A Snowball Encounter: Edmonton boys vs. U.S. soldiers, 1943, by Harley Reid
Date: 1943
Six days a week we gathered at an Edmonton Journal Branch Office (paper shack) located on the west side of 101 Street midway between 106 and 107 Avenues. After school on week days and Saturday afternoons we picked up our newspapers there for delivery to our customers.
The Saturday afternoon just before Christmas in 1943, we spotted a U.S. Army truck coming south down 101 Street towards us. We quickly stockpiled some snowballs and waited. The truck lumbered past us and hollering "Merry Christmas" we winged our missiles, hitting some of the men seated in the open box of the truck. Their surprised shouts caused the driver to brake and prompted us to hide until the vehicle continued south.
Soon we were all together bragging about our marksmanship. Time passed as we waited for the Journal delivery truck to bring the Saturday edition from the downtown printing plant.
No one paid attention to a US Army truck turning right off 107 Avenue onto 101 Street and then stopping in front of our group. The rear of this truck resembled a covered wagon with a canvas top pulled over some supports. As the truck stopped, its horn began blaring. As we gawked in wonder, the canvas cover was flipped back and a raucous din froze us in our tracks. Well aimed and solidly packed snowballs filled the air, connecting with our surprised bodies. The barrage ended and the truck pulled away once more heading south. Much laughter and shouts of "Merry Christmas" filled the air as the 'snowballees' became the 'snowballers', and vice versa. Those young men, some not much older than us, had beat us at our own game.
The Journal was delivered on time that Saturday and none of my customers knew their carrier was a veteran of 'friendly fire' in The Christmas Snowball Encounters.
Many US Army trucks resembling covered wagons travelled the streets of Edmonton until the war ended. Sometimes, if one stopped close to me I was sure I could hear the laughter and shouts of "Merry Christmas", and feel the thud of a snowball on my jacket.