WESTLOCK – During Westlock Legion Branch #97’s Remembrance Day Service 100-year-old veteran Tom McConaghy and his British war bride Freda were recognized.
Tom, who is Westlock’s oldest living war veteran, joined in Edmonton and was stationed in London, England, during the Second World War.
“I spent five years over there,” he said.
At just 22, he met his war bride at a dance in London and married her in England in 1946. It was love at first sight, he said.
Freda, who was five days shy of her 20th birthday when she wed Tom, faced her own set of challenges.
She made the long journey across the Atlantic alone ahead of her new husband, but her trip was delayed after the ship she was on collided with a cattle boat near Liverpool.
“My poor mother got the news that all the war brides were out in the water with the cattle but it was only the cattle,” said Freda recalling the incident.
This delayed her departure to Canada by a month.
She finally arrived in Canada just before Christmas 1946.
“Tom’s sister met me at Halifax. I stayed in Halifax with her until John came over in January.”
For Tom, one of his final duties before returning home was ensuring that the war brides headed to Canada left England safely.
“That was dad’s last job, to get all the war brides on the boats to come home,” said the couple’s son Kerry McConaghy. “He got mom on the last boat, then there were more war brides, so he had to stay longer. He ended up sending mom to a foreign country all by herself.”
Freda quickly adapted to Canada, having grown accustomed to moving during the war years when she was evacuated from Sussex.
“You don’t really understand it, but things just happened,” she said.
Still, she described her early time in Canada as “lonely.”
“It was very hard to come to a different country. I missed my parents,” she reflected. “We went back once before they passed.”
Freda also spoke fondly of the Canadian people’s kindness in those early days.
“People have been so kind. Especially when I first came,” she said.
The memory that really stands out for Freda is the food in Canada, compared with what little they had in war-torn England.
“I was so used to not having too much in Britain because of the war. We got rations, but we weren’t starving. But they didn’t have candy like they have here.”
Once Tom set foot back on Canadian soil he first went to Halifax and then travelled across Canada with his new bride to Alberta. The couple farmed in the Busby area, eventually buying the family farm from his father.
They had three children and now have dozens of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
“Some of [the grandchildren] are here today,” said Tom.
Packed hall for Remembrance Service
The Westlock Community Hall was filled to capacity on the morning of Nov. 11 as residents gathered to observe Remembrance Day. The solemn service honoured Canada's soldiers.
Westlock Legion President Dave Hall was the emcee for the event.
The March of the Colours was led by Wayne Inkpen, Westlock Legion Vice President and Membership Chairman, who also acted as the Sergeant-at-Arms.
Pastor Rick Burk was the guest speaker, reflecting on the importance of remembrance and the sacrifices made by veterans.
Alex Schabert’s stirring rendition of "The Last Post" was followed by two minutes of silence and then a reveille.
Westlock Legion Chaplain Marjorie Steele led the congregation in prayers, the Act of Remembrance, the Call to Worship, and a benediction.
Jeanne Rozka, President of the Westlock Legion Ladies Auxiliary, read the 23rd Psalm, while Shirley Peirce recited the poem In Flanders Fields. The service was accompanied by Evelyn Caulkins on the piano.
