Olive Hall and Bill Wells

She is a woman of Honour...

She (OLIVE MAY HALL) immigrated to Canada from Sussex,England in 1945, married to TROOPER ERNEST WILLIAM WELLS (BILL) of the 17th D.Y.R.C.H. (HOUSARES) after WWII who was from Strathmore,Quebec. Still married to this day 56 years later, with nine(9) grown children and several grand children and great grand children behind them.

Personal Story:

My Mum told me that there was alot of women on board and a few children; she had my oldest brother Gordie (2yrs at the time) with her and she was expecting another. She said she was ill all the way over with morning and sea sickness and that the other women were always helping her with my brother as he was a hand-ful, she stayed in her bunk most of the trip and ate crackers galore. She thinks it took 7 days. She had never been away from home and did not realize how far Canada was; she arrived in Pier 21 Halifax NS and recalls being the first one off the ship with a Red Cross nurse at her side happy to be on land. A photographer from Montreal took her picture (she thinks it was The Standard - front page) then they boarded a train to Montreal. My Dad was not able to meet her in Montreal, but his parents were there to welcome her to Canada not knowing what each other looked like othe than a photo my Dad had given them. It was not difficult as he had sent a lot of pictures to show his family of his life over seas. They lived with his parents for awhile and then took up residents in a vet home for 30 years in Pointe Claire, Quebec and now reside in Ottawa, ON.

By Beverly Decle