Although I eat it sweetened with Stevia instead of sugar now, chocolate plays a primary role in my life. I may not enjoy it often but it’s got to be available for an occasional treat.
Last week, I happened upon a video of U2’s Bono talking about his friendship with Paul McCartney. One day, Paul took Bono around to Beatles-centric areas of Liverpool, England. Paul explained that if it weren’t for a bar of chocolate, his partnership with John Lennon might not have happened.
It was the young lads’ second meeting. After the Second World War, items like chocolate were hard to come by. Lennon and McCartney met up and John pulled out a chocolate bar. He broke off half and gave it to Paul. Not a square, not a row of squares, but half of this precious bar. If that doesn’t tell you about John’s character, nothing will. McCartney told the story to Bono, because Bono is a Beatles super fan. And the story has only come to light because Paul shared the anecdote years ago and Bono repeated it.
Chocolate As A Peace Offering
During the war itself, chocolate and other treats were important for community relations. Derek’s father, Reg, served in the Royal Canadian Signal Corp. They went ahead to new posts to set up communications before other troops arrived. Chocolate was available to the soldiers but scarce elsewhere. It was common for soldiers to give a piece of chocolate as a gesture of goodwill. It certainly wasn’t one of the rationed staple foods available during that time.
In Holland, Reg, a twenty-three year old Corporal, gave a chocolate to a little girl whose family didn’t have sweets. Her family would emigrate to Canada. As luck would have it, they both ended up in the same area – London, Ontario. This little girl’s family owned a fruit farm and, never forgetting the kindness of the young soldier, looked him up. She and her family delivered a huge gift box of apples and other fruit to Reg’s family home. It was a heartfelt thank you for Reg’s kindness years earlier.
When I think about that little girl, I can only imagine how scary the world was at that time. Her country was at war. A stranger who dressed differently, talked differently, and was only there because of war, was nice to her. There must be thousands of stories about thousands of soldiers who were positive ambassadors during the war. But not many were fortunate enough to get a follow-up thank you from a life they touched.
Reg didn’t talk much about the war. He was a humble and kind man his whole life. After all, enlisting in the army was something he thought was the right thing to do. But he made a big difference in at least one little girl’s life. Thanks to the power of chocolate
Oh, Lisa, reading this blog just warmed my heart.
First of all, I thank Reg for his service to our country.
I’m trying to imagine what he was feeling when he gave that little girl his chocolate. With everything going on around him at that time, his heart went out to her, and her family. What an incredibly kind man. Who could ever have imagined that years later that kindness would come back to him.
This blog reminded me of my eldest sister who was 5 years old when WW2 was happening. The German soldiers were right outside the door (in Italy) where she and my mom lived (dad was off to war.) There was one soldier who would give my sister an orange whenever he saw her. That memory became an often recollected story in our family for many, many years.
I’ve never heard about the chocolate connection between John and Paul, but what a life long difference to them, and the world, that one kind gesture would turn into, eh?
What a great story, Claire. People may not know that oranges were difficult to source and very expensive. My mom and her siblings here in Canada would get an orange in their stockings at Christmas and it was a huge treat, especially for a family that didn’t have much money. Thanks for sharing that.
This blog post moved me. Keep up the good work!
Thanks, Dan.
Lisa,
So heart touching and beautiful. We need more Reg’s in the world . Such a beautiful and caring human.
Thank you for sharing his story with us and the story about Paul and John.
Nancy, when I told Derek the John and Paul story, he told me the one about his dad, and a blog post was made. I only met Reg once long, long ago. I feel I missed out on knowing him. Thanks for reading.