When my husband and I decided to celebrate our 25th Anniversary by participating in War of 1812 living history, we really didn't know what to expect. We thought perhaps we'd go out for weekend events, sleep in our canvas tent, meet new people, help out in camp and on the battlefield. What we didn't expect was how much fun we would have, even getting dirty, and cold, and doing hours of research to better understand and portray the people's lives we were reenacting. We're almost at the 2nd anniversary of starting our adventure, and I've had an epiphany!
In July we made a family pilgrimage to my parents' homeland, Malta. While we were there we learned a lot about our family's history, including events that happened during WWII. A few of the more pleasant aspects of that time during the war include my parents getting married, my sister Miriam being born (in a bomb shelter that my dad and uncle dug out), and best of all and lucky for the rest of us, they survived.
 |
| My parents on their 1942 wedding day. |
 |
| My sister Miriam in front of the bomb shelter she was born in. |
Not only that, but when the UK asked Canada to accept Maltese who wanted to leave the horribly bombed out island, my parents took a huge leap of faith and left behind family and friends to come to a country they knew nothing about.
While we were in Malta, we went to the National War Museum. Their section on WWII is outstanding, and they have a lot about the civilians and how much they were involved in the fight. There is one film that included, I swear, my dad and another gentleman wandering in the rubble. There is also a woman's dress that really stuck with me. It made me think about how much our family was involved in the war, and it made me want to learn more about the 1940s, especially here in Canada.
 |
| My first attempt at a 1940s outfit. |
I'm slowly convincing my husband that we could surely do 1940s living history. He could portray home guard, and I could do anything that needed doing at that time. I've even put together my first outfit to encourage him.
I think our Anniversary Adventure may have
created a historical monster. More soon!
All the best, your GG
