The Icelandic connection - 01.12.2020, Side 20

162
ICELANDIC CONNECTION
Vol. 71 #4
Dora Sigurdsson and Dee Dee Westdal
the impetus came from the many people
who approached them asking for a sequel
of the book to honour World War II
veterans. Jo specifically recalls Dr. Larus
Sigurdsson even suggesting it was her
“duty” to follow in her mother’s footsteps
as she sat in Gimli Park fundraising for
Jon Sigurdsson Chapter IODE at the
Icelandic Festival.
With both this public encouragement
and the support of Jon Sigurdsson
Chapter IODE, Dee Dee, Jo and Dora
took on the challenge and formed the
WW II Veterans Committee in the late
1980s. As Dee Dee remarked, it was an
honour to follow these women, especially
when so many people had taken an
interest in this World War II project. The
committee of three also realized they had
big footsteps to follow.
After World War I, the women of the
Jon Sigurdsson Chapter, who had been
involved in the war effort, set aside $500
for a memorial to the Icelandic soldiers.
They decided to use their funds to publish
a book, Minningarrit Islenzskra Hermanna,
containing a short biography and portrait
of every veteran of Icelandic origin.
As Dee Dee noted, these women did a
fabulous job without using any technology
and doing everything in handwriting.
When the book was completed in 1923,
it contained a photo and write-up for
each of 1300 veterans who had served in
either the Canadian or American forces.
Copies of the book were sent to leading
universities in Canada, England and the
United States. Jo remembers helping her
mother wrap the books in brown paper,
ready for mailing. As well, a copy was
sent to the Governor-General of Canada,
Lord Tweedsmuir, for which he sent the
following acknowledgement to Jo’s mother.
Dear Mrs. Skaptason
Thank you very much for the gift
of the Icelandic Soldiers Memorial
book which I am very glad to have. I
have always had the deepest interest
in our Icelandic Canadians! I only
wish we had more of them.
Yours sincerely, “TWEEDSMUIR”