While browsing thru this cool dance book I own (and blogged about before, called “Let’s Dance: A Celebration of Ontario’s Dance Halls” my friend stumbled up a picture of a girl dancing jitterbug and the caption said she was the “Bren Gun Girl“. My friend turned to me and said “Who is a Bren Gun Girl?” I replied with a “I don’t know” and quickly ran to the internet for answers and what I found was pretty cool!
The Canadian “Rosie the Riveter”– Veronica Foster
Who was the Bren Gun Girl?
The Bren Gun Girl according to Wikipedia was a young woman named “Veronica Foster” who became a Canadian icon representing nearly one million Canadian women who worked in the manufacturing plants that produced munitions and material during World War II. She was popularly known as “Ronnie, the Bren Gun Girl” and worked for the company John Inglis Co.Ltd producing Bren light machine guns on a production line on Strachan Avenue in Toronto, Ontario (Where I live! And now called “Liberty Village”). She became popular after a series of propaganda posters were produced; most images featured her working for the war effort, but others depicted more casual settings like Foster dancing the jitterbug (just like the image we found in my book) or attending a dinner party.
She can be seen as the Canadian precursor to the American fictional propaganda tool Rosie the Riveter (Source-Wikipedia).
Image comment: I find it interesting that she is smoking in this picture. I know in the TV Show Bomb Girls that would not be allowed but maybe it is because she is posing with a gun and not a bomb 🙂
Note from Laura-Veronica’s Daughter:
Just to clarify a small fact… my mother never smoked. The photographer wanted her to smoke because I guess it was considered sexy in those days and smoking was supposed to be the socially acceptable cool in those days. Up until a few years ago you could smoke anywhere you wanted at any time. But… my mother never smoked… just for the “Ronnie” photos.
Now for some more pictures of our Canadian Rosie the Riveter
Inspecting a lathe at the John Inglis Co. Bren gun plant.
Demonstrating the use of a kerchief to protect the hair of female employees from being caught in machinery.
Playing Baseball. The site of the photo is in what is now Liberty Village in Toronto.
Our Bren Gun Girl getting her photo taken for work. She was a petite woman.
Preparing to go to a party at the Glen Eagle Country Club. What a fantastic 1940s hat!
Jitterbugging with plant foreman Bill Ward during a party at the Glen.
Love the shot of her dress in this image and the dance pose as well!
Veronica Foster the Big Band Singer:
Veronica was also a singer of repute in Canada. She sang & toured with Mart Kenney and his Western Gentlemen from 1943-1944 and then met her furture husband, trombonist George M. Guerrette (they would go on to have 5 children). She also sang with Ellis McLintock’s Orchestra as well as the Bobby Gimby Orchestra.
Here are some fantastic photos courtesy of Veronica’s daughter Laura of her mother performing in the 1940s (Oh my goodness her 1940s dress is just stunning!).
And now my personal favourite news clipping that features Veronica Foster & Swing Dancers who were jumping and jiving at Maple Leaf Gardens, thanks in part to Miss Foster who sang with one of the orchestras (Bobby Gimby I believe).
I actually featured an image in a past blog post called “Vintage Photo Tuesday: The Social Dance” that you can see below.
It’s the Simpson’s Teen-Town Time dance at Maple Leaf Gardens (1940’s) featuring Bobby Gimby (Toronto Orchestra Leader), Art Hallman (popular Canadian Tenor) and Ken Watts.
Want to learn more about Veronica Foster?
Here is a video on Ronnie the Bren Gun Girl done by CBC a few years ago. This video was pointed out to me by one of her daughters Laura. HERE IS THE LINK TO THE VIDEO (playback on my blog was removed by the owner of the video so you have to click on the link to see it)
AND…I was just told from Ronnie’s daughter about a Postage Stamp from Canada Post in honour of VE Day 2020 (75th Anniversary). THIS IS AWESOME!!!
And check out this 2016 Blog Post with another story about Ronnie..HERE.
To end this post I want to leave you with this great video to watch on our “Rosies of the North” Click Here
FURTHER READING:
Liz 🙂
