Mother’s Reaction to His Enlistment

My father was killed in the second Ypres in the First War and my mother looked after three children, and in 1939 I suddenly realized that we were all going overseas. And we were leaving her alone, and she had lost her husband in the First War. And I said, I said “I want you to know mother that I appreciate, I know what you must feel about losing your family again.” And she said, “I don’t want you to go, but I’d kick you out of the house if you didn’t.” Now, I think that is the attitude of Canadians and I think that she said it very well. For all of us.