Northwestern Ontario residents share wartime stories through mementos kept for generations
Mementos help preserve family histories, say local storytellers
Iain Angus says his father seldom spoke of his time in the Second World War and it was only through reading a collection of diary entries that the former Thunder Bay, Ont., councillor and MPP got a glimpse of what life was really like for his father in the Nazi prisoner of war camps.
Angus's father Cpl. Adam Albert Angus – known as "Chub" – was 31 when the war broke out. In 1942, he was captured near Dieppe, France.
Chub kept a diary of his experiences over the next 32 months, which Iain's brother, Murray, used to document their father's wartime journey in an online blog.
"He died when I was 12 and my brother was nine, so we were not at the age where we would be asking those kind of questions," Iain Angus told CBC's Superior Morning.
But as the brothers grew older, "we wanted to see where he had been and experience, to a little extent, what he went through."
The blog includes several excerpts from Chub's diary, where he reflects on what was happening in the camps and talks about his wife, Becky, who he married shortly before being captured:
April 11, 1943: "What a difference from a year ago. Becky and I were in Stirling on our honeymoon then + and were having a glorious time. I wish this damn war was over so I could get back to her. She is starting to feel the pinch now + by her letters it has nearly gotten her down."
Aug. 8, 1943: "It's a year ago yesterday that I last talked to Becky on the phone. I'd give everything I own to just hear her voice again for a few min."
Chub's story is one of several CBC's Superior Morning has gathered leading up to Remembrance Day, after issuing a call-out for people's wartime mementos that represent their family histories.
The soldier that disappeared
For Laureen Parsons, having her great-grandfather's military medals evokes both pride and heartache.
"I never knew anything about my great-grandfather because my grandmother would never speak of him," said Parsons, who is from Kenora.
After doing some digging online, she found Hubert Arthur Bessent's military records, along with newspaper articles that explained how he ended up in Nashville, Tenn., after the First World War.
Bessent was part of the 45th Battery, 9th Field Artillery Brigade and ascended through the ranks to eventually become sergeant-major of his battery, said Parsons.
In 1917, he was awarded his first medal at Vimy Ridge in France for laying a telephone line to the advanced observation post under heavy fire.
After the war, Bessent returned home and became a Toronto city firemen, police officer and, later, fishmonger.
"One day he left for work in 1923, and then he just disappeared," Parsons said. "Nobody knew anything for eight years, and then he reappeared."
Through newspaper articles, the family discovered Bessent had been wandering across the United States after suffering memory loss.
"We all know what PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder] is now, but clearly at that time, it wasn't something that was acknowledged or was treated," Parsons said.
While the articles helped bring the family closure over why Bessent left, Parsons said having his medals "means the world to me."
'History defines who we are'
Ron Kanutski, a member of Lake Helen First Nation, found a telegram his grandfather sent to his grandmother in 1943, which said he was coming home.
"I got very emotional about it, just reading it, because I felt sort of the feelings that people must have had when they're returning home from war," Kanutski said.
Peter Kanutski had been injured at a training camp in Petawawa, his grandson said. He was sent home to Dryden and got married before being deployed again – defending the shores of England and then serving on the front lines in Salerno, Italy. He returned home for good in 1946.
During that time, the family received a letter saying he was missing in action, and later learned he was in the hospital. His grandmother had a miscarriage when he was gone, said Kanutski.
"There's a lot of hurt that happens, not just in battle — it's everything that's surrounding it," Ron Kanutski said.
His grandfather never talked about his time in the war, and always left the house on Remembrance Day so he could be alone, Kanutski recalled.
He also had post-traumatic stress disorder, and the family knew to never touch him or approach him from behind.
"He lived with that his entire life, that fear of being attacked," Kanutski said.
His other grandfather, Edward Wawia, of Red Rock Indian Band, contracted tuberculosis during basic training and was honourably discharged.
While their stories are hard to bear, Kanutski said sharing what happened to his grandparents is important to preserve their histories for future generations.
"History defines who we are and kind of gives us a guideline of how to live our lives," he said.
"I think remembering our grandparents is so important because without them, well, we wouldn't be here."
Veterans, former RCMP members, their family members, and caregivers can access 24-7 mental health support through Veterans Affairs Canada at 1-800-268-7708. This is a free and confidential service.
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With files from Mary-Jean Cormier