Description: The post-1945 period is an understudied period of Canadian women’s military history. Yet this period saw women negotiate their place in and connection to the Canadian armed forces in a variety of ways. Some women joined the Canadian military. The 1950s and 1960s saw the expansion, contraction, and a constant debate over women’s roles in the Canadian military. In addition, women veterans created spaces for themselves in pre-existing veterans’ groups and formed their own. Through veterans’ organizations, women veterans sought community among other veterans, ran fundraisers to help support troops, advocated that women should be allowed to serve, and strengthened ties with the Canadian armed forces.

Biography: Dr. Sarah Hogenbirk is an independent settler scholar who specializes in the fields of Canadian history, gender history, and war and society. She has contributed chapters on Canadian servicewomen and women veterans to edited collections published in Canada