The following excerpts are from the diary of Marion Ellis of London, Ontario. She is talking about her friend Bessie Marwood, who was a Farmerette in Thedford, Ontario. The diary excerpts were submitted virtually to Bonnie Sitter on April 3, 2024, as part of her research into the Farmerettes. Sitter co-authored the book Onion Skins and Peach Fuzz on the Farmerette camps.
Wednesday, July 7 1943
Bess arrived in town (from the Ontario Farm Service Force Camp, Thedford) at noon and called me at the office. The car was in town and Bess called at the office for me at 5. We drove to Springbank having tea and sandwiches at the Pavilion…
Thursday, July 8, 1943
Bess had some shopping to do for the Camp in the way of food stuff which she did at the Moore Fruit Company and the market…She dropped in on the way to the Forest bus to say good-bye.
Sunday, July 18, 1943
I left at 10:15 for the Ontario Farm Service Force Camp at Thedford to see Bess…
The Farm Service Force Camp is not prettily situated; it is an old flax mill which belongs to Mr. Coultis, the proprietor of the Lumber and Tile yards and several farms. Thedford is Mr. Coultis; Mr. Coultis is Thedford! It is unstated painted a dull red, like Ohio barns, but is cool and spacious and gay inside and the 50 girls enjoy it. There is an air of relaxation about them which shows they are well taken care of. They sleep in the top story on double decker cots. The showers and wash room is downstairs. The camp officials’ bedrooms are along the large dining and recreational room. Large sliding barn doors are put back in fine weather and the open space screened. It is a Camp for the vegetable section of Egypt – the bottom of old Lake Burwell which has been drained by the cut off into the Aux Sable River and Lake Huron. The soil is light and black and much fertilizer is used. The girls get ‘bog rash’ which is caused by the fertilizer. Medication is the remedy. Celery, onions, spinach, peppermint (for explosives and flavouring extract) is grown in the area and weeded and tended by the 50 girls. Different farmers hire them but only the farmers who ask for them. When the girls get to camp they find the first 3 days very exhausting, after that they set their caps for country swains (or soldiers from Camp Ipperwash) and look forward to an evening’s entertainment. The local people never thought the girls would stand the work in the temperatures of the bog on the very hot days. They are pleased and full of admiration that they have. At the Open House all the farmers and townsfolk came and enjoyed themselves and reflected the approval of the community. After lunch, Bess and I got sandwiches and tomatoes and thermoses of milk and headed for the Aux Sable…
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