This spring, Hilda Duddridge joined Canadian War Brides and their families from across the country for a special reunion at the Victoria Empress Hotel April 12 to 14.
Hilda was one of the estimated 48,000 young women who met and married Canadian servicemen during the Second World War. These war brides were mostly from Britain, but many also came from other areas of Europe. Hilda grew up in Swansea, Wales, and met her future husband, Lewis, when he was in the UK as a pilot with the RCAF. “We were each trying to catch a train and he came and carried my bag for me,” she recalls with a smile.
The two were married in 1945 and after the war returned to Hanley, Saskatchewan, where they farmed and raised their family until retiring to the West Shore.
Black Press: The one thing you’d like to do better?
Hilda Duddridge: Be a better artist.
BP: The one thing you’d never be without?
HD: My hands.
BP: Your proudest achievement?
HD: My family. Our daughter was four-months-old when we came to Canada. We also raised three sons on the farm in Saskatchewan.
BP: Your most unforgettable experience?
HD: Arriving in Halifax in 1946 on the Queen Mary – the ship was full of nothing but war brides and when we pulled into Halifax harbour, all these little boats came out to meet us waving flags. It was quite something!
From Nova Scotia, the women who were heading beyond Halifax boarded a train that dropped women off across the country. Lewis met me in Saskatoon but it was dark when we arrived. The next morning I looked out and it seemed like you could see forever.
For more information on the Canadian War Brides association, email canadianwarbrides@netidea.com.