Hilary Dawson, North Toronto Historical Society
In 1943, Mary Elizabeth Welsman (Hughes) was born into 72 St. Leonard’s Crescent. She lived there until she was seventeen. It’s where she grew and played, made friends and discoveries, and learned about life’s ups and downs. Mary gathered her memories to produce this book for her daughters and grandchildren. Importantly, she added context: current events, changing social attitudes, developments in household appliances and the like.
Mary and her friends seem to have been “free range” children, although in practice they remained on St. Leonard’s Cresc., and the one block of Dawlish it enclosed. Once school age, Willer's at Yonge and Ranleigh was "a terrific source of penny candy. You could get a bag full for a nickel.”
The blend of social history and nostalgia makes A Mid‐Century Childhood a great read whether you grew up in Lawrence Park or even in the U.K.!
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