Spence and Meadows' stories on display at Prince Albert Historical Museum. (Jaryn Vecchio/paNOW Staff)

By Jaryn Vecchio

P.A. Veterans

P.A. women who enlisted during wartime

Nov 9, 2022 | 12:00 PM

Not every Second World War veteran from Prince Albert was a man.

In fact, there were at least three local women who enlisted and helped fill non-combat roles in the military.

They were Laura Kathleen Spence, Amy Meadows, and Marie Mathers.

Since women weren’t permitted to participate in armed conflicts, they were tasked with filling other positions such as nurses, parachute riggers, lab assistants, drivers, cooks, mechanics, and more.

“The women’s contributions were just as important as the men’s, and they all did a job to serve their country,” Michelle Taylor, the manager and curator for the Prince Albert Historical Society, said.

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After teaching students in the village of Borden for four years, Spence decided to enlist with the Canadian Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (CWAAF).

After training in Ontario, she was stationed with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) – Women’s Division – in Dayton, Ohio.

In total, she served for four years and promoted to corporal.

Spence ended up teaching for another five years after the war, and officially moved to Prince Albert in 1955.

Meadows, who was born and raised in Prince Albert, enlisted to follow her boyfriend and to alleviate her boredom in the community, Taylor said.

She ended up joining the Canadian Women’s Army Corps (CWAC), serving for three years. During her time, Meadows was able to rise to the rank of sergeant.

Those who attended any Remembrance Day ceremonies in Prince Albert before 2007 most likely saw Meadows. She dutifully attended all ceremonies in uniform before her death.

As for Mathers, she had a unique job to say the least.

As a teenager, she worked as an interpreter at a German prisoner-of-war camp in Manitoba, Taylor said.

Mathers, a member of the the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #2 in Prince Albert, recently presented fellow Veteran Ramsay Bellisle with the annual first poppy in the community.

“It just shows the strength of what women can do when they have to,” Taylor said.

Both Spence and Meadows’ stories are on display at the Prince Albert Historical Museum.

Taylor explained many people don’t seem to notice them when visiting the museum.

“They’re fascinating stores that we all need to be aware of,” she said. “Just acknowledging woman’s roles in the military is huge.”

Remembrance Day

An outdoor ceremony is being planned for Remembrance Day in Prince Albert where people can honour all veterans including Mathers, Meadows, and Spence.

The ceremony will begin at 10:55 a.m. on Nov. 11 at Memorial Square with the marching in of the colours followed by the last post and a minute of silence. They will then read the honour roll followed by the Act of Remembrance. The ceremony will end with the closing prayer and the marching off of the colours.

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Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow