CHILDREN WERE BACK HOME HEROS DURING WW2

In digging out some material to post on an Ontario ancestors group timeline in Chatham-Kent a few days ago, I uncovered a couple of scribblers I used in Grade 2 back in the good old days and by which the rudiments of the Three R's were drilled into me by means of learning exercises.

The scribblers had to be purchased from a local book supply store (drug store for me) and I seem to recall that they cost a whole 10 cents. In fact all school supplies were obtained outside of the school system in those days. 

I could not help but wonder how this particular set of scribblers used by impressionable youngsters in the period between 1942 and '46, could place such blatant emphasis on war -- i.e. the British bulldog steadfastly protecting the Union Jack flag while standing "On Guard" with battle ships and aircraft in the background, or impressive armored tanks pushing into action on the battle field. Such depictions on the covers of these scribblers, or notebooks, would be out of the question for use in schools today. 

But then, I had to consider the time period and the unusual function that children were expected to, and did, engage in.

Approximately 700,000 Canadian children and teenagers played an important role in Canada's WW2 effort. They filled many of the gaps left by male family members and other able-bodied young men, many themselves still in their teens, who left society to join the armed forces and also provided other sorts of valuable support to those overseas. 

During the war, Canadian children contributed and sacrificed in many ways. Youth were constantly encouraged by their teachers, family, and friends to support the home front effort.

With most able-bodied men overseas, there were not enough farm workers to harvest the crops. Countless young people worked long hours on farms to ensure a steady food supply for Canadians and our Allies. To encourage students to help with the harvest, many schools did not count attendance or introduce new material in classes until after the crops were in.

Wannabe soldier me, 1944 and 1955

The government lowered the minimum age for obtaining a driver's licence to 14 so that teenagers could legally operate farm trucks and other vehicles. Many children saw themselves as junior soldiers. They prepared for war by memorizing aircraft silhouettes and building ship models. Dressed in makeshift military gear complete with toy guns, we played war games against an invisible enemy. Many high school students joined cadet corps and learned how to march, perform arms drills, and fire weapons. In my town, participation in high school cadets was compulsory for both boys and girls.

Teachers often had children write letters to Canadian military members overseas, telling them about what was happening back home. We became members of the Junior Red Cross and supported the organization's dedication to treating the injured overseas. Canadian children were joined by hundreds of British refugee children (guest children) who were sent by their parents from bomb-ravaged Britain to Canada for their safety. These children lived with Canadian children and went to school with them.

We learned to scrimp and save to raise money for the war effort and to recycle and collect materials, such as metal, rubber, fat and grease, that were in short supply and could be reused to produce useful war products. 

Encouraged by incentives such as free passes to movies, Canada's children became ardent scavengers and collected tons of scrap. We even donated our own toys for metal salvage drives and brought our nickels and dimes to school to buy War Savings Stamps which were then stuck into special booklets for post-war redemption.

Boy Scouts and Girl Guides in every community also conducted many fund-raising activities such as newspaper and bottle drives. 

A "Canadian Whites" comics
book also from my collection.

To save scarce dollars, the Canadian government barred all non-essential American products from entering Canada. This embargo included children's much-beloved comic books. The Canadian publishing industry stepped in to fill the void, but they could only afford to use color on the covers so they went with black-and-white printing of comic images on the inside pages and the comic books became known as "Canadian whites". In the summer of 1941, the first Canadian comic book, "Better Comics #1" hit the stands, and all 52,000 copies were sold. Canadian comic book heroes included Johnny Canuck, Freelance Dixon of the Mounties, and Nelvana of the Northern Lights.

So, it goes without saying, the broad range of sacrifices and achievements made by Canadians during the Second World War provide us with a proud and lasting legacy that will ideally continue into the country's future. 

The considerable efforts and sacrifices made by the kids of my generation, should serve as a lasting reminder of what Canada's youth can do when they put their mind to it...with subtle encouragement from their elders.

With any luck, we will not have to go that way again.