1

WWII Veteran, Norah (Biddy) Odell

2

Norah (Biddy) when she was a young girl
1929
Wetaskiwin, Alberta

3

My mum made this dress of ecru coloured lace, lengthened by a band of brown velvet. She was was an excellent seamstress, not by training but because she had to. She made my clothes until I made my own. Perhaps from her, I received my lifelong interest in sewing and costume design. My mother was devoted to her family, and worked tirelessly for her community.
As a young girl, I enjoyed dance and took tap, soft shoe, and later toe dancing. I also took piano lessons when I was a child and I sang in the Anglican church choir in Wetaskiwin.

4

Dorothy 'Kay' Palfrey
1980
Wetaskiwin, Alberta

5

My mother was a district commissioner of the Girl Guides of Canada. She helped out with recruitment for the Air Force, was involved in the Ladies' Auxiliary of the Active Forces and she organized Blood Donor Clinics. The Red Cross rooms were at the top of Montgomery's Store and it was there I think, that volunteers made bandages and pneumonia jackets for the Red Cross. My mum was also involved with the I.O.D.E. who helped in the packaging of War Comforts.

6

Tom Palfrey
1939
Wetaskiwin, Alberta

7

My father had strong British ties and was in France in the First World War. During the Second World War, he was involved with the local militia and was often a visitor at the army camp. He was a natural born gardener, a lover of poetry and English history. My father was a strong supporter of the Legion, he loved to read books to his children, and he had a wonderful sense of humor.

8

Wetaskiwin Gets Fusiliers
19 January 1939
TEXT ATTACHMENT


9

Norah's (Biddy) and siblings
1924
Wetaskiwin, Alberta

10

My siblings were William Theodore "Bill," who loved poetry and history; Kathleen Anne "Betts" who loved to read and write; and Thomas Reginald "Pip" who loved anything mechanical, as well as, hunting, and hiking.

11

Tom Palfrey and sons
1939
Wetaskiwin, Alberta

12

Bill and Pip on embarkment leave
1939
Wetaskiwin, Alberta

13

My brothers joined the forces in 1937 and they were sent overseas early in the Second World War.

14

The High School War Effort Committee
1942
Wetaskiwin, Alberta