In the fall of 1939, when war broke out in Europe, my Aunt Bertha found herself ‘stuck’ in England, since she couldn’t get passage out to come back home to Montreal. But she made darn good use of her time there…
Teacher extraordinaire, world traveller, dog lover
(shown with her English Springer Spaniel)
Bertha agreed to be put in charge of a group of evacuee children, sent from London out into the countryside where they would be safer from the feared enemy bombing raids. They stayed at the home of a couple – their name escapes me, but I do know that they and Bertha forged a lasting friendship, staying in touch through many decades. There must’ve been many stories about this period that my aunt could have told me about, but unfortunately I was too self-involved, I suppose, to think of asking. Moral: talk to your elders. Ask them questions! Learn about your history… before it’s too late.
Crossed Eyes and Dotted Tees 
I love the photos you post! They complement your explanations and descriptions.
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Thanks Geraldine, I try my best! 🙂 Stay tuned, more to come…
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I wish I had learned more from my grandparents before they passed. As the African proverb goes, “When an old man (or woman) dies, a library burns down”…
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So true, so true! Sigh…
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Very true!! I learnt many things about India’s independence struggle and the pre-independence era from my grandfather who was a fighter pilot in the British Army! Those were great times.. I miss him and his teachings so much. Thanks for sharing, Ellie!
PS: Aunt Bertha looks beautiful 🙂
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See below Megha- I think I wrote my reply in the wrong spot!
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Wow, those must’ve been fascinating stories. He was your window to another era! So great that you had that. Thanks for reading, and for the sweet compliment on Aunt Bertha! 😊
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You’re welcome!
Yes, he was indeed! 🙂
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I was always very interested and as my mum neared the end of her life I got out all the old photos she had and made her give me the details all over again but this time I wrote them down on the backs of them. This came in very handy when a great uncle in the UK was being largely featured in an exhibition related to the anniversary of WW1. They managed to find me on the internet through a cousin in the UK who had found me and who was also interested in this. I was able to give them a lot of information and send pics that they used in the exhibition…A brother and myself flew over for it. All this has led to other discoveries both in the U.S and Australia, it can be quite fascinating.
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Marvellous! How wonderful to learn about your ancestry and exchange info with other family members!
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