I was looking forward to going out that night, but when inspected to see if I was suitably attired to leave the barracks, I was informed I was wearing too much makeup. Too much makeup consisted of some lipstick, so I was not permitted to leave. I ironed that night, while most of the other women went out.
I awoke Sunday to find a light blanket of snow outside. I walked to church and socialized. One of the men I met, Tom, volunteered to shine a pair of boots for me. This would become routine. I was advised that if I was seen with the same male more than twice, I was considered his girlfriend. I decided to avoid that. I returned to my barracks, worked on my kit and wrote home. That afternoon we had a blizzard. A power failure occurred and left us with no electricity. It was a cold crisp day, but we had fun with all the changes. One of women told me that the others thought I was too wild. I couldn’t believe this place. Wild, I was not. That night we went to bed as nightfall approached because we still did not have electricity.
The next day we were kept extremely busy. We were not given time to wash, go to the toilet, or smoke a cigarette. We immediately had three class periods of first aid instruction, followed by more drill, pool and gym. Thank goodness I had my Award of Merit, which gave me some time to rest. I found there was hardly time to breathe. There was certainly no time to study. My confidence grew as I totally immersed myself in the course. But I missed home so much.
Excerpt From: Silva Redigonda. “For love of country : military policewoman.” www.silvaredigonda.ca (for your signed copy). Ebook is also available.
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