Sydney Freer, recalled by his former wife, Blanche.
I can not recall very many of the events that happened to your
grandfather Syd Freer in England since he never talked about his time away except when he first came home.
He was 30 years old when he left to England. His first daughter Sharon was 1 month old.
He was a Leading Aircraftsman I think. When they went to the continent he mentioned one New Year's Day when they were strafed by enemy aircraft, all Canadian and British planes were on the ground and it was bedlam and a very bad time.
They were amongst the first airmen to enter Holland to a great welcome. The Dutch people could not do enough for the Canadians, and many lifelong friendships were formed, and even to-day families still keep in touch with siblings of those who were so good to them.
After May 1945 Syd spent 6 months in Eastbourne, on the beach waiting for transport home. He put on a lot of weight, making him like a stranger when he got off the train in Calgary. Sharon was 2 1/2.
Shortly after arriving home we moved to Vancouver, which was hard for me,like many wives I had a lot of adjusting to do. We were so glad to be together again and looked forward to the future.
