letter from dorothy

High Prairie, Alta

July 27th, /42

Dear Norman, Your letter dated June 7th came last Friday. We were glad to hear too. We haven't heard from any of the other boys for quite a while, so I suppose we'll be getting a bag of letters soon. Dempsey was on Overseas draft, but was taken out of the draft at the last minute, and expects now to go to the West Coast soon. He's hoping to get there, because he has a thousand more or less relations out there, and would like a chance to get acquainted with them. Carl Saunderson's are out there too. And of course others we know. We haven't seen any of the Johnstons lately. Bill was down for a couple days 2 weeks ago and none of them since. Muggins is in H.P. hospital with an appendix operation. Johnny Haggerdy just got out from having his out, and likewise Mrs O'Grady. She left Mike & he sued for custody of the children but she got them. He says he doesn't want them but he's going to take it to a higher court and get them away from her. Nice pleasant person, Mike. Violet & I were in to see Norma. Jean Knicht was in the bed next to her. I don't know what her trouble was.

2.

The Binnies have a new 5 lb. baby. Donna Marie I think her name is. I'm sure it's much too genteel a name for a wildcat like she's sure to be. The Dr Woods have a son. "A terrible looking child," Grace says, "Black, and high cheek bones." I don't know how she knows, because he was in a basket away from the glass. We couldn't even see his face.

Davies is supposed to come down for a week or 2 before school starts. Lin seems to think it will be exciting.

I can't remember when I wrote to you last and I write so many letters I can't remember what I've written to who, so if I repeat what I wrote before it's for that reason. Better write it twice than leave anything out tho, so here goes.

Pat Hanlon was about to be made manager of the hotel when he drank canned heat & got DT's then went blind. More than a month later Dr Wood sent him out & we heard his mind had gone completely since. He says he drank it because John was killed, but he must have known John was going to be ever since he was born, because he's been drinking up to it for that long at least.

Mr McEuen has had a very serious heart illness he is still in bed after 2 months. While he was at his worst Mrs McEuen had a cable to say Allan was missing.

3.

I went in to see her when I heard about it. She was telling me how he embarrassed them When He Was Small. They lived at Hythe then. There was a syndicate of bootleggers up in the North and the police finally got to know they were bringing the "Brew" in by plane & caught them. Allan heard them talking about it and every time a plane flew over, he told them he was going to be a Bootlegger when he grew up.

A bunch of S.A.R. boys were home on Embarkation leave last week. Bob Wilson, Walter Van Der Mark, the Walker boy and I don't know who else. We didn't see them, they're here for so short a time. Herb & Violet met the train in Enilda & it was of course an hour late, so they had quite a visit.

Clifford had a job at the Oliver Mental institution but he did what he called "conked a Nazi Minded Bohunk on the head" in a restaurant on 101st St. He got fined $3.00 for creating a disturbance, and his services were no longer required owing to his misconduct. They put him in the hospital – a military one – removed his tonsils & worked on his rheumatic knee. We haven't heard from him since that. He's thinking of rejoining the Army. 200 Category men are needed for a new training camp at Wetaskawin by Oct 1st.

4.

I hear Pat Milsop is out of the Army — Bad heart. And Old Ross is in Jail & Mandy in a TB sanatarium. Bill is a Category Man & Jack has been rejecting. And that disposes of the Milsop family.

Gene Boy is at Camp for 2 weeks in Calgary. He is about due home. Georgie went on ahead. She was going to get a job & work in Calgary. Uncle John sent Helen her ticket & she went to Calgary Stampede. Violet's sister was here 3 months, but she has gone to B.C. now. She didn't want to leave but her mother wasn't well and needed her.

Charlie Freeman has had his Call. I haven't heard if he will get exemption. Florence says if he goes she is going away too. Alice & her family came to visit for 2 weeks in March & are still there. Her husband is helping Charlie on the farm.

We had some very high water again in June. Old Baggy Breeches (formerly Dinglehoofer) lost a lot of his farm into the river. It wasn't quite so high as last year. It didn't worry me like it did last summer when Dempsey was swimming a horse in it. I still feel sick when I think about the times he swam Nigger thro it, especially the night you were here. The mosquitos weren't as bad as they were last July.

5.

Most any of the men who can get away have gone to Dawson to work on the Alaska Highway. We hear fabulous tales about the wages there. Pete Ragan is there & Olive says he's getting $360.00 a month for watching something or other. Swallow that if you can. I can't. I can't imagine him being interested in watching anything he could get paid for. Elmer is up there too & George. I saw a man in H.P. one morning looking for a woman to cook for 18 men for 60 a month. Wasn't I soft not to go. It would be a snap.

Dempsey's Irish girlfriend is supposed to come from Edmonton & spend awhile with us. I've got Bill to agree to escort her around. She looks about as tall & thin & scrawney as he does. They should make quite an interesting couple. I met her when I was out in Jan. A nice family they are. She was in a street car full of Air Force boys with only one soldier. He got up to leave the car & ran into her nearly knocking her down. He went right on without apologizing. She said, "These soldiers have no manners at all." One of the AFs said, "That's the time you said something." She turned & said to him, "You shut up. That goes for you too. The Air Force has no more manners than the Army has." He really shut up too. She's very loyal to the Army because her 2 brothers are in the Army & both overseas now I believe.

The SAR boys were home on Embarkation leave in June & I hear a bunch of Canadian troops have landed in

6.

England lately so I'm supposing they are there. We didn't see any of them, but Herb & Violet went to Enilda & met the train. The train was late so they had a visit with the Salt Prairie boys who were waiting.

Quite a few of the boys who were called last month were turned down. Gunner Erickson didn't pass. They are calling men between 20 & 40 now. They are having a registration for women soon too, so I guess a lot of us will be called away.

I've got the snap of Dempsey & the 3 girls that was taken here in March. I'll enclose it. I think it's a very good picture. Don't you?

The river is very low just now. There's only about 10 feet of water to cross at the Ford and what is there isn't more than 6 inches deep. These cold cloudy days are making it colder tho. It's very like snow just now. Quite a change after the very hot weather we have been having. It makes one think of woolens.

This seems to be about all I can think of for this time. Write whenever you can. We have really begun to look forward to you boys letters and they are a long way between. Do you see many boys from this country? There must be lots of them in England. I know there are very few of them left here anymore. I'm sure I don't know how they can have a dance with as few as there are. Lots of the girls are enlisting & leaving too. The change is getting more noticable all the time. We both wish you lots of luck & hope to hear again soon. Sincerely, Dorothy R—

in the background: Eeny Meeny Miney Mo from the album "Quintessential: Volume 1, 1933 - 1935" by Billie Holiday