As Remembrance Day approaches and we look back at Timmins history, lest we forget the efforts made at home during World War II.
Women knitted socks and scarves for soldiers; parts for warships were made in the Hollinger Mine machine shop, and, of course, money was raised.
Museum director-curator Karen Bachmann says the victory loan objective in 1942 for the Cochrane District was $1.75-million dollars. That included the Porcupine Mining Camp – Timmins, Schumacher and South Porcupine.
“Their share came in at $1,135,000 and the rest was raised by Kapuskasing, Iroquois Falls, Cochrane, Smooth Rock Falls, Hearst, Matheson and Monteith, Ramore and Holtyre and a group known as Special Names,” she recounts.
(Timmins Museum: National Exhibition Centre)
The Victory Loan Committee was charged with getting the word out and ensuring that people participated.
“So pageants, a visit by the Army Train, a group of Norwegian airmen were all events organized to help with the effort,” says Bachmann. “By March 19 of that year, a mere six weeks into the campaign, the people of the Cochrane District raised a whopping $2,150,000.”
Every town in the district bettered the previous year’s total.
In honour of all that, the 433 Squadron became known as the Fighting Porcupine Squadron and a navy Corvette was named HMCS Timmins.
This year marks 75 years since the end of WWII.