October 23, 2024

So glad to know that old (young) friends are in touch at your most difficult time.

Your mention of George McIlraith brought back memories of a freezing cold winter January 1962. I was living in a ground floor apartment in an old house that necessitated me to catch a bus to Sparks and Metcalf streets. One -30 morning whilst waiting hopelessly for said bus a car drove up and asked in a pleasant deep voice if he could drive me somewhere.  It was G. McIllraith. On that first morning he told me he was driving to the Parliament buildings, so of course I accepted his offer. For the next several weeks he came to my house to collect me!

That first morning he asked me how long I had been in Canada, "Why did a young English lady with a speaking voice just like the Queen come to Ottawa of all places!!  It was an interesting few weeks. I did not tell my boss (a Welsh Patent Agent) at Marks & Clerk, the large British company, how I arrived each morning as I presumed he definitely had Liberal feelings! 

 

Another odd story re: the Welsh Patent Agent John Chappell.  In 1940 when my Father joined the RAF and was sent to South Wales, my Mother drove me and our housekeeper to visit the small village, "Cowbridge" near the Air Force station. It was suggested that there were 2 local farms who might be available for us to stay.  The first farm looked fairly rough and dirty, so Nora (housekeeper) said she would go up the muddy pathway to enquire. There was a young boy, 8 years old, kicking a football around and kicked it to me, I had never tried it before so I gently managed to push it a couple of feet, which made him laugh! Nora returned and told my Mother "absolutely Not" much too dirty.  The second farm was just perfect for us.  We stayed almost 2 weeks until we saw from a high hill, the German planes bombing Cardiff. Daddy told us to go home before this war gets any worse. All this was a few weeks before the "Battle of Britain".

In 1963 I became the Bookkeeper and assistant Manager For Marks and Clerk in Ottawa,  the same John Chappell was the managerial Patent Agent!! John did tell me the name of his village, but I never told him the circumstances as his wife told me "John never mentions his war years, he is too

embarrassed."

An amusing situation!

Keep cheerful.

Suzanne