Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 6044 FOCUS - NOVEMBER 2016 44 FOCUS - SEPTEMBER 2016 44 FOCUS - NOVEMBER 2016 oris Stewart (now Swan) “signed up for the army by mistake.” Her friend Grace, who wanted to be part of the war effort, asked Doris to accompany her on the bus to Ottawa to enlist. Doris, not yet 18, went along for the ride. “There was a lady there, with a clipboard,” Doris recalls. She asked them a few questions, and then she had them sign some papers. “I didn’t know what it was,” Doris says. “I didn’t realize that I was join- ing the army.” A couple of weeks later they got a phone call, informing them that they were supposed to report for duty. Doris’ mom “wasn’t too happy” about this turn of events at the time, Doris said but soon, her family “ac- cepted it.” Born in Smiths Falls, Doris was a resident of Toronto and visiting her grandfather (who resided in a small town outside of Ottawa) when all of this happened. The train had already left Ottawa for Kingston for Basic Training but the twosome was able to go in a staff car. Next came uniforms and a trip to Edmonton. Doris took a clerical course and learned army proce- dures. Kingston was her home base. “I didn’t know where Grace went,” Doris said. “I ran into her years later during the war and she was working in a kitchen. I said ‘Hi!’” Private Doris Stewart of the Canadian Women’s Army Corps worked in the mail room, recording information and putting secret documents in envelopes. It was all very confidential. She was part of a group of seven friends and met a lot of people dur- ing the war to socialize with. Doris tells a funny story about “the seven who chummed together” lining up to go to a hotel and ordering draft beer. They always piled their hats up, one on top of the other. One girl felt sick and grabbed a hat to throw up in. Doris said everyone else was glad that it was her own hat. Usually, drinking alcohol was not allowed. Victory Day was memorable. Doris remembers that one co-worker, who delivered mail in her station wagon, covered it in toilet paper. The can- teens were open and everyone was celebrating! Then the men came home from the war and started taking the women’s jobs. A man named Glen replaced Doris. She went home to Toronto and started working as a seamstress in the sewing factory where her mother worked. She was there for eight years. “It was a job,” she said. During that time, Doris met “You’re In The Army Now!” “I didn’t realize that I was joining the army.” VETERAN DORIS SWAN