'A part of history': Regina author's book tells story of own parents separated by war
Regina author Valerie Crowther is celebrating the release of her book ‘War Letters: Linking Lives in the Second World War.’
The memoir tells the story of her parents, John and Margaret, as they both served in the Second World War and the letters sent between them and their families.
“It’s been a long time in the making,” Crowther told CTV News. “They’re centered around when they were apart and writing to each other to say in touch.”
Crowther says John and Margaret met as children in the streets of Toronto, Ont. where they fell in love.
They both joined the Canadian Military when the Second World War began. John in the Navy, Margaret in the Air Force.
At the time, letter sending was the most common way for friends, family and lovers to stay connected.
John and Margaret’s letters were sent between 1940 and 1948.
Crowther discovered the letters many years ago while moving her father from his home.
However, she says it was not until 2015 she realized fully what she had in her possession.
“I had no idea the treasure I was packing at the time,” she said. “Several years later, I went through them and was uncertain what do to.”
“I understood they were a part of history and be necessary to give a sense of an ordinary person’s [life] during the war,” Crowther explained.
So she began the process of telling her parent’s story, going through the nearly 150 letters sent between them and ordering them to write their narrative.
It took nine years for Crowther to write the book.
“A good body of the letters, my mom was in London, England and my dad was on a ship between Newfoundland and Londonderry, Northern Ireland,” she explained.
“There were no details about the war at all. It was just their own observations about their feelings,” Crowther added.
Remembrance Day
The book’s launch comes the day before Canada and Saskatchewan marks Remembrance Day.
Crowther says her parents rarely talked about their time during the war, but the words have given her a better sense of how those times impacted her and her generation.
“They suffered deeply,” she recalled. “And they didn’t have a way to talk about what they went through. They just carried on with life.”
Crowther says Remembrance Day’s meaning remains important, even today.
“It’s important we acknowledge there’s a lot of suffering in war and we’d do well to try and not have war,” she said.
The book’s release is also extra special for Crowther as the anniversary of her father’s death is Nov. 12 and her mother’s birthday was the 18th.
“It’s fitting it could all be together in November,” Crowther said. “It really brings up a lot of happiness.”
Crowther’s book, ‘War Letters: Linking Lives in the Second World War,’ can be purchased at the Holy Rosary Treasure Trove sale on Nov. 23.
You can also email info@listentodis.com for more information.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadians across the country mark Remembrance Day
Today Canadians will remember and honour the sacrifice of men and women in uniform who gave their lives in service of the country's values and principles.
Trump announces Tom Homan, former director of immigration enforcement, will serve as 'border czar'
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump says that Tom Homan, his former acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director, will serve as "border czar" in his incoming administration.
Why brain aging can vary dramatically between people
Researchers are uncovering deeper insights into how the human brain ages and what factors may be tied to healthier cognitive aging, including exercising, avoiding tobacco, speaking a second language or even playing a musical instrument.
Bleeding and in pain, a woman endured a harrowing wait for miscarriage care due to Georgia's restrictive abortion law
Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision eliminated the federal right to abortion, miscarriage management has become trickier and in some cases, deadlier.
Montreal dockworkers reject deal with lockout to begin
The union representing some 1,200 dockworkers at the Port of Montreal has overwhelmingly rejected a deal with their employers association.
Canadian veterans remember how they eased tensions as UN peacekeepers in ethnically split Cyprus
It was the first time that Canadian UN peacekeeper Michelle Angela Hamelin said she came up against the raw emotion of a people so exasperated with their country's predicament.
'I was called;' Murray Sinclair's life and legacy honoured at emotional memorial
Applause erupted over and over at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg Sunday as the son of Murray Sinclair, a former judge, senator and chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission into residential schools, spoke about his father.
Children's book by chef Jamie Oliver withdrawn after criticism from Indigenous Australians
A children's book written by British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has been withdrawn from sale after it was criticized for causing offense to Indigenous Australians.
Man shot by police in Hamilton has died, victim did 'not appear' to fire a gun, says SIU
A man who was critically injured in a police-involved shooting in Hamilton late Sunday afternoon has died in hospital, says the province’s police watchdog.