Wartime Military Recruiting in Edmonton,1939 - 1945, by Lillian Gregory

It was 1939, rumblings in Europe suggested an impending war. In June of 1939, Canada was honoured by the visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. We were thrilled in Edmonton to be part of the tour, which would include passing our home. The procession travelled down Portage Avenue, renamed Kingway, to the cheers of thousands sitting on the temporary bleachers.


In September 1939, England and France declared war on Germany and within weeks Great Britain was joined by Canada. Military Recruiting Centers were very quickly set up. In 1940 the Air Force Recruiting Center was located in downtown Edmonton. The Government of Canada was hiring secretaries and I was fortunate to obtain my first
full-time employment. World War II brought an abrupt end to the economic stagnation of the 1930’s. A portion of the population was diverted from the work force to the armed forces. Substantial industrial capacity was assigned to producing war materials that were not destined to be sold in the market place. The economic system was once again booming. Vacancies in the work place were filled with those who were past military recruitment age and those who could not pass the required medical tests. By joining the armed services, the unemployed young people were delighted to find a means of earning money; some joined for the adventure; others as an allegiance to serve their country; or perhaps they joined for all three reasons or because their friends did. We were soon seeing lineups at the various recruiting centers. The secretarial staff in Edmonton were requested to have tailor-made grey suits in keeping with the enlisted men’s dress attire and with the décor of the recruiting center.



In our center in downtown Edmonton, the recruits soon filled the large area with great excitement, gaiety with exchange of humour and sharing of backgrounds, awaiting their turn to fill out the required forms. A warm relationship was established between staff and recruits during the many hours and days required for the final processing of their files. They were assigned dates to return for their medical examinations. We all become good friends.


While I mention the hilarity that prevailed, the recruiting center was not without sadness. We had a staff of about six senior officers and perhaps as many medical officers. Our officers were transferred from time to time and new officers moved in. We were saddened to learn that the son of one of them had been killed in air combat earlier that year. We were all affected by this tragic news. I could not get this out of my mind for a very long time. On greeting each other at the start of each day, my eyes would fill up when I saw the officer. I had to pull myself together to avoid the tears. When our local newspapers started to report casualties, we saw the names of friends, neighbors, and the new recruits with whom we had developed a warm friendship. It was sad. It was heartbreaking for all of us and we all agreed, “war is ugly”. The war prevailed until the spring of 1945.