Good day listers. Quiet of late - guess everybody's laying low trying desperately to stay cool. So, for your reading pleasure I thought I'd present a few tales relevant to the Penetanguishene area during the years of 1939 - 1945 - World War II. I came upon these articles while sourcing out some other relevant information and though these contain no specific genealogical information, they do add to the picture of our world during a memorable time in history. I will post a short story for now - a couple others are a bit longer and if the readers don't wish to see them, let me know and I'll not continue. Here is story #1 - from the Globe and Mail, April 20 1944. "Midland April 19 - Six wooden minesweepers are to be built for the Canadian Government, two each in Midland, Penetanguishene and Honey Harbor. Contracts have been awarded to the Midland Boat Works, the Grew Boat Co Penetanguishene and the Port Carling Boat Works Honey Harbor, the biggest war contracts these firms have yet received. Skilled technicians will be in charge of installation of the intricate electrical equipment which minesweepers carry in time of war, as the job is a highly technical one. The keels of British Columbia fir have already been laid and progress is being made on the framework. The ships will be launched as soon as the hulls are completed and the finishing touches given the boats when in the water. They should be completed before ice forms next fall. The minesweepers are of such design that after the war they can be easily converted into fishing trawlers." I wonder how many of our cousins, uncles and grandfathers worked in these shipyards, or served on the ships? Or did the ships even make it into service as a minesweeper seeing as how they weren't due to be completed until the fall of 1945? Perhaps they served as fishing trawlers and never saw service as a minesweeper. Anyway - hope you enjoy this peek into the past. Stay cool. Deborah