Famous across Canada as 'Ronnie the Bren Gun Girl', meet Veronica Foster

Ceremonies around memorials and cenotaphs are likely to be well attended tomorrow to mark Remembrance Day. There is a lot to remember, but not all of it is bleak. For instance, as Canada geared up for the Second World War, the government encouraged women to consider factory work. The National Film Board went looking for a role model. Her name was Veronica Foster, soon to become famous across the country as Ronnie the Bren Gun girl.

Later, the United States would create a similar factory girl, also wearing a kerchief and rolled up sleeves. But Rosie the Riveter was fiction. Ronnie the Bren Gun girl was a strapping example of real Canadian womanhood. She became a model and a big band singer. This year, perhaps spare a thought for all the Ronnies.