It was when Carol Stevens noticed that some of her family members weren’t listed on the World War II Honour Roll in the post office that she realized it wasn’t a complete list of all who had served. And that got her thinking that everyone from the Huntsville area who served in the war should be remembered in some way. So she and fellow Huntsville Historical Society member Linda Wilson embarked on a project to document as many of them as they could.
“The ones listed in the post office are veterans but there were many other people from this area who enlisted who served all over Canada and many other places, too,” said Wilson.
They began with that list from the post office and then started searching for people from all four of the townships that Huntsville now encompasses – Chaffey, Brunel, Stisted, and Stephenson. The list is now at 565 names and includes, when available, a photo, birth and death dates, rank, regiment, where they served, their parents’ names, and their spouse if they were married at the time of enlistment.
“We have approximately 150 (profiles) completed so we have a ways to go to fill all the gaps,” said Stevens. “A lot of the children might know their father was in the war and they might know where he went, but they don’t know what regiment or what he did. And we know that there will be more names coming from Port Sydney and Utterson because that area hasn’t really been attacked yet.”
Men Wanted ad in the Huntsville Forester, April 10, 1941
Wilson said she was surprised by the number of women from this area who were involved. For Stevens, it was the ages of the soldiers. “Some were 18 or 19. That was a horrendous war to fight in, especially at that age. And it must have been really hard on the mothers wondering if they were going to come back.”
While the pair have also been told a few stories to go with the names, gathering them isn’t their intent.
“We thought if we accumulated the names, someone else could collect the stories. You can only do so much when you start,” said Stevens.
Both had family members who served – Stevens’s father went overseas while two uncles served on home soil. “The veterans didn’t always talk about their experiences there. My father said when he got to England he had his first cigarette, his first drink, his first dance. It was real fun in England and they were there for several months. And then they got the call for D-Day.”
Wilson’s father tried to enlist at 16, was denied, and then was denied again when he was of age due to vision problems. She also had two uncles who served overseas, one of whom was listed as missing in action when he was, in fact, in a hospital in Britain. “Communication wasn’t like it is now. The war services delivered a missing in action to his wife. It was a number of weeks before the message came back that he wasn’t missing any more.”
Even in its incomplete state they’ve already had requests for the records and a teacher at the high school has expressed interest in seeing what they accumulate. The pair plan to leave a sample binder at the Huntsville Public Library this summer so that local families can check to see if their relatives are included, and are hoping that they’ll be able to add any missing details.
When the project is as complete as they can get it – perhaps by early in 2017 – they’ll keep a copy for the Huntsville Historical Society and give one each to the library and the Legion.
“I personally believe we need to remember the men and women, not just the ones that went overseas or enlisted, but the people that were left behind,” said Wilson. “The wives, the children, the mothers, the fathers, the brothers, the sisters. And the more we know about our past, the better we will understand and appreciate our future, I think.”
If you had a relative serve abroad or in Canada during World War II and are willing to contribute to the project, please email Carol at [email protected].
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BARBARA MILLS NEE CONWAY
My mother, Barbara Conway (Mills) served in the Women’s Canadian Royal Navial Service (WCRNS or wrens). She was born and raised in Huntsville and trained at Galt and then St Hyacinth Quebec in visual signals. She was posted to Halifax where her role was to communicate with the ships in the harbour via Morse Code and flags. This was done on top of a building by the harbour. She has many stories of windy nights on top of the building where she hung on to a series of ropes to prevent being blown off the roof. She also has great stories of her future brother in law, a naval officer, arriving in Halifax. He’d signal from his ship and arrange a night of partying. The end of the war was another great story. She is now 94 years old.
My brother Bert Scriver and brother Floyd Ross Scriver both served in world war 2. Bert in the Navy and on his way over seas when hit in stomach and air lifted back where he had 2/3 stomach removed. My brother Floyd was killed in Normandy France not long befor the war was over.