The other day, thinking to do a portrait of my mother during the war, I started searching for a specific photo I thought I had. As a last resort, I was rummaging through a trunk with my children's school projects thinking maybe it might be there. Surprisingly I found an envelope that on the outside said "Do not throw away" and inside were dozens of photographs of my mothers time in Gander during WW2 as well as an unidentified sketch. Through some clever sleuthing and some discussion with my mother who is approaching 100 years old, I learned that the sketch was from the diaries of Molly Lamb who had visited the barracks in Newfoundland. The authorities had confiscated Molly Lamb's personal diary drawing because it was showing classified information. The airport in Gander was considered a top secret location and Molly Lamb's witty drawing was considered a threat to national security. When the war was over, the officer in charge was not able to locate nor remembered Molly Lamb.'s name. He did however recognize one of the women in the drawing who happened to be my mother, so he gave the drawing to her. It turns out this humble sketch was done by Canada's only female commissioned war artist and though not worth millions provides an inside view of some of the daily life of women in the Air Force.

$8000.00

Molly Lamb

1945

This is a playful reimagining of an imagined encounter between Molly Lamb and my mother. From stories from my mother I learn that though horrendous events were happening overseas, the experience for my mother was a bit more common and frivolous, she describes dances and silk stockings, trips to the lake, the movies, dances as well as important things such as helping guide airplanes safely in but only if the weather conditions were right, otherwise the men had to do it. In the sketches and diaries of Molly Lamb she depicts daily life in the army as well as documenting her travels and efforts to become Canada's only female commissioned war artist. She describes the importance of behind the scenes work to provide entertainment and to boost troops morale. The war effort needed posters , murals, and theatre. Molly Lamb provides a wonderful insight into the life of a woman artist during world war 2. Although many aspects of military life were were frivolous, the role and opportunities for women began to change due to the scarcity of men qualified to do certain jobs but there was still a long way to go before women were to be trusted to be part of making large decisions and holding secrets. This piece pokes fun at not just the naivety of a young officer trying to keep secrets from her commanding officer but the unintentional faux pas of unintentional sharing of national secrets.

Water colour on wove paper