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War brides train: Trip to the past

During and after the Second World War, 44,000 war brides, who married Canadian soldiers, and their 21,000 children came by ships to Halifax. From there, they spread across this country by rail. Sixty years later, a group of 350 war brides and their families made their way back to the historic Pier 21 in Halifax. Here is the journey.

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Follow the journey

How to use this feature: Click on one of the points to get more information and additional links. The red points trace the journey from Montreal to Halifax. The green points in Halifax and in Europe are points of historical interests.

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    Montreal

    In Montreal, 202 passengers board the train that leaves at 6 p.m. on Monday Nov 6. They include war brides and their families who came into the city from B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Other trains carrying war brides, starting in Windsor, Ont., made the trip to Montreal. One woman made the trip all way from British Columbia.

    Montreal

    Central Station Montreal, 6 p.m., Nov. 6 — Three bagpipers from the Blackwatch in Montreal marched around the station, followed by more than 200 war brides and their families. They were leading them on board a special Via train bound for Halifax and Pier 21.

    This ceremony was a family affair. One of the bagpipers was a young man named Brent Schaus. Next to him, proud as could be, was his grandmother, Doreen Robinson of Wardsville, Ont.

    — CBC's Brian Dubreuil

    Montreal

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    Tide Head, N.B.

    At Tide Head, N.B., the train from Montreal makes a quick stop in this village in New Brunswick at 6:45 a.m. AT on Tuesday, Nov. 7.

    Tide Head, N.B.

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    Campbellton, N.B.

    Four people join the journey in Cambellton, N.B., at around 7:10 a.m. This is not the first Via train to go through this town. Last year, a train carrying veterans from Halifax to Ottawa stopped here during the night. Hundreds of people were waiting there to greet the veterans.

    Campbellton, N.B.

    Campbellton, N.B., 6:35 a.m., Nov. 7 — It is dark. It is cold. But as the train pulls into the Campbellton station, it is a heartwarming sight. Dozens are on the platform waving Canadian flags. They are here before the sun rises to welcome the war brides and to give a rousing sendoff to four local war brides. On board, the sounds of "Extra, Extra" echo through the cars. Dressed as a 1940s paperboy, Allen Dickson is handing out issues of the Campbellton Tribune. The banner headline: "Welcome the War Brides Train."

    — CBC's Brian Dubreuil

    Campbellton, N.B.

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    Bathurst, N.B.

    Nineteen war brides and family join in Bathurst at around 8:45 a.m. on Nov. 7.

    Bathurst, N.B.

    On the way to Bathurst, N.B., 8:15 a.m. — Winnie Field of Brandon, Man., has a million stories and she loves to share them. Her favourite memory from the boat trip to Canada – they had white bread on board, something she hadn't seen for five years. "We stuffed ourselves with white bread," she says. "We couldn't get enough." Upon arriving in Halifax, Winnie boarded the train to her husband's family farm in Pelly, Sask. Even though she was 23 years old and had a daughter, Winnie says she couldn't cook a thing. "I didn't even know how to boil water." She says her mother-in-law wasn't very impressed with her new daughter-in-law.

    — CBC's Brian Dubreuil

    Bathurst, N.B.

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    Miramichi, N.B.

    About 25 war brides and family members join the train in Miramichi at 10:10 a.m. on Nov. 7.

    Miramichi, N.B.

    Miramachi, 10:30 a.m. — Another station, another crowd of people gathered on the platform with flags and signs. This show of support at virtually every station has had a huge effect on these women. As we pull out, a tearful war bride turned to another and said, "I don't know why they're doing all this for us, it's so nice."

    — CBC's Brian Dubreuil

    Miramichi, N.B.

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    Moncton, N.B.

    Library and Archives Canada

    Seventy-five war brides and their families join the train at this stop at 11:40 a.m. on Nov. 7. Moncton is a hub of air, rail and highways. It acquired city status in 1890. Between 1944 and 1946, 3,000 war brides were met by the Red Cross at train stations in New Brunswick.

    Moncton, N.B.

    Moncton, 12:10 p.m. — This is the biggest crowd yet. More than 200 people have turned out to greet the train. Forty-five more war brides and their families get on. They're joined by several members of the Summerside Historical Society. They left P.E.I. at 7:30 this morning. And these folks really live up to their name. They are all dressed in period costume — a wartime nurse, a soldier, an English bobby and, of course, a war bride and her new Canadian husband.

    — CBC's Brian Dubreuil

    Moncton, N.B.

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    Truro, N.S.

    The train enters Nova Scotia. Fourteen war brides and their families join the train at this stop at 2:40 p.m. on Nov. 7.

    Truro, N.S.

    Westchester, N.S., near Truro, 2:50 p.m. — This is a small community in the Wentworth Valley. It used to be a station, but the train hasn't stopped here since 1963. That didn't stop the community from turning out en masse to welcome the war brides. Judy Moore lives along the line and this afternoon, dozens packed her backyard clapping and cheering and waving Canadian flags. The train wasn't allowed to stop – safety concerns, I'm told – but it did slow to a crawl to give the war brides a chance to savour the moment.

    — CBC's Brian Dubreuil

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    Halifax

    CBC

    Where their journey in Canada began is where the Via Rail journey ends. The war brides and their families will gather for a ceremony at Pier 21. Some couples are renewing their wedding vows at the pier.

    Halifax

    Halifax, 4:40 p.m. — Tired but very happy war brides step off the train in the city that first welcomed them 60 years ago. Most landed at Pier 21 before boarding trains for towns and cities from coast to coast. Most have not been back to visit. And you can't really blame them. Many of the war brides say their first impressions of Pier 21 were bleak. It was an old warehouse, dark, cold and surrounded by wire fencing. When they are honoured at Pier 21 on Wednesday, they will find a very different place. It is a national museum. There will be ceremonies honouring the brides. Unfortunately, many of the brides are widows, but 18 couples will renew their wedding vows at Pier 21. A testament to a love that grew out of war but lasted a lifetime.

    — CBC's Brian Dubreuil

    Halifax

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Pier 21

CBC

This historical site has welcomed more than one million immigrants from 1928 to 1971. From 1942 to 1948, the government offered citizenship and passage to Canada for war brides and their children. They were all granted citizenship. So from the British cities of Liverpool and Southampton, the brides made their way to Canada, most of them to Halifax. About 58 ships made the journey that often took up to two weeks.

The biggest wave of immigration came in fiscal 1946, when 39,000 war brides and children arrived. Two years earlier, during the war, about 6,500 made the journey. So many war brides were coming in 1946 that they represented about 55 per cent of the total immigration.

Year Arrival of brides and children in Canada
1942-43 188
1944-45 6,442
1944-45 6,442
1945-46 16,133
1946-47 39,092
1947-48 1,336
Total 64,446
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Liverpool, England

Library and Archives Canada

This city was one of the two cities from which war brides and their children made the trip to Canada.

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Southampton, England

Library and Archives Canada

Along with Liverpool, Southampton on the south coast of England was a major point of departure of war bride ships to Canada. The journey could take anywhere between five and 21 days. During the war years, the longer journeys were usually due to rough weather or to avoid enemy submarines.

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England

Library and Archives Canada

Most war brides are from England. During and after the war years, about 44,900 women married Canadian soldiers. Those wives had an estimated 21,400 children.

Fact: About 500,000 Canadians made their way to England during the war and made their way though Aldershot, which was known as "Little Canada."

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Holland

There were about 1,900 Canadian war brides and 430 children. Canadian soldiers played a key role in the liberation of the Netherlands from September 1944 to April 1945. It's estimated that 7,600 soldiers died in nine months in the campaign to free the northeastern and western Netherlands.

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Belgium

In this country, some 650 Canadians married local women and fathered 130 children. The Canadian Forces fought in the country from September 1944 to November that year. They were assigned to clear coastal areas in the north of France. Canada also assisted in the liberation of Belgium during the First World War. John McCrae wrote In Flanders Fields, referring to the region in Belgium.

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France

About 100 war brides are from France, where Canadians were involved in major battles in the Second World War. In 1942, the botched Dieppe raid resulted in the deaths of about 1,000 Canadians. In 1944's Battle of Normandy, Canadian soldiers were involved in the landing at Juno Beach and in other operations.

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Italy

Records show that 26 Canadian war brides were from Italy. There were smaller numbers from Denmark (seven) and Germany (six).