My Darling Wife . . . Postmark: Aldershot, England October 18, 1940

By Andrea Grimes

Onthe heels of the Great Depression came Hitler’s sucker punch ripping out the heart of humanity with unstoppable chaos.

The world was at war!

With the greatest generation of defence serving on land, at sea and in the air, Canada once again played a pivotal role standing against Nazi tyranny, which threatened the very foundation of our Canadian democracy.

While many throughout Windsor and Essex County were talking about what was going on “over there,” there were others who knew they were doing the right thing by taking the war to the enemy. As such, they gave up a piece of individuality to be a part of something larger than themselves!

The tragedy of war is that it uses man’s best to do man’s worst.

There were battles lost and victories gained as many in uniform “of all stripes” held their positions and then resumed the advance.

Through defined strength, courage and loyalty; patriotism and sacrifice, many went from being teenagers to becoming men, years before their time.

Beyond their widest imaginations, war was hell indeed.

Those stains and strains of combat took a toll on morale, which created immeasurable longings to be reunited with family. The very measure of the comfort in writing letters to loved ones waiting back home, actualized that need to “be there”!

According to the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, (refer to: WarMuseum.ca/cwm/ exhibitions/newspapers/information_e.html): “The government was out to stop any news or talk that would damage the Allied cause, or make Canadians doubt the war effort. Canadian armed forces censored militarilysensitive information, whether it appeared in soldiers’ letters home or in the dispatches from war correspondents at the front.”

Cathleen Copland, who served 19 years (Regular Force) with the 1 Service Battalion in Calgary, Alberta (retiring with the rank of Corporal) knows all too well about that deeply, ingrained generational “sense of patriotism and duty.”

“My grandfather, Robert Copland Sr. enlisted with the Essex Scottish at 19 years of age and served from 1940 to 45,” she indicates. “One very touching letter granddad wrote October 18, 1940 on my grandparent’s first wedding anniversary, to his wife Kay (who was expecting their first child), proclaimed ‘It is a damned shame for a couple like ourselves who are in love and devoted to each other, as we are, to be separated on account of the war. If I wasn’t so patriotic, we would be in each other’s arms right now instead of being about 4,000 miles apart. This is an awful heart-breaking life living like this’.”

Copland’s great grandfather, Jock Copland was the Pipe Major for the Essex Scottish and his son James Copland succeeded him as Pipe Sergeant. Her grandfather, Robert Copland Sr., was the Drum Major with the Regiment’s Pipes and Drums Band (well into his 60s) and her father, Robert Copland Jr. recently retired as a Piper with the Essex and Kent Scottish Pipes and Drums Band

The strength of family traditions is evident through all those letters that so many Veterans wrote while serving overseas — declarations of love, yearning for the comfort and nearness of family, and a commitment to duty and service.

“In choosing to hand-write letters on personalized and bespoke stationery, this delivers a signature ‘statement’,” comments Andrea Fistrovic Markovic, Owner of Elizabeth R Fine Stationery & Gifts, 3851 Dougall Avenue in Windsor (online visit: ElizabethR.ca). “It’s a wonderful way to convey emotions, express oneself and keep memories alive — an engagement of communication often not present through emails in a digital age.”

To quote English Romantic poet, George Gordon Lord Byron: “Letter writing is the only device for combining solitude with good company.”

As a civilian Veterans Advocate, Andrea Grimes was presented with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and the Governor General’s Medal, for her volunteer service to Veterans and a number of non-profit organizations supporting Windsor’s military families’ network.