Narratives 16 To The End of WWII

On August 9th of 1944 a thunder storm worked it's way up from the West and brought hail with it. Some of the stones were as big as a turkey egg. 144 filled a pail. Bill collected 3 pails of it for soft water.
In July of 1944 I arrived in Keliher for embarkation leave prior to leaving Canada. I went to the post office and asked Mr. Eric Stevens if there was anyone in town from the South country so I could get a ride. He said, I will get you a ride. Last year I got stuck down your way and your brother pulled me out with his team of horses. Mr. Stevens would not accept any payment. I offered him money for smokes but he said he did not smoke. I said , for beer then, and he said he did not drink. Mr. Stevens just wanted to pay back my brother's good deed and he hired Hector Thompson to drive me home that day.
I believe my embarkation leave ended on cousin Donald's 17th birthday. Anyway, it was a Sunday and Sandy Goff drove us up to Leross to catch the train for the East coast. It was the same Model T Ford that his Dad had met Aunt Alice and Uncle Horrie with at the train station in 1919 when they arrived in Canada. It was now 25 years later. While I was home on embarkation leave, cousin Bud came home having been discharged from the army.
I went over to England on the troop ship Empress Of Scotland. Before the war this ship was named The Empress of Japan. While in England, besides my many duties, I visited most of my aunts, uncles, and cousins. They all made me welcome and I had an enjoyable time.
On the 26th of January, 1946, we set sail for New York on the world's largest ocean liner, the Queen Elizabeth. We ran into some very rough seas with waves 20 feet high but we never felt it as it was such a large ship.

Dick Nevard with the relatives in England, 1945.