This blog is about two little girls Diane 7 and Susan 5 Paddison traveling alone after World War 2 from England to Canada on the Ocean Liner Empress of France in 1950.
I am Douglas Davis, (the creator of this blog) Diane is my wife. (We live in Palm Springs, California)
Susan is her younger sister and still lives in Ontario, Canada.
This story is primarily about Diane's memories of the trip.
Susan doesn't recall to much from that time (age of 5) but does remember being a terror running up down the deck and siging and danceingin the lounge)
Diane a Canadian Citizen, in the process of becoming an American Citizen. She has a background as a Homemaker, accountant, Interior Designer, Artist, and published children's storybook teller and writer. (And Karaoke singer)
Douglas is a USA citizen, born in the State of Ohio my family at the end of the great depression moved to California in 1939. My mother, brother and I hitchhiked to California from Ohio to reunite with our father who had left months earlier to get a job and home for us. (Another war story)
Diane's parents made plans to immigrate to Canada after WW2, abandoning their plans to immigrate to New Zealand due to quota closure.
Before immigrating to Canada, the Paddison family lived in Fleetwood, England. Fleetwood is a coastal town in the Borough of Wyre in Lancashire, England. During that period most of the area had been bombed and were moved into a temporary government housing called "Prefabs".
The move was a difficult decision then, and it would require not going together as a family unit. They were difficult times.
John the father left in 1948 to find work and a home to get established before others in the family could join him.
Their daughters at the last minute (after a medical exam) it was discovered that Susan had been diagnosed with a heart problem and was denied entry to Canada. (This turned out to be an error in diagnosis.)
After their mother and brother sailed off it was discovered that it was a doctor's error.
This presented a dilemma for the family, she would not be able to travel with her mother, brother, and sister. Tickets were purchased and all household items had been sold and ready to travel.
Before mother and brother left, after placing an ad in the local newspapers requesting anyone that could accompany the two girls. Two retired schoolteachers applied and said they would accompany the two girls on the trip. They were hired to care for the girls on the Ocean Liner to Canada. Diane the older sister would help to take care of her sister, they stayed with a neighbor until ready to travel.
Kathleen the mother left with her son Michael after selling all the possessions in 1949, leaving behind their two young daughters.
Diane and Susan had to be left in the care of their next-door neighbor to travel later with chaperones in the winter of 1950 to Canada to reunite with their parents.
After learning about Diane's history and how she and her sister Susan traveled virtually alone in 1950 at the age of Diane 7 and Susan 5, I thought, what a story to tell, so I created this blog to tell her story.
NOTE: It has been many years since 1950 and most on the Emerald of France Ocean Liner are no longer with us, but we would be pleased if others who were (or knew someone) on that trip would respond by completing the email form on the blog. We might add any related stories to our blog.
I think this story about these two little girls, singing and dancing their way accross the Cold Winter Atlantic ocean alone is a great premise for a television or streaming (Netflix) internet movie.
Screenwriter, producer, director. interested?
This story will continue…..
