11 Days of Remembrance: The Willing Workers

My great-gram was always a do-er. If something needed to be done, she did it, or at the very least would find someone to lend her a hand. That mantra didn't change when she left the city to become a farm wife back in the late 1930's.

I had always known that when great-gram moved out to the country the farm didn't have electricity. I was also aware that our farm was on the list to get it, but when WWII broke out, all the wiring went to the war effort. What I didn't know until earlier this year is that my great-gram, and a handful of other women from Binbrook, played instrumental roles in the Allies winning the war.

My mum had been rummaging through the upstairs of great-gram's house when she came across an old newspaper photo from the early 1940's. It was something that great-gram had completely forgotten about, and when we'd asked her about it, she still couldn't remember much. But, at 99 years old, that could be forgiven.

The photo was of the Binbrook Willing Workers, and their contributions helped our boys win the war. The Willing Workers formed shortly after the war broke out, and they would knit, sew, crochet, and quilt various articles to send to our soldiers abroad. If you can't read the caption under the picture, it reads:

Above are some original members of the Willing Workers club of Binbrook, formed soon after war broke out.These and other workers meet once a week to make articles for the Red Cross. In the last 12 months, the following articles have been turned over to district headquarters in Hamilton: 54 sweaters, 38 pair seaman's socks, 117 pair soldiers' socks, 91 scarves, 50 pair mitts, nine pair gloves, four airmen's caps, seven pair boy's socks, 51 helmets, four afghans, 142 quilts, 13 pair pyjamas, 13 body belts, 14 boys' blouses, three boys' coats. Those in the picture are, back row, from left: Mrs. Leslie Laidman, Miss. Bernice Whitwell, Mrs. Edgar Pettit, Mrs. Edward Roberts, Miss. Jennie Switzer. Bottom row: Mrs. Alvin Hillgartener, Mrs. David Young, Mrs. Iven Lowden, Mrs. Edward Garinger, Mrs. William Elliot. 

My great-gram's front and centre, Mrs. Iven Lowden. If Canada's boys were over in Europe trying to keep the Nazis at bay, the least these women could do was make damn sure that they were warm in the process! These ladies may not have been in the trenches, but they certainly did their part to make sure the good guys won.

We always remember the people on the battlefield. Let's not forget the people in the background, like my great-gram and the Willing Workers, who did the little things that helped to get the big job done.


For more, refer to the 11 Days of Remembrance miniseries from 2011 and 2012.