John Rowe was born in 1925 in Toronto, and he grew up in the city’s east end, in the Beach. John shared with us his memories of interwar Toronto, and what it was like growing up against the backdrop of the Great Depression. He remembered it as a time when everyone was the same, not knowing that they had nothing. In spite of the tough times and family’s financial situation, John had fond memories of the time, playing baseball with his friends and hanging out at Balmy Beach. When the war came, John said the rationing had some impacts on his family, but overall the expectation of sacrifice was there, and people largely complied with C.D. Howe’s regimen. When he turned 18, it was John’s time to register and join up, which he elected to do rather than chancing conscription. A family friend helped him to join the Armoured Corps, and he began his year in the army in October 1944. Quickly stricken down by a bout of appendicitis, his tank training was delayed, and by the time the spring of 1945 came around, the war was winding down. John was discharged, and he began to look for work, and to adjust to life in now postwar Toronto.

John was interviewed at his home by Scott Masters in December 2017.