Christmas Cards of WWII
Christmas Cards of World War II
Christmas Cards of the Second World War reflect the changing dynamic of Canadian Military Engagement. Between wars, the fleet of the Royal Canadian Navy has grown considerably and the Royal Canadian Air Force has come into being. Women have a greater presence in the Canadian Forces and the dispersal of Canada's troops across a wider geographical area is well represented.
When not shown, the inscriptions written on the insides of the cards, as well as further information about them, can be viewed by clicking on the images.
From the Earl Payson Gartley Fonds at The Military Museums Library and Archives.
Earl Payson Gartley
Flight Sergeant Earl Payson Gartley was born on March 24, 1906 in Jacksonville, N.B. He obtained his license to teach in New Brunswick in 1924 and later taught in Alberta until he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in July 1940. On November 14, 1944, he was a crew member of a Canso flying boat that went missing on a routine patrol off the coast of British Columbia near Tofino. After an extensive search, he was presumed dead. In the summer of 1946, wreckage from this aircraft was discovered at Ketchikan, Alaska. He was survived by his widow Carolyne, nee Bowman, and their two children.
The card on display is from Payson's collection. It is from Gartley's RCAF colleague, Flight Sergeant Lewis Gerald Robinson, who died after his plane was shot down on November 1st, 1942. Click on the image to see the card's interior design and Robinson's message.
Smythe Family
This card, from the Smythe Family Fonds at the Military Museums Library and Archives, was sent by Lorne Wentworth Smythe to his family for Christmas, 1941. The card was included as an enclosure with a letter the ink from which has bled onto the card's front side.
Corporal Smythe served overseas with the No. 20 Company, Canadian Forestry Corps during WW II. He survived the war and was discharged from service on February 27, 1945. His son Lance Cpl. Lorne Norman Smythe, also served overseas during WWII, with the No. 5 Canadian Provost Corps, and died on December 17, 1944 of injuries received in action in Ravenna, Italy. His remains were buried in the Coriano Ridge (Italy) War Cemetery.
From the Calgary Highlanders Regimental Archives
Christmas as a Prisoner of War
This card was sent home by Trooper Ben Skibinski during his time as a prisoner of war at Stalag VIIIB, which housed roughly 100,000 captured Allied soldiers. Inmates at this overcrowded camp celebrated the season by decorating their huts, arranging for special Christmas day menus, and through a drawing competition for the camp Christmas greeting card. The winner for 1942, and the designer of the card in on display, was inmate Kenneth V. F. Wood.
From the Elsa Alsgard Fonds at The Military Museums Library and Archives.
Celebration of Peace
Elsa Othelia Alsgard was born on August 20, 1919 in Granum Alberta. A registered nurse before the start of WWII, Alsgard enlisted with the Canadian Army Nursing Service on January 3rd, 1944 and served domestically at military hospitals in Vernon and Nanaimo.
The card on display from her collection was sent by Dr. Lynn Gunn of No. 20 Canadian General Hospital in December of 1945 as both a season's greetings and a way to mark the scale-down of military infrastructure following the surrender of the axis forces in the spring of that year.
From the David Hepner Fonds at The Military Museums Library and Archives.
David Hepner
David Hepner enlisted with Edmonton Fusiliers during WWII and served overseas, working in stores. Following the war, Hepner settled in Peace River, Alberta.
This card was sent by Hepner to his mother in December of 1942. The card is bifolded 8.5x11 sheet with the badge of the Edmonton Fusiliers embossed on one side and a typed message from Hepner on the verso. Click on the image to access the typed message.
From The Beatrice Ross Fonds at The Military Museums Library and Archives.
Beatrice Ross (CMHQ, London)
Beatrice Ross enlisted with the Canadian Women's Army Corps at the start of WWII. She went overseas with the 2nd Battalion and served as an ambulance driver, transporting injured soldiers from the front to field hospitals. Following the war, Ross returned home to Alberta and settled in the Turner Valley area, working as an attendant, and later as a manager, for a large service station. She died in the summer of 2004.
This card was sent from Canadian Military Headquarters in London and features an original London streetscape sketch on the interior. Click to view.
From the Alexander Watt Cunningham Fonds at The Military Museums Library and Archives.
Alexander Watt Cunningham
Alexander Watt Cunningham was born on July 4, 1923 in the Belleville area of Ontario. He worked as a grocery clerk until enlisting with the 34th Field Battery, RCA in October of 1941. Cunningham served until the end of the war, returning to reserve status on April, 1946
This card, from Cunningham's Fonds, was sent by Cunningham to his family while he was awaiting discharge following the end of the war. The interior features a colourful image of St. Nicholas as a symbol of victory, driving his sleigh from England towards Germany.
From the Naval Association of Canada Archival Collection at The Military Museums Library and Archives.
HMCS Annan
This commercially-produced card was sent by three crew members of HMCS Annan, a River-class frigate that served as a convoy-escort in the Battle of the Atlantic. The dramatic front illustration presumably depicts a scene from an imagined encounter between the escort group and the German Air Force.
From The Ernest Percival Coe Fonds at The Military Museums Library and Archives.
Medicine Hat Internment Camp
This card was sent to Ernest Percival Coe, a veteren of WWI, by an unknown member of the Sergeants' Mess at the Medicine Hat Interment Camp (Camp 132). Camp 132 was one of the largest internment camps in North America and held many high-ranking nazi officers. The camp was in operation until 1946.