VE Day in Halifax

Heroes Remember

VE Day in Halifax

Transcript

They had the army people stationed along there somewhere and they were very cooperative. We used to go to dances and everything and they were, we mixed in with them and everything, to a certain extent. How long was I out there? Not quite a year and I came back. They, at that time, they wouldn't discharge you out of the west coast if you lived in the east coast, they sent you back here so they sent us back to Halifax. I arrived in Halifax in May and they did our paperwork, in '45, they did our paperwork and everything and then I, I was released in June of '45. I was stationed in Stadacona then and we had, I had friends up in still up at King's College which is classed in this Dalhousie University now. And we went up there shortly after, before lunch we went out, there was three or four of us, we thought we'd walk up and see them so we went up and seen them and while we were there it came on that the war was over. So everybody kind of danced around and sang and everything. And then I said, "Well I think we better leave and go back." Going back, his name was Murray, the admiral of the fleet I presume he was... anyway he came out with with his zoom talkers and spoke, "Navy personnel get back to the barracks as soon as possible." So they said, "What are we gonna do?" And I said, "Well, we're on the street, there's no sense getting a streetcar because the navy fellas had taken some of the streetcars and tried to run them. The liquor stores were closed. They closed as soon as the war was.... they closed the liquor stores which was to me maybe I was wrong but to me it was crazy because they smashed into the liquor stores, stole liquor. Then they come up to Barrington Street and they started smashing the windows and things there. But we came down Spring Garden Road and we cut into along where Camp Hill Hospital is. And we started going along there and Citadel Hill, it was mobbed. It was mobbed and they said, oh come on. And I said, don't sit, let's get back to barracks cause he had gone around and said, get back into barracks. So we were going along but it was scary because I mean you didn't know if you were gonna get attacked or what was gonna happen.

Description

Ms. Stevens describes leaving Esquimalt and returning to Halifax at the end of the war. She talks about the damage that was done by the people who were celebrating because of the news that the war was over.

Katherine Stevens

Katherine Stevens was born on March 17, 1924. She grew up during the depression years in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She decided to join the navy in 1942 and worked as a wardroom assistant with the WRENs. She served mostly in Esquimalt, British Columbia and when the war ended in 1945, she returned to Halifax.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 02:38
Person Interviewed:: Katherine Stevens
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Location/Theatre:: Home front
Branch:: Navy
Rank:: Wren - Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS)
Occupation:: Wardroom Assistant (WRA)

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VE Day in Halifax

Heroes Remember

VE Day in Halifax

Katherine Stevens

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VE Day in Halifax

Heroes Remember

VE Day in Halifax

Katherine Stevens

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