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Special Government Department, Ottawa branch
The Ladies' Auxiliary at the Imperial Bank of Canada and the War Guild at The Canadian Bank of Commerce were formed at the outset of the war in 1939. These volunteer groups were made up of female bank employees and male employees' wives. The women sent homemade knitting and food, bandages, cigarettes, and clothes to those serving overseas, as well as bank employees in London, England.
The Ladies' Auxiliary tried to send each Imperial employee overseas two pairs of socks every month along with care packages and a special parcel at Christmas. These homemade goods were much appreciated by those who received them. Private P. Royds wrote a thank-you letter to the Auxiliary:
I got your parcel yesterday. It sure was nice of you to think of me. The weather here is beastly damp and cold so the sweater is exceptionally welcome. Give my thanks to all the Ladies of the Auxiliary and tell them I very much appreciate their good wishes.
The War Guilds of the Bank of Commerce were organized regionally and often worked in conjunction with war charities and the Canadian Red Cross. The War Service Group in Winnipeg, for instance, supplied the overseas members of the staff from Manitoba and Saskatchewan with cigarettes, food parcels and knitted articles, and also donated money to the Red Cross, Navy League and British War Victims' Fund. In total, the women of the War Guilds across the country made extraordinary contributions:
- 12,837 knitted articles such as sweaters, scarves, socks, and mitts
- 5,854 sewn articles including women's and children's clothing
The War Guild of Toronto was singled out by the staff at the London, England branch of the Bank of Commerce and presented with a commemorative sculpture. The stone rose was made from the rubble of the British Houses of Parliament that were damaged after an air raid on May 10, 1941.
Clothing knitted by The Canadian Bank of Commerce War Guild, Toronto
Rose boss presented to the War Guild, Toronto