Operation Manna saved thousands of Dutch civilians from starvation when the Allies stripped their bombers of weapons, and dropped tons of food instead. It was too late to save twenty thousand others who starved to death as the Second World War drew to an end. One woman describes how Operation Manna delivered her family from […]
A Jewish couple escaped the Holocaust by hiding inside the Scheffer household for two years, in a small town in Holland. Casey Scheffer, who moved to Canada after the war, told me how his courageous family accomplished this remarkable feat.
Rationing was a fact of life in the Second World War. For five long years people ate less meat, sugar and other products. But there were few complaints. Not only were we feeding the desperate British population, we were shipping enormous quantities of food to our own armed forces, and our prisoners of war. Why […]
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 […]
