The ocean liner SS Mauritania docked at Pier 21 in Halifax on Feb. 10, 1946, filled with women described in the media as homesick, seasick and lovesick.
War brides.
There were brides from every country where Canadians were deployed.
The vessel was the first of the bride ships, which by 1947 had carried more than 44,000 women and about 21,000 children to new lives in Canada.
During the war, brides could accompany husbands returning to Canada, but at the end of the war, all ships were needed to transport troops home, so the brides had to follow later.
The women were mostly British, but there were brides from every country where Canadians were deployed, including the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy and even Germany.
The Canadian Wives’ Bureau in London helped brides make...