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1944: Christmas dinner at the war front
From 1939 to 1945 Canadian soldiers, sailors and air force personnel lived and died in lands far from home. CBC Radio was one of the few links friends and family in Canada had to their loved ones abroad. Through reports from the front, dramatizations and direct greetings from soldiers, CBC revealed what life on the battlefront was like.
• CBC reporters used a portable disc cutter to record overseas war reports on aluminum discs. In 1942 CBC turned these discs over for the war effort -- they were melted down for raw material to manufacture aircraft.
Also on December 4:
• 1866: Delegates from Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia begin constitutional talks in London, England and eventually create the BNA Act.
• 1909: The first Grey Cup game is held at Rosedale Field in Toronto.
• 1985: Justice Beverly McLachlin becomes the first woman named to the British Columbia Court of Appeal.
Program: CBC Radio News
Broadcast Date: Dec. 4, 1944
Guest(s): Frank Barley
Reporter: Jack Scott
Duration: 3:33
Photo: Christmas in Ortona / Dept. of National Defence / PAC
Last updated: April 30, 2013
Page consulted on April 30, 2013
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