Valentine card message:
When the field phone battery lags
And nothing else will do
I'll use my trusting signal flags
To signal: I love you!
The card is courtesy of my own childhood souvenir box. As was the custom in most schools all over North America, the school in my home village of Dollard, in Southwest Saskatchewan held Valentine parties where students brought cookies and cake and exchanged valentines. My souvenir box holds a variety of cards with timeless themes of happy children and cute animals, but some depicted the war years from 1941-1945, showing children in uniforms with accompanying declarations of love and friendship. My collection of cards tells a story of school day fun, but also those with a wartime design remind me of growing up during the war years. I recall the drone of training aircraft out of the Moose Jaw or Alberta bases that brought the reality of the conflict to our village. I recall also the community's feelings of love and admiration for all their young men and women in uniform. The passage of time has made these colourful wartime cards into special historical documents.
(Excerpt from my article LASTING LOVE featured in WESTERN PEOPLE magazine February 9, 1995.) We are seeking photos, special cards, postcards, family histories, etc.
Contact Terri Lefebvre Prince,
Heritage Researcher,
City of Yorkton, Box 400
37 Third Avenue North
Yorkton, Sask. S3N 2W3
306-786-1722
[email protected]
