What Wives Should Know

For the 23,000 wives whom Canadian soldiers have married in Britain, the Canadian Government this week published a 40-page pamphlet telling the girls what to expect in their husbands' country. Welcome to War Brides, issued by the Wartime Information Board and the Department of National Defense, contains everything from geography lessons to shopping hints, and a glossary explaining, for example, that in Canada a joint is a roast, a spanner is a wrench, and corn is wheat. Typical advice:

P: "Be a good listener."

P: " [In small towns] you simply must conform ... or live like a hermit and disappoint your husband and his people."

P: In self-service stores, "You go around the shelves with a basket just taking what you want. . . . This saves a lot of time, but it often tempts you to buy much more than you need."

P: "Canadians are very democratic and take a dim view of people who try to impress them."

P: "You will be asked hundreds of times how you like Canada. If you can make your answer an enthusiastic I love it!' you will make friends right and left."

P: "If you should unwittingly convey the impression that you regard Canada as in any way a dependency of Britain, you are likely to find that many people will temper their welcome with coolness."

Not all the war brides were coming to Canada. Off a ship at an Australian port streamed Canadian girls who would have some adjusting of their own to do. They were the brides of Australian airmen who had trained on Canadian soil.

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