RENNIE, Barbara Sarah
Age at Death: 18
Rank Private
Unit Canadian Women’s Army Corps
Service Number W13822
Place of Burial Bassano Union Cemetery, AB
Date of Birth 1924.11.01
Place of Birth Stavely AB
Enlistment January 7, 1943, Calgary AB
Date of Death 1943.06.08
Daughter of James and Sarah Rennie, of Bassano
Raised in rural Alberta by Scottish immigrant parents, Barbara had two sisters and two brothers, one of whom also served in the Army. Her file included letters of recommendation speaking of her “high moral character [and] leadership.” Her Personnel Selection Record states, “This very young girl was poised during the interview. She appears to be socially well adjusted and to be emotionally stable.” She had taught herself to type, and her favourite hobby was music.
On the evening of June 6, 1943, six months after enlisting, she went out with two colleagues, planning to attend an Army Show Broadcast. They returned early after she lost her wallet. The same night, she fell ill and was admitted to hospital; she died two days later of meningococcic septicaemia. Her father received a telegram stating, “Your daughter died at 4:10 am. Cause unknown… Please advise your wishes regarding arrangements.”
Later that summer, Mr. Rennie wrote to DND asking about the wallet missing from her belongings. A sworn statement from her colleague stated that Barbara had lost it the night of her hospitalization: “I asked Pte Rennie if the wallet contained much money and she answered, ‘It is the wallet that’s important, as it was a present from the kids back home.’”
