Stories from a War Bride

All of Bette Ramshaw’s stories are true, but her imaginative retelling and animated presentation often cause her audience to ask, “Did that really happen?” On October 29, Bette Ramshaw of Nokomis entertained listeners at Parkland Regional Library, Strasbourg branch.

First there was the death of Dr. Ketchum and his body’s crazy final journey to Roy McDougal’s Funeral Parlour, which “was a treat to be buried from.” Then several stories about Mrs. Ramshaw’s friend Sylvia and the silly situations they get into. And Mrs. Ramshaw recalled her first Canadian winter: “I had never seen so much snow in my life. In my ignorance I thought it was beautiful. What I didn’t understand was the fear and isolation this snow was going to bring.”

Bette Ramshaw came to Canada in 1946 as one of the many war brides to a husband she hardly recognized without his uniform on. Her husband Art attended the reading on October 29 and did some storytelling of his own during the coffee break. He recounted meeting Bette for the first time at a dance in 1945, where they both were called for the door prize and they won a chicken. Because of rations they hadn’t eaten chicken in four years, so when he took her home he said, “I’m coming back tomorrow to eat that chicken.” They spent the entire next day together and were married 10 weeks later. He returned to Canada and she followed. Sixty-four years later, Bette declares that she won’t be breaking in another husband!