Hilda Fisher and Harry Mitcheltree

Major Harry L. Mitcheltree
Royal Canadian Engineers
1911 – 1977

Harry was born in Kamloops, British Columbia, raised in Banff Alberta and completed his post secondary studies in Calgary.

Between December 14, 1931 and June 20, 1935 he was a member of the Non Military Active Militia, 13th Field Company Corps of Canadian Engineers in Calgary. From June 21, 1935 until August 31, 1939 he served in the Permanent Active Militia RCE based in Calgary.

On September 1, 1939 Harry became a member of the Canadian Army Active RCE and embarked for Britain in May 1940 through Pier 21. In September Harry met Hilda Fisher, in London, where she was completing her university studies to become a speech therapist. Harry was commissioned in the rank of Lieutenant in the 1st Canadian Division RCE in October 1940. On May 2, 1942 Hilda Fisher and Harry Lionel Mitcheltree were married in the village of Irchester.

After spending time in Britain, Harry served in the Central Mediterranean and in North and West Europe. While with the 4th Company RCE, he was wounded in Sicily on July 22, 1943, as a result of friendly air cover. After initial treatment in a field hospital, he was evacuated to Algiers on the Llandovery Castle Medical ship for further treatment. Harry rejoined his unit in February 1944 where it was now part of the Canadian Infantry Division and located on the Adriatic coast in the Ortona salient. In June of that year he was assigned to HQ, 5th Canadian Armoured Division until March 1945. After his promotion to Captain that month Harry served with HQ, First Canadian Army as Staff Officer, Royal Engineers (SORE) until repatriated to Britain on August 14, 1945.

While Harry was serving in the Italian Campaign, his wife Hilda was recruited by Department of Veterans Affairs. A speech treatment centre for brain injured Canadian servicemen and women was being established in the Christie Street Veterans Hospital in Toronto. On October 7, 1944 Hilda entered Canada through Pier 21 and travelled by train to Toronto to begin her work. At that time only one other speech pathologist was working in Toronto.

Harry embarked for Canada on Sept 3, 1945 and disembarked at Pier 21. He travelled by train to Ottawa where families were reunited in a football stadium. Harry was posted to Corps Head Quarters, the couple settled in Ottawa and on October 1, 1946 Harry became a member of the Canadian Army Regular RCE. His daughter Deborah Anne was born October 2, 1946 and his son Paul Lionel Fisher was born June 4, 1949.

In July 1950 Harry was posted to HQ RCE, Western Command in Calgary and in January 1952 he was promoted to the rank of Major. Harry was posted for several months to Edmonton and in September of that year was transferred to HQ RCE Eastern Command in Halifax. His final posting took him to QMG Ottawa in March 1956.

Harry retired from his service with the Canadian Military on January 1, 1961 and the family moved to Halifax. He then began work as a specification writer with Duffus, Romans Kundzins Architects. He provided onsite inspection for the firm during the construction of the Bedford Oceanographic Institute.

Harry retired in August 1970 and died on December 30, 1977.

As a result of his wartime service Harry received the following Awards and Medals:
1939-45 Star
Italian Star
Defence Medal
France Germany Star
C.V.S.M. and Clasp War Medal 39-45
Cdn. Forces Decoration and 1st Clasp

Deborah, daughter
Paul, son
Military Records.

Hilda Fisher Mitcheltree War Bride
1916 – 1993

Hilda Fisher was born in London and raised in Irchester, Northamptonshire. She obtained her LCST (Licentiate of the College of Speech Therapists) in 1939 from the program jointly held at the University of London and the West End Hospital for Neurological Diseases. Hilda then worked as a speech therapist in the brain injuries unit at the Bangour Hospital near Edinburgh until her marriage on May 2, 1942 to Lt. Harry Lionel Mitcheltree RCE. Harry was from Calgary, Alberta, had arrived in England in the spring 1940 and met Hilda in London later that year.

Following her wedding, Hilda transferred to the Sheffield Hospital, again treating patients who had experienced strokes and brain injuries. In the spring of 1944 she was recruited by Dr William Baillie, head of neuropsychiatry at the Christie Street Veterans Hospital in Toronto. He was establishing a speech treatment centre for brain injured Canadian servicemen and women. At that time Harry was engaged in the Allied campaign in Sicily and Italy.

In late September 1944, Hilda embarked from Liverpool on a camouflaged former passenger liner (Mauritania 1) which was under control of the RCAF. She traveled with servicemen traveling back to Canada as well as other dependents of Canadians fighting abroad. Hilda reported that the salons and lounges were full of hammocks for the servicemen and the women and children were accommodated in rooms containing 4 double bunks. These rooms had previously held two berths.

Hilda Fisher arrived from England in October 1944; they disembarked at Pier 21 in Halifax where a military band was playing and airmen waited to board for their trip to the war zone. Hilda recorded that several of the women including herself sat on mail bags tagged OUT OF BOUNDS TO ALL RANKS, while waiting to be processed by immigration officials!

Hilda traveled by train to Montreal, then took another train to Ottawa where she reported to the chief neuropsychiatrist for DVA. Her room in the Lord Elgin Hotel offered the first comfortable sleep in almost 2 weeks. After traveling by train to Toronto Hilda assumed her position at the Christie St Veterans Hospital. Her caseload consisted of service personnel with brain injuries and facial maxillary injuries. At that time only one other speech pathologist was working in Toronto.

Her husband Major Harry L Mitcheltree returned from overseas in September 1945, disembarking at Pier 21, and traveled by train to Ottawa where the returning servicemen and women reunited with families at a football stadium. He was posted to Corps Headquarters in Ottawa. For the next year Hilda treated patients from Dept Veterans Affairs and others in her private practice. Hilda did not work professionally between October 1946 and 1950 during which time her daughter Deborah and son Paul were born.

In early 1950 Harry was posted to Calgary where Hilda was pressured to open a private practice which quickly drew patients from Alberta, BC and Saskatchewan. Her nearest colleagues, both British trained, were in Regina and Victoria.

In 1952 Major Harry Mitcheltree was posted to Halifax where Hilda focused on family and community and did not work professionally. In 1956 their final posting was to Ottawa where Hilda worked part time at the Rehabilitation Unit in St Vincent’s Hospital and part time in the Ottawa Rehabilitation Institute. Following Harry’s retirement in 1960 the family settled in Halifax where Hilda worked for a short period in the mid ‘60s when the NS Hearing and Speech Clinic had significant staffing shortage.

In the years following her arrival at Pier 21, Hilda was one of the pioneers in the field of communication disorders in Canada. Colleagues were few, at times a province away, and the demand for assistance was great. Hilda was one of the founding members of the Canadian Speech and Hearing Association and also the Nova Scotia Hearing and Speech Association.

Deborah, daughter
Paul, son
Also taken from: The War Brides, edited by Joyce Hibbert