It was a great pleasure to meet with Brenda Schlosser, archivist for the Alberta War Brides’ Association. Brenda (better known now as Cookie) is the daughter of May Elizabeth (nee Coombs, Maley) Anscombe. May was from Sussex and married Calgary Highlander Nicholas Maley of Calgary in 1941.
In March of 1945 May and daughters Patricia 2 ½ and Brenda 14 months set out for their new Canadian home. They disembarked from the ship Brittanic at Pier 21 in Halifax on April 11th 1945. May tried to catch some of the white balloons floating down from the upper deck for the children –only to discover these were air filled condoms being released by the sailors! May and the girls then travelled by train to Calgary where they were met by Nick’s family. When Nick finally arrived home from overseas the family moved to a farm near Chestermere Lake.
May held membership #5 in the Alberta War Brides Association. The camaraderie provided by this organization helped the women adjust to life in Canada yet stay connected with others who were experiencing a sometimes very different life far from home in a new country. This wave of women and children between 1944 and 9147 was the largest single immigration ever in Canada–44 000 women and 23 000 children. There were War Bride Association chapters in most of the provinces.
As she got older, Brenda accompanied her mother to the Alberta War Brides Association gatherings. In 1987 when May died, Brenda continued to attend, often coming with some of the older members–and she did more than just be a good friend and companion, she and her daughter and sister began to keep track of the records and memorabilia of the Association. Today she has albums of pictures, obituaries, newsletters, and newspaper articles pertaining to these women, their lives and careers and the many gatherings and events they held around their common reason for being in Canada. In 2009 Calgary artist Bev Tosh mounted a beautiful exhibition at the Glenbow Museum titled “One Way Passage.” Bev’s mother was a war bride and a member of the AWBA. Soon the excellent collection that Brenda is lovingly keeping will join Bev’s work be part of the war bride artifacts at the Glenbow. Meanwhile you will be able to see a sample of the albums at the upcoming dessert theatre presentation by Aspen Crossing titled “The War Brides are Coming”, sponsored by the Chestermere Historical Foundation at the CRCA Multipurpose Room, on the evening of Saturday November 2nd. And maybe even meet a war bride in person. Tickets ($35) are still available, call 403 272 3764 or go to the Chestermere Public Library.
