Ruth Mudryk, son Dietrich Stoedter

Alumni Type: Immigrant

Date of Entry: July 3, 1949

Port of entry: Pier 21, Halifax

Ship: USAT General J. H. McRae

Country of origin: Germany

We left Bayreuth in Bavaria in the back of a USA Army 2 1/2 truck for the long ride to Bremen, our departure point. I will never forget that as I got really motion sick. We were put up in a large warehouse which was filled with refugees from all over Europe. We were put aboard an American Troop carrier, the USAT General J. H. McRae. All of us were put in bunks and women were separated from the men in their own areas. My mother and I arrived in Halifax July 3rd and I remember a thunderstorm in progress that night and I could see the hills around Halifax when the lightning flashed. I was 6 years old then.

We left Germany to start a new life in Winnipeg. Both my mother and I could not speak a word of English and once we cleared customs we boarded a train for Winnipeg. All my mother knew was the word "Winnipeg” and was afraid to fall asleep fearing she would miss her stop. Little did she realize how far Winnipeg was away and how long it would take to get there. After 2 or three days we arrived in Winnipeg where we were reunited with mom's husband and my step-father. I started school in September and quickly made friends and started learning English. One thing we found hard to adjust to was the very cold winter.

I am truly grateful to be in Canada and a Canadian Citizen. I am also grateful to my sister Luba Steffler and husband Larry for putting up the brick on the memory wall at Pier 21.

Dietrich Stoedter