Military life suited Malcolm McLean’s restless curiosity and need for challenge. He was farming outside of Dewberry, Alta., in the fall of 1939 when Canada entered the Second World War. Of the first local boys to sign up, he joined the 16/22 Saskatchewan Horse Infantry and took his basic training at Dundurn, Sask. By December […] Read more
Author Archives
But who will mind the kids?
Finding suitable child care has always been a challenge. It was especially difficult in the 1950s when married women often did not work outside the home and child-care workers were few. Louise Hathaway, my mother, trained as a teacher at age 17 and began teaching in a one-room multi-grade school at age 18. In 1945, […] Read more
Family provides comfort after crop disaster
After being wiped out by hail, Dad heads north to earn a living for the family, but soon faces further tragedy
Disaster can happen to anyone at any time. Both the memory of the event and the victims’ reaction to it will affect their decisions for the rest of their lives. Harold and Louise Hathaway, my parents, were 100 percent hailed out in 1947. This single devastating event caused a landslide of tragedies that transformed them […] Read more
Harold Hathaway and the Schedule of Reserved Occupations
Canadian farmers were among the list of workers excluded from active duty during the Second World War
The moment Alice and Edward Hathaway heard the news, they were ready to fight for their son, Harold’s, life. It was the fall of 1939 and Canada had declared war against Germany. Canada avoided conscription, but at 21 and single, Harold was expected to volunteer for overseas action. Many families tried to save their sons […] Read more
