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Courage and Grit
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17 November 2026

Uncover the stories of intrepid Canadians who served on the home front during the Second World War.
On September 10, 1939, CBC Radio interrupted its broadcast with the historic announcement that Canada had declared war on Nazi Germany. From that moment, hundreds of thousands of war workers — predominantly women — forged a new culture within the nation’s labour, home, and political environs.
Courage and Grit features dozens of amazing stories of these women — from farmers’ daughters to lawyers, impoverished immigrants to Rosedale elites, and high school students to great-grandmothers. Each narrative is unique, intimately personal, and painstakingly examined.
These never-before-told stories of faith, love, and sacrifice offer a culturally rich history of the women who served at home during the Second World War.
- Introduction: The Quiet Keepers
- 1 Road of Birches
- 2 Mobilizing the Home Fron
- 3 It’s Still a Man’s World
- 4 Women in Overalls
- 5 Fall of Hong Kong
- 6 Some Chicken! Some Neck!
- 7 Dieppe, Fought Well and Bravely
- 8 Bomb Girl Babies
- 9 Romance in War
- 10 It Takes a Village
- 11 Sisterhood
- 12 War Factory Workers Enlist
- 13 Where Never Lark or Even Eagle Flew
- 14 Getting an Education
- 15 Too Old to Serve?
- 16 The Industrial Crescendo
- 17 The Final Push
- Conclusion
- Acknowledgements
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Image Credits
- Index