“Wilma took the solo part in one of the songs“ Thursday, December 20, 1945
16 Sun. We made uncooked marshmallows. Finished all our last minute wrapping. Had supper early & all came in to Church tonight to the White Gift Service which Isabelle was in. Very nice, but the music was fast & not so many singers. Isabelle & I stayed in town. Terribly cold night.
17 Mon. Plenty of work today. Ivy & I were both kept busy. Alice, Doris, Isabelle & I went to the hockey game tonight. CCYM beat North Weyburn 8-0. Sure am a cold night. (sic)
18 Tues. Went to the Hostess Club with Alice for C.C.Y.M. but someone else had it & the kids were too tight to pay $2.00 for their room, so we went to the show. “The Enchanted Cottage.” The queerest picture I have ever seen. Pete & I talked a long while afterwards. Doris had been to the show with Gordon Charnell.
19 Wed. Washed my hair this afternoon & lay down. When I got up & shortly after supper, I felt sick to my stomach. My back was terrifickly (sic) sore & aching. I did a little work, then got in bed early. Isabelle gave me some ginger tea & put the hot water bag at my back.

20 Thurs. Felt rather wishy washy this morn but went to work anyway. Better as the day went by. Mom was in town for us kids, took us home at 6.30 and we went right to Riverview Concert. It was just fair. Wilma took the solo part in one of the songs and did exceptionally well. Home early but bed late.
21 Fri. Mom brought us to town (Isabelle & I). Isabelle worked all day on the filing system. I couldn’t get a balance, so went back to work tonight. Still didn’t get it. Helped check some tomatoes, came home at 9.30.
22 Sat. Just about went crazy checking today, but can’t balance. Isabelle worked til noon. It was a miserable day & the folks didn’t come to town, so I stayed in. Went back to work tonight awhile and got a balance. One mistake was on the daily sheet & the other was Ivy’s.
Click Here to view a scan of the handwritten original
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.