Page "Lois Maxwell" Paragraph 4

Born Lois Ruth Hooker in Kitchener, Ontario to parents who were a nurse and a teacher.

She grew up in Toronto and attended Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute.

Dissatisfied with the yields of baby sitting jobs, Lois set her sights on something more lucrative and landed her first job working as a waitress at Canada's largest and most luxurious summer resort, Bigwin Inn, on Bigwin Island in Lake of Bays, Ontario, Canada.

She ran away from home at the age of fifteen to join the Canadian Women's Army Corps during World War II, a unit formed to release men for combat duties.

CWAC personnel were secretaries, vehicle drivers and mechanics, and performed all conceivable non-combat duties.

Maxwell quickly became part of the Army Show in Canada, and later as part of the Canadian Auxiliary Services Entertainment Unit she was posted to the United Kingdom, performing music and dance numbers to entertain the troops, often appearing with Canadian comedians Wayne and Shuster.

The truth about her age was discovered when the group reached London, and in order to avoid repatriation to Canada she was discharged and then enrolled at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art where she became friends with fellow student Roger Moore.