Jewish pilot Georg Hein, sent to England as a teenager to escape certain death in a concentration camp, changed his name to Peter Stevens and became a decorated RAF pilot. This daring young man was shot down, captured, and spent four terrifying years as a German POW.
Princess Elizabeth, who late became Queen Elizabeth, eldest daughter of the British royal family, was born on April 21, 1926. Just six months after her thirteenth birthday, the world went to war. This determined teenager threw herself into the war effort and over her father’s objections, she even joined the armed forces and trained as […]
After reading about my love for the old Star Weekly photos, a local collector of all things vintage named Ken Hatt lent me eight original wartime issues for my reading pleasure! Here’s a peek inside. Ken Hatt of Radium Hot Springs, British Columbia is an inveterate collector who owns numerous vintage magazines, including eight Star […]
RCAF fighter pilot Jim Ashworth of British Columbia wanted to fly so badly that when the Royal Air Force ordered him to become a flight instructor, he deliberately failed the test – twice!
My mother played wartime music on the piano when I was a kid, just as we were falling asleep. So my fascination with that era first began with its wonderful, evocative music: lilting love songs, morale-boosting melodies, big band swing and sweet songs of separation that wring your heartstrings. Click on the title to hear […]
Fearing an enemy invasion, thousands of Canadian girls as young as sixteen joined volunteer militia groups in wartime, learning how to conduct air raid patrols, use firearms and incredibly, how to handle bombs!
Fifty thousand Canadian women in uniform served during the Second World War. Even while battling the Third Reich, they still wanted to look their best. Since they were forced to wear the same hat every day for years, style was crucial. So which branch of the armed forces had the most flattering headgear? You be […]
When Janet Mears of Australia started searching for information about her great-uncle Maxwell Cassidy, killed in a 1944 training accident in Canada, the results were astonishing. Not only did she discover that Max had been in love, she found the Canadian girl he left behind – alive and well, and eager to share her memories.
No wonder thousands of wartime weddings and passionate love affairs took place during those heady years. Was there ever a period in history when romance was so exciting, so terrifying, and yet so wonderful as during wartime? Here are photographs of some lovely wartime weddings, just in time for Valentine’s Day. I included all the […]
Air force accidents in wartime involving new recruits training under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan were almost commonplace in Canada. Here’s one example. On September 8th, 1944, a Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft was flying near the air training base at North Battleford, Saskatchewan when it went into a spin. Killed was Flight-Sergeant William […]
