Introduction
The Memory Project Archive is an ongoing project that has all the content of Canada's participation in the military arena. This national archive that is in 2 different languages is a collection of oral interviews, digitized artifacts, and memorabilia. This archive contains many of the personal stories of the service and sacrifices of Canadians. These stories are narrated in the form as they were originally recalled by those who lived through the memory of these stories. This great archive of stories provides good opportunities for students, educators, veterans and many Canadians to get a have a close feel and look at the countless personal documents that are of the Canadian service men and women. These are very interesting to read and give you that extra knowledge.
History
Olive May Matthews was born in Emerson of Manitoba in 1923. She joined because her two brothers had been taken POWs in Hong Kong and she never got to see them before they went. They all wanted to go and Olive had gained the rank of sergeant in the company. On the other hand, you were supposed to revert to the rank of private in order to go overseas to join another army. They spent a tad bit of orientation at a Camp Aldershot in England. They were there for around two or three weeks. Then Olive was based, posted to a Canada House in England. That's where the CMHQ was where she served all the time.
Features
Olive May Matthews was a clerk typist. There were five to six clerks in each office and besides typing. she mainly had the responsibility of monitoring by keeping track of all those military officers who were overseas. For a lot of them, work was nothing more than staying away from doing housework for a mere $5 a month. They literally worked $5 a month and had Wednesday afternoon off. Thursday afternoon was also a maids vacation. Olive went over in October 1944 and came back in May 1946.
Anybody who needed to know where an officer was would call the office. Then there was a thing called Part Two Orders. Part one orders were composed of things that go on a daily basis where Part two orders referred to when they were taken on strength of one unit, struck off strength of another unit and killed, injured and missing in action. That's what Olive had to write about on little strips.
Conclusion
There was also something called a RODA. Olive and her group had to keep changing those as the Part two orders arrived. They had all of the officers listed and had the responsibility to take care of the lists. Anybody requiring the recent location of an officer would come to Olives department for information. Like in every company or unit, there were dozens of orders to handle. These were often sudden orders and would come in a bulk. Olive and her group would work hard till 11:00 at nights to fulfill those orders.
The memory project is a great way to educate people about true horrors of war.
