The West Hill High School Annual During WW2

1939/40 to 1945/46

The 1938/1939 to 1945/1946 School Years

World War 2 has to be considered as both a low and high point of the 20th Century. A low point in the massive loss of human lives (along with those of WW1), and the misery and suffering human beings inflicted on fellow human beings. Yet out of all this human destruction a high point in the final triumph of Democracy over Fascism and authoritarianism. The hotlinks below enable the viewer to more easily access how West Hill High School students reflected upon what was happening during this time in the dedications, editorials, articles and poetry they wrote.

Just over 1500 male and female, staff and students, enlisted in the war effort. As the war progressed letters from staff and students serving overseas were requested and reprinted on the pages of the Annual's. Military honours and distinctions were acknowledged. As casualties rose and mortality became a fact of war the Pro Patria section of the Annuals started to grow. The roll of Cadet Training took a compulsory track and expanded its numbers.

Read how the student body responded with homeland efforts in their Red Cross organizations; the War Savings Stamp drives; the Salvage collections, and the participation of students in the annual harvest out west. See how their literary writings were influenced by the times, and also affected their poetic creations.

Not all articles and poetry were war related. Other topics were on their minds. There were also the annual traditions that had to be reported; the musical concerts and dramatic productions, the academic honour roll; the grade twelve graduates, and the track and field events

(Note: 1941 annual page 4 is indicated as follows (4104) where the first two digits are the year and the last two or threedigits the page number.)

Editorial Board

1939 (3906); 1941 (4104) and Financial Board (4105); 1942 (4204-4205); 1943 (4304-4305); 1945 (4504-4505); 1946 (4604-4605)

Editorial

1939 (3907); 1941 (4106); 1942 (4206); 1943 (4306); 1945 (4506); 1946 (4606);

Academic Honour Roll

'38 (3920); '40 (4124); '41 (4226); '46 (4692);

Principal's Message

1943 (4344): 1946 (4607)

Student Council

Staff

Pro Patria

Red Cross

War Savings Stamps

Salvage

Harvest

Letters from

(Note: Lieut George Flower Canadian Army & QM Arthur Wilkinson, Army Medical Corp mentioned in "Herbert Symonds High School" by Leonard Mendel & Doreen Dormer (4273) Note: Both men would return to education after the war. Flower would retire as the Dean of Education (McGill University), and Wilkinson would serve as a Principal of Monklands High School (the original West Hill High) and then retire from the McGill Faculty of Education)

Cadet Corps

Selected General Articles 1939-1946

War Related Articles 1939-1946:

War Theme/Related Poetry 1939-1946:

 

Music & Drama

 

Alumni

 

Grade Twelve:

 

Track and Field Meet