King, Florence Agnes ()

Florence King (nee Moffat) born October 14, 1916. Youngest of eight. Three brothers and 4 sisters.

Florence was born in Carluke "” 3 concessions south of Ancaster. Her family owned a small farm that bred and raised Percherons and Clydesdales.She attended a local one-room school house. High school was Queen Victoria High School (Hunter St East between Catharine and Walnut, no longer there); she stayed with her grandmother.

RCAF

Florence trained as a nurse for two years in Guelph prior to the war. In 1942 she enlisted in the RCAF at Hamilton and was amongst the first women to do so. The RCAFWD (Women's Division) wanted her as a surgical or lab technician. Florence wanted to be a surgical assistant and so she became exactly that. Six weeks Basic Training took place in Petawawa. 'They didn't know what to do with us" "” the basic training for the 90 women she was with consisted of marching and gunnery practice. After a very short time she was transfered to RCAF Station Patricia Bay (now Victoria Airport).

Patricia Bay was 2 wards of 25 beds, each bed separated by a curtain. This was primarily a fighter plane base protecting Canada's west coast against possible Japanese invasion. Florence cared for all aspects of base life including some children. Propellers snapped legs and arms. Men were burned in crashes. Often worked 18 hour days. Some of it was too painful too remember. "Amazing number of accidents because of the mountains being so close." "So many planes on Vancouver Island. It always amazed me!"

The men on the base were good to her, treated her well. "It was like a family. We all worked together. We had a job to do and we did it."

Florence told of taking the ferry from Sidney on Vancouver Island to Anacortes Washington to buy silk stockings. On return gale force winds and high seas caused the ferry to take refuge on a small island in the strait where they were temporarily housed by local residents. She remembered it so vividly.

She loved the music of the day. She remembers men whistling. Big dance bands would come in. It was marvellous. "If you were lucky, someone would know how to dance." Sunday nights radio time. She "lived to hear the news on Sunday evening". Edward R Murrow reported from New York.

VE Day (Victory in Europe) on May 8 1945 was celebration day but not like VJ Day. VJ (Victory in Japan) on August 15 1945 was a much bigger celebration on Canada’s west coast.In 1945, Florence moved the USA and married an American Service man. Florence was loved by those of us lucky enough to know her.

Details

• Graduated from No 7 Manning Depot Rockcliffe Oct 22, 1942. Source Hamilton Spectator October 23, 1`942