War bride makes Canada home

Times Contributor 

 

John Starkewski had left his family home near Winnipeg, at the age of 16 and went west to become a wrangler for the Sam Cross Ranch in Alberta. Cross was supplying horses to France to be used in World War II. 

“Cross asked him if he could ride six horses at once and John said yes, so he gave him the job,” said Florence Starkewski, John’s wife.

John’s job was to deliver the horses to Regina, where John heard about recruiting efforts, and he gave notice to Cross because he wanted to enlist. He became a member of the Royal Canadian Army Service Corp, First Division in Calgary. After training, Starkewski was posted to Camp Borden, and went overseas to Scotland and England.

Picture the small town of Burwash, Sussex, England in 1940, with its quaint streets and houses bordered by farmland, sitting about 25 miles from the sea. John had multiple duties at his posting there: supply officer, officer’s aid and driver. Sometimes he stood guard outside the headquarters that was set up in a residence in Burwash.

Florence was a young girl, sent off to boarding school in Wales, but home to look after her father after her mother died. She was 17 when she and her cousin rode their bicycles past John at guard duty. An introduction led to conversation, which led to love and marriage the following year. Her father had to sign papers for her to marry and Florence said they needed to get permission from the army of when to marry, as they were required to wait until the assault at Dunkirk had been completed. 

John left his bride in Burwash, where their son was born, to accompany the troops throughout the campaign in Europe. He was able to come home once in a while, when granted leave. It was three weeks after the birth of his son Lorne before John had the chance to see him. 

Most of the bombing was going on in London; Florence said they occasionally had to seek shelter in the bomb shelter situated across the street from her home. She said it really never bothered her much. The shelter was underneath Rudyard Kipling’s house and had a fish and chips shop right next door. Florence came from a family with military background. Her father fought in the Boer war and her brothers also fought in WWII, stationed in the Middle East, France and Italy. Florence’s father worked with the nuns to help evacuees from the war. She said there was a prisoner-of-war camp nearby, where German soldiers were kept. 

“I think we were more afraid of that than we were of the bombs,” said Starkewski.

Florence’s father died of a heart attack, so when the chance for her to go to Canada arose, she went with the other war brides. They boarded a bus in the dark, staying underground until they could board the ship Franconian. There was a convoy with guard ships front and back of the Franconian and a ship of wounded soldiers. They were told if they were married to Canadian soldiers they would have their Canadian citizenship. That privilege was later revoked and they had to reapply years later. Florence obtained her dual citizenship on a visit back to England.

The Franconian docked in Halifax and Florence had to take a coal train for 1.5 days to reach Dauphin, Man. She travelled by car, accompanied by a horse drawn sleigh to her in-laws’ home. John had told her how nice Canada was, but in the winter it was a bit of a shock. She had no winter clothes, but relatives had some for young Lorne. John’s family was of Ukrainian and Polish descent and did not speak English. She said her mother-in-law had a somewhat cold personality. It was a small house and she shared quarters with five children, her bed separated by a small curtain. She said there were times that she longed to see England again.

“Everything changed,” said Starkewski. “…the food, the language. There was an outdoor toilet and no bath. I hadn’t experienced that before.”

She said when John finally came home from the war, there was no notice. He just walked into the house at 2 a.m. one morning. 

Her mother-in-law gave her a broom and dustpan, five yards of material for a dress and a pair of coveralls to start her new life. The Starkewskis went on to purchase John’s grandfather’s farm, without help from the defence department, eventually moving to Alberta. John died in 1995. Her only son Lorne has also passed away. Florence will be 90 on Nov. 23.