Christmas Letters

Past meets present in these creative writing pieces about old-fashioned Christmas gifts - inspired by a visit to Lang Pioneer Village Museum by two local students.

December 25, 1931

Dear Margaret,

          It is Christmas day and I wish you were with us! Mummy and Daddy were missing you too, I could tell by the way they were talking about you. We made sure to pray for you and your new life in Toronto. How is Charles doing? Are you still as in love as you told me you were when you married him in June? There is this new boy at school, his name is James. He is really kind and really loves soccer, but since it is snowing outside he goes out skating on the pond by our house! I often stay by the window and watch him play hockey with the other boys. I always become very keen to clean the stove whenever he is out on the pond because that means I get to stay by the window! I think Mummy is starting to figure out why! One day after school I was walking by the pond and James came up to me and asked me if I wanted to skate. I had to say no because I do not have skates, but James said that I could wear his! They were really big on me so we stuck some fabric in the front and then they fit. He walked in front of me while holding my hands so I could be pulled along on the skates.

          This morning I was so excited to wake up and find that Father Christmas had come with presents for me! In my stocking, I found an orange and some hair ribbons! Under the tree mummy had wrapped a big gift for me in brown paper. I opened it and it was a baby carriage for my dolly! It is a Gendron carriage, have you heard of them Margaret? I have been pushing my dolly, baby Jane, all around the house in it. She likes it very much. We got together with Grandma and Grandpa and had Christmas dinner, I was so excited to have turkey!

I must go now, Mummy wants me to help her clean up the kitchen.

Hope to hear from you!

Love,

Helen

January 2, 1932

Dear Margaret,

          I was glad to receive your letter. I am happy to know that you are enjoying your time with Charles in Toronto. That is fantastic that you get to go see moving pictures at the theatre! When are you going to come and visit us? I miss you. Could I come and visit you in Toronto one time? I would love to see the city. It sounds fantastic!

          I am excited to celebrate my 13^th birthday next week. I wish you could be here for it though. I invited many of my friends, and I even invited James! Mummy said I could invite my friends over to have a picnic for my birthday. I am very excited! I hope James will be able to come to the party. I love getting to spend time with him. School is going great, I got an A- on my English assignment.

          I have been enjoying playing with my Christmas presents. I have been pushing baby Jane around in my new baby carriage. Mummy has started to make me leave her in the main room because she keeps tripping over the carriage.

I hope all is well. Hope to hear from you soon.

Love,

Helen

Written by Jaden, a grade 12 student at Trinity College School.

                                                                          December 27, 1925

Dearest Alice,

How are you? It has been so long since I heard from you, I thought I would write you a letter. How is everyone? How was your Christmas? I wish we could have come down and spent it with you. It was strange, this year, since it was the first year without you here. Father’s new job does not let him leave though - he got promoted, as you probably heard from mother. He was working over Christmas Eve! Mother was very upset about it, but backed down a little when he reassured her he would not work over Christmas day.

Anyways, New York is gorgeous at Christmas. I wish you could have been with us. It was Macy’s second year doing the Christmas Parade - oh, Alice, it was absolutely breathtaking. Just how we imagined it would be! And seeing the tree! Jean and I begged father to get one just like it, and so we all tried our best to decorate our tree to be a replica. I think it looks stunning, I will have to show you pictures when you come in June. I cannot wait until you come thoug- it feels so far away. I am counting down the days! Everything is set up, father’s trip has been confirmed so he will not even know you have come. He will be away beginning two days before, and come back a week after you leave. I wish it did not have to be this way, but at least I will get to see you!

Christmas day, we were all woken by Marie, who was desperate to know what Father Christmas had brought her. We had told her the night before not to open anything until we were all awake. I pretended to be asleep until I thought she would actually explode, it was hilarious. Then, we all got up and went into the living room. We all had presents under the tree, but Marie was by far the most excited. She had asked for a Raggedy Ann doll, and of course, Father Christmas provided, resulting in many squeals throughout the morning. Jean got that yoyo she has been wanting for forever, so she no longer has to borrow mine - thank goodness! She seems to want it every time I do, and mother and father tell me I need to be good and let her have it, since I am the older one. Ridiculous, I say, but there is no arguing with father - you, of all people, know that.

How are you doing, by the way? Has father been in contact at all? I do wish he would let up. I mean, you were just living your life! I think you were brilliant, and I would up and join you if I had the guts. I mean, partying and dancing was bad enough, but when you cut your hair…I am so proud of you, Al. You finally stood up for what was right. Father was way overreacting, I think. He was barely affected by it! It was only his reputation he was worried about, and I do believe that is rather shallow of him. Plus, I miss you. I need you here, with all your big sisterly advice! I am currently running my social and love lives all by my lonesome. Dorothy is not really much help, she mostly just tells me to go for it, even if there is absolutely no chance they like me back. Even if they have a girlfriend! I have stopped taking her advice, you will be glad to note. I need your reality checks in my life again, Al. I mention you coming back every day to father, so hopefully I can wear him down one of these days.

Anyways, I am afraid I have gone off on the biggest tangent, I was telling you about Christmas morning. We continued to open presents. I got this game from mother and father, called The Author Game. It really is the cat’s pyjamas, Al. You and I would have a blast playing it - and do not fear, I mentioned that when I figured out what it was. Father got really mad and asked me what I thought I was playing at, mentioning my sister on Christmas morning. So I took my game and went to see Dorothy and Shirley. We played it for hours, it is so much fun. Basically, it is a card game, but with authors’ names and books. The goal of the game is to get as many books as you can, by asking other people whether they have the authors you need. It is like the writer’s version of Go Fish. It is so much fun, you and I need to play it when you come. I am undefeated in it so far, and I am getting so good I think I may be able to beat you as well! I know you will prove a challenge though, so I am preparing. Let this be your warning, dearest sister!

After that, Robert and John came and joined us. I think you will remember Robert? My devastatingly handsome best friend who I am hopelessly in love with, but is - or so I thought - involved with another girl? John is his best friend. They played a couple rounds with us, and then Robert asked me if I would like to go for a walk with him. I accepted, and as we walked he told me he had a confession and a question. He seemed a little nervous, it was adorable. He explained that he was not with this girl, that she was obsessed with him and that was why she had told me that. He told me he had been in love with me since we were children! Imagine that. I know you always told me not to give up hope, but he never showed any sign, so I could not help it! He asked me to go on a date with him then. I accepted, of course. Told mother later, and she was very happy for me. She said not to mention it to father though, he may get upset. Why is he like this? I really do wish he was not, and that he would recognize that the world is changing. Yes, Robert can ask me out if he wants to. And yes, I can accept! I am an independent young woman, and nothing is wrong with dating. Right?

Anyways, mother is calling for dinner, so I best be off. I will talk to you soon, dear sister. Please write back soon! I am dying to hear from you. I want to know all about Ireland, and how you have been doing! And, what you have been doing. I heard about the baby from Auntie Irene - how is she? You must send pictures if you can. What is life like as a rebellious flapper girl in Ireland? I bet they do not care what you do there, not like they do here at least. Betty O’Shriller, you remember her? She suffered the same fate as you did, and was disowned from her family as well. The only other Irish immigrant family in our town other than us, too. I think it’s no coincidence that Mr. O’Shriller and father are best friends. They share the same values, and probably encourage each other too.

Mother’s call is getting more impatient, so I am actually going to go now. Please write back soon. I need to know that you are okay. Miss you so much, Al. I have never looked forward to June so much in my life. I love you to the moon and back, dearest sister. Talk soon.

Love your favourite sister,

Ruth O’Callaghan

Written by Noor, a grade 12 student at Trinity College School

                                                                         

In Flanders Fields – Part 15: Casualties of War

By Joe Corrigan

On November 8^th, 2017 Lang Pioneer Village Museum partnered with Lansdowne Mall in Peterborough along with students from the Norwood District High School and the East Northumberland Secondary School to stage a Remembrance Week living history tribute to Canada’s military history. The event saw students and re-enactors dressed in reproduction uniforms from the War of 1812, the Fenian Raids, the Boar War period 57th Battalion Peterborough Rangers Militia unit, World War 1, World War 2 and the peacekeeping era. The participants each had a set of business cards to give out to the shoppers who came by the display area. On one side of the card was the picture and name of a Canadian soldier who served during the First World War (1914-1918). On the reverse side was the image of a poppy along with the words “Remember those who leave and never return and those who return and are never the same.”  

Fenian Students at the Remembrance Week Tribute November 8, 2017- Photo by Snap'd Peterborough

Students at the Remembrance Week Tribute November 8, 2017- Photo by Snap'd Peterborough

Remembrance Week this year coincided with the 100th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Passchendaele, the story of which was recounted in my previous blog. This battle symbolized, as much as any, the horror and needless sacrifice of life for which the First World War has become synonymous. Even though the combatants had been going at each other for over three years at this point, no one had yet figured out how to get the upper hand and break the stalemate that manifested itself in the 400 miles of trenches from the English Channel to Switzerland. As noted in Part 14 of this series, Lieutenant General Arthur Currie resisted the demands of his British superiors to commit the Canadian Corps to a battle that had gone on longer than it should have and for which they were assigned the challenging task of fighting in a muddy wasteland for the sole purpose of taking a ridge that was of dubious strategic value. Currie, who by now was one of the most effective military leaders the allies possessed, predicted his 100,000-strong corps would suffer 16% casualties taking Passchendaele. In the end his prediction came to pass.

Tyne Cot Cemetery

It is one thing to talk about casualties in the thousands but that’s hard for many of us to visualize. If you were to travel to Tyne Cot cemetery in Belgium, with its 11,900 British and Commonwealth graves, that is when the scale of the carnage would hit home. Tyne Cot or Tyne Cottage was a barn that stood near the level crossing on the road from Passchendaele to Broodseinde. Around it were a number of blockhouses which the Canadians had to eliminate in order to reach their final objective, the remains of the Village of Passchendaele. After the Armistice (November 11, 1918), the cemetery was enlarged with the graves from the battlefields of Passchendaele and Langemarck. King George V visited Tyne Cot cemetery in 1922 during his tour of the cemeteries of the First World War. He chose a blockhouse as the site on which the Cross of Sacrifice was placed. As few of Canada’s First War dead were buried on this side of the Atlantic, our losses are reflected in local cenotaphs scattered across this large country. In this piece we’ll reflect on the experiences of two individuals whose lives were lost as a result of taking part in the war; one who left and never came back and one who came back but was never the same.

Canadian Corps Passchendaele Monument

Monument at Tyne Cot Cemetery

King George V at Tyne Cot

Talbot Papineau

Talbot Mercer Papineau was born in Montebello, Quebec on March 23, 1883. He was the great-grandson of Patriote leader Louis-Joseph Papineau. Son of a Quebecois father and an American mother, Papineau came from an affluent family and was thoroughly bilingual in French and English but, unlike most people in Quebec, he was raised in his mother’s Protestant faith. He attended McGill University and was one of the first Canadians to be awarded a Rhodes scholarship. He studied law at Oxford University and played for the Oxford Canadians hockey team. He returned to Montreal in 1908 at which time he started a law practice.

In August 1914, he enlisted with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) and was commissioned as a lieutenant. He fought with distinction during the war. In 1916, he came to national, and international, prominence through an exchange of letters published in various newspapers where he argued with his cousin, the nationalist leader Henri Bourassa, over support for the war and the British Empire. Papineau's letter to Bourassa would eventually be published in The Times of London. Many comparisons have been made between Papineau and future Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau due to their similar backgrounds and beliefs about federalism and Quebec’s place in Canada. Papineau was awarded the Military Cross for bravery and he eventually rose to the rank of major. Prior to the Battle of Vimy Ridge, Papineau took a position as a staff officer and served behind the lines. Thinking that his political ambitions would be hindered by not being part of a “big push”, and also feeling he was letting his comrades down, Papineau returned to the PPCLI in the spring of 1917.

Talbot Papineau was killed on the 30th of October, 1917 during the second phase of the Canadians’ attack on Passchendaele Ridge. Just before he left the trench he turned to his friend Major Hugh Niven and said, “You know, Hughie, this is suicide.” Papineau was hit by a shell and killed just as he left the trench. His body was never identified. Major Talbot Mercer Papineau MC is commemorated at Menin Gate Memorial in the city of Ypres, Belgium. Who knows how history might have been different if he had survived the war and pursued his political ambitions.

Charles O'Connor

Charles Francis O’Connor was a Catholic of Irish descent who was born in Whitby, Ontario on May 9, 1894. He was the son of John and Julia O’Connor. His father passed away around 1902 having been kicked by a horse at the age of 50. Charles lived with his mother at their home at 206 Palace Street in Whitby and was a “moulder” by trade. He was conscripted into the army and was enrolled on May 1, 1918 in Toronto. After training at Camp Borden he was sent overseas arriving in England on the 21st of June 1918. On October 21st, 1918 he joined the 15th Battalion (48th Highlanders) CEF in France and served with that Battalion until late January 1919. Although he was only exposed to front line combat for about three weeks, the war left him with a cough from exposure to poison gas. He was discharged at Toronto on July 11, 1919 and returned to civilian life in Whitby. He married Maud Macauley on August 21, 1921 and they had three children together. Joseph Bernard born May 26, 1922, Mary Elizabeth born November 3, 1924 and Theresa born August 19, 1926.

Charles and Maud bought a brand new Ford automobile when they were first married. They liked to go on picnics and they would go to ball games in the evening and watch them from the car. Work became difficult to find in the late 1920’s and Charles had unsteady employment with General Motors in Oshawa for a time. The family moved to Buffalo, New York in 1930 after Charles got a job at the Ford plant there. No sooner had he started work the plant closed down and the family moved back to Whitby where Charles still owned a home. The two older children, Joseph & Mary remained in Buffalo as they were in school at the time. One day when he was working with a construction crew on a country road Charles was hospitalized with sun stroke. While in hospital they discovered that he had a lung infection, the result of his service in the war. Charles lived the rest of his life in hospitals and nursing homes. He was placed in a facility in Strathroy, Ontario by the Public Trustee which meant that his wife and children were unable to visit him and he was cut off from his family for many years. He died in 1978 and is buried in the Catholic cemetery on a hill on the north east corner of Brock Street and Rossland Road in Whitby.

Despite being alive for the last two decades of my grandfather’s life, I never had the chance to know him as I did my other grandfather. I only saw him once. It was in the nursing home in Strathroy. He was unable to communicate and, despite my limited time with him, I have a vivid memory of the encounter. Charles O’Connor lost his life to the First World War as much as Talbot Papineau did. The trauma he experienced in Europe, combined with the physical injury he sustained to his lungs and the stress of trying to provide for his young family, cost him his life over a period of 40 years and impacted the life of his family as well. Unfortunately many Canadian veterans today are facing the same issues that Charles O’Connor faced dealing with his PTSD. And so today, as much as was the case in 1914 to 1918, we must “Remember those who leave and never return and those who return but are never the same.”    

   

Joe Corrigan has been Museum Manager at Lang Pioneer Village since February of 2003. He has been a lifelong student of history. His specific areas of interest are Canadian and world political, military and sports history with a particular focus on biographical works. Joe has been interpreting Sir John A. Macdonald at the Museum's Historic Dominion Day event since 2007.