“Then Aunt Ellen & I took some snaps near the hospital.“ Thursday, July 20, 1944
15 Sat. Doris got into Regina this morn. Came up here. We went down shopping at ten. Had dinner at the Model Café. Came back at 2 o’clock. Fooled around & didn’t accomplish much this afternoon. Doris, Aunt Ellen & I went to the Roxy tonight. Saw “Girl Trouble” and “Salute to the Marines”. Home after twelve. Latter picture was in technicolor.
16 Sun. Roy was a funny as a barrel of monkeys. It rained this morn quite hard for awhile. Roy & I went to Church at St. Andrews United. Doris & I went to Fern & Bill Sorrells this afternoon. They have a lovely place. We had ice cream, cake, cookies & coffee for lunch. Came home after six, had dinner, then Doris, Roy and I went to the fair grounds to look around. Talked after we came home.
17 Mon. Aunt Ellen did the washing. Doris & I the other work. Doris & I went to the fair. This afternoon with Roy. We went on a couple of rides. The place was so dusty that we were filthy. Came home & bathed before six (Doris & I) then went down & met Linda who took us to the Rex to a double feature, “They Live in Fear” and “Henry Alderich Plays Cupid.” Both good, we went to her place for cake & Ice cream. Home at 12.00.
18 Tues. Did odd jobs this morning. Doris, Aunt Ellen & I went down town. We saw Doris off on the bus. Bill Gray was with her. Roy & I went to the Pop In, and got some pop. The baby was fussy so we stayed in and talked.
19 Wed. Did usual work this morn. Aunt Ellen showed me her wedding dress & other things after dinner. Roy took me to the Rex to see Nelson Eddy in “Nickerbocker Holiday” & “Cowboy in the Clouds.” Home at 9.20. Bed about 10.30.
20 Thurs. Ironed my clothes this morn. Looked at snaps after dinner, then got dressed up to go down town. Mr. Lane called in so we had a chat with him, then I rode down with him. Had my photos taken at “Meyers.” Then Aunt Ellen & I took some snaps near the hospital. Linda came this evening. We had a lovely chat, lunch & then bed at 12.30.
21 Fri. We saw the travelers parade at 11.30. It was real good! Mrs. Stokes & Synthia went with us. We had the baby in the buggy. I did cross stitch this afternoon. The heat was intense. Aunt Ellen ironed. Roy and I picked and shelled peas tonight. Everything was late. Aunt Ellen & I went for a short walk. Nice evening.
(scroll to the end of this post for a picture of the original diary entries in Mom’s handwriting)
These are the diaries of a seventeen-year-old teenager from a farm near Weyburn, Saskatchewan. Her name is Lorraine. She eventually was a church organist in Colgate. In 1944 she was the piano player for a dance band in Weyburn. In these days before school busses she, and her sisters, each had to move from the farm into town to attend school for Grades 11 & 12. This is the darkest time in World War II. Weyburn hosted an airbase for BCATP (British Commonwealth Air Training Plan). In other words, the town is filled with eligible young airmen from all over the world …
these are fun reads Chris………… ( amazed you can decipher Aunt Lorraine’s script..) So has me wondering, how my mom knew your mom at the time, since my mom and dad were married in 1945 and mom moved from Regina to the farm. ( Uhhhh but of course my mom had been teaching in Colgate, very early career and she boarded with the Stutts………..not sure of the years.) Who were all the kids in your moms family and her maiden name ? ( Oh yes Butters , right, as Isabel Butters kept her maiden name ? She was a real fav of my moms ! I remember now mom had her as a student….. As I go thru moms ‘stuff’ i found a sweet little card from Isabel about how she adored my mom as her teacher ! )
I have the Ledingham family tree, which thrills me……..put together by dads cousins husband in California ( go figure). There I learned that a much revered cousin Designer here in Vancouver Robert Ledingham, and I have both Uncle Charley and grandma Mary’s twin sister, as Roberts grandma and his grandfather was a Ledingham – so double relation. AND i see the name Boyle everywhere on those trees. Many Ledingham’s marrying Boyles from the Bruce Peninsula Ontario forward …… and likely Scotland as well . Someday I will get to Aberdeen area, hoping to find a long lost relie…………………….. ok later………. sandi
I’m trying to confirm, but I believe your Mom taught at Riverview School which was on the correction line, 1/2 mile from the Butters farm and 1/4 mile from the Stutt farm. So I suspect your Mom may have taught the oldest three if not all four of the Butters girls. Two of the girls are still very much alive: Wilma Oliver lives in Winnipeg and Shirley Aston in Lloydminster. You probably heard that Isabelle passed a year ago this past summer.
Stay tuned for the next post when “Linda” shows up while mom is on her summer trip to Regina …
I think that our cousins descendants are probably the one’s who acquired the GM dealership in Steinbach about a decade a go. Now Ledingham GMC.
hi Chris……… here is the re-send of my note to you…………. s.
Hi Sandi, I had a chat with Aunt Wilma Oliver last night. She is 3rd of the four Butters girls. She says that your Mom (Linda) lived with the Harm Stutts, Probably in the late 30’s. At that time the Harm Stutts were living on what became the Butters farm in the early 40’s. The John Stutts, who show up in all of the posts, lived 1/4 mile south. It appears that Linda taught Lorraine (my Mom) and Isabelle in their earliest grades. Probably at Riverview. Your mom was working at the Correspondence School in Regina by the time she shows up in these diaries.(But she still came to visit the same house — just a different family!) I see Elmer showing up in the yet-to-be-published diaries from 1944. Wilma tells me that Linda dated Wray, before she began dating your Dad. I always viewed Linda as a young woman, but the math says that she must have been a decade or more older than Lorraine. What year was your Mom born?
From Sandi: “good sleuthing Chris! Yes my mom and dad started late.. ( and I think stayed quite youthful). Mom was born a week before the Titanic sank! March 29 1912. Dad June 1909. More soon. Sandi”