November 11 – Remembering Those Who Stayed Behind

When a young woman in the Canadian Women’s Army Corp decides to remain in Europe to help in the aftermath of World War II, she almost loses the man she loves.

It was 1944 and World War II still captured the attention of the globe, particularly for those who played a part in keeping the military wheels turning back at home in Canada.

Doris Atkinson had joined the Canadian Women’s Army Corp in December 1941 and had moved from being a canteen orderly to that of driver in motor transport for one of the base Captains in Brandon, Manitoba. Her thoughts were mainly occupied with a young man, Art Gray, whom she had met there when she still worked in the canteen. Art had declared the “blonde one his” to his comrades when he spotted Doris behind the counter and the two quickly developed a close bond.

Within a few weeks, Art was told he was being shipped overseas but was not allowed to tell anyone – Doris included. Therefore it came as a shock to her when he suddenly left for England. She began to watch every day for letters from Art but mail was infrequent and often did not arrive in the order that they had been written.

Starting in late Spring 1944, news had begun to trickle in to Canada of the war possibly being over shortly and a new initiative was developed to bring soldiers back home when the time came. So when a call came for volunteers to go to England, Doris jumped at the opportunity. She could take a bigger part in the war effort and travel to Europe; however, it would mean a greater risk to her life as the war was not yet officially over and fighting was still taking place. But it also meant a chance to get closer to Art whom she hadn’t seen for such a long time and the last she had heard from him, he was still in England.

Her application to join the new initiative was quickly accepted and she boarded a ship for the long voyage to England. The trip was a life altering and frightening experience for her when they were suddenly ordered below decks. She clung to her shipmates, hunkered below bunks as thunderous booms could be heard and the ship rocked with vibrations and waves – they were being torpedoed! Fortunately their transport ship, the RMS Mauretania was built for speed and maneuverability and she escaped any major damage from the attacking German submarine.

With relief on a safe arrival in England, Doris’ job began with the military department that was handling the Repatriation of Canadian soldiers. This was the term used for the administrative process to return soldiers home to their families in Canada. Doris’ special assignment was to complete the documents needed for 60,000 war brides, mainly English and some Scottish, to ensure they arrived successfully in their new country of Canada. Some brides were being sent ahead of their new husbands in order to space out the amount of people on the ships and avoid over-crowding. Imagine how frightening that must have been for a new bride to arrive in a strange country to the unknown families of their new husbands with him not there to help with the transition!

Doris’ arrival in England was marred by the news that Art had been deployed out of England, deeper into Europe, just prior to her ship entering port. Saddened but determined to do her best, she threw herself into her work. Art did manage to arrange short leaves of absence to visit her and those visits were an oasis in the desert of madness that was World War II.

The war had made a profound impact on Doris, as it did on many of the allied forces, combat and non-combat. The horrific stories, the shell-shocked soldiers, her constant worry over Art’s safety and the repeated attacks on her base in England left her questioning her path in life. The air raid sirens would send the administrative staff scurrying under their desks and Doris would pray for them to stop as bombs rained down throughout the city and debris crashed around their heads.

It was shortly after one of these air attacks that Doris decided to end her relationship with Art. He had proposed marriage on his last visit with her and she had turned him down — she did not want to be a widow or for him to be a widower. War had changed her view on things and she felt, at the time, she was much wiser and would perhaps think about staying in England to forge a new life after the war was finally over. Even with her entire family in Canada, her country seemed like a distant memory and a lifetime ago.

With the treaty signed on May 8, 1945, the world could accept and celebrate the fact that the war was indeed, finally over. The repatriation process picked up speed and the administration flowed as soldiers were sent home from various parts across Europe. Canadian soldiers fortunate enough to have survived the fight excitedly boarded the departing ships, headed for home. Amongst those returning soldiers was Art Gray.

As a wounded world began the year of 1946, the cloud of destruction and sorrow that had claimed Europe was lifting. Instead of horrific stories and traumatized soldiers, Doris was seeing hopeful faces and happy jubilation everywhere on the streets of England. The excited war brides in particular started Doris thinking about her desperate decision to end her relationship with the man she truly did love. Was it too late?

On February 24, 1946 Doris found herself getting some much-needed sleep on a leather chair in a train station on a long journey home. It had seemed like a never-ending ocean voyage back to Canada after a draining 16 months in England, surviving torpedoes and bombs and working around the clock to help send exhausted soldiers home—many along with or going to new wives. Celebration was in the air and Doris was excited to see her homeland again but terrified at the same time that it was too late to see if Art would take her back. One more train ride and she would be in his home province of Saskatchewan.

Shortly after a quick visit with her own family, Doris arrived on the doorstep of one of Art’s family members, asking to borrow a horse and then riding out to the hayfield where he was working. When Art saw her, he stopped the team but stayed seated on the hay rake and Doris stayed seated on her horse – eyes locked on each other and both wondering what would happen next. She spoke first.

“Art, do you think we could get back together?” she asked with a trembling voice.

Minutes ticked by as he continued looking at Doris, brow furrowed as his thoughts whirled around. He still felt the pain of her rejection in England.

“I don’t know, I’m seeing someone else now,” he said.

Doris’ heart sank. Continents, months and miles later, she felt her world crumble around her. She had made a mistake back in England and the outcome would be this.

“But can I pick you up after supper tonight and we can talk about it?” Art asked.

That after-supper conversation lasted mere minutes but resulted in more than 50 years of marriage, full of happiness and bringing four children into the world.

Her experience in England as part of the “clean-up” crew after the war was one she never did regret. Helping war-torn soldiers return home to Canada had been very rewarding and the appreciation of the war brides was overwhelming as she facilitated the move to their new lives with their new loves.

Doris always displayed a profound fear at the sound of air raid sirens and could not enjoy the one ocean cruise she went on with Art as her memories of the torpedoed transport ship returned. We don’t realize or think about what the people who helped in the war effort had to endure for the rest of their lives after they returned home. Memories were often buried but never far from re-awakening when triggered by a familiar sight or sound.

On November 11, let us remember them too.

Recent Wanda Gray-Lambeth Articles:

• Broken Butterfly
• The Act of Re-Grieving
• Grieving Mothers On A Mission - My Personal Story
• Sharing The Warmth
• Other Worlds