The Grace Schmidt Room has recently been honoured with the donation of the letters of Roy Frank Ludwig of Kitchener by Doreen Motz and family.
The son of Edward Ludwig and Emma Fischer, Roy was born 25 March 1913 in Berlin (Kitchener), Ontario. He was educated at St. Jerome’s College and worked at J.M. Schneider’s Ltd as a shipper, prior to enlisting.on 27 Jun 1940 and going overseas on 29 Jul 1941. Roy was married to Lorraine Schlosser. They had three children, Doreen, Garry and Rita. Their home was located at 148 Church Street in Kitchener. A member of the Royal Canadian Artillery, 12th Field Regiment, Roy was killed in action on 9 June 1944 during D-Day operations in Normandy, France. A telegram received by his wife on 17 June 1944, confirmed the grim news.
The collection of 320 letters from Roy to Loretta document their love story and Roy’s unbound affection for his children, family, and home. While Roy wrote little about the war going on around him, his letters show us that war has a very human side – of love, homesickness, longing, and connection. The collection has been lovingly curated by his daughter, Doreen.
You can see Roy’s Soldier Information Card here.
We will remember them.
Sincerely,
Karen