Changes At Winstanley Grove

Arthur Nevard's son, Bud, came home from the army in January of 45 returning to Winstanley Grove farm , to be joined later by his wife,who he had met in England. Further details transcribed from Bill Nevard's journals.
April 18, 1945
I got a load of oat straw and hauled away cow manure in the morning. John Senft took two more loads of oats to Lipton for Jack Binnington. Uncle Horrie and Donald went to Lipton in the wagon and brought Bud home and a load of furniture for him. In the afternoon I put a tinful of gopher poison out on 13.
April 19
We sawed some of Uncle Horrie's wood today. Bud and Uncle Arthur busy house cleaning. Bud came along before dinner and helped us a bit but in the afternoon there were only 4 of us. Dad, Uncle Horrie , Donald and I. Joy rode over to Headlands post office and asked John Fleming to bring Bud's wife out as she is supposed to come from Regina tomorrow.
April 20
Sawing wood at Silver Birches. A little snow on the ground this morning but not to stay long. Binningtons went away today. John Fleming drove them to Lipton and Bud's wife came off the train from Regina and John Fleming brought her up to Winstanley Grove. Bud and Uncle Arthur busy getting the house ready. Joy went for the mail in the evening.

Springtime 69 Years Ago

 
Spring time 69 years ago
A letter from Bill Nevard to brother Dick in the army, April 1944.
Dear Dick, I am writing this letter by lamplight while eating my breakfast. It is just 5:20 a:m. Pretty well light enough to see outside but not indoors. I got your letter with the money orders and $5 war savings certificate. I don't know how soon this will get posted as everybody is busy on the land just now but I will send it on at the first opportunity.
On the 17th both uncles, Roy, Donald and Malcolm Bordass all went to Lipton in the wagon. Roy and Malcolm didn't come home with the others. They stayed to a dance. Fred Allen's daughter got married and they gave a free dance to celebrate the happy event.
Dad took 12 dozen eggs to town with him for which he received $2.60. I started picking stones off the fallow. I didn't waste much time on the small ones and I finished on the 18th.
On the 19th we chopped oats for ourselves and for Uncle H. It took longer than it should have because dad had to fix one of the valves
On the 20th dad killed our young sow with Uncle H. and I to help. Roy brought a boar home from Richard Supple's. Donald started disking Uncle Arthur's summerfallow. I brought a jag of hay home from the stack on 13. Dad has 3 hens set on 30 turkey eggs and one hen on hen's eggs.
On the 21st I went to Lipton with a jag of barley, the company being anxious to get their share (31 bushels). I sent them a storage ticket for that amount. Fred Engel has a new tractor which he got from Brinkworth's. The road to town has dried up good. Helen Wheale is working in the bank now. I brought home 4 bushels of registered Thatcher wheat and 3 bushels of Ajax oats which Uncle Arthur had bought and were waiting at the Pool elevator for him. Uncle A was disking and Uncle H was spring tooth harrowing. Uncle H was spring tooth harrowing.
On the 22nd I started cultivating summerfallow with Gleam, Embers, Firelight and Frank.
On the 23rd I found a turkey's nest with 7 eggs in it just behind the cement place.
On the 24th I was cultivating fallow on 13. I saw 16 planes that day which smashes all previous records.
On the 25th I was cultivatiing in the morning and cross harrowing in the afternoon as it was drying out pretty fast.
On the 26th both uncles were fanning wheat in Uncle Arthur's bin in the valley.
On the 28th I took the wagon up to the wheat bin and dad pickled some wheat ready to seed and in the afternoon dad started to seed. Uncle H had to go to Lipton as their seeder had went on the blink so he took one of the wheels down with him to get it fixed. Dad got 22 acres seeded by night time.
Got a letter from Aunt May who is now in Winnipeg looking after Aunt Flo who well down some stairs a while back. She was told by the doctor to go to bed but she didn't , and afterward, had a heart attack.
May 4th: I think I wiill be able to post this letter today as Roy figures on going to Lipton with Rusty and the cart.

                                        Arthur Nevard

November 28, 1943

Headlands P.O. Sask.
November 28, 1943
Dear Dick
Well its Sunday night again and as I am likely to go to Lipton again tomorrow I may as well send you another letter and keep you up to date on the latest local events. Before I forget it, Dad was suggesting that I should take a pair of your rubbers and felt socks to Lipton and leave them in Andy Gray's office for you to put on when you next come home and he wanted me to ask you if there was anything else you might want left there in the way of wearing apparel as it may be pretty cold when you come home.
This past week has been my town week as I made five trips with grain going every day but Friday. As the wheat quota has been raised again to 7 bushels per acre I may make four trips this coming week if the snow holds off. On Tuesday the 23rd I took a load of Dad's wheat to town. Andy Gray was filling a car with barley and he advised me to bring barley as he said he had plenty of room for wheat but only a limited amount of room for barley. So on Wednesday I took down a load of Dad's barley and had it stored making out the ticket to Osler-Hammond & Nanton as it was for the company's share of the crop on 25. Uncle Horrie went down too with a load of wheat. He overtook me on the way down. Donald was with him as he wanted to go to Lipton to get a sweater but he did not go all the way to town with his father as he got a ride in with a grain truck. On Thursday I took down another load of dad's barley but I could only deliver 100 bushels as the barley quota is 5 bushels per seeded acre and the rest of the load I sold for Dad.
Gleam was pretty sluggish on that trip as it was her fourth on successive days and the roads are hard and rough so I decided to let them have a rest and stayed home Friday doing chores .
Uncle Arthur went to Lipton with barley that day and brought home word that the quota has been raised from 5 to 7 bushels. He has arranged to have August Zielke take some of his wheat to Lipton by truck. On Saturday I went to Lipton with wheat and Uncle Horrie took a load of barley. Quite a lot of grain seemed to be going in to town owing to the quota having been raised. Fred Engel took a load down and broke the tire of his wagon at the big coulee so he had to borrow a wagon from Jack Mintzlar to get in with
Tehse, Red Schmidt's boy and Prairie Schmidt's boy are all hauling with wagons behind tractors. No less than 30 cars, trucks and tractors passed me on the way home so you see everybody are doing their best to save gas.
Today was dull but snow still holding off. Dad baked a cake. I went and cut holes in the slough on 13 for the animals. Fred Engel and Wm. Miller were trying to drive home a calf of Fred's that insists on being with our cattle but they didn't have any success then. Pat Neil came this evening just before dark and fixed our four little boars so that job is out of the way. They sure made a racket and the sow broke out of her pen and was rampaging around until we drove her back. I saw Bill Senft in town and he said that Arnold is alright again now. I never read your letter until I got home on Saturday night. Glad to hear that you are getting on ok.
The open weather is fine for the animals giving them a chance to clean up some of the food laying around. We haven't had any really cold weather yet although the wind is often a bit unpleasant when you're on the road. I paid up the taxes for Dad last week so they won't be able to turn us out of house and home for a while yet. Well I guess this is all for now Dick. Goodbye from your loving brother....
E.W. Nevard.