
Emmett Watson: Star Weekly Artist
Emmett Watson was a First World War veteran and talented illustrator who created many inspirational cover images for the wartime Toronto Star Weekly magazine.
Emmett Watson was a First World War veteran and talented illustrator who created many inspirational cover images for the wartime Toronto Star Weekly magazine.
The illustrators who created these beautiful wartime covers for the Star Weekly magazine have mostly been forgotten, so it was a delightful surprise to hear from a woman whose great-aunt, Elizabeth Cutler, was a regular Star Weekly artist. Sheree Meyer of Orlando, Florida shared her memories of her talented Great-Aunt Betty. The Inside Story The […]
An RCAF logbook belonging to Jim Milne has yielded some very amusing cartoons related to life in the Royal Canadian Air Force! When a case of mistaken identity thwarted Jim Milne’s plans to fly against the enemy, he spent the war in Canada serving as a navigation instructor instead. When not on duty, he spent […]
A treasure trove of photographs has fallen into my hands, showing RCAF women, members of the Royal Canadian Air Force Women’s Division, performing their wartime duties. Although women weren’t allowed to fly or to engage in combat, they filled many other valuable roles. “WE SERVE THAT MEN MAY FLY” was the motto of the Women’s […]
The Christmas season was especially lonely for the homesick men and women serving overseas in wartime, as well as their families on the home front. Here are a few examples of the many thousands of Christmas cards and letters that winged their way between loved ones in both world wars.
RCAF photographer Ruth Owen Whitelegg of Brantford, Ontario, served at an air training base at Centralia, Ontario, during World War Two. Her photo album gives us a fascinating glimpse into wartime history, crammed with snapshots of life on a Canadian air training base. RCAF Photographer Bio Ruth was born on March 12, 1925 to parents […]
Because my focus is on women in wartime, I’m always delighted to unearth little-known stories about their adventures. Here are four of the best. Women in Wartime MARGARET HERMESTON One of the unusual women in wartime was this petite photographer, who achieved monumental significance by becoming the first female Canadian army photographer. Her name was […]
For hundreds of thousands of families around the world, Christmas 1945 marked the first holiday celebrated together after the long and lonely years of war.
Georgina Harvey’s RCAF photo album reveals a fascinating slice of life in the wartime air force, compiled by a young woman from a well-known family in Kelowna, British Columbia who joined up in 1943 and trained as a photographer. Georgina Harvey was born in Kelowna to the distinguished Harvey family, still a well-known name in that community. […]
Seventy-two years after my uncle RCAF pilot trainee Alan Light died in a training accident, I discovered a dramatic oil painting that shows the last moments of his life.