CARNIVAL OF GENEALOGY - CANADIAN ARMY - S-7 -CAAS. BROCKVILLE - ADMINISTRATIVE TRAINING WING - AUGUST 1944

The theme for this edition of the Carnival of Genealogy is: Independent Spirit - a relative who was feisty, spoke their own mind, was a bit of a free spirit?

Well, for me, that would definitely be my mother - for my kids, it might be me, but, of course, I get a lot of that from her (and I think she got it from her mum and her mum's mum!) Make no mistake - my dad was an independent person too - but he didn't show it in the same way - maybe didn't have to, being a man.

I've written quite a bit about my mum one way or another, so especially because it's Canada Day today, I thought I'd like to post this photograph of her in the Army. My mum joined up during World War II - to the dismay of her mother. The Army wasn't then seen as any place for a 'good girl' - even joining the women's sections of the Navy or Air Force would have been better accepted. My Na later came to defend my mum's choice, and I never heard a word about this till I was long grown up.

I see in the pages I have here copied from her military file that she was said to have an "alert mind" and be "self-reliant and confident"...with "lots of energy and confidence". She started working in the 38th Brigade in Winnipeg and ended up being posted to Washington, D.C. as Personal Assistant and Administrative officer in the Military Attache's office.

"The officer in charge of the Administrative Course which she attended described her as a 'conscientious, careful officer, who knows her work'. "

I think that any of these women chosen as officers for the Canadian Women's Army Corps would have had much the same 'independent spirits' and I would love to know more about the other women in this picture. I hope that relatives of others in the photo will find it (and me). Those in the photograph are identified on the back in my mother's hand - done, I believe, at the time it was taken or close to it. (She has listed 2 Maj Lanes though.) The photographer's name is Murray - however, this appears to be an official Army photograph.

Lt. Hamilton

Lt. Issac

Maj Lane

Capt Stevens

2/Lt Wallace

Lt Slater

Major Dupuis

Lt Warren

2/Lt Quitt (or Quilt?)

Lt Richardson

Maj Lane

Lt Liscott

Lt Cartmell

Lt Golvin

Capt Murray

Lt Entwhistle

Lt Bryant

Lt Grass (or Gross?)

Capt Angers

Lt Rouillard

Capt Olson

Lt Cowan

Lt Scott ** my mum - front row, seated right side of group

S/M Smith

Capt Maguire

Major MacAuley

Lt Col Armstrong

Major Horton

Lt Patterson

Capt Bowers

S/M Gallop

Lt MacGinnis