Letters to Mother

By Monte Engelson

This is a story told through letters written to Harolds mother. Harold was a police officer in northern British Columbia. Even before the war was declared with Germany in 1939, he wanted to join and do what he could for freedom. He was one of the lucky ones in active combat and managed to come back. His service in the air force left him with lasting memories that changed his life and those around him.

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 28, 2017
• ISBN: 9781543449167

Monte Engelson

I live in the Cowichan Valley, which is a bit north of Victoria on Vancouver Island. I was the computer resource teacher of the Cowichan School District. That was 20 years ago. I still fix the odd computer and keep my machines in running order. I have an iMac, MacBook, iPad, iPhone and an ancient Apple. My family consists of a boy, Rodger and grandson Dallas, a girl, Cordelia, her husband Graham and granddaughter Anna. My wife, Coral, has passed on. I have moved into a condominium in the town of Duncan. I keep myself busy doing printing projects for the Masons and Shriners. I travel a bit and DVD's are made of most journeys. My website, www.engelson.ca contains an early history of British Columbia as our Engelson ancestors left many footprints. This book would be one of those "footprints".

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Aboard the Princess Louise en route, Skagway from Alert Bay, June 21, 1936

Dear Mom,

Anna and I have been transferred to Atlin and are now on the way. We were told about it last Wednesday and had to leave this morning. I will be in charge of the District which is a promotion. We are both very pleased about going up into that country as everyone seems to think it is a swell place except those that have never been there. One thing about it is that you will be getting a lot more letters from us as I do not expect to be so busy. I will be sending you some pictures of the place and our dog team etc. I bet Pop would like to be up here and maybe he will be one of these days.

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The picture is of Anna on the Louise on the trip to Skagway.

They gave us a big party last night and everyone was down to see us away at 10 AM this morning. They sure were nice to us. We are on the tourist boat and there are 306 passengers.

It is 9 PM and the orchestra is going to start up. Uncle Bert said he could have had the job on here if he had wanted to. It sure would have been swell if he had… (pretty music now) Anna has not been at all well until the last week and then all this excitement about moving came along. I think the change will do her good. We will be having a nice rest on the boat anyhow. We will arrive in Skagway next Wednesday PM and Atlin on Saturday. We bought enough groceries to last us till the end of September. Then we will have to get our Winter Supplies in.

Eggs are 85 cents per dozen up there and I suppose everything else is in comparison but we expect to make more money.

They are expecting us all to sing now so I suppose I will have to quit writing. Anna says she is going to put a page or two in here too so I will say goodbye for now Mom and be looking forward to seeing you when I get down on escort duty which will be by plane I believe.

Your loving son Harold.

Uncle Bert is Bert Cartwright who has a regular job playing piano with the house orchestra in the Empress Hotel in Victoria.

Dearest Mom:

I am trying to write and sing Happy Days Are Here Again at the same time so I don’t know how it’s going to turn out. It’s such a long time since I wrote too that I am almost ashamed to write now. I hope you will forgive us. It’s not that we don’t think about you every day as we do. I haven’t been feeling very well for a long time. But hope the change of climate will fix me up again. I am so proud of Harold I could just about eat him up as so many Constables have tried to get up there and we didn’t even try and we got it. Harold has told you all about it in his letter so I won’t repeat it. We will sure love to write often now. We have our cats and dog Sarge with us too and all our furniture of course.This is the first time Harold has sat down with me to write letters for ever so long, about two years. Can you beat that.

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Skagway 1934

How to get to Atlin…

Vancouver to Skagway by steamer, Take the White Pass Railway from Skaqway to Carcross - Paddlewheeler south on Tagish Lake to Taku Landing - Taku Railway (all of 2 miles) to Scotia Bay on Atlin Lake - MV Tarahne 4 miles across the lake to Atlin.

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Atlin, BC, July 18, 1936

Dearest Mom:

Received your dear letter yesterday and thanks a lot. We are settled as far as it goes now though we have a lot of painting to do. Gee, the man that was here before, he sure didn’t know a thing about keeping a house clean.

Harold and Sergeant Clinton were disgusted when they saw it. I didn’t say a lot but I thought plenty. I’ve scrubbed continually for three weeks now and I have the first layer off but that’s all. I’ve never seen dirt that was so rubbed in. But Atlin itself makes up for all that as it’s just beautiful up here and the people are grand. Harold likes his work here. He sure has plenty of it too as there is a strike at one of the mines and he is out there in the daytime and does his office work at night. We have a nice motor boat and a Tennis Court right across the street and wooden sidewalks and a picture show (Globe)

The only thing is the groceries are so high. 22 cents for a tin of milk, 10 small old potatoes 50 cents and everything accordingly. Not bad Eh. Of course, our house, fuel and gasoline is gratis. We buy our water at 6 cents a bucket from a man that comes around 3 times a week.

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Next year we are sure going to have a large garden. Eggs are 85 cents a dozen. We brought with us $75.00 worth of groceries. I wish we had got a lot more. We could have paid for it later on and the freight would have paid for itself. I mean the Gov, would have paid for it with our furniture. Harold is going to get a Motor Bike. I don’t want him to but he has to pay $5 a trip if he goes out to the mines and he figures if he gets a bike it will pay for itself in no time. But still it’s quite a lot of bother to have a bike as in the winter time he won’t be able to use it as it will be too cold. However, if he wants to get it I guess he can. I’ll tag along too. That is if there is anything left of me after the first ride. My cats and Sarge the dog, are fine after the trip up here. Sure glad I brought the cat as there are so many mice. I see there is going to be a son in Hilda’s family. How nice. Give them our love. Won’t you. Tell them to send the recipe along! No! you better not say exactly that, just skip it… Ha. The weather up here is better than Alert Bay, no fooling. Well lots of love to all and do write soon. The picture is of our home and our water delivery man.

As Ever Anna and Harold

Atlin, BC, December 24, 1936

Telegraph sent via Ashcroft

Mrs. H Engelson 613 East Lake Seattle Wash

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL WISH WE COULD BE THERE STOP HERE IS ONE RESOLUTION OF OURS TO WRITE HOME OFTEN STOP WE ARE BOTH FEELING FINE AND ENJOYING OURSELVES BEST WE CAN STOP RECEIVED YOUR LETTER AND GLAD TO HEAR THELMA AND VIV WILL BE THERE AND THAT EVERYTHING IS OK LOVE HAROLD AND