Mi’kmaq sisters’ wartime service honoured at Veterans Memorial Green in Stratford
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STRATFORD, P.E.I. — The City of Stratford unveiled its fourth interpretive panel on Nov. 8, paying tribute to 2 Mi’kmaq sisters who each enlisted through the Second World Conflict.
Born within the early Nineteen Twenties, Rachael and Blanche, daughters of Michael and Mary Ann Thomas, had been amongst eight kids raised within the household. In 1929, the household moved from Lennox Island to Stratford, previously Southport, looking for a greater training for his or her kids.
In 1942, contemporary out of school, Blanche joined over 500 Maritime ladies to work at a munitions manufacturing facility in Ajax, Ontario. Afterward Nov. 13, she adopted her elder sister Rachael’s lead, enlisting with the Canadian Girls’s Military Corps (CWAC), a non-combatant department of the Canadian Military that aimed to launch males from non-combatant roles.
Rachael had already joined the CWAC some months prior and was one of many first from P.E.I. to take action.
The sisters started their service as administrative clerks in Halifax. Following Germany’s give up in Might 1945, the 2 had been despatched to northern Europe to assist repatriate the Canadian military.
They hoped to take part within the occupation of Japan, however Japan surrendered shortly after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Rachael and Blanche had been discharged in July 1946 with the rank of corporal.
Each had been honoured with two navy medals: the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with the Abroad Service Bar and the Conflict Medal 1939-45.
To study extra, residents can view the 4 interpretive panels outdoors Stratford City Centre and the walkway set up across the cenotaph.
