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My name is Shirley Riddalls. I am a retired nurse, so when I joined I became a Nursing Sister – a Second Lieutenant Nursing Sister – and I joined in 1956 in Ponoka, Alberta, and I retired in 1982. I am in proud possession of a Canada Decoration for my twenty-five years of service in the militia.

When I joined, I joined the 22 Medical Company in Ponoka, and then I came to the lower Fraser Valley and I joined the 24 Medical Company. One time when I was in Wainwright in training, the British Infantry were there, and they became our wounded in operations, and one time to make camp, we had to show a demonstration of how to cut down trees and I had to do a demonstration of that for some of our city-type medical aids. (more…)

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My name is Elmer Cairns. I was born in the small town of (?), Manitoba. I joined the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve in Winnipeg in April 1943, three months short of my eighteenth birthday. I had one day on active service in Winnipeg, and I was drafted to HMCS York in Toronto, Ontario. When finishing my basic training there, I was drafted to Quebec City. After approximately a month in Quebec City, I went to Cornwallis, and I took my training there. When that was completed, I was drafted to Stadacona in Halifax, and I put in for and was granted the privilege to become a radar operator, and I went aboard the mighty Canadian Destroyer, HMCS St. Laurent the first week of September 1943, and I sailed on her until the end of May 1945.

When I first went to sea, I had six meals a day – three down and three up, but once I got over that, I was never seasick again. I was on convoy duty, until we were sent over to take part in the invasion of France. (more…)