The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Creighton veteran Doug Gibson shares his memories of of the 1945 holiday season. When the war ended in Europe in 1945, the big project was to get the men and women back to Canada as quickly as possible. Personnel with long oversees service were given first priority Ð quite rightly so. Others who were not on occupational duty or serving in depots were moved home in regiments or units. Men who had served in Third Division artillery units and were returning to homes in Saskatchewan were posted to 44 Battery, whose home base was Prince Albert. Most of these men had served in the 12th, 13th, 14th, and 19th Field Regiments. I had served in the 14th. In November we were moved to England, to Aldershot Camp. We were quartered in old cavalry barracks dating back to the Crimean War. The ground floor has originally been stables for horses. My bunk was on the top floor. I remember the barracks were cold. Fireplaces with coke for fuel Ð one five-gallon pail per day. The fuel compound was next to our barracks. We were able to remove a window overlooking this fuel compound. We rigged a length of 2 x 2 on a bucket Ð and this way we were able to supplement the fuel supply. We hid our bucket by hanging it openly on the wall outside the window! See 'Nine' P.# Con't from P.# We were disappointed when we realized we wouldn't be home for Christmas. However, just before Christmas, we were transported by train to Southampton. I'm not sure of the date, but it must have been December 22 or 23 when we set sail from Southampton on the Queen Elizabeth. It was a rough crossing Ð a real storm at sea. A nicely decorated Christmas tree was mounted high on the mast when we left Southampton. When we arrived at New York, all that remained of this tree was the stem! We were crowded nine men to a berth. Two meals per day if we weren't too sick! We had our Christmas dinner at sea. It included roast turkey, cranberry sauce, green peas, browned potatoes, cold ham, lettuce salad, plum pudding, sweet sauce, ice cream, Christmas cake, fresh fruit, mixed nuts and coffee. We arrived at New York on December 28, and we were able to send telegrams home to let our families know we had arrived. My telegram home stated: Canadian Pacific Telegrams - World Wide Communications: WN 10, New York, New York. Dec. 28/45. To D. Gibson. Rocanville. "Arrived on Queen Elizabeth. Leaving on Special army train today. D.J. Gibson." We got off the ship and onto CNR trains in the dock yards. We crossed into Canada at Fort Erie. The snow drifts were deep. The storm we experienced at sea extended all across the U.S. and Canada. I had my birthday on the train, travelling through Northern Ontario. Those of us with homes in southeastern Saskatchewan were worried we'd have to go all the way to Prince Albert and wouldn't be home for New Year's Day. To our joy, we were let off the train in Winnipeg. We were supplied with warrants to travel on the CP Line. We were able to send telegrams home informing our families of the changes. We got over to the CP station and boarded a mainline train going west. A number of us got off the train at Moosomin. Friends were there to meet me and took me to my home at Rocanville, arriving in time for supper New Year's Eve. It was so good to arrive home safely and in reasonable condition.12/19/2005
