1942 Letter From L.G..

My dad was stationed somewhere in England in the Canadian army when he wrote this letter to Dick Nevard
             
                                                                              March 15, 1942
Dear Dick: Just a few lines hoping this finds you all in the best of health. I was very glad to hear from you. Hows everyone getting along? You must have had a mild winter. Well we are having some pretty good weather over here at times but it sure gets chilly at nights. Them open fire places ain't much for heat. Do you ever hear much from Bud? I haven't seen anything of him or Phil Fisher? Of course you never know when you are gonna run into someone from home. Most of the boys in the 18th are from Sask., Regina, Indian Head, Cupar, Grenfell. A good bunch of guys.
Well we travel around quite a bit on schemes. Sometimes we move to different billets. We are living in houses right now. We are on the outskirts of a small village. Two picture shows a week, a dance hall, two pubs and canteen. Some place eh? Well I don't bother much about dances. They also have a snooker table so we have a pretty good time but we were out on a scheme yesterday about ten o'clock and a thunder storm came up so it wasn't so good pushing a gun through mud and water to our positions. But we have quite a bit of fun out of them even if it takes a couple of days to get the gun cleaned and equipment. Me and a few of the boys were on the coast for a week. It was quite a change.  I thought Canada was cold but that place was plenty breezy. We were on duty for twenty four hours and then off twenty four.
Have you seen much of Sandy?. I hear from him quite often. Some guy eh?. What do you think of this war? I could hear the bombing the time them battle ships left Brest and every now and then we hear firing in that direction. Welll guess I"ll have to sign off. Hoping to hear from you soon and wishing all the best of luck and health. I guess it'll be pretty well summer by the time this reaches you. Remember me to all.
As ever, a friend,
L.J. Goff

1942 Letter From Overseas

Bud Nevard had joined the Canadian Army and was stationed somewhere in England at the time he wrote this letter to his cousin, Dick Nevard in 1942.

May 23, 1942

Dear Dick:

Just a few lines to thank you for your letter. How are things going, ok? Everybody up and doing eh? Well so are we . Say , if you want to see flowers etc. you should be here. Everywhere you go is just like a picture card. All colors of the rainbow and it sure is pretty. You'd get a great kick out of it I can't tell you where I am but I have cycled to Windsor Castle and up around London and all around the big shot's places here. There are some great old places too, Churches etc. I went and saw Winchester Cathedral one day a while back but I think you heard of that before now.

This would be a nice place if the weather was dry but it is anything but. Just now it is raining and yesterday it was raining and going by past experience, it will be raining tomorrow. It fact its nearly always raining. You see my point don't you? Although we had some dandy weather for a few days. If I stay in this land very much longer they'll have to carry me off. Boy do my knees ache, all the time hurting. And I've still got the cough that I started with last year when I got here. It was raining that day too .

The boys are getting rather fed up just sitting around and I think that some lad is going to get real sore some day and cut these balloon barrage cables and let the place sink. But I guess we will soon be at them (I hope). that's if the Russians leave any of them. It might not be long before this thing is all over. What I don't know what I'll be doing after the war. Right now we feel more like 6 months rest or something like it. Say a holiday at Patrick or Palm Beach.

What's this I hear about L. Goff being in the army over here? What did he join? And send me Sid North's address will you?

Well I think I'd better quit and go have a shower etc. Bed time so they tell me. Cheerio old duck , best of wishes to all. Your Cousin Bud.

One thing the army sure has improved is my writing, don't you think?

 

Building Goff's House

Ernest Nevard, Mary Goff, Grace Hobetzeder, Les Goff, Horace Nevard

Ernest and Horace Nevard took on the job of building a new house for Tom  and Mary Goff in 1951 in the village of Lipton. Here are a few details as written in the journal of Bill Nevard.
Dec. 5, 1950 Mrs. Goff and Sandy came down to see Dad on Sunday about building a house for them with cement blocks as they are buying a lot in Lipton.
June 29, 1951 Sandy Goff came in the car and took Dad up to Lipton this morning to put in the footing for Goff's house and brought him back tonight.
July 4, 51: Dad went up to Lipton on the bus this morning and stayed there.
July 13, 51: Dad came home tonight. He has put Goff's cistern in.
Aug. 3, 51: I headed north on my bike this morning. Dad, Uncle Horrie and Les Goff busy working on Goff's house. I didn't stay long but hit out for the farm.
Aug. 4, 51: Roy came through with his car on the way to Lipton so I went with him and bought a few groceries at Jampolsky's store. Very windy but they are working on Goff's house.
Aug. 9, 51: Raining. I had given up the idea of heading back to Lilac Grove when Bud came along in his car on the way to Lipton so I came down with him. Stopped at Fisher's for dinner and after that I went over to Goff's house but no one was there so I went to Jack Goff's for a while. As I was heading up town Dad and Uncle Horrie came along with Sandy and Les Goff in the car. So I left my bike with Fishers and went down to the San with Sandy and Dad as they wanted to get some of our bricks to finish the chimney.
Aug. 16, 51: I went up and saw Bud this morning and he drove me to Lipton in his car. We were going to fix up a lease but Walton was not home. I saw Dad and Uncle Horrie working on Goff's house.
Oct. 4, 51: Dad came home from Lipton on the bus tonight to get his best clothes as he is to be a pall bearer at Sam Wheale's funeral tomorrow.
Oct. 15, 51: Dad went up to Lipton on the bus but came home tonight. He is through at Lipton now.
Nov. 18, 51: Sandy Goff came along tonight to ask Dad to go back to Lipton tomorrow and help them fix up their furnace so Mr. and Mrs. Goff can move into town.

Goffs house complete

Bill Leaves The Farm

Not forever but in September of 1948 Bill got a job working at the Fort Qu'appelle T.B. sanatorium where his brother, Dick, had been working since the spring of that year.
A few entries from his journal from that time...
Sept. 29, 1948:Dick came home after I got to bed tonight and told me that there was a job waiting for me at the San.
Sept. 30:This morning, after doing my necessary chores I went up to Silver Birches and told Roy I was going down to the San so that he would come and do my chores. I packed Dad's valise and started off walking but only had to walk to the gate as August Zielke came along in his truck hauling a load of wheat for Sam Wheale. Sam was with him so I got a ride all the way to Lipton. On arrival I walked down to Jack Goff's and found out that Dad and Uncle Horrie were working at Bailey's so I went there and saw them before starting out for the San. Once again I was in luck for a truck belonging to the San overtook me before I had got very far and gave me a lift right to the San. I went into the stores and saw Mr. Skinner. Then I was taken to Miss Biden , dietitician , who told me what I would have to do and as it was nearly dinner time, took me to the assembly room. After waiting there a little while I went in to dinner. It is quite a large dining room with 18 tables I think, seating 180 people. Bill Binnington was there at dinner. After that I walked pretty well all around the grounds and at 1:30 pm I was taken to the admitting office where they took a test and after a wait I had an x-ray of my chest. Then a longer wait before I was examined by Dr. McPherson and afterwards another x-ray. Then John Bailey, the head orderly, took me to the men's quarters and shew me my room. Dick got back about the same time and we went to supper. After supper we walked around a bit then went to the Grandview Lunch with Walter Underwood who comes from Northants.

New House For The Nevards

After working at the Fort Qu'Appelle tuberculosis sanatorium for a few years, Dick Nevard and his brother , Bill, decided to build a new home nearby at Lilac Grove by Echo Lake. Between his dad, Ernest, and Uncle Horrie, they had it built in the late summer of 1950 using cindercrete blocks for the structure. Here are a few excerpts from Bill Nevard's journal.

November 10, Dick and Stan Kereluk went up to the farm in Steve's truck and got the rest of the wood Dick had cut. After supper Stan took the wood down to our place and I helped him unload it. Later on Bill Miller came with the Booker furnace and we got that unloaded and put down the basement.
November 11. Uncle Horrie went back to Lipton on the bus. Dad and I spent the day putting the furnace together but did not finish.
November 13, Dad doing some more fixing to the new furnace.
November 18: I borrowed Bob Smith's wheelbarrow and got 4 bags of coal from Bill Woitas. Then we got the Booker furnace going. It went ahead fast and smoked a bit at the start but quieted down after a while. Dick and I helped dad move the bed and other necessary things from the shack to the house and Dad spent his first night in the new house.

 
The new Nevard house at Lilac Grove.

70 Years Ago On The Nevard Farm

Nov. 7, 1943

Dear Dick, It is now Sunday evening, more than eight days since you went away so I thought you would be waiting to hear from home and I am consequently writing this letter. Although no letter came from you in this week's mail. Probably it didn't have time.

How do you find it in B.C.? We hae a blanket of snow here now. About 4 or 5 inches so you wouldn't have done much more land work even if you had stayed home longer. After you left on the bus Saturday I went and did what business I had to do. I went to Andy Gray's and got the scoop shovel and he told me that he had room for wheat in the elevator. I did'nt see Mr. Brinkworth about the tiller as he went on the bus with you. We got home about 2:30 pm and after I had my dinner I went in the pasture and cut a load of wood. The books which came from the library were "Poland the Unexplained and Tramp's Sketches".

On the Sunday I let Gleam and Embers out for a while but got them in again at night planning to take wheat to town in the morning but on Monday morning it was snowing when I got up so I did not go. It didn't snow a lot and I went out in the pasture and cut two more loads of wood that day. Dad was making preparations to build a cement cupboard outside our bedroom. On Tuesday Nov. 2 I helped Dad mixing the cement for him and doing chores. Donald was here to supper and listened to Fibber McGee. On the 3rd Uncle H. and I each took a load of wheat to Lipton. I had Gleam with Embers. As I guess you know it was her first trip to town. Dad thought it would be a good idea if someone went down with me in case of having trouble at the elevator. Uncle H. was behind me until we got past the German Church , then he went ahead. He gained on me some but not a great lot. Gleam hesitated a bit going over the bridge at the big coulee but they were trotting and she got on the planks before she could check herself. When we got to the elevator Andy Gray was home to dinner. Uncle H. had his load on the scales when I came along and I drove up right behind him into the elevator. He was there but he didn't have to lead Gleam and she didn't give me any trouble on the scales either. On the way home I met 13 cars, 1 truck and 1 tractor and neither Gleam nor Embers showed any concern about them. There had been a sale at Henry Schmidt's that day which was partly the reason for so much traffic. When I got home it was snowing fast and everything was covered with a white blanket.

The next morning I had the job of driving the chickens into the new hen house. I did it too, all alone. There is just one pullet who is still living in the pigpen. We have 48 hens and chickens altogether and 11 turkeys. I got a load of gravel home and Dad made a new trough for the little pigs as they have outgrown their old one.

In the afternoon I cut another load of wood in the pasture. Uncle A's cow Diamond is the mother of twin calves. On Friday, the 5th it was snowing and blowing most of the day. I went and cut wood for a while but the snow was making my smock wet so I came home and cleaned out the old hen house. We got Pansy, Sunshine and calves in dinnertime. In the afternoon I got a jag of oat straw on sleighs. Quite a bit of the oat straw has been spoilt by the rain.

Yesterday I cut some more wood. I have 9 loads cut now. Roy brought the mail down in the morning. Today was a quiet Sunday at home. Dad went up to Silver Birches for a while after dinner. I think we are all about the same as usual. Don't see anybody much but able to keep busy and find life quite interesting. Weather tolerably mild but dull and snow not going very fast. Lighfoot and Roundhead send their best love and hope you find the mice in B.C. tender and toothsome. Hoping you are in good health I am your loving brother
 E.W. Nevard.

 

Late Harvest

I was a little late finishing the 2013 harvest on Winstanley Grove on October 29 but it was later in 1942 . As seen here in excerpts from Bill Nevard's daily journal.

October 23: We ran into more trouble and the engine went on the blink after we threshed 3 loads. It was a miserable day with one snow storm after another although not much snow fell.

October 24: Uncle Horrie took Dad and Dick in the democrat to Lipton and caught the 9:00 am bus to Regina. Dad took the magneto and radio with him. He got new tubes for the radio and a new magneto for the engine.

October 25: Sunday at home. Dad and Uncle Horrie busy with the engine but couldn't get it timed right yet. Dick walked to Goffs and bought 6 pounds of butter. Bill Smith's outfit is at Goffs . Several people around including Mr. Fisher, Fred Engel, Reinhold Kirsch and Hobetzeder are not threshing yet and don't know when they will be.

October 28: Threshing on 25. Snow on the stooks this morning. We finished my wheat after dinner and moved to 30 starting to thresh Uncle Horrie's oats which was no snap as we picked up the stuff that wasn't stooked. It was scattered all over the place and the snow had to be shaken off.

October 31: We hauled the outfit to Winstanley Grove and had dinner at Silver Birches. We did not thresh in the afternoon as a fresh fall of snow made it too tough.

November 3: Snowing and blowing hard this morning. Dick, Roy and I went up to Winstanley Grove and helped Uncle Arthur shake up some of his oat sheaves, none of which are stooked.

November 5: We threshed some more of Uncle Arthur's oats but it was tough and stopped the machine so we left the rest and moved down to our place for dinner. Threshed some of dad's oats in the afternoon.

November 9: Threshing dad's oats today. In the evening the engine developed a knock and dad found that a crankshaft bearing had broken.

November 10: I took the first load of wheat to Lipton today. Got Cohen to send for a new bearing for the engine.

November 13: Finished threshing the oats this morning and finished the last wheat in the afternoon which winds up threshing for this year. The weather is much improved.

The "Winstanley Stove" as it sits today in 2013.