Next Generation

Norman did not let up in his desire to give his kids the best education.

Duchess High School

Dormitories were started in Duchess to provide accommodation for country students wishing to attend high school. As travel in this area was usually by horseback or walking, the distance and time element was too great for students outside of the town limits. The first boys to stay in a dorm in Duchess included Rufus. A matron had been hired to cook for the boys and girls. All cooking was done and meals prepared in the girl's dormitory, with the boys and their high school principal, Mr. Betton joining them at meal time. Mr. Betton continued to live with the boys in the dorm as their chaperone while remaining the prinicpal of the school.

Rufus and Pansy went to the dormitory from 1934 to 1937, finishing grades 9 to 11. Therefore Rufus and Pansy went through school completely together, even though two years apart in age, from grade 1 to 11. When Rufus and Pansy were ready to start high school, they had to ride horses over eight miles from the farm until the 'crop came in' (and sold) so that they could afford to stay at the dormitory. Enough funds got generated in future years so all kids could stay in the dormitory when required to attend high school. In January, 1935, as per the Brooks Bulletin, the boys of the dorm entertained their fathers to a turkey supper and it was noted that Norman Chudleigh was in attendance for his son, Rufus. 

It is interesting to note that once both dorms were filled to capacity as it proved to be a reputable, successful, and popular strategy, the school board purchased the Carl Sisson residence in Duchess. This home became the girl's dormitory on the upper floor, with meals being served on the lower floor. This is the same Carl who married Emma's older sister Lydia, with Carl being originally a hired hand of Norman on the original Millicent farm, but whom Norman worked for later when the family moved back to Duchess from High River. Are you confused yet? Carl sold his place to move his family to Innisfail, having sold his livery stable and dray business in Duchess. With the advent of the automobile, livery stables were quietly disappearing and so the time had come for Carl to move on.

Carl's son Chester, who was two years younger than Rufus, ended up staying at the dorm to complete his high school education while his family moved to Innisfail and when not at the dorm, he lived on the Chudleigh farm. The fact that Norman took in Chester is just another example of how hospitable the family was to others, whether they were stranger, family, or friend. No place welcomed others with open arms as much as the Chudleigh household as per Norman's guidance. Chester was not the best of character as a young man and trouble often followed him, and so it took at lot of Norman's energy to keep Chester going in the right direction until he completed his schooling in 1936, two years ahead of Rufus even though two years younger. 

As per Pansy, she recalls Chester taking a bunch of high school kids, including her to a dance in Clancy (halfway between Brooks and Duchess) from the dormitory in the winter, using a horse and sleigh owned by his father. The Clancy School also served as a community centre and if a dance was in order, you just needed to move aside any furniture and supplies to free up enough floor space! Chester also took Norman's horse and sleigh once when on the farm in the winter with Pansy and others of his generation across the river to attend a dance. He apparently took the sleigh over some rather large river rocks instead of being more careful and cross on just river ice, much to Norman's dismay.

George Earnest Chudleigh's son from Bindloss, George Starks (known as Starks to avoid any confusion), cousin to Rufus and Pansy, also came to the dormitory in Duchess for his high school education, staying at the farm on weekends, only going back to Bindloss for Christmas. Bindloss did not have a high school and so this was all the justification needed, but George also had another motive. Since Starks was just a little mischievous at times and not always applying himself to his studies, George felt a little bit of discipline of Norman's kind would help keep him in check. As per Pansy:

Starks came into the farm house holding a garter snake. I was terrified of snakes, started screaming and ran into my bedroom, slamming the door shut. The problem with the door was that there was enough room underneath for Starks to slide that snake into my room and in my territory! I have never screamed so hard in my life! Fortunately my father came to the rescue and scolded Starks enough to keep snakes away from me, at least when at the farm.

There was another incident that was similar in the Duchess Dormitory. Starks chose to bring in a snake for us girls to see while we were cooking our meal. This did not go over very well! Fortunately Mr. Betton, our school principal put a stop to this practice, and no, he did not believe Starks' explanation that he was just taking the snake out of the house and just so happened to be passing through the kitchen!

Duchess Community Hall

It is interesting to note that when Carl Sisson sold the livery stable business in 1934, the barn became the Duchess Community Hall! What a story Carl must have had when moving to Innisfail for what happened to the building of his residence and then his business! Many a meal and community dance were held in that converted livery barn over the years, even during my childhood. An appropriate dance floor had been installed, and the former barn was equipped to have a stage for theatre, side rooms for food preparation, and washrooms. Community turkey suppers had already become the norm for the village, an annual event that started in 1925, and the 'new' community hall provided the space needed to accommodate the growing demand. 

Despite its age and outdoor rustic look, the building fortunately never smelled like a livery stable and so they must have done a good job during conversion! It was quite common for a building to be converted after a few years to be used for something else, but switching a barn to become a food parlor or dance hall is not something that you see happening that often. My father on several occasions throughout the years volunteered his time when maintenance or upkeep needed to be done to that building.

Post Secondary Education

1937 must have been the 'dark ages' for Pansy and Rufus, as they certainly had little hope to further advance their education. Life was rather bleak, and they were behind others due to their advanced age. A roommate of Rufus at the dormitory, Carl Beck, graduated with him even though four years younger, and he was already on his way to technical college in Calgary while Rufus was left behind on the farm. Rufus was quite troubled and frustrated staying with Norman and Perce, and in some ways getting in their way, knowing if he only had an opportunity. Fortunately more education was to come. 

In 1938, Uncle Ed and Aunt Bess financed Rufus and Pansy to go to Olds College. Since they were living on the farm, they thought they would benefit from getting some horticulture education and so it was their suggestion which they gladly accepted. They realized the value in education in the same light as their Uncle Ed did. There was definite incentive to get good grades to ensure Ed's investment in them was worthy. Pansy had some other incentive though as she decided after one year she would be better off going to a business school in Calgary, this schooling to be financed by her Aunt Kate. This was the Henderson Secretarial School, which would give her a good overall education in business, including bookkeeping. Pansy made the best of the Olds opportunity in the meantime, working hard to get good grades and taking the kind of courses she would benefit from in future years.

However, as Pansy had already gone to Olds, it only seemed right that Blanche received the first opportunity at attending Henderson and get some post secondary education, and so in 1939 Pansy started working for the Sethens in the summer months as a cook for the farming crew. 

One day, a good chunk of flesh from my finger got cut off (except nail and bone). With no one around and no such thing as a clinic close by, not wanting to look weird with some of my finger missing, I jammed the chunk back on where it was supposed to be, squeezed hard with blood seeping out, then I had a very tight gauze/ band aid on it for a lengthy period of time. Fortunately, the flesh merged with the remaining finger and all that shows now is the scar!

Pansy showed me her finger 80 years later and although gnarled from arthritis, it looks quite healthy with little scar! Pansy was fortunate to have Clara as her friend during this time to help keep her interest in her work, even though she craved for the chance to get to the city. Clara knew she was eventually going to move on from the farm.

Country roads had some gravel on them, but not much. Sandier soil east of the farm was never an issue with rain, but the clay soil at WA Beck's corner, one half mile away was always a problem. 

Late one night when returning home from a dance, the Sethens and I got stuck at 'that corner'. Since shoes were very valuable in the depressed 30's, everyone took their shoes off and left them in the car and walked barefoot in the muck, then sand for over two miles until we got to the Sethen's farm. Andy and Sig then went back in a tractor to get the car. 

Pansy's first paycheck was used to buy a suitcase for travel, which would come in handy. Here is a picture of Pansy with Clara:

Autographs complete with a saying, drawing, or poem in a leathered book was a most popular activity and Pansy kept hers from the 30's. Looking up one in particular as written by Clara, on September 10th, 1936:

Blanche had graduated from high school in 1938 (grade 11), but the offer for Henderson was not on the table yet and she too had to make a living. So she took on a job as a cook at a ranch near Bow City (SW of Brooks on the Bow River) even though she did not like to cook that much. Now word has it that she also worked for awhile in the Lethbridge area, but I was unable to get details on this. She then began working for Albert Schindeler across from the Clancy School in the spring of 1940. She would have been attracted to this location since her best friend, Maxine Grosfield lived just down the road, also closer to what she still considered as 'home', and this is when Aunt Kate was making arrangements for Blanche to go to Henderson. 

Rufus stayed a second year at Olds College. Good grades naturally came to please his Uncle Ed as he was so interested in his hands on training, such as carpentry and welding, that he often came in first place in his school for quality craftsmanship. Rufus built a little bookcase/ magazine rack/ end table that won first prize. When he brought it home to the farm, the first Chudleigh radio had 'pride of place' on top of that bookcase as it was the right size, shape, and height, just perfect. That bookcase of 80 years is now in my possession and although a bit scarred over the years, it still has its charm.

Blanche and Pansy needed to leave the farm as they were not going to spend their life as farm housewives and cook. They needed to move on. Blanche went to Henderson that fall and this was not the best time to be leaving the Schindeler's since it was harvest season, and so Pansy stepped in to relieve Blanche for two months until the harvest had been completed. Mrs. Schindeler was just too busy taking care of her five young sons to have time and energy to get the meals together for the crew! As Pansy was destined to go to Henderson next, she chose to follow Blanche to Calgary since Blanche was able to line up some room and board accommodation downtown, close to the Eaton's store. Around this time, both Pansy and Clara went to Calgary so Pansy could check out the city before moving there. Pansy was able to line up a job working in the coffee shop of the Bay store while Blanche continued on at Henderson. 

After Blanche graduated in 1941, they moved into a different home in what is now the 'belt line' area of Calgary, where they had their own kitchen to cook meals and gain further independence and flexibility. Then Pansy went to Henderson, graduating in 1942. As per Elizabeth:

Pansy & Blanche thought entirely differently. When they lived together they never scrapped, but they never did things together either. They lived separately in the same house. You would rarely talk to them together in the same room. They each had their own friends, and sometimes their friends overlapped, but they would see those friends without the other. Blanche kept to herself more than Pansy, a quieter person.

All three kids gained a lot of value with this education. The relatives did their part taking the kids to the next level, which definitely made a big difference in helping them get started in their careers. Finally, as a bonus to round out his skills, Rufus took a very intensive electronics course sponsored by the Canadian Government in Calgary in 1941, when he was thinking about joining the army. With the knowledge he gained from this course and the many years of volunteering he did with wiring buildings, enough had been passed onto me to allow my own electrical work for our basement project to pass inspection.

British Royal Influence

The Chudleighs always were influenced by British tradition for proper etiquette since the original family came from England, and then my mother was also English to reinforce how things were done by the average Brit. Now when it came to the coronation ceremony of King George VI in 1937, people in the area wanted to do something in celebration since they could not experience much using crude radio technology and so not really getting a feeling for the event. So what they did is not something you see happening today. They used their creativity learned from childhood and put on their own coronation parade in Duchess, with a King and Queen being chosen to take on the role. What fun they had in their world of pretend!

I never heard of Duchess having a parade before but they did this year and when I asked about a band, Elizabeth piped up and said “well of course they had a band! You could not have a parade without one!” Sure enough pictures found showed such. Blanche was in the parade dressed up in a uniform with her school buddies, and it was a day to remember. The uniforms used were probably arranged through the Duchess school where Blanche attended. You will never see a celebration again this way based on a world of make believe, but who needs to witness the real event if you give of yourself and create your own reality. Duchess had King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Bowes – Lyon in the parade on main street! The spirit of the community allowed this event to happen:

The 1939 royal tour of Canada was undertaken in the build-up to World War II as a way to emphasize the independence of the Dominion from Britain. The tour was an enormous event, attracting huge crowds at each city. On the tour was King George VI and the current queen's mother, their two daughters: Elizabeth (in waiting) and Princess Margaret. The royal family arrived by ship in Quebec City and traveled west by rail, accompanied throughout their journey by Prime Minister Mackenzie King. The party visited most of the major cities along the way, including a stop in Medicine Hat, because where else were they going to stop in that bleak, barren area, eh.

Andy, Clara, and Pansy (who was 21) decided they simply had to see the royal family! When would they ever have another opportunity?! No other family or neighbors bothered to make the trip due to time commitment and their level of curiosity, or they chose to go to Bassano instead as the next stopover point (which was closer). But the royal family were to stay longer in the Hat and so more opportunity to be with them. Off they drove in the Sethen's coupe that sat only three people comfortably, based on standards known then. The coupe would have looked similar to the following. The jumper bench seat opened out the back in an open canopy concept, such a classy, cool car that I only can dream and drool about having now:

Pansy rode there in a dress with a fancy hat, because after all, they were to see royalty!   Apparently they all were able to seat inside the vehicle under cover for the trip to get out of the wind and dust. The excitement and experience was everything they hoped it would be:

Early Careers – Second Generation

Now with the education, the time came for most of the the younger generation to make a living and build a life for themselves. 

In 1939, the John Ware coulee beside Berg's place (where Neil Rooth lived) was dammed up to catch the runoff for the Imperial Colony, a few miles to the east of the farm. Along came an opportunity and so Rufus became the EID ditch rider for the Imperial Colony. He used to take a horse and buggy to work each day as this was affordable and most practical for the travelling conditions along the ditch bank of the canal! Rufus always came back to the farm every evening after work. His horses were in a livery stable owned by Sam Howe, beyond Berg's place, and so Dad walked by Berg's to get his team, and hook up his buggy, which was over two miles away, and start going along the canal to the Imperial Colony. 

Whenever Mrs. Berg saw Rufus coming from and going to the livery stable, she always pampered him like a true mother would, invited him in for something to eat or drink. Her persuasive charm was hard to turn down. Rufus was quite a charming fellow himself as everyone really liked him. Here is Rufus on his way to work with his lunch from the farm one morning in 1940:

Sig saw a different opportunity on a new lake being formed just outside his place and so he made a canoe so that family and friends could have some fun on an off day when the world needed to stop, and why not. It did not take long for this boat to be put to good use and an option for an activity when it was play time. Pansy and Elizabeth had their time on this lake. As Sig knew Pansy quite well, he made sure to let her know that she was not under any circumstance to stand up in the canoe when in the lake because this could cause the boat to turn upside down! Pansy was in her early 20's when Sig was coaching her on proper etiquette while in a canoe!

As for the following picture, well you have been introduced to these characters already as we have Erna Berg in the canoe, Clara in the water on the far side with her sisters Hilda and Myrtle, and you can just make out a little boy who was Erna's first born son, Rand, who came along in 1940.

It was a regular occurrence for a weekend when attending Henderson or starting their work careers, that Blanche and Pansy came home to the farm.

When we came for a visit, we normally took the Greyhound Bus to Duchess. All of the local kids would run up to the bus and greet us upon arrival, as they knew exactly who was going to be on that bus.

The sisters did not take the train even though there was a passenger coach that passed through Duchess. Whenever Uncle George wanted to come to the farm for instance, or if he was sending out his children, Starks or Julia for a 'farm out', they always traveled by train to Duchess from Bindloss. But I suspect travel times from Calgary were limited and the main CPR line went further south through Brooks on the way to Medicine Hat. The Trans Canada Highway #1 was different, in that it went at that time from Bassano to Duchess, before heading south to Brooks and so Duchess was a stopover point for Greyhound along the way. 

During their visit Blanche used to look around the house to see what food she could take back with her, being a typical daughter taking advantage of her parents generosity. Norman used to comment about this, but he would laugh, for Blanche was all daughter whom he loved unconditionally.

Blanche got her first job as a steno at the Ford Dealership in Carstairs of all places, even though two years younger than Pansy, while Pansy attended Henderson. We are speculating that Henderson provided Blanche with this opportunity. Pansy lived on her own once Blanche moved to Carstairs. Blanche gained a boyfriend, who was the owner of the dealership, Mr. Cameron. During this period of time, Mr. Cameron used to come to the farm in the fall and go pheasant hunting, and optionally he would have stayed at the farm for the night. I am sure Blanche must have come down as well. 

After graduating from Henderson in 1941, Pansy got a job as a switchboard operator at the Albertan newspaper in Calgary. This was a good place to start her career as she got to know every department and what they did. When an opportunity arose, she applied and got the job as the Circulation Manager, responsible for ensuring all papers were delivered, including small towns outside of Calgary. Also, she was able to help out in elections as an employee of the Albertan. Because the Albertan had a structure and process in place to deliver papers everywhere, they also gathered up the ballot boxes for any election held and brought them back to the office. Pansy then counted the ballots by town and forwarded the results. 

Meanwhile Blanche continued on with her career in Carstairs, but at some point, she moved to Edmonton to work for about 18 months at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton. Since this was a long way from home, she became a bit anxious over this decision and so her Uncle Perce went to Edmonton to help her settle into her new career. The relationship she developed with some of the doctors and nurses would come in handy when she came back to Edmonton again later in life. 

Call to War

In 1942, Rufus got called to join the army, and on 'April Fools Day', he signed up! Rufus wanted to fly and become a navy pilot, but he did not pass his medical because he had gotten the mumps earlier and had a hearing issue as a result. This was probably just as well because as it turned out, all those who volunteered around Duchess came back except two, and these were navy pilots! When he got his calling notice, it was addressed to Rufus Pierson (rather embarrassing for Emma), and he was quite upset over this, as the word was now out in the neighborhood. 

Several reasons why Rufus decided to go included that the farm was not big enough for Norman, Perce, and him; besides he was working for the EID as a ditch rider, but not challenging enough and not much opportunity to get ahead. There was his love for Canada and wanting to do the right thing, and to have some adventure. This was also a troubling time for my Dad, getting teased as an illegitimate son and therefore the army allowed him to escape. When he joined, he gave his job to Neil, while his father Norman and Perce carried on with the farm. This job was absolutely perfect for Neil and his medical condition and for the remainder of his life Neil became the most loyal and best of friend of Rufus.

The 1929 Nash in the picture following was bought from money Rufus earned while working for the EID. Rufus needed to do the right thing for his mother and so he bought the car from a neighbor so that Emma could drive while he went away to war. Now that puts a tear in my eye, not knowing what the war would bring and if he would have a future. Rufus also had done some further upgrades to the home, putting new shingles on the roof, adding the siding, and a rework of the stairs, then adding the basement and eventually a verandah to take it to the house that I remember. Both Sig and Andy came over to help Rufus with at least the shingles, as good neighbours and friends would. I am sure Rufus returned the favor when they needed a helping hand. Rufus proved to be quite the carpenter and as Elizabeth was still home and being his younger sister, she proved to be the 'go for' whenever he needed a favor while working on one of his projects.

The car had a place to use a crank to start the motor, but it also as an optional feature came with an electric starter! It was considered 'very modern' and Emma was very proud of that car and often talked positively about it. She kept the car so that it was always the cleanest in the neighborhood. It was dusted before it left the yard and dusted again when it got home. She kept this ritual going for all of the cars she had in her possession for the remaining years of her life.   As the trees around the farm yard were still quite young, Emma was able to park the Nash underneath the grape arbor built previously by Perce in order to protect it from the sun, as this proved to be a shady spot.

Despite Rufus having built a 'wall' between Norman and him over their not adopting him, we can see the other side of the story in that Emma and Norman had other things on their mind at the time. Pansy could not explain completely why they did not get along that well, but could have been the result of a personality conflict. Rufus only communicated with Norman as little as possible, never opening up in conversation, and so his goodbye when joining the army would have been brief. However, Norman was very protective of Rufus and very proud of his decision. He constantly defended Rufus's choice with other relatives and neighbours for what he was doing to help save the world and how dare they boast about how well they were doing economically at the time when their country needed to be defended.

For the purpose of this history log, there is one very important event that needs to be mentioned when Rufus was overseas. While stationed in an army camp outside East Grinstead, Sussex, England, before heading off to France, certain army soldiers on their night out would take in a dance social in the local village centre. The dance hall provided young men and women with an outlet and brief escapes from the realities of war. Canadian soldiers looked so nice, had money as they were paid soldiers, and told big stories about home. This is where Dad had his dance with the 'lady in red', Stella, my mother, and they soon fell madly in love.

Dad did not normally like to talk about the war, similar to others, but over a period of time, he did give me the following stories for his more memorable experiences.

Rufus was a member of the signal corps group and was a morse code operator based in France. He often had to drive a jeep and carry sergeants and generals from one camp to another along with supplies as part of his duties. On his way back to base camp, he took the wrong turn and found himself behind enemy lines! He knew this because he could see German soldiers busy doing things in their own camp as he drove by, but they did not really notice his driving along the road. He decided his best course of action was to keep driving at normal speed, pretend he knew what he was doing, find an inconspicuous place to turn around, then come back from where he came past the camp again at normal speed. He did not want to create a scene with a panicky irrational behaviour.

Fortunately the Germans were not expecting any Canadian soldier to venture alone into their territory as there was no sign that the allies were advancing. They would have seen a jeep on the road giving them dust, but fortunately they did not study the jeep details to know it was foreign. Dad continued his journey out of there until he got back to the other side. I am sure Rufus was gasping for air once he knew he was safe!

In another incident, Rufus was again on his way back to base camp. 

He had an open canopy and could hear overhead...a self propelled revenge weapon 1800 pound German V-1 buzz bomb flying at 390 mph, clearly heard over the noise of the jeep's motor. Only a percentage of the 1300 bombs launched actually made it to England. In this case, Dad could no longer hear the noise from the device and this only meant one thing. When he looked up in the sky, he could see the bomb dropping, twisting, spiraling straight down towards him!

Rufus had two options and probably went with his gut feel. First choice was to step on the brake and hope like hell the bomb landed far enough in front of him to keep out of its path of destruction. Second choice was to step on the gas at break neck speed to get ahead of its impact. He chose to speed for his life and the bomb landed on the road far enough behind him.

Dad remembers when the allies were advancing, the Canadian army marched into a village late in the evening to find a place to rest for the night. 

He was given orders to sleep on a bunk bed in a home and to report back in the morning at a set time and place. Rufus's request for a bed was accepted by a stranger and when he had settled in for the night, he found he was quickly getting bit. He pulled back the sheet and saw that the mattress was infested with bed bugs! He got up and left and started wandering around the town in a daze on a damp cold, dark night with no place to sleep. He dejectedly sat on a hard cold step and leaned against a rough, rugged stone wall, and was hungry, thirsty, and tired. This was the worst moment in the war, for he feared his life was in danger and he only wanted to be back in England to be with his Stella. An elderly Frenchman became the good samaritan, found him on that step, took pity and brought him into his home to eat, shower, then sleep the night on a clean, dry, warm cot, and give him an early breakfast next morning. 

Dad never forgot those who were so kind.

Rufus found himself one day in a camp not really knowing the group of soldiers he was with, being lonely and thinking of Stella in England and his family. Then he came across a picture of a young lady on the dash of this jeep. The picture was of his sister, Pansy! Huh?! This cannot be real, but he had a second look and could not believe what he was seeing! This is really a bizarre event since Pansy was already married to Bill and so he talked to the driver of the jeep to let him know. What are the odds of Rufus experiencing this in a foreign country in the middle of a war thousands of miles from home, let alone in Canada?! 

Pansy does not recall much about this, but she came up with the name Jackie Brown as the most likely candidate. She was quite popular and so had a few boyfriends coming and going before the war. Jackie lived with family west of Duchess (Rosemary) and when there was a dance going on, he stayed over with Roy and Leo at the Hosler's place. Pansy dated Jackie for up to two years before she went to Olds college. She was already dating Bill before Olds, then she apparently had two boyfriends on the go while in college. When Jackie came back from the war, he must have scratched Pansy 'off the list', as he married an English war bride and lived in England most of his life!

Rufus was with the Canadian regiment when they marched into Amsterdam in a parade to officially liberate the Netherlands from German Nazi occupation. The Dutch were so incredibly grateful and thankful for their Canadian heroes to have made the sacrifice they did, and they gave them the most hearty welcome, in order to express their love. Just before marching across a bridge over the Rheine, Dad was accosted by a young Dutch lady who embraced and kissed him so much in whatever condition he was in at that time, such that he lost his place in line! Kindly pushing her aside allowed him to eventually scramble back into position. 

I am sure this was quite amusing for the onlookers. All in fun for the celebration of a lifetime. When we visited Amsterdam in 2015, thanks to a local Dutch lady, we found the aptly named Toronto bridge. She readily knew of “the bridge” and its location after 70 years. I know my father would have wanted me to cross over that bridge and experience it, and so we did, in remembrance of him. The Dutch will forever be grateful.

The day WW II ended, Rufus and Stella got married on May 9, 1946, then they had a two day honeymoon, before Rufus was sent home, and Stella was officially a 'war bride' waiting for a ship to transport her across the ocean to Canada. Stella and Rufus remained faithful to one another writing letters once per week during this time period and the love they had for one another only grew stronger.

During the war, Blanche enlisted in the Canadian Women's Army Corp, a non combatant branch of the army stationed in Ottawa, where she took on a position as a steno. The CWAC released men from such non combatant missions and so they performed a lot of the background administrative work. On her military application form, it is interesting to note that it states she skipped a grade in school and also worked as a 'sales clerk' from 1937 to 1939. We cannot come up with any information about her career as a sales clerk and so my theory is she padded her application since she did not want to show that she had been a farm cook instead. Pansy said with a smile on her face that Blanche could have adjusted her application to improve her credentials.

As for skipping a grade in school, I cannot prove one way or another that this happened. Blanche was a smart cookie nonetheless. I am sure she would have impressed the person who interviewed her for the position and if that person did not know shorthand that well and Blanche talked fast and confidently, then the information on the form may not be correct. Blanche may have been explaining quickly how Rufus and Pansy skipped a grade early in their schooling and maybe this was misinterpreted. Blanche enlisted as a Private, completed basic training, then was posted in Ottawa as a clerk stenographer and worked her way up to Corporal, then Sergeant within 11 months!

Another interesting puzzle with Blanche was her relationship with Mr. Cameron, the owner of the Carstairs Ford Dealership. Pansy claims that Mr. Cameron joined the army and was stationed in Ottawa. Blanche chased after him and so she applied to join the army herself, had her training in Kingston, asked to be posted to Ottawa and she got the position requested, but then Mr. Cameron was posted overseas!

Elizabeth's take on this was a lot of different. She claims Blanche was having an affair with Mr. Cameron and wanted to break it off. So she moved to a job in Calgary as she indicated on her military form she had three jobs as a steno before joining the army. Mr. Cameron chased after her into Calgary as the Carstairs fellow just was not taking 'no' for an answer, therefore causing Blanche to join the army to get away. Now how could the Aunts have such a different view point here?! Blanche must have kept her love life to herself and they were just speculating. Blanche was quite a catch though: pretty, intelligent, bright, independent and spunky. 

There are a lot of mysteries when it comes to Blanche at this time of her life. We have no proof that Blanche was involved in a secret mission when in the army, but there are many items of interest which point in this direction, and so we are suspicious, including that she would never discuss her time in the Army after discharge. And there are many references to Blanche being in New York, having a boyfriend there during her time of service, who was in the American Army. We do not know his name, but there were quite a few pictures found of him. We do not believe she carried on with anything Army related once she was discharged. 

While still serving, Blanche became involved in organizing the transport of war brides to Canada. Blanche was not successful officially in her attempt to move up Stella's trip to Canada, but upon further research, Stella came a lot sooner than others did! Blanche went on compassionate leave for basically the month of December, 1945 because her father, Norman was not well, but she then went back to work for a couple more months before she was discharged March 20, 1946 due to demobilization (because the war was over, the soldiers were almost all home, and her job was done). 

Change of the Guard

Norman had a tractor as per this snapshot from 1941 when Dad was working for the EID and before he joined the army. The tractor was bought second hand at an auction along with other farm implements:

But after Rufus came back in 1945, there apparently was no tractor, only four horses and some worn out implements (as per Dad). If the tractor was still on the farm, then it was also worn out as it always had a lot of maintenance issues. The tractor could have been sold so they had some money to live on. During WW II the price of gas was so expensive and there was gas rationing. This also applied to autos and if there was no auto gas available, some people illegally used 'purple gas' that was for farm implements. Great conservation measures needed to be taken regardless since supply was limited.  Despite the state of the machinery on the farm, Norman and Perce had successfully paid off the farm so that they had clear title from the CPR.

Farming while the kids were away was very tough on Norman and Perce, with deteriorating health and the farm still requiring a high degree of manual labor, including flood irrigation which can sap the energy out of anyone in the heat. The farm contour was such that irrigating meant a lack of sleep since the irrigation could not be left unattended for the complete night. Norman would have been 63 years old in 1941, but despite not knowing what was wrong with him health wise, he continued on for another five years! Norman could no longer do the job. was already 67 and his health issues (other than age) were generally unknown. 

After coming home, Rufus obtained a loan from the war veteran's act to get his first tractor and other farm implements needed. His tractor came in the winter of 1946 and it really was beautiful and shiny:

Dad knew the basics as to machinery for what he needed to get the job done, but his irrigation skills were still not up to high standards. It was Andy and Sig who were always there in time of need and who really taught Dad how to irrigate, and how to keep the water away from those areas that had alkali. Rufus also had in the back of his mind that Stella was coming so they could have a life together. It was his farm now and he needed to get it in order. Dad worked hard!

The Case of the Missing Tractor

One of the greatest mysteries in our family is what actually happened to Dad's first tractor. Pansy and Elizabeth cannot tell me but it should have been usable for years, but the Aunts were not into tractors as this was a man's responsibility and they had their mind on other matters, such as their boyfriends! Elizabeth said this was the type of tractor sold back then. I do remember seeing one in use once and it seemed to be rather gutless. I know the front wheels were made for row cropping and so my guess is that the tractor was not going to work for irrigation that well. The tractor must have been sold, using the money to buy a different tractor that was more practical. Rufus made good use of that cute little practical tractor with a two cycle motor, that went 'putt putt' around the field for many years! 

ELC Brand

The Chudleigh livestock brand was 'ELC' which stood for Edward Logan Chudleigh. Norman had his own brand while ranching at Seven Persons before 1915, but when he moved to the Millicent farm, he sold it and adopted what was the 'Chudleigh' brand , which was jointly owned by the Chudleigh brothers. When Rufus took over the farm, he inherited that brand and used it for branding his cattle, getting together at Sig Berg's place with other local neighbors for this yearly event.