After the Second World War, there were lots of people who needed to travel from Europe (mainly England) to Canada. Was one, or maybe more in your family?
While many were servicemen and servicewomen there were also those who had never been in Canada, most war brides, to those who had only recently made the voyage from west to east, such as those who chaperoned returning POWs from Canada. The return was a major logistical operation run by the Department of National Defence Directorate of Movements.
Library and Archives Canada has extensive documentation on microfilm. Since January this year following block review, anyone will be able to view them — when the physical facilities reopen. They are on microfilm reels C-5623 to C-5655 and C-5714 to C-5725. There may be others.
Some films are already accessible through canadiana.ca at http://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_mikan_135140/. I've been able to identify these voyages with those carrying war brides noted. Again, there are certainly others.
| Ship | Date | Microfilm | WB |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAMERONIA | 1945/08/15 | C-5636 | |
| NIEUW AMSTERDAM | 1945/09/09 | C-5636, C-5637 | |
| CAVINA | 1946/02/08 | C-5649 | |
| LADY RODNEY | 1946/02/23 | C-5649 | |
| SCYTHIA | 1946/03/02 | C-5649 | |
| AQUITANIA | 1946/03/03 | C-5649 | WB |
| MAURETANIA | 1946/03/07 | C-5649 | |
| LADY NELSON | 1946/03/23 | C-5649 | |
| LADY RODNEY | 1946/03/24 | C-5649 | |
| LETITIA | 1946/03/04 | C-5650 | WB |
| JOHNS HOPKINS | 1946/03/09 | C-5650 | |
| ILE DE FRANCE | 1946/03/17 | C-5650 | |
| SMITER | 1946/03/18 | C-5650 | WB |
| HMS TRUMPETER | 1946/03/19 | C-5650 | |
| AQUITANIA | 1946/03/23 | C-5650 | WB |
| SCYTHIA | 1946/03/27 | C-5650 | |
| MAURETANIA | 1946/03/28 | C-5650 | WB |
| HMS PREMIER | 1946/04/01 | C-5650 | |
| MATAROA | 1946/04/04 | C-5650 | |
| EMPIRE MACCALLUM | 1946/02/21 | C-5651 | |
| LETITIA | 1946/04/03 | C-5651 | |
| ILE DE FRANCE | 1946/04/05 | C-5651 | |
| AQUITANIA | 1946/04/10 | C-5651 | WB |
| LADY RODNEY | 1946/04/20 | C-5651 | |
| LETITIA | 1946/04/26 | C-5651 | WB |
| AQUITANIA | 1946/05/01 | C-5652 | WB |
| LADY NELSON | 1946/05/08 | C-5652 | |
| QUEEN MARY | 1946/05/09 | C-5652 | WB |
| LADY RODNEY | 1946/05/25 | C-5652 | |
| ILE DE FRANCE | 1946/04/23 | C-5652, C-5651 | |
| QUEEN MARY | 1946/06/15 | C-5654, C-5655 | WB |
| AQUITANIA | 1946/06/27 | C-5655 | WB |
| LETITIA | 1946/07/19 | C-5655 | WB |
| GEORGIC | 1946/07/15 | C-5720 | |
| AQUITANIA | 1946/07/27 | C-5720 | |
| QUEEN MARY | 1946/08/12 | C-5720, C-5721 | WB |
| LETITIA | 1946/08/13 | C-5721 | |
| AQUITANIA | 1946/08/16 | C-5721 | WB |
| LADY NELSON | 1946/08/19 | C-5721 | WB |
| LADY RODNEY | 1946/09/10 | C-5721 | |
| MAURETANIA | 1946/08/24 | C-5721, C-5722 | WB |
| QUEEN MARY | 1946/08/31 | C-5722 | |
| AQUITANIA | 1946/09/04 | C-5722 | |
| LETITIA | 1946/09/11 | C-5722 | WB |
| LADY NELSON | 1946/10/10 | C-5724 | WB |
| AQUITANIA | 1946/10/13 | C-5724 | |
| LADY RODNEY | 1946/10/17 | C-5724 | |
| SCYTHIA | 1946/10/31 | C-5724 | |
| EMPIRE BRENT | 1946/11/01-1946/11/30 | C-5724 | WB |
| LADY RODNEY | 1946/11/14 | C-5724 | WB |
| SAMARIA | 1946/11/19 | C-5724 | |
| SEA ROBIN | 1946/11/12 | C-5725 | |
| EMPIRE BRENT | 1946/12/12 | C-5725 | WB |
| SAMARIA | 1946/12/17 | C-5725 | |
| AQUITANIA | 1946/12/29 | C-5725 |
Judging by just one voyage, that of the Letitia with war brides on film C-5621, the detail is remarkable — husband's regimental number, rank, name, religious denomination, wife's name, denomination, if pregnant how far along, children name and age, the destination address, name of the person receiving them and their relationship. There's lots more detail on the voyage such as handling (and mishandling) of baggage.
While unindexed, so not easy to research, the records reward the diligent investigator with a lot of detail.
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