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At 8pm. The mighty engine whistled, groaned, and then with a lurch we were on our way across the mighty continent of Canada.

As soon as we had settled down in the berth assigned to us, supper was served in the dinning car, and what a supper, starting with Tomato Soup followed by Turkey, Baked Potatoes and Carrots with Rice Pudding for sweet. After the food we鈥檇 been having on the 鈥淪cythia鈥� it was a real feast for us.

It was dark by this time and raining steadily, we thundered across the bridge over the St. Lawrence and on our way to our first stopping place, Montreal, where we stopped late that night for a quarter of an hour. We didn鈥檛 see anything of this place though as we were all asleep by that time. I slept on the bottom bunk with one of my mates, the chaps on the top bunks were lucky as they had a bunk all to themselves.

I got up the next morning at 7am. And got another treat as there was hot water to wash in, there was never any on the 鈥淪cythia鈥� in a morning, all cold!

On looking out through the window (The windows are two layers of glass with an air lock in between to keep out the cold. No windows are allowed to be opened)

I found we were passing through very wild country and winding our way along the shores of lakes fringed with thick woods of Silver Birch and Pine on very steep slopes, the track is like a snake doubling back on itself, quite often the front part of the train is at angles to the rear.

Breakfast was at 8am. For which there was two eggs and bacon and tomato juice followed by marmalade and coffee.

All morning we passed through the same kind of scenery, lunch was at twelve thirty, and then at one thirty five we sopped at a place called 鈥淐aporal鈥� fresh ice was brought on board, and then we were off again after a stay of only ten minutes, we were not allowed to leave the train.

The weather was still very dull, as soon as we started off a Red Cross representative brought round oranges, cigarettes, matches and books, they were more than welcome as things were beginning to get a bit monotonous as there was no change at all in the scenery.

About eighty miles outside 鈥淐aporal鈥� we passed through an area that had all been burnt down by a forest fire, there was mile upon mile of desolation, with what looked like poles, but had once been mighty trees sticking up here and there. By five o鈥檆lock the weather had cleared up lovely, and there was not a cloud in the sky. It was still the same scenery except that the rivers were larger and had great jams of logs in them. The woods had altered the Silver Birch given way too the Pine.

We were now about 130 miles from 鈥淐aporal鈥�, a few houses made of wood were dotted around here and there, but for the most it is wild and desolate country. About 134 miles from 鈥淐aporal鈥� we passed through a massive place called Katakush just one wooden shack by the side of the track. The next stop we have will be 鈥淲innipeg鈥�.

The porters are mostly Negro鈥檚 they make all the bunks up and everything. The Dinning Saloons seat twenty in each, two at a table, Waiters dash about looking after one. At night when the chap on the top bunk wants to turn in he has ring the bell for the porter to bring him steps so he can climb up there.

One hundred and forty miles from 鈥淐aporal鈥� is well and truly out in the wilds, the pine forest is very dense and the only signs of habitation is a wooded trappers cabin about every seven miles or so. The only fault with this train is that it starts and stops with a terrific crash, most likely due to the fact that it is a very long train and the gradient we are climbing is pretty steep.

At six thirty pm. We stopped for about ten minutes at a small place called Foleyet about two hundred miles from 鈥淐aporal鈥�. Lovely dinner tonight started off with Tomato Soup with chopped Macaroni in it, then mashed potatoes and pork, thick gravy and Macaroni. The Macaroni was done a treat, the chef is Italian so he should know how. For sweet there鈥檚 a fruit salad consisting of Apples, Peaches, Pineapple and Custard.

By this time the sun was setting, a glorious evening, with just a few feathery clouds in the sky and as one watches these gradually change from fleecy white to a brilliant red then indigo and finally black, then with amazing suddenness night closes down and the stars begin to twinkle out of the frosty sky.

The next morning the 20th I was up at seven fifteen to find it raining steadily, the country had flattened out considerably bit there was still the thick Pine woods.

At eight fifteen we stopped at a place called 鈥淪ioux-Look-Out鈥� (Indian country I guess). Quite a large place with big railway sidings and repair shops. Just on the outskirt is a large lake by the name of 鈥淢innitaka鈥�. We should arrive at 鈥淲innipeg鈥� about two thirty today. Should have been there a while ago the train is running late.

Stopped at eleven forty five at a place called Reddit 125 miles from 鈥淪ioux鈥�, only a small place but large railway sidings.

Posted a letter home from here, the weathers brightened up considerably by then, the scenery was still the same. The Red Cross came round again with chocolates.

On we roared and the shortly after dinner about one o鈥檆lock the scenery started to change and by two o鈥檆lock we were out on flat farmland and making really good time, this was the so much heard about 鈥淧rairie鈥� as we were getting very close to 鈥淲innipeg鈥� which is in the heart of the Prairie.

At two fifty we pulled into Winnipeg and piled out of the train. 鈥淥h Boy鈥� what a relief it was to stretch one鈥檚 legs on terra firma again, it was the first time we鈥檇 been out of the train since we started out. Gosh! What a reception they gave us out here.

We all marched off the station into a large hall at the station entrance where there was a band playing and crowds of civvies lining a balcony above our heads and they were all cheering as we marched in.

There was tables laid out for us with all kinds of snacks on them. It was organised by the Red Cross and the workers cam round amongst us handing out post cards and such, which, when we had filled we handed back to them and they posted them for us. We piled back in the train at three forty five and were soon on our way again on the last lap to 鈥淰ancouver鈥� a distance of one thousand five hundred miles away.

The weather had cleared up a treat and all that could be seen as far as they eye could see was flat rolling prairie to the horizon all round. It was a pity the wheat had all been cut, it was either in ricks or stooks so we didn鈥檛 see it at its best.

By seven o鈥檆lock we were ninety miles from Winnipeg and it was beginning to get cold. On the twenty first we saw the first snow their prairie was white over.

During the early hours of the morning we had stopped at a large place but the name of Saskatoon the jolting of the train woke me when it stopped there.

After leaving there the country started getting really rough and the train was climbing steep gradients, we were beginning to enter the 鈥淩ockies鈥�. The weather was getting very dull when we passed through Edson six hundred and forty one miles form Vancouver. Track standing opposite us had about four inches of snow on their roofs. It was growing dark by then but we could just see the mighty snow clad peaks of the Rockies in the distance on the skyline.

We entered them properly during the night and on the following morning the twenty first I awoke to find that we were crossing great ravines and skirting the edges of might precipices with a sheer drop of anything from two hundred feet upwards, down into the 鈥淩iver Fraser鈥� below. We skirted Mount Robson 13,700 feet, the highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies here we passed through a place called Jasper.

The ledge is very narrow that the single track line runs along. It is on so narrow that in scores of places it is built up with concrete to make it wide enough. Here and there are built chutes of wood and steel over the track to carry avalanches over the top, instead of them crashing down on the track and blocking it.

The Rockies certainly lived up to my expectation, it is breathtaking scenery, specially as the sun sets and the shadows lengthen and these mighty pears turn from varied colours of reds, browns and greens to a dull sombre blue grey with their summits flashing white as the last rays of setting sun scintillate on the snow caps there, then in a matter of second this too has gone and night reigns supreme.

We then ran down into the valley that the river Fraser runs winds along followed this tortuous way until we left the Rockies behind, and then the country flattened out into farmland once more we were now only sixty miles from the end of our journey.

It was even fifteen that night that we eventually rolled to a stop at Vancouver and brought to a close a very interesting trip having covered 5,800 miles in thirteen days.

鈥楾his story was submitted to the People鈥檚 war site by Jim Salveson of the CSV Action Desk 大象传媒 Radio Stoke. On behalf of Elizabeth Adams and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.鈥�

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