I hope will be recognized as The Year of the War Bride.

• I must apologise for the long silence. The manuscript is with the Editor and I am still waiting to hear.

• (CLICK ON CHARTS & CERTIFICATE IN TEXT) On another but related issue, you can hardly have missed the press reports on War Bride Citizenship. The issue is complicated and I have been quite involved with it. In order to clarify the issue I append three charts - chart (click here), chart (click here), Canadian Travel Certificate (click here) - showing developments since the war. As to the final outcome, at the risk of sounding ungrateful for this correction of an egregious error on the part of the Department of Citizenship and Immigration, I am wondering just what we have gained.

• Three months ago many of us were considered not to be Citizens. Given that we still had the necessary supporting documents we could apply for it. Now we are told that we are Citizens, but that we still have to go through channels and supply the documentation. I can understand that after 9/11 the government officials are nervous. But do they really believe that a bunch of 80+ year-olds pose a serious hazard?

• E-mail changes for Eswyn
  Owing to the inordinate amount of spam received by my 'c.eswyn@shaw.ca' e-mail address, as well as many other problems, it has been cancelled. From September 27, 2004 only the 'warbride@shaw.ca' address will be valid. This decision was not taken lightly as I do not want to lose contact with any of my many correspondents.
• Please keep sending in as much as you can about any Canadian war bride, World War I or World War II, to add to the Register. Even just her name, if you know nothing else. Every war bride deserves to have at least her name recorded, although of course other data is also important. See the forms as a guide.
• Bev Tosh, the Calgary artist who gave a presentation of her evocative war bride paintings at the Alberta War Brides Association Reunion a year ago, visited me in Qualicum last August and we talked 'war brides' the whole time.
• Exciting things are happening with the book, so look for updates. I know it seems to be taking forever (it is), but the end is in sight.
• All good wishes to war brides and their kin everywhere, (on my 81st. birthday), Eswyn.

• Vanwell Publishing??
  Good news! I've had a positive response from the editor of Vanwell Publishing who wants to see the completed manuscript and some photographs early in the new year.

• Publishing progress
  Much has happened since the last update. The editor who was approached with the original Book Proposal had retired before it reached him. His successor returned it with some very positive comment. Unfortunately his mandate is for scholarly books only. He suggested three other publishers who are "active in the field". The Proposal was mailed next day to the first publisher on his list. If it comes back I will try the other two, and there are several others I know of.
  Meanwhile I'm polishing the finer points of the manuscript, and selecting photographs, letters and documents to be included.
  
  • Trip to Calgary - who's a citizen?
    In September I flew to Calgary to attend the Alberta War Bride Associan's twenty-third Annual Reunion. We were given a great Prairie welcome by Provincial President Kay Young and Host President Doreen Kamis. I was a guest at the Annual Meeting where I was able to speak about the book and ask "How many of you believed you came to Canada as a British Subject? (a roomful of hands went up) -- and a Canadian Citizen? (almost as many raised their hands.) I said that I too believed I remained a British Subject and immediately on marriage became a Canadian Citizen.
    However Canadian citizenship is a enigmatic topic, and one needs to be an expert to comment on it, but an examination of war bride's Landing Cards (issued by the Canadian Wives' Bureau in London, England in lieu of passports) including those in the AWBA Scrapbook "on the table in the hall", showed that 99% were stamped "Landed Immigrant" by Immigration officials in Halifax. The odd one that lacks this appear to have missed being stamped at all as there is no other description.. None that I've seen, and I've seen a lot, said anything about being "citizens of Canada" (although one WB present at the meeting said she believed hers did). IF YOU HAVE ANY COMMENT ON THIS MATTER I WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU.
    
• I did not expect to meet so many limber eighty-year olds (give or take a year or two) either running Reunion events or dancing up a storm on the Saturday night: conga-ing out of the room and back in again and effortlessly (apparently!) matching their movements to words of the Hokey Kokey . . . the waiters enthusiastically joined in the latter! I had a special gift as the WB who had travelled the longest distance to attend. While in Alberta I also caught up with Bill's relatives and a couple of good friends I'd not seen in a while.
  

• The initial presentation has been made to the prospective publisher (the one that has shown an interest in the project) so now it is "wait and see" time. I've had a great letter from Dr. David Bercuson, Director of the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies, U. of Calgary, who has read and approved the accuracy of the chapter on the men: "The Friendly Invaders", and who will be writing the foreword. Meanwhile I'm compiling a list of other publishers so that in the event of rejection (horrors) there will be no delay in re-submitting.
  
  • As you know five years of my life are already invested in this project (with time out now and then for "repairs"), and even after all this time I've lost none of my enthusiasm. The story richly deserves to be told in its entirety. Many aspects will be covered that are not in any of the other books.
    
• If the book is accepted there will still be a lot to be done, so bear with me. Watch this space!
  
  • Meanwhile, PLEASE KEEP SENDING WAR BRIDE INFORMATION FOR THE NATIONAL INDEX which will follow this one.

• To all war brides who have corresponded with me, especially those who have submitted their individual stories:
• When I requested your stories I had no idea there would be such a generous and overwhelming response, and I'm thrilled. Even when forms are returned without an attached story they give so much important data that again I am grateful. The photographs so freely shared also provide a wonderful resource. The written submissions fill eleven large loose-leaf binders. This cornucopia of riches has its up-side and its down-side. The up-side is that I'm able to illustrate almost every facet of the book with a direct quote. Every story has added to my knowledge of the war bride story, and the book will reflect this, even if a particular submission is not quoted in so many words. I could not be writing such an intricate book without your help. The down-side is, of course, that many paragraphs worthy of inclusion must be omitted - mainly because of space restrictions, but also because of repetition.
• I've therefore decided to close the request for submissions (except as stated below). I will select the photographs most pertinent to the story, but of course the final decision lies with be with the publisher.
• Please continue to send completed forms. DATA FROM THESE WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER along with every Canadian war bride in my files (over 2,000) plus names from War Bride Associations membership lists, past and present. The Register will be my next project, and should be a much simpler and swifter task, as it will require no research and minimum amount of checking and proof reading. Perhaps this second book will eligible for funding. With even a small amount of funding I could obtain secretarial help, which would speed things up enormously. This present work is entirely self-funded, and every aspect has been done by yours truly!
• I would still like to hear from escort staff, including anyone who was with the Canadian Wives Bureau either in London or in Holland; or from anyone with a unique perspective of the war bride phenomena. I will reiterate that none of the information will be lost, even if it does not appear in Most Excellent Citizens. I plan to lodge my research with a suitable Canadian archive for the use of any writer who in the future tackles the same subject.
• With the intention of publicizing the book as much as possible (always appreciated by a possible publisher) I have prepared a short article for the Legion magazine called "The First and the Last" - referring to the first WB marriage (January 1940) and the last (March1986). Yes, it was 1986 when Norma Freeman of Ilford, Essex, married her Canadian wartime sweetheart and then flew to Canada where they are practically my next-door neighbors. Lastly I'm very pleased that Dr. David Bercuson. Professor of Military Studies, the University of Calgary, has agreed to write the foreword to the book. As every, Eswyn.

• LAST CALL for submissions to "Most Excellent Citizens". If you have received forms but have not completed and returned them, please do so as soon as possible. Basic information will still be most acceptable for the planned "National Index to Canadian War Brides of World War II". Many thanks.

• Eswyn would like to hear from:
  Valarie (Valarie is the correct spelling) WHITTON, dau. of Kathryn Margaret (Peggy) McEwen (nee Snyder) please get in touch with me.

• Eswyn would like to hear from:
  TRENA HEATER who does not respond to her old e-mail address. Trena, in your Feb 2001 message you gave me your family connections with the MAURETANIA, which are more than the fact that your mother came to Canada on the same sailing as Terry and I did. Nowhere in your e-mail did you give your mother's name. Perhaps you wrote to me again and it is filed under your mother's married name, but it is difficult to check as there are nine ring binders jammed with submissions! Please do write.

I'm so grateful for the contributions from so many people, primarily, of course, the war brides themselves who have corresponded with me and shared their stories. Many from time to time write notes of appreciation and encouragement. I'm also grateful to the various War Bride Associations, and to the staff of libraries and archives in Canada and abroad who have unstintingly given their assistance.

A new war bride book, Brass Buttons and Silver Horseshoes, has just been published. It is by a very successful, prize-winning writer who until now has specialized in writing for young people. It is welcomed as yet another record of individual war brides, and we can never have too many such books. However, I sincerely believe that as a war bride, and as someone who experienced those turbulent war years in Britain, I bring to Most Excellent Citizens a deep understanding of those far off times. With the next Update I will include some excerpts. And so, back to the computer, and as Winnie so often said, "On to Victory!" (i.e. publication).
April 19, 2002