Young boy grew up without his dad because of war Continued from page 1 3 · Friday, November 9, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com Wood and his friends learned to fear the sound of an airplane overhead and that of sirens alerting civilians enemy bombers were approaching. As bombers also flew in the daytime, Wood and his classmates would often file into two lines and make their way to the school's air raid shelter. Wood noted the shelter was good only for near misses not direct hits. When there was no time to get to a shelter, you had to make due -- and learned where not to be. "After being bombed, you learned fear. You learned not to stand near windows because if there is an explosion it will blow the glass in and cut you." Wood's family suffered a terrible blow when two days after Christmas 1940, a German U-boat (submarine) torpedoed and sunk the ship his father was on just south of Iceland. There were no survivors. "I never saw my daddy again," said Wood. "I had a sister who was eight years older than me and my mother who were my family. No daddy... I didn't realize the significance of that until I got a little bit older. That's stuck with me all these years." Life was difficult during wartime. Wood said at night it was pitch black as streetlights could not be lit. Even flashlights could not be left on long, he said, as any light could help guide bombers to their targets. Wood also had a gas mask he had to keep with him at all times as there was always the possibility the Germans would launch a chemical attack on Britain. Fortunately, this threat never materialized. Wood also spoke about the rationing that got steadily worse as the war continued. As an island, Britain relied heavily on imports from North America, however, with the outbreak of war, the ships bringing these imports soon became targets for U-boats as Germany sought to starve Britain into submission. Sugar, tea, meat, bread and many other basic foods and materials became increasingly Keith Wood scarce and were strictly rationed -- including toilet paper. Wood said he is eternally thankful for the Canadian sailors who risked their lives to bring Britain supplies. "If it hadn't been for the Canadian sailors and their ship convoys from Halifax, Nova Scotia and Sydney who braved the Atlantic and the German U-boats and their torpedoes, I would not be here," said Wood. "If it hadn't been for those Canadian convoys, we would have starved to death." Tuesday's assembly was also used to talk to the students about the importance of acknowledging Canada's heroes, like the young sailors who brought people like Wood and his family supplies. Bill Green, of the registered charity Remembering Canada's Heroes, said he is working to get more of Canada's wartime contributions included in school textbooks. One of the stories Green wants students to know is the that of Bill Connolly who was captured by the Germans after Connolly's ship, the HMCS Bill Green Athabaskan, was sunk off the coast of Normandy in 1944. Green said Connolly had information that could have jeopardized the coming D-Day invasion, but he revealed nothing to the enemy even when they put him in front of a firing squad and threatened to execute him if he did not speak. It was a bluff and Connolly was freed at the end of the war. "We think he's a real hero and we remember him every day," said Green. Sore Feet, Sports Injury, Painful Ingrown Toenails? Plantar Warts? We can help! Exceptional footcare for all ages. · Routine footcare · Corns & calluses · Plantar warts · Heel/arch/foot pain · Diabetic footcare and education · Thick or ingrown nails · Nail surgery · Sports related foot problems & injuries · Custom made orthotics · Sigvaris® compression stockings · Evenings and saturday appointments available · New patients welcome! J. Richard Werkman CHIROPODIST Visit our website, subscribe to our Blog or call for an appointment. Ample Free parking. located on the north/west corner of maple grove dr. and cornwall rd. 1495 Cornwall Rd., Suite 33, Oakville T: 905-845-4817 www.werkman.ca DENTISTRY FOR CHILDREN means... Reassuring appointments geared to your child's self-esteem and confidence ... THE WHOLE CHILD FIRST Conservative treatment of dental cavities. Bottle cavities treatment and oral habits management. ...A NON TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE. ... WHEN, WHY AND HOW **************** **************** **************** Topical fluorides and preventive fissure sealants ... A CAVITY-FREE GENERATION Guidance of the emerging teeth with early interceptive orthodontics ... HELPING FACES GROW Certified Specialist in Paediatric Dentistry DR KENNETH HUNE DISTINCTIVE EUROPEAN FASHION. www.hunekayedental.com HUNE KAYE DENTAL GROUP 1540 North Service Rd. West. 3rd. Line & QEW (Tim Hortons Plaza) Oakville, Ontario, L6M4A1 NEW FAMILIES WELCOME 905-844-0872