Caught in the crossfire of revolution

In the early days Milton was a thriving community with lumber mills and the river fisheries to help boost the economy. There were several businesses, a rail line, five churches and a school academy. Many of these establishments would be destroyed by fires.

Amy vividly remembers the Milton Funeral Parlor and the undertaker who owned the business. “He passed our house every day in his long black coat and tall black hat. Mother told us he was so regular in his habits she could set her clock by him,” she said.

At the beginning of the World War II Amy moved to Dartmouth to work at the Imperial Oil Refinery canteen, which was run by the School for the Blind. She met her future husband there.

Born in England, Norman Simpson graduated from the Royal Military Academy as a naval cadet. During the war years Imperial Oil was on loan to the British navy. When in port his ship tied up there.

With his movie star looks and impressive personality the attractive couple began a war-time romance. Things developed further when he asked her to marry him. Norman wrote to her father for permission, although Amy was “past the age of parental consent.” Delighted with his old-world charm and customs they were married in her parents’ living room.

They soon settled in a flat in Halifax and set up housekeeping. Amy joined service clubs, entertained other service wives and knit for the war effort, “as did my mother,” she said.

Norman was soon promoted to Chief Steward aboard the British oil tanker George H. Jones, which was on charter to Imperial Oil. It was lonely between furloughs, said Amy; “we kept our chins up and ourselves busy.”

With food and clothes rationing Amy learned to sew her own undergarments. She said her undies were just two pieces of cloth sewed together with a button side closure. One day the Simpson’s were strolling along Barringon Street, the city’s busiest through-fare in war time, when her panties fell off. “I was so embarrassed, but Norman told me to step out of them, nonchalantly reached down, scooped them up and put them in his pocket, without missing a step.”

At the end of the war Norman became an employee of Imperial Oil in Dartmouth. He advanced in his position and the couple was posted to Newfoundland, which Amy found to be the coldest place she ever lived. They were later transferred to the head office in Toronto.

The Simpson’s longest sojourn was to Barrance-Bermegear, Colombia, the only country in South America with coasts on both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.

Norman was appointed town manager of Tropical Oil, a subsidiary of Imperial Oil, with a sizeable staff of employees; it was a beautiful country, with gorgeous scenery. The manager’s house was the centre of social activity.

Norman spoke Spanish fluently and Amy decided to take lessons. “Being a company town we were a close-knit community with afternoon teas, supper dances, swimming and golf. We also did a great deal of sight-seeing,” she said.

In April of 1948, the Simpson’s world crashed down around them when Liberal Leader Jorge Eliecer Gaitan was assassinated in Bogota during the ninth International Pan-American Conference, notable for creating the Organization of American States (OAS).

The airfield was put under lock down; no one could get in or get out of the country. They were a helpless people caught in the “crossfire of revelation,” she said. They were terrified and sought refuge in the town’s club house.

Rebels with rifles and machete-wielding bandits roamed the streets rampaging and looting. “As foreigners we didn’t know when they would smash the doors in and kill us,” she said.

By the time the army moved in 1,500 people had been killed and over 20,000 injured. It was a dreadful experience, but Amy said, “We came away unharmed.” The revolution played havoc with Norman’s health and he suffered a stroke. The couple was flown to an American hospital in New York. They later returned to Toronto and he resumed work.

He passed away shortly after at 43 years of age.

Amy accepted a position as a translator at Simpson’s in Toronto. She also worked in accounting until the late 1960s, when she sold her home and moved to Brooklyn to take care of her sister Jean.

Today the tall, imposing woman with a gentle smile, who has seen so many places and changes in her life, resides at Stone Haven Lodge in Port Mouton and will celebrate her 93rd birthday on March 3.