Salvage during World War II
Story appeared in the 2014 issue of QMS Connections Magazine.
BY LEANNE SCHULTZ, OPERATIONS & HR MANAGER
During World War II, Queen Margaret’s School undertook its greatest service project to date—salvaging materials to raise money to contribute to War Funds. As Miss Denny noted in Beyond All Dreams, “There were people who did not approve of QMS undertaking this work, and we were aware this influenced some parents with regard to sending their children to the School, but it seemed to us that we must do what we felt was right in the face of adverse criticism.” (pg. 99)
Each Saturday morning, students of QMS would wear their Guide uniforms with “National Service” armbands to identify their work as being part of the war effort. Anything that had a use was collected by QMS students. Paper was by far the easiest item to collect, and bundles were weighed and taken by truck to Cowichan Bay, then shipped by Barge to Victoria. Miss Denny notes that, “Throughout the years, we rarely shipped less than a ton a week.” (pg. 98) They resold shredded paper to local gardeners for mulch, and recycled box cartons to sell to companies delivering materials to logging camps in the area.
They sold the metals they collected to a local firm in Victoria, including a set of silver spoons that they happened upon. Their most profitable commodity was rags, which could be sold as cleaning rags or repurposed into blankets. Buttons were sorted resold in sets, or given to the Red Cross. Mary Dyson (Turner) recollects, “Sorting rags and cutting off buttons, I never liked—they smelled, were usu-ally damp and there were so many of them. Miss Denny never showed despair and was often buried beneath a hopeless pile of the stuff—we daren’t complain!” (pg. 305)
Some more unusual items were also collected: “I have a note that, on February 12, 1943, we sent away four hundred pounds of fat. We made soap of some of the fat we collected, and sent it in overseas parcels or gave it to the Red Cross to send.” (pg. 99)
Over the years, the salvage efforts put forth by the students of QMS resulted in the following purchases for the war effort:
$500 A parachute
$670 Dropkeel sailing dinghy
$400 Bren gun
$100 Prisoner of War Fund (Donation)
$500 Pacific Coast Defence (Donation)
$500 G.I.S. (Guide International Service) (Donation)
$1,500 Six Assault Boats
Miss Denny notes with pride that “We were sent a photograph of a boat with the School name on it.” The legacy of service at QMS is a proud one, and one that QMS students are eager to continue.