Farmerette plaque on display at Charles Daley Park
By Luke Edwards
After largely being forgotten over the decades, a plaque in Lincoln will ensure the memory of Ontario’s Farmerettes will live on.
Local dignitaries, historians, filmmakers and six surviving Farmerettes were on hand last month for a screening of We Lend a Hand and the unveiling of an Ontario Heritage Trust plaque at Charles Daley Park commemorating the estimated 40,000 young women who left their homes during the Second World War to work on farms and support the war effort overseas. Many came to Niagara to pick peaches and other fruit, which was then canned and shipped across the Atlantic.
“It was a really big deal to get that recognition. They (the Farmerettes) were just all smiles and so delighted to be recognized,” said Bonnie Sitter, who has been on a nearly decade-long journey to learn more about the program, and to share that knowledge with the general public.
For Sitter, that journey started when she came across an old picture that mentioned the Farmerettes. She knew nothing about it, so began researching.
Developed in 1941, it helped farmers throughout Ontario grow and harvest crops. With so many able-bodied young men fighting overseas, farmers didn’t have their traditional workforce to draw from. So thousands of women answered the call, doing their part to feed the country and feed Europe as war raged.
“Often I meet people after the documentary or one of my powerpoint presentations that will say ‘I was one of those children that was hungry in Britain,” Sitter said.
Sitter’s research eventually led into the documentary We Lend a Hand, which told the story of the Farmerettes, including interviews with several women who participated. The response has been overwhelming, with over 200 screenings, 16 awards and invitations to 31 film festivals.
“We had no idea (what the response would be). We just knew we were recording important history that had been ignored,” she said.
The heritage trust plaque was just another highlight for the project. When discussions about the plaque first started, Sitter was asked where it should be placed. To her, there were three obvious locations: Niagara, Lambton County and one in Essex.
“I knew that wasn’t going to happen,” she said with a laugh.
And since the first Farmerettes came to Niagara, working for farm families like the Schencks and Tregunnos, Sitter suggested this region made the most sense.
Niagara West MPP and Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness Sam Oosterhoff said the unveiling was an important day both personally and in his role as minister.
“Raised on a farm in an area of the province rich in the history and legacy of Farmerette wartime efforts, I applaud the unveiling of this new provincial plaque,” Oosterhoff said.
“The location of this historical marker in Niagara West is especially meaningful for local families who hosted and laboured along with the thousands of women who served on the homefront. The Farmerettes helped lend a hand to victory on the battlefield across the Atlantic and prepared the way for thousands of immigrants who would follow in their footsteps after the liberation of Europe.”
The program ran from 1941 to 1952. An estimated 40,000 women took part, though details are scant. That’s why Sitter’s research continues. She’s developing a list of women who participated, having so far collected more than 1,000 names.
They’ve also been invited to Juno Beach for a spring screening of the documentary, and Sitter said they’d love to do a tour of the United Kingdom and Europe to raise awareness about the Farmerettes among the children and grandchildren of people who ate thanks to the hardworking women.
She also encourages people to go through their old photo albums and keep an eye out for something that may tell another piece of the Farmerette story.
Despite the documentary and awards, plaques and events, the very question that started Sitter on her journey remains unanswered.
“We still don’t know the names of the three ladies in the picture,” she said, referring to that original photo she uncovered.
“I keep expecting that when we have a documentary screening or when I’m speaking at an event, somebody is going to yell out ‘that’s my mother in the middle’ or ‘that’s my grandma on the right.”
She continues to hold out hope.
“One of these days,” she said with a laugh. “But so many other fantastic things have happened.”
For more information on the documentary and project, or to support it, visit welendahand.ca. To see the plaque, visit Charles Daley Park.
Comments