The Japanese Internment
WAR YEARS by Lawrence Gibb
During World War II young men, both students and labourers, enlisted or were called into the services. This left a shortage of help on the farms and at times there were a variety of workers in the beet fields. Families and sometimes teenage girls would come for a short spell. I remember two very popular girls, Iris Wood and Beryl Merrill came to work for a while which made the work more attractive and the days a little shorter.
Before the war ended in 1945, a Japanese family came and worked in the sugar beets. They lived in an extra home we had in Hill Spring. The Japanese were our enemies in the war and Americans and Canadians were very concerned about the big population of Japanese living on the west coast in B.C. After Japan bombed and destroyed several ships at Pearl Harbour in Hawaii, the government altered the life style of the Japanese on the west coast of B.C. They gathered up families, rich and poor, and put them on train cars and scattered them throughout Southern Alberta where labourers were needed. The government thought this would make the country safer. Many of these families were rich and industrious.
It was 1941 or ’42 when DeVere and I went with dad to pick up one of these families from the train station in Hill Spring. I remember families looking out the train windows at the town, their surroundings, and the people who came to get them. They probably wondered what they were getting into. We picked up a family of four. The father had a 21 year old son and two daughters next in age to the son. They gathered the few things they were allowed to bring and we took them to a big one room house. It was very obvious they were upper class people and could communicate quite well. They kept composed until we took them into the empty house. It was then they broke down and cried. In spite of all this they were very well mannered and gracious. At no time were we sorry for having them, but we felt sorry for them having to change their lives so. We got along well and accepted them as part of the family.
Shortly before the end of the war, we were glad the sugar beet farming in Hill Spring came to an end. The Japanese family moved out. Many stayed in southern Alberta and became successful farmers and business men including the family that worked for us. The family kept in touch with us for years after. The son much later visited our ward as a convert to the church.
From Lawrence L. Gibb’s autobiography, “Lawrence’s Legacy”, page 51
October 11, 2019
I’m sure this note will shock most of you as I am not one to communicate on Social Media but I had an experience today I thought you might like to hear about.
A few weeks ago a Japanese man showed up at the church asking if anyone had any information on a Japanese family that worked on a sugar beet farm in Hill Spring during the war. He was directed to Bruce Wynder who pointed him in the direction of Robert Wynder. Robert visited with him but didn’t really know too much. Robert mentioned it to me and I knew exactly what this man was looking for. Robert said the Japanese man was coming back in October with some family and wanted to look around. Robert said maybe I should come and meet them. Today he called and said they were coming. I went up to his place and met them. They couldn’t believe their eyes when I showed them the picture of the old farmstead where the family worked. It shows the old beet wagon, and barn. I then turned to page 51 in Dad‘s history book and read to them what Dad had written about this Japanese family that had spent a couple of years here in Hill Spring working for the George Gibb family. There wasn’t a dry eye in the group when they heard Dad‘s perspective of that time. Very touching moment.
The family that came in 1942 was the Kinoshita family. Dad talked about an older son and two daughters. They said the son’s name was Kaz and a couple of his children are in the group.
The older daughters name was Aki. Her daughter, June, is the one in the picture holding Dad‘s history book. She was still wiping tears away when they left.
The younger daughters name was Seiko. Her son is David and he is standing next to me in the picture.
After I read Dad‘s account which says one of them joined the church. David spoke up and said, “I’m the one who joined the church. I served a mission in Japan and also served as mission president in Japan.
Many pictures were taken of the old homestead picture and Dad‘s article in his history book. They were so appreciative and marvelled at Dad‘s account as recorded in Lawrence’s Legacy.
Larry M. Gibb, Lawrence L. Gibb’s son.