Canadian Woman’s Army Corps
Pam Atkinson was born on 14 June 1924 in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. She grew up in the small town of Paradise Hill. As a girl, Pam ventured beyond her hometown to pursuit education, first at a boarding school and later a secretarial school in North Battleford.
On a weekend outing with a friend during the Second World War, Pam spotted a model of a woman in military uniform through the window of a recruiting office. Intrigued, they entered the office and accepted the recruiting officer’s offer to try on the uniform, “Next thing I knew we were off to Regina” she exclaimed. Pam and her friend figured they would not be selected for service as they were only eighteen. To their surprise, they were approved.
Pam had joined the Canadian Woman’s Army Corps (CWAC). The corps was instituted in 1941 to allow women to serve in uniform, freeing up men for overseas service. The day Pam was to be sworn in, her friend decided the service was not for her and returned home. After a lonesome period without her friend, she was sent to Vermilion, Alberta for basic training. Pam arrived in Vermilion by train and was thrilled to be given a uniform when she disembarked. She was posted to a wireless course in Edmonton after she completed basic training.
Pam was later reassigned to the Pay Corps operation at Little Mountain, Vancouver. Her duties included interviewing soldiers to record how much of their pay they wished to allocate to their families. She recalls telling one of the soldiers, “by the time you give all this away, you’re not going to have anything to spend”, giving a portion to his wife and some to his mother among others. He responded, “I won’t be using it anyways.” Thanks to the typing courses Pam took in school, she felt particularly effective, typing around one-hundred words per minute on her Remington Rand typewriter. She also paraded Vancouver streets with a flag held high to help promote war bond sales. Some observers would be brought to tears by the women in uniform.
The saddest part of Pam’s job was when the work with a unit was complete. At nine o’clock in the evening, soldiers kit bags were lined up, and when she returned in the morning, the bags were gone. Pam knew the men were destined for the front and that some may never return.
Although Pam’s work could be exhausting, there was some time for leisure. On weekends she would often take a ferry to Victoria where she heard the orchestra play at the drill hall. On leave, she returned home to Saskatchewan wearing her uniform proudly for all to see.
At little mountain she met Jack Belanger, a member of the Pay Corps. Although he was, “a pain in the butt” at first, he was a proud man who wore his uniform with honour. Pam shared a similar sense of pride about her service and their relationship eventually began to blossom. The couple were first married in 1944 without permission and married a second time with permission. During the war, “you couldn’t be pregnant or have children and be in the military. Once they knew of my pregnancy, that was it, I was out.” When she was pregnant, her husband was posted to eastern Canada and was not present at the birth of their first child.
When the war ended, Jack was serving on the Atlantic coast. Pam watched the owner of the local radio station hop on top of his car and the excitement which ensued on the streets. The couple had three children together and settled in New Westminster. In 1947 Jack discharged from the military and worked for the provincial government in Victoria until 1982. The two enjoyed almost 26 years of retirement together, until Jack passed away in 2008.
Pam was awarded the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and 39-45 War Medal for her service. Unfortunately, she lost her medals soon after she had been awarded them. When Beau Harper, and Naval officers, SLt Willis McCullough-Messom and SLt Gordon Emerslund were visiting veterans at Broadmead care centre, they discovered Pam had lost her medals. They arranged for a small presentation of replacement medals with Pam’s family present on Sunday 25 February 2024.
Pam turned 100 on 14 June 2024 and Soldier Search wanted to help her celebrate. A birthday card campaign took place, and Pam received nearly 300 cards from grateful Canadians, the international community, naval organizations, legions, The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, celebrities including Chris Hadfield, the Prime Minister, and more. The campaign was a tremendous success.
Pam passed away peacefully at age 100 on 12 July 2024 at the Broadmead Veteran’s Memorial Lodge in Victoria. We offer our sincere thanks to all those that participated in the card campaign and Pam’s family for the trust and support though our journey together.
Leave a Reply