AUNT ALLIE AND UNCLE GEORGE
Written by Ronald MizonPublished on January 2018
My sister Bessie and I were out with others in the play area talking, in fact, to a Canadian soldier and he was interested to know that we had just recently arrived from England. He told us “hush hush” that he expected to go there soon so we told him where we lived and he said if he was in that area he would call our Mum and Dad. Unfortunately, we never did hear of him again. “Ronald and Bessie Mizon, come to the interview room at once and bring all your belongings” came a loud voice from the main building. This was our turn. Bessie and I went up to our respective dormitories and collected our few clothes and reported to the Important Office, somewhat a little nervous. Knocking, we went in rather apprehensively. Behind the large desk were three well dressed men and one, whom we knew in the school, standing to one side. On the other side sat a well dressed man and by his side a lady, rather petite, and a young girl about Bessie’s age. We were introduced to Mr and Mrs George B Cole and their daughter Carol. Mr. Cole was very friendly and welcomed us to Canada and advised that we would be living with his family and hoped that we would be happy with them. Documentation was checked, papers signed and off we went with a goodbye to the instructor. All five of us then went out of the front door where Mr Cole’s car stood. I think it was a four-door Ford. Bessie, Carol and I sat in the back seat and the Coles the front. This was a thrill for Bessie and I as I had only been in a motor car once and I don’t think Bessie had at all. So off we went to where we had not the faintest idea! We buzzed along in the car, passing along tree-lined streets and by what is known as the Citadel to the local people. Just what it was Mr Cole omitted to explain. Later, we passed what I thought was a big lake. It had many seagoing ships at anchor there. This, as I found out, was the Bedford Basin, a sort of holding area for the ships getting ready to join a convoy to Europe. Our trip went smoothly along a good road which was lined with all kinds of trees. I had never seen so many before! Mile after mile of them! We slowed and stopped after a while outside a small building painted white. It had a flagpole in front and what I learned later was a well. Mr. Cole announced that this was the local school and that was the one which we would be attending after the summer holidays were over. A bit small, I thought. Not much further on along this road we passed a big lake. This, I found out later, was Pentz’s Lake. More about this later.
Eventually we came into what appeared to me then were a few houses. “Here we are,” Mr Cole announced, “home at last.”
Turning around to us in the back seat Mr. Cole said, “Welcome to Mount Uniacke. We hope that you will be happy here.” We tumbled out of the car and were led to a good sized house and entered through a side door. We had never seen such a large house let alone be inside one and this was home! The house consisted of a large lounge with polished hardwood floor, nicely finished, leading into a good-sized dining room with a polished table and chairs to match. Two bedrooms led off the lounge – the Cole’s and Carol’s. Off the dining room then led to the large kitchen and beside the stove were stairs leading up to the upper part of the house. Mr. and Mrs. Cole were taking us up the stairs when a young lady, perhaps about twenty-five, came in the side door and we were introduced to Gladys (Rhodes I think). She was the girl that lived there and generally ran the place and from the start we were informed that what Gladys says do, do it! Upstairs we went. There were three rooms not quite finished yet. Anyway, Bessie and I were allocated a room ALL to ourselves and told not to enter Gladys’s room unless invited. We were hungry after our trip to Uniacke and when we went down to the dining room, Gladys had prepared the table for us all to sit around and have a light meal. Before we started, Grace was said by Mr. Cole who then said, “I have something important to tell you. Obey Gladys at all times and this….I want you to call me Uncle George and my wife Alice will be your Aunt Allie and Carol you know now, and we welcome you both into our family. ”After our first Uniacke meal we all, including Gladys, sat in the lounge and there we related to our hosts what had happened to us since we left Middlesbrough, England. Then it was time for a good bath and an early night and we were ready to snuggle down in our respective beds. We had had a long day and a full one and now our first night in Mount Uniacke, Nova Scotia. My, how quiet it was!! Except noises from strange sounds in the night as our new home backed onto trees of all kinds and the creatures of the wood were doing what creatures do at night. Anyway, we were tired. It was “good night” to Bessie and back came “good night Ronald”. We were a long way from home now. From Mam and Dad and big sisters Alwyn serving in the Auxiliary Territorial Army and Elizabeth working in a munitions factory. Our dad was in the steelworks and furnaces and Mam doing her bit for Middlesbrough as an Air Raid Warden by night and working in a metal works by day.
Ahh. Big yawn. Umm.
I wonder what tomorrow would bring? No air raids or U-Boats for sure.
We’ll see……..