CBC Archives

Write the following questions on the board and ask students to write their answers in point form. Invite students to share their responses aloud.

What is the minimum length of time you think is necessary to know a person before deciding to marry?

Under what circumstances, if any, would you leave your family and country to settle in your spouse’s country?

Discuss, and if necessary define, the term “war bride.” Explain that students will be writing a diary entry from the perspective of a British woman about to marry a Canadian soldier during the Second World War.

Have students visit the topic Love and War: Canadian War Brides on the CBC Radio and Television Archives Web site. Have students listen to Clip # 1 and read the accompanying Did You Know? sections to gather information about why there were so many war brides, why they married hastily, and what they gave up in order to come to Canada. Based on their findings, students write one or more diary entries that tell how the couple met, explain why they got engaged, and share the hopes and feelings of the bride before her wedding day.

Have students read their diary entries to the class. Lead a class discussion and ask students to consider if they might have acted in a similar way if they had lived in the same time and place and under the same conditions. How, if at all, have their opinions changed since they responded before doing their research?

Compile all journal entries to create a display labelled “In Love with a Soldier.”