Women Enlisting

Heroes Remember

Women Enlisting

Transcript

Interviewer: Ms. Dion, you had just been telling me that you had decided to enlist and you had come home, and you had told your parents. When you told your parents that you were enlisting, what was their reaction? Do you remember? Shock. Surprise. Upset. Tears. Made me feel bad. Yeah. Interviewer: But they came to accept your decision? Oh yeah. Mm hmm, yeah. I think they didn't understand a girl's part in, in war. At that time it was not something that people talked about or maybe it wasn't readily accepted by everybody then in those days. Interviewer: Had any other young women from the village or surrounding area join before you? Not as far as I know. There was one that joined after that I know of. But as far as I know that would be the, there was the only two of us out of the village that joined the forces. Interviewer: How did you come to know that women were being accepted in the military? Oh we had radio and newspaper and my brothers. Interviewer: When you enlisted, do you remember anything about the office or the place you went when you did go to enlist? Yes, I sure do. I know where I enlisted. It was, it was in, it was in Edmonton in the city, right downtown, they had a big trailer, like a house trailer, sized trailer, and they were enlisting right on the main street there. Interviewer: Do you remember if other young women were enlisting at the time you came forward? Not anybody I knew, no.

Description

Ms. Dion talks about women enlisting in the service.

Theresa Evelyn Dion

Ms. Dion was born in a little village about 45 km west of Edmonton in March of 1924. Her father had a small farm about one mile outside the village where he raised animals to provide food for his family. He also sold some animals as a means of income. Ms. Dion comes from a family of 7 and had two older brothers who served in the Second World War. She attended a one-room school for Grades 1 through 8 and then went to Edmonton to further her education. She joined the Canadian Women's Army Corps in February of 1942 and after completing basic training was stationed in Suffield, Alberta. She met and married her husband while she was stationed in Suffield. After they were married he went overseas to serve his country. In the Fall of 1944, while stationed in Calgary, she received a medical discharge.

Meta Data