“Gee! I had a swell time! Danced nearly every dance. “ Friday, December 8, 1944
2 Sat. Just polished the kitchen floor & gave the girls their lessons Did a lot of other things I had to. Went down and skated with Doris from 4 til 4.45. Came back with she & her folks for supper. Mr. & Mrs. Stuart were here! Was I ever surprised. We had the grandest cake & ice-cream for supper. Spent a real evening of music which they did enjoy. Stewarts left before ten. The folks & Stutts played cards, and we had more ice cream at midnight. Bed at two.
3 Sun. I have a cold this morn & feel kind of bad, woke up after eleven. Did my homework. Bill Pierces came this aft. We skated all afternoon. I was to bed early tonight.
4 Mon. Gee Whiz! I got a birthday present from Ken Johnson. It was a lovely box of stationery (wooden box) also a card from Uncle Allan. Went back early at noon and posted letter, bought money orders etc. Did work after supper. Louise, Doris & I were all reading shorthand out loud & Jack was practicing his lesson. I played for the kids to dance a bit. Bed at 11.
5 Tues. An absolutely beautiful day. Warm as spring. I didn’t feel so well on account of my cold. Listened to the radio after supper, while I was doing my homework, & Doris & Louise were playing rummy. I played a couple of pieces on the piano. Bed about eleven.
6 Wed. I came home right after school. Doris stayed & did bookkeeping. Stuarts were out for supper. Doris & I had ours & did our dishes. Vickey & Louise later. We went to the second show. “Til we meet again.” It was pretty good. Barbara Britton is beautiful. The young people were having a theatre party, so insisted that we go to Petits’ with them for lunch. Had a nice time. Bed at ten to one.
7 Thurs. Charlie met us at noon. Asked me to play tonight. Mom was down town after four. We were with her for a minute. I made a special trip back down to get Dad’s smokestand at Simpsons. Did some homework, then I played for the Carpet Bowler’s Dance. It didn’t start til eleven, but was very good. Home at 2.15.
8 Fri. I’m tired today. Lived through the day somehow. Lay down after school til supper. The girls from Mission Circle came at 7.30 to practice for the candlelighting service for Monday night. After that the folks came up to go to the dance in the I.O.O.F. put on by Riverview. Gee! I had a swell time! Danced nearly every dance. Met Elmer Strong. Had lunch in the Com. with Mable and Doris. Gordon landed in Canada today. I can hardly wait to see him. Home about 2.30.
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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 …
For more information on BCATP see a blog site dedicated to “Paying homage to those who stayed behind to train those who fought overseas.”