Mam started to sort out our clothes and Bessie and I prepared for our new adventure. At least I did.  I was hoping to be a cowboy in Canada. Thoughts were far from reality!

    Meanwhile, I still continued at school, as did Bessie, and I carried on at the butcher’s shop getting more experience each time I attended, though I did not touch the meats on display or converse with the customers. I was a back room boy at the shop helping Jim.

     One Saturday  when I arrived home Bessie met me at the door. She was very bubbly. “We are going,” she said. It did not register with me at first, then the penny dropped and Mam called me into the parlour. She gave me the official announcement.  “An official looking man had called,” she said “and inquired if this was the home of Ronald and Bessie Florence Mizon.”  Mam concurred, Then the man took out his documents and asked Mam to concur that she was the Mother of us two children. She did so and apologised that Dad was still at work. This was duly noted and accepted. The official then left a note with Mam which outlined how things were to proceed one week from that day. Departing he remarked “that he would see us all again the following week” which he included both Mam and Dad.

     A motor car would call for us about midday. Sure enough, a knock at the door revealed a fine looking gentleman with official documents at hand, making sure that Bessie and I were the two children to be left into his care. We both had extra special haircuts, ready for our new adventure, a week later.

     Mam and Dad, (he had a special day off from his employment) Bessie and I all waited with trepidation for our special transport which turned out to be a posh motorcar. Wow! We had never been in one before and we felt like ROYALTY as we waved our neighbours Ta Ta.

    We arrived at the Railway Station (later Bombed by the German Air force) and were astonished at the numerous children and grown-ups on the platform. 

     We were marshalled into a small group. With names checked we stood with labels tied to our clothing with the other children.   

      Eventually, a train came into the platform and each group was led by their leader to board the carriages.

     Once aboard, it was well organized.  Each child was given a designated place to sit and our names were above us at the back of the seat, but we had to be most careful that we did not sit on the picnic lunch there for us (consisting of two corned beef sandwiches, a small fairy cake, a plain and a chocolate biscuit and two boiled sweets.  A Fruit drink was supplied later by the group leaders.

     Nothing was left to chance. We were well cared for and we were under strict discipline.

     Eventually, the train moved off and we were off to Canada, or so we thought.  After about a three hour journey we stopped and all the children alighted.   

     We were there! THERE? Where? Canada!!?

Nay.   Liverpool!  We were not very good at geography!  We had only crossed from the east side of England to the west side.

      We were then bussed to a children’s home for the next couple of days and that is where my main story begins . And this ends these little Vignettes of my earliest days of my life…….

Canada Here We COME!

Ronald Mizon

Editor’s Note:  the community of Mount Uniacke and all our readers throughout the province of Nova Scotia and into New Brunswick and Ontario wish to thank Ronald Mizon for sharing this part of his life with us and for bringing home to us the reality of how war separates families and loved ones. Our web site www.uniacke.org has a record of all Ronald Mizon’s stories for easy research and reading.  We know that readers far and wide will enjoy reading these vignettes.  Ronald’s main story, which brings Ronald and Bessie from England to Mount Uniacke, then onto Barney’s River will continue. (we are guessing until Ronald and Bessie return to England?)  The main story sections are set up in their own “Ronald Mizon” file and we hope you enjoy/continue to enjoy them.