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| View from the Hotel du Cap, already a luxury hotel in WW1 - photo © Melanie Wills |
Beginning in March of 1917, Canadian troops were allowed to
take their leaves in Paris or on the Riviera, rather than just Britain. The
soldiers' money went further in France, where there was also good food and wine
to be had cheaply - 1 franc a bottle. There was no discrimination between ranks
in Paris, whereas in the British sector of France and Belgium as well as in the
UK there were hotels and cafes for officers only.
The Canadians were better paid than most. Stretcher-bearers
of the 5th Canadian Field Ambulance related that some hotel clerks in Paris
were surprised that simple soldiers could afford rooms with baths.
During the latter part of the war, nurses were allowed to
take their leaves on the Riviera. This appealed particularly to the Colonials
who had no family in Britain, especially as hotels in London were notoriously
expensive. Newfoundland VAD, Fanny Cluett, wrote excitedly to her family about
her idyllic days in Cannes. (Your Daughter Fanny: The War Letters of
Frances Cluett, VAD) She also mentioned that the Canadian VADs had “no
end of money; they are paid extraordinarily well”. Newfoundland was not yet
part of Canada.
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| The cove at Cousin Bea's villa - photo © Gabriele Wills |
Some of my characters enjoy a reprieve from war in Cap
d’Antibes in The Summer Before the Storm and Elusive Dawn. Of course
I had to go there and see what made it special, and was delighted to discover
this enticing cove, which was the perfect location for Cousin Beatrice’s villa.
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