Lest We Forget by Advance Southwest

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A Special section of The Gull Lake Advance

November 9th, 2015

THE ADVANCE

| YOUR SOUTHWEST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2015

WE REMEMBER

Remembrance Day Poppy campaign gives back to local veterans a passionate time for the southwest BY B E T H JA R R E L L

beth@gulllakeadvance.com

BY J O R DA N PA R K E R

editor@gulllakeadvance.com

he southwest area of Saskatchewan has always been somewhat of an anomaly. The little region that could, this area has no problem raising money for community causes, supporting neighbours or weathering the worst of storms. So every November, it should come as no surprise when people in these small, quiet towns come out in droves to show their support – and reiterate their strengths – with the veterans in the area. Remembrance Day is a special day, but it’s not an exception for the people here. Give south westerners a reason to come out, and they’ll show up in force. There isn’t a better thing to come out for than the people who fought and died for

our country – and our region’s – wellbeing and safety. Legion Halls and cenotaphs fill up. Seas of red poppies show up, emblazoned on people’s coats long before November 11 even arrives. The truth is, people here throw their support behind Remembrance Day because like the former soldiers who live here, these populations as a whole know how important it is to stick together and help your fellow man. This is a time to support our living veterans and pay credence to those who have fallen, but something tells us here at The Advance that won’t be a problem for this region. The southwest supports each other, and Remembrance Day will never be any different.

ith Remembrance Day comes the poppy campaign, a way for individuals to show their pride as Canadians and remember the sacrifice of those who came before them. For Swift Current Legion member Jim Pratt, however, it represents more than just sacrifice- it’s also a way to give to the veterans still alive. “Any funds that are collected through the poppy campaign are held in trust,” he said. “There’s a book held by the legion that lists what we can and cannot do with the money, and there are a lot more things we can’t do than we can.” Money collected via poppies distributed either from door-to-door or via boxes in stores goes exclusively to the care of veterans in the local area. “The money goes to help veterans and their families. Every year, we go to the senior’s centres and ask them what they require in terms of comforts for seniors, and we usually use the funds to produce things like chairs or blanket warmers, hospital beds or things like that.” Pratt says that the rules and regulations where money goes and doesn’t go surprises most people, who he believes think the funds are used to keep the legion running. “The Dominion Command of the legion is very restrictive on what you can and cannot do with poppy funds,” he said. “You

can’t use it to keep your legion operating. You can use them to support a veteran that might be homeless or fallen on hard times. Every legion has a service officer that considerers requests and decides how the fund is used. “There are a lot of regulations, and a lot of people don’t know that. Because it’s the public’s money, we don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea.” The legion does other fundraisers throughout the year in order to raise money for their operation. One hundred percent of the money during the poppy campaign goes towards the care and assistance of veterans and their families. Pratt says there are even guidelines to the act of wearing a poppy, as well, as it is generally frowned upon to wear one apart from the regulated spot. “Protocol says you wear your poppy on your left side, close to your heart,” he said. “We see people wearing them on their caps, and it’s not against the rules, it’s just that it’s not done properly. To me, it’s more important that a person is wearing it than where they’re wearing it, though.” For Pratt, the poppy represents more than just his duty as legion member to wear one. “I think it all has to do with the act of remembrance. Soldiers in the World Wars and the Korean Conflict and the wars since then gave their lives so we have the freedoms we have today. I don’t think people realize just how fortunate we are to live

in a country like Canada. “We take a lot for granted, and I think once a year we can spend a little bit of time remembering the sacrifices that those people made, and do what we can to thank them.” Pratt says it’s especially important to honour the vets from the three major conflicts of the World Wars and the Korean Conflict, since many veterans and fellow legion members are getting older. “It’s been 70-some years since the end of the World War II, 60-some years since the Korean Conflict … It’s getting to the point where we don’t have a lot of veterans from those three main wars left. “The more time I spent with legion people, the more respect I gained for what the legion stands for. My father-in- law was in the reserves in World War II, so we have some connections that way. The people we’ve come to know and respect through the legion are what I honour the most, though. “ Pratt believes that while most will never understand the sacrifices made in wars in the past, it is important for everyone to try and understand on November 11. “These people saw an awful lot, they went through an awful lot, and a lot of them kept that bottled up inside them. We talk about PTSD now, but I think a lot of people suffered from that and just didn’t know it. Everyone should take a day to remember the sacrifice that others made for their freedom.”

These pages commemorate southwest Saskatchewan’s war dead. Those men and women who perished in service to their country for the high ideals of peace and freedom. We apologize if we have omitted anyone. ABBEY

ADMIRAL

Pte Alexander Ralph Eby - WWI Pte George Johnston - WWI F/S Robert Jones - WWII Pte Arthur Leggett - WWI Pte George Richard Low - WWI P/O Lennox Cameron Main - WWII Pte Thomas McCandless - WWI Pte Hugh H. McCormick - WWI Pte Gordon John McDonald - WWI Pte Edgar William Sheldon - WWI Gds Gordon Otis Pederson - WWII Pte Vernon Earl Taylor - WWII F/O Frederick Harold Viney - WWII

Pte Arthur James Denny - WWI Pte Leon Frank Lyon - WWI Pte Roderick McLennan - WWI

ANTELOPE Pte Thearon Brown - WWII Pte Albert Henry Mander Holborn - WWI Pte Sannosuke Nishimura - WWI

BRACKEN Pte Jack Stanley Bullen - WWI

Pte David Wilbert Cosgrove - WWI Cpl Graham Robertson Mavor - WWII Sgt William Ellis McKee - WWII Pte Curtis Sarff - WWI Pte Paul Shengall - WWI Pte Arthur Hallgarth Stockwell - WWI Pte Leon Frank Lyon - WWI Pte Roderick McLennan - WWI

CABRI Pte William Jasper Benson - WWI WO2 Ernest Frank Clarke - WWII Sgt Richard Elmer Fahselt - WWII Pte Robert John Galloway - WWI

F/S Walter Adolph Henschel - WWII LAC Clayton Peder Hopton - WWII Pte Charles Jackson - WWI Pte William Charles Kyle - WWI Pte John Alexander MacDonald - WWI Pte John Thomas McEachern - WWI Sgt Alexander McKie - WWII Pte Samuel Maxwell McKinnon - WWI Tpr Kenneth Franklin Merritt - WWII AC2 Robert Francis Messenger - WWII Pte William Reid - WWI Pte William Kidd Sutherland - WWI Sgt Arthur Taylor - WWI Pte John Arthur Taylor - WWI

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2015

Casualities Of War

Claydon

GEORGE FONTAINE - Trooper (Sherbrooke Fusiliers tank driver/ mechanic) George Fontaine (b.1918) of Claydon was KIA 19440607 at Authie near Carpiquet and is buried at Bény-sur-Mer Canadian war cemetery near Reviers, Calvados, France. Fontaine was one of the 150 or so Canadian prisoners of war who were brutally murdered after D-Day by the 12th SS Panzer Division, the infamous Hitler Youth (see note following DT Moloney). Israel and Delia Fontaine, George’s parents, homesteaded SE14-2-22-W3 southwest of Frontier. George was farming in southern Alberta when he enlisted at Camrose early in 1942. PAUL HUFF - Private (2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles, British Columbia Regiment) Paul Huff (b.1889) of Claydon was KIA 19170331 during the preparations for Vimy Ridge and is buried at Écoivres military cemetery, Mont-Saint-Éloi northwest of Arras, Pas-de-Calais, France. He was the son of James D. and Martha C. Huff of Eagle Bend, Todd Co., Minnesota. Paul homesteaded SE16-323-W3 west of Frontier but was working at Swift Current when he enlisted at Moose Jaw early in 1916.

This photo was taken from a tank turret by Cliff Murch in the winter of 1945 in Holland … seconds after the photo was taken, there was an explosion which killed three of the men around the fire and wounded nine others.

Cliff Murch and Hewitt Murch in England.

WWII veteran fought to ensure those who fought were remembered BY J O R DA N PA R K E R

editor@gulllakeadvance.com

liff Murch joined World War II in 1942, at the young age of 25. A farming boy south of Lancer, he had no idea what he was in for when he went overseas. “He landed in France in July of 1944. In August 8th of the same year, he recounted that he lost tanks and many comrades in battle,” said his son Wayne Murch, who discovered entries his father wrote about his experiences. “They carried on into Germany and then Holland. He made friends there and they would even come to visit. My parents went to Holland to visit them as well,” he said. Though he gained friendships, the war was a dark, desperate time for many, including Murch.

“He remembered a time in Holland where they were burning shell containers to stay warm in the winter. They had just taken a picture when a fire exploded, killing three and injuring nine. One of the shells must have been live. It was crazy that they could take that picture, and then shortly after was chaos.” Murch worked as a radio operator and gunner during his tenure. “He was always in tanks. He was posted with the B.C. regiment, and he talked of tank battles. When a tank was hit, it would burst into flames, and some people would make it out in time and others wouldn’t,” he said. “My uncle also landed on D-Day in France in 1944. He drove around Swift Current for years with the license plate “June 6.” He just died last spring. We were very proud of them.” Murch remembers his father was always keeping busy after the war. He

was involved with boards, the legion and committees. He was always taking part in community events. “After the war, he came home and joined the legion. It was in Abbey in 1946, and he was so proud of his legion activities. We still carry traditions on and meet in the Legion Hall where it all started. It was originally a schoolhouse,” he said. “It was built in 1915, and it’s been remodelled since then. He and my uncle joined at the same time, and always assumed things would carry on.” An entry from his father expressed optimism about the direction of the legion. “The legion appreciates participation and Remembrances won’t fall into oblivion with the passage of time,” it read. Murch remembers his father as a patriotic sort of man.

JOHN VOLLER - Private (1st Depot Battalion, Saskatchewan Regiment) John Voller (b.1891) of Claydon died 19181110 of pneumonia while on harvest leave and is buried at Riverside cemetery, Eastend. John was a native of Tooting, Greater London, England, and was farming when he was drafted four months before his death.

“Everyone went to war and no one knew anything about it. The whole family is proud of my dad and uncle and what they did. We are the luckiest people in the world and we’re in the best country. We have them to thank for that,” he said. “He would go to services and speak in schools to children. He spoke in the division and in Holland. In the later years that was important to him. “He has affected his family. When his grandsons complained about the heat, he’d tell them they should try being in a tank in Europe. He would say that was truly hot.” Murch’s daughter is a teacher, and she’s starting a Remembrance Day ceremony in Kelvington. “He would be so proud to see this carried on. He’s be happy to see that the legion takes on new members and that his family still remembers.”

Maple Creek Barracks

“They fell, but o'er their glorious grave Floats free the banner of the cause they died to save.” - Francis Marion Crawford

R.M of Frontier

Village of Frontier

We will always remember those who fought for our freedom. Thank you.

Pte Harold Harding Tuve - WWI AB Donald Albert Wright - WWII

Pte Paul Huff - WWI Pte John Voller - WWI

CADILLAC

CLIMAX

LS Ward Donald Chester - WWII Sgt Victor Allen Haglund - WWII Tpr Verge Alvin Kyle - WWII Pte William Oakley Carter Stevenson - WWI Tpr Donald Nelson Wiggins - WWII Pte George Wilken - WWI

Pte Albert Bates - WWI Tpr Eugene Edward Bitschy - WWII F/O Russell Gordon Cook - WWII Sgt Joseph Ernest Desjardins - WWII Pte Patrick Doyle - WWI Pte Albert Charles Etheridge - WWI Pte David P. Francis - WWI Lt Oliver Hugh Hopkins - WWII Pte John Edwin George Smith - WWII Pte Robert Cupid Smith - WWII

C L AY D O N Tpr George Fontaine - WWII

CONSUL Cpl Samuel Amundsen - WWII Pte Robert Hugh Askin - WWI Pte John Hyam - WWI Pte Charles Edward Sawden - WWII Cpl Walter Bernhardt Schmidt - WWII Pte Joseph Earl Stender - WWI

DOLLARD Pte Raoul Gagnon - WWI Pte Arthur Frederick Gould - WWI Pte Henry Mermet - WWI Spr Fernand Joseph Poulin - WWII

Pte James Taylor - WWI Ron Milo Nathaniel Thorson - WWII

EASTEND Pte Alfred Thomas Bartlett - WWI Pte Harry Dawes - WWI Pfc Lawrence Samuel Gordon - WWII Cpl Norman Davidson Gordon - WWI Pte Albert Parkin Howard - WWI Pte James McNab Jackson - WWI Pte Thomas Redmond Kinney - WWI Sgt Ivar Larson - WWII Pte Gilbert John Patch - WWI LCpl Daniel Thomas Reid - WWII

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2015

Casualities Of War

A TIME TO HONOUR BY M E G A N L AC E L L E

megan@gulllakeadvance.com

round 75 years ago more than 40 per cent of the men in Saskatchewan age 18-45 left the province to fight overseas. Brothers, husbands, beaus, fathers and more enlisted to help their country fight to end a war known for its terror. Small southwest communities emptied out as young men and women left to serve their nation. Now people across the province, country and world celebrate the efforts of these brave men and women. For Rodney Scriven, it’s a time to honour both his parents. It’s been 97 years since Canada celebrated the end of World War I and 70 years since the end of World War II. For Scriven, Remembrance Day is a time to remember the role his parents played in the latter war – one that claimed the lives of 61,000 Canadians and wounded 172,000 more. Scriven’s father, William, affectionately called Ralph, enlisted in January of 1941 at the age of 22. Born and raised in Abbey, he joined 191,000 other men from Saskatchewan in an effort to end the war. Scriven’s mother, Doris Pederson, was a part of the Canadian Women’s Army Core as part of the Canadian Women’s Division of the RCAF – a position she served in Canada. Two of her brothers went off to war – only one returned. Her brother Gordon died in Belgium at age 26 as part of the Canadian Grenadier Guards. He was buried overseas. “He was in a tank and the tank was blown up and this was right at the end of the war too because he was thinking he was coming home, his last letter said he was coming home, but he didn’t make it,” Scriven said. Doris and Ralph knew each other well, having both been raised in Abbey – and soon after Ralph returned from serving three years with the air force in North Africa and Italy, they were married. The ended up tying the knot in ’46. Scriven was born six years later. “I’m certainly proud of that fact [they both served],” said Scriven. “My dad ... e didn’t talk much about it and I guess I feel bad that I never asked him more questions… whether it was something he didn’t like to talk about or didn’t tell people ... He was more in the radar and technology end of it and I think they did a lot that I probably don’t understand, but I wish I knew more. “But I’m certainly proud that he volunteered, went over there and certainly took part. It meant a lot to me and a lot to my whole family.” Although Scriven’s dad didn’t talk about his experience much, it was a different story with his mom. “She told us quite a bit about what she did,” he said. “Back then there wasn’t a lot of women that went overseas and she did what she could as far as in Canada.” Scriven said his dad was an important member of the Legion and his mom was active in the Ladies Auxiliary. “It was very important to them,” Scriven said. Once they allowed associates to join the Legion, Scriven, who farms between Abbey and Cabri, joined up. Now 42 years later he remains an active member. “Pretty much all my family has belonged to the Auxilliary or the Legion at one time so we all thought it was important to be involved in it and especially to support the veterans and take

Pte Charles Torkelson - WWI Pte Walter Warren Woodforde - WWI

F OX VA L L E Y Tpr Lee Anton - WWII Tpr Joseph Philip Paul - WWII Fus Gustave Ulbricht - WWII Pte John Kearse Wakeling - WWI

FRONTIER William Davis - WWI

part in Remembrance Day services,” he said. “But then beyond that the Legion has become a pretty important part of any community I guess, especially Abbey and area, it’s really the only service club we have there now. And our membership instead of going down like some areas is going up.” Scriven says they’re now close to 80 members – with many being third or fourth generation. His died died in ’88 at the age of 69 and his mother in 2008 at the age of 86. “My dad was a fisherman and that’s what I remember about him is going fishing with him when I was younger and my mother was, I think you’d call her, the historian of the family cause she could remember everybody and she could tell you a lot more than I could,” he said. “She was the one you always went to if you wanted some information about the family or someone in the community; she was one of those people that could remember all that.” Scriven’s wife, Edna (originally Colwell), also has ties to WWII. Also from Abbey, she lost two uncles in the war. “I think they were (tight knit) they all kind of knew each other,” Scriven said. “They thought it was a pretty important thing to serve your

Consul

SAMUEL AMUNDSON - Lance Corporal (Algonquin Regiment) Samuel Amundson (b.1913) of Robsart was KIA 19450303 at the Hochwald gap during operations to clear the west bank of the Rhine and is buried at Groesbeek Canadian war cemetery near Nijmegen, Gelderland, Netherlands. Amundson’s Norwegian parents, Rangvald (Ralph) and Serina, came from Valley City, Barnes Co., North Dakota, in 1912. They farmed (Ralph was also a blacksmith) W12-3-25-W3 on the north slope of Old Man on His Back plateau, and Sam attended Ridgecliff and South Slope schools. He was born at Maple Creek and was working as a dragline operator for O’Sullivan Construction at Lethbridge, Alberta, when he enisted at Calgary in 1942.

Ralph Scriven

ROBERT HUGH ASKIN - Private (13th Battalion, Québec Regiment) Robert Hugh Askin (b.1894) of Consul was KIA 19160717 and is buried at Railway Dugouts burial ground (Transport Farm), Ieper, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. Robert’s father Thomas Askin died just after the family arrived in Saskatchewan from Allenford, Bruce Co., Ontario, and he and his mother Eleanor proved up a homestead at NE19-2-28-W3 south of what later became Govenlock. Robert may have been working at Milestone when he enlisted at Weyburn early in 1915. Doris’s oldest brother Gordon Pederson, also of Abbey, who was killed in action in WW2.

Doris (Pederson) Scriven

Pte Milton Driscoll - WWI Pte Fred Ince - WWI Pte James Reynolds - WWI Sgt Vernon Thomas Sherwin - WWII GOVENLOCK Pte Thomas Abraham - WWI Pte John James Deneen - WWI Pte Arthur Alexander Forrester - WWI

GULL LAKE Pte James Anderson - WWI Pte William Baird - WWI

country so they did and young too you know; they weren’t very old. “We have a wall of Remembrance and there’s 12-13 pictures up there with all the ones killed in action. It’s kind of amazing when you look at when you realize they went over there just out of their teens basically.” Now the average age of WWII veterans in 91 years old – with only around 75,000 still alive in Canada compared to the 1.1 million who enlisted in the ‘40s. “It’s really important for us to keep the tradition of Remembrance Day alive and not just for people like my parents, but I also think it’s important for the youth of the area to certainly get involved and stay involved,” Scrivens said. “I think it’s up to organizations like the Legion to do their part to keep the young people involved and everyone in the community to support the veterans and to keep that going. In my mind, and I think in a lot of people’s minds, it’s become a pretty important thing for any community.”

Pte Manford Wesley Clarke - WWI Pte Alfred Booth Dynes - WWI Tpr William Ludlow Estabrooks - WWII Pte Robert James Eustace - WWI LCpl Juergen Claus Fischen - WWII Lt James Gibson Laurier Fraser - WWI P/O James Taft Hemsworth - WWII Pte Joseph Milton Hodgson - WWI Pte John C. Kennedy - WWI Pte Albert Alexander Koshney - WWII P/O Charles Bruce Maclennan - WWII Pte John Valentine McCarthy - WWI

CHARLES EDWARD SAWDEN - Private (South Saskatchewan Regiment) Charles Edward (Charlie) Sawden (b.1910) of Consul was KIA 19420819 at Dieppe (age 32) and is buried at the Canadian war cemetery at Hautot-sur-Mer, SeineMaritime, France. He was the son of Charles and Erma Sawden who came from

Pte Robert Lyle McCulloch - WWII Capt Keith Bradley Mirau - Peacetime Operations Pte James Leo O’Connor - WWI Pte Christian Olsen - WWI LCpl Richard Valentine Sells - WWII LCpl Richard Gordon Sweeting - WWII Sgt Captain Clayton White - WWII

HAZLET Pte William Bain - WWI Pte Frederick Clyde Clare - WWI

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2015

Bridlington, East Riding Yorkshire, England, to homestead SE34-2-27-W3 south of Nashlyn just after Charles Jr. was born. Charles Sr. retired to Vancouver just before the war, Erma remarried and moved to Montana. Charles Sr. was a veteran of the 49th Battalion in WWI. Charlie was farming when e enlisted at Weyburn on the outbreak of the war. JOHN HYAM - Private (1st Depot Battalion, Saskatchewan Regiment) John Hyam (b.1897) of Consul died 19190126 of pneumonia and is buried in the soldiers’ plot at Regina cemetery. He was the son of Alfred I.B. Hyam who came from London, England, to homestead NW5-2-22-W3 in the Staynor Hall district southwest of Frontier. John took his own homestead at SW24-5-27-W3 north of Consul and was drafted six months before his death. Lysle and Sonny Sweeting

Telegram sent to Gordon Sweeting’s parents

Local sailor tells of Africa Operations WALTER BERNHARDT SCHMIDT - Corporal (Royal Canadian Corps of Signals) Walter Bernhardt Schmidt (b.1918) of Consul died 19450314 and is buried at Adegem Canadian war cemetery, Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium. Schmidt suffered a heart attack while on leave in Belgium. He was the son of Leopold and Antonie Schmidt, a Danish couple who came from Buffalo(?), North Dakota, to NW12-327-W3 at the Nashlyn siding in 1910 and later moved to Windsor, Essex Co., Ontario. Walter was born at Glentworth, attended Twin Valley and Consul schools and was a mechanic and machinist’s helper when he enlisted at Saskatoon in 1942. His brother Frank served with the RCAF. JOSEPH EARL STENDER - Private (Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry) (Joseph) Earl Stender (b.1889) of Consul was KIA 19160915 at Courcelette and is commemorated on the Vimy Memorial north of Arras, Pas-de-Calais, for the 11,000+ Canadian soldiers who perished in northern France with no known grave. He was the son of Frederick Stender who came to the Warmley district north of Kisbey from Bristol Mines, MRC de Pontiac, Québec. Earl homesteaded NE4-5-28-W3 northwest of Consul before enlisting in the 68th Battalion at Regina late in 1915.

The following interesting account of landing operations in the North African Offensive, is told by leading seaman Lysle Sweeting, in a letter to his parents. F R O M T H E A D VA N C E A R C H I V E S

editor@gulllakeadvance.com

e had a fine trip from England to Algeria. We worked on our invasion boats all the way, painting, cleaning, and getting them in first class condition. On Friday, November 6th, we passed Gibraltar. To one passing through the Straight it presents quite a sight and one quite readily understands how Britain controls the Mediterranean from Gibraltar. Just by turning the head one can see Spain, Gibraltar (English) Spanish Moroccan and Algeria (French). We travelled till the following night (Nov. 7) in the Mediterranean, which was beautiful. The water was a light blue and the weather was grand - hot sun in a clear sky all day long. Both afternoons we worked almost nude and all got quite sunburned. Imagine getting sunburned in November! You people in Gull Lake were probably shivering, with snow on the ground. That evening there was a beautiful sunset - almost nice enough to rival your prairie sunsets. By this time we had everything in perfect readiness. The time for the first landing was to be at one o’clock. Our boats weren’t due to beach till 3:30 a.m. At 3:20 the report came in by radio that the Brit landing had been carried out successfully without meeting up with any opposition. We proceeded to lower our two boats off the ship into the water, we had one officer who was going in the other boat and I was supposed to beach at the same time, in my boat. The other boat was loaded first and as it was time to shove off, the officer left me with orders to follow as soon as ready. It was nearly 30 minutes before I was ready, then I pushed off. Felt a little dubious at first. We had, of course, been training ever since coming over and I knew what I was supposed to do, but I

Pte Patrick W. Dunne - WWI Pte Daniel Francis Gienow - WWI Pte Frederick Monson - WWI F/S William Norman Partridge - WWII F/S Donald Lawrence Robertson - WWII Pte Samuel Robinson - WWI

INSTOW F/O Jack Glen Millan Fisher - WWII Pte Charles William Lund - WWI Pte William Marshall - WWI F/S Charles Burton Wylie - WWII

LEADER Sgm Oscar Albrecht - WWII Pte John George Bickler - WWII Pte Barry Cocks - WWII Tpr Richard Harold Hofer - WWII Cpl Russell Reinhold Kasper - WWII Lt Paul Hubert Meier - WWII P/O Clarence Gerhart Wenzel - WWII

MAPLE CREEK Pte Rossiter John George Adams - WWI

still wondered if I hadn’t bitten off more than I could chew. The night was pitch black and everything was strange. We were 6 miles from shore and in a little boat, that is a long way. I had a crew of 6 under me, as well as 4 U.S. army chaps, whose duty it was to drive the truck and gun taille off the boat. I had to find a beach, about a 100 yards long and make sure the Yanks and their gear got ashore. I travelled for 30 minutes at full speed and eventually there loomed the beach ahead of us. I couldn’t make out the exact spot where I was supposed to land (as previously arranged) so started to run parallel to the land. Everything was silent and it looked very much as if we had missed the fun. Finally, I decided where to beach and turned to go in. Suddenly, five smaller boats appeared in front of me. I gave her full astern with both engines, went about 75 yards down the beach and beached the boat while lowering the door, and told the truck driver to drive on and “good luck.” Just then, hell let loose! Someone on the beach was spraying the water with machine guns. They concentrated on the spot where I had been a few minutes before, but had left because of the smaller craft. A lot of the bullets were coming our way giving us a queer feeling, knowing any one of them might have our name on it. The tracer bullets leave a ribbon of fire behind them like a sky rocket. One can see exactly where they are coming from and going to (too close for comfort). I won’t deny I was “scared stiff ”. The boat was stuck on the beach until such time as the truck got off to lighten the load. The truck had stalled in the boat, so we just had to sit there and wait. We had been taught never to abandon the ship, unless absolutely necessary. In about 20 minutes, the driver pulled out to shore. It had taken the driver so long to get the truck off the boat, that the wind and the surf had out my boat broadside on the beach. I started gunning my motors to get off and the boys pushed with poles. The

Pte Percy William Balls - WWI Pte Thomas Albert Paul Briggs - WWII Pte Frederick Charles Busby - WWI Robert Elwood Campbell - WWI Pte Ivie Francis Casat - WWII Pte Frank Chamberlain - WWI Pte Sam Richard Chermishnuk - WWII Pte James Robert Chisholm - WWI Pte John Claustre - WWI P/O Carman MacKenzie Colquhoun - WWII Pte Peter Connoly - WWI Pte George Stanley Cox - WWI

noise of the engines could be heard a very long way off and immediately the bloke on the beach started firing at us. The bullets were coming thick and fast. I just about came to the conclusion that we weren’t going to get off and started to tell the fellows to grab their arms and head for shore, but before I finished the boat began to move off. My machine gunner had wanted to return the fire but I wouldn’t let him because I knew the fellow on the beach would be able to hit us easily once he saw our fire. It was an rather amusing picture - me telling him not to shoot and he, all keyed up to open fire. Eventually we got off and a safe distance from the beach. We got back to the ship but found the other boat hadn’t returned. We figured they must have been either killed or stranded on the beach. We ate while the boat was being loaded and went ashore again. It was quite light by this time and aside from the smoke and occasional burst of machine gun fire, all was quiet and peaceful. We landed our second load without mishap and returned to the ship. Meantime, the other boat had returned. After swapping stories we looked over our boats. We had no casualties. The worst disaster was a bullet hole in the stern of my boat. After that things were quite busay for 6 days and night. We worked for 12 hours and rested for 6. Airplanes came over several times machine gunning the beach and snipers at night kept things interesting. On November 11, an official Armistice was signed in that district, so from then on, we just waited till the ships were empty of their cargoes. Now we are all on one ship, on our way back to England. The topic of conversation is “when will the next one be.” O, yes, we had plenty of air support too, but I don’t believe there was much room for action. The whole episode was a good example of what Navy, Army and Airforce can do, if they work together. It will be things like this which will eventually win the war.”

Pte Arnold Grieve Cranna - WWI Capt Richard Gordon Crimes - WWII Pte Robert Frederick Nott Davis - WWII LCpl Max Exal Demchenko - WWII P/O Chester Brockie Dixon - WWII Pte Joseph Drury - Boer War Pte Norman Goulter Drury - WWI LAC Edward George Feil - WWII Pte Eric Armstrong Fisher - WWI F/O Allan Leighton Forbes - WWII Pte Sidney M. Gibbs - WWI Maj Kenneth Laurie Graham - WWII

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2015

Casualities Of War

Frontier

ANTHONY

MILTON DRISCOLL Private (Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry) Milton Driscoll (b.1892) of Frontier was KIA 19170409 at Vimy Ridge and is buried at Bois-Carré British cemetery, Thelus north of Arras, Pas-de-Calais, France. He was the son of Joseph and Kate Driscoll of Kensington, Prince Co., Prince Edward Island. Milton homesteaded SW33-1-21-W3 southwest of Frontier before enlisting in the 68th Battalion at Regina late in 1915. His younger brother Emmet of Kensington also made the supreme sacrifice.

HUNDT a Death March survivor’s story BY T I M K A L I N O W S K I

editor@gulllakeadvance.com Originally published in the Gull Lake Advance, November 8, 2011

nthony (Tony) Joseph Hundt was a member of the Tompkins Legion Branch # 140 for many years. He was devoted to his old comrades from 16/22 Saskatchewan Horse Regiment which later became part the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade. The 2nd Armoured (Tank) Brigade served as an infantry support brigade during the war, and went ashore with the Canadian infantry in the first few waves at Juno Beach during the invasion of Normandy. But unlike the many heroic tales of victory over the enemy, of gritty survival, or noble sacrifice told by other WWII veterans, Tony’s stories of his Second World War experiences were much harsher and far less glorious. Somewhere along the road from Juno Beach heading toward Caen, Gunner Tony Hundt and his tank crew went Missing-in-Action on June 24, 1944. Given how devastating the invasion of Normandy was for many Canadian tankers facing off against the superior fire power and armour of the German Panzer and Tiger tank divisions, likely many waiting for Tony back in Tompkins hoped for the best, but in their heart of hearts prepared for the worst. It was not until mid-August of 1944 that word reached Allied headquarters that Gunner Hundt was indeed alive, but a Prisoner of War at German Stalag 8A at Görlitz, on the River Neisse, approximately 50 miles east of Dresden (now in Poland, then part of the German province of Saxony). When Tony returned home after the war he was a shadow of himself weighing all of 80 lbs when his enlistment weight had been 147 lbs. Tony was always reluctant to speak about his experiences after his return. Those few stories Tony did share of his time as a PoW are the stuff of most people’s worst nightmares. It began shortly before he was captured on the road to Caen. He and four other tanks from his brigade were going up a rise when Tony’s tank developed mechanical problems and had to fall back while the other four tanks pressed on. Tony remembered eventually coming over the rise to see that the other four tanks were completely destroyed and burning. Flames and smoke curled up into the sky; there were no survivors. Tony fell into enemy hands, was moved away from the front and loaded onto railway cattle cars for the long trip into Germany. He and his fellow prisoners had had very little food to that point, but at the back of the cattle car there was a large pot of hot soup waiting. It tasted good after several days of not eating and he and his fellow PoWs tucked into it with gusto. It wasn’t until they got near the bottom of the soup pot when they saw a whole cow head, hair, face, eyes and all, staring back up at them. It was a foreshadowing of the

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greater brutality and hardships to come. Little is known how Tony fared while in Stalag 8A. He never told too many stories about that. From other examples cited in history it is well known that regular enlisted men like Tony were exposed to the most brutal and harsh treatment by their German captors amongst all the PoWs. Officers and air crewmen could expect some respect from the aristocratically hierarchal Nazi military; not so those who weren’t addressed as “Sir.” The only story Tony’s family knows about his time in the PoW camp is the one about the wheelbarrow. Every morning the German guards would push in a wheelbarrow full of bread into their prisoners - sometimes this was all the food that was brought in for the entire day. The German guards would pass out the bread and then, once the wheelbarrow was empty, they would go through again and pile on all the bodies of the prisoners who had died the night before onto that same wheelbarrow and take them out to be buried. This process was repeated everyday, and it was always the same wheelbarrow. Toward the end of the war the Nazis knew the end was coming and that the Allied armies were getting closer everyday. Fearing that the Russian armies coming in would free the Stalags in Poland and arm the soldiers held there behind the Nazi withdrawal, Germany emptied its prison camps and concentrated the PoWs for transport. 5,000 Canadian prisoners were all kept together. When the Russians began drawing closer the Germans forced their 5,000 Canadian PoWs to begin what would become known as the Death March. The Canadians were forced to walk hundreds of miles with almost no food, and many of them were already sick from diseases like Typhus and dysentery due to the squalid conditions of their confinement. Each soldier was given one blanket to keep himself warm in temperatures of -23 C; and any prisoner who fell by the road side was either left for dead or shot. Tony did tell his nephew Fred Reinhart and daughter Connie Lindsay several stories from this nightmarish time in his life. He said that some guys were so hungry and desperate that they would trade away their blankets for food. But Tony never would, no matter how hungry he got, because most of those who gave away their blankets ended up dying of exposure by the next morning. One night the Canadians were forced to sleep out in the open and a guy he knew didn’t have a blanket. Tony offered to share and the two of them tucked in underneath Tony’s blanket for the night to share their warmth. When Tony awoke the next day the man who he had been sharing the blanket with was dead. The Germans would not let any of the Canadians stop to help their fellow prisoners if they fell and couldn’t get up. Everyone had to keep moving. One Canadian prisoner Tony remembered until

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the end of his life was a guy who fell beside the road face-first into a puddle. The guy had been too weak to get back up and the Germans had let him drown there, and there had been nothing Tony could do about it. One day on the endless suffering of the Death March the always mechanically-minded Tony heard a sound in the sky above; he recognized the sound of American airplane engines coming in. Panicked, the Nazi guards forced the prisoners to start moving faster. Tony saw his opportunity and told the guys immediately around him that the planes above were American, and that they should take their chance to escape now. They jumped off the road together into a nearby field and hunkered down to wait. They waited a very long time. The German guards never looked for them; they were too much in a hurry to keep moving. Finally Tony said they heard the sounds of American tanks coming up the road. He and his fellow prisoners jumped up hands in the air and screamed as loud as they could that they were Canadians. The Americans stopped their vehicles and radioed for transport to come and pick them up. Tony and the other Canadians must have looked like starved scarecrows to the appalled American servicemen: most had already lost half their body weight. The first thing Tony asked for was a cigarette; he had never tasted anything better in his life up until that point. He knew his ordeal, and likely his war, was finally over. Tony suffered health problems for the rest of his life due to his harsh treatment at the hands of the Nazis. After he returned to Saskatchewan he went into the grocery business and did that until he retired; he eventually ended up owning his own grocery store (H & K Grocery) in Tompkins. His family believes Tony was passionate about the grocery business because of his experiences of near starvation during the war. Tony wanted to feed people. If a customer couldn’t pay for whatever reason, Tony wouldn’t turn her away. He did not like the idea of people going home hungry. Tony also never believed in getting worked up about things, and was valued in the Tompkins Legion and larger community for his ability to make light and keep things running smoothly during club meetings and on social occasions. Tony Hundt passed away in 1994 at the age of 79. Tony, perhaps better than any other soldier’s story we have told for this special Remembrance Day supplement, understood the darker side of human nature, in its worst aspects, brought out by the circumstances of war. But no matter how inhumanely he was treated by his German captors, Tony never despaired and he never lost faith in basic human decency and goodness. It was this simple humanity that allowed Tony to survive the Death March when so many others fell along the way. Of the 5,000 Canadian PoWs pushed onto the Death March only 848 were alive at the end. Tony Hundt was one of those 848.

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FRED INCE - Private (102nd Battalion, Central Ontario Regiment) Fred Ince (b.1887) of Frontier was KIA 19170409 at Vimy Ridge and is buried at Canadian No. 2 cemetery just south of the Vimy Memorial north of Arras, Pas-de-Calais, France. He was the son of Alfred Ince of Clare, Suffolk, England. Fred homesteaded SW19-3-20-W3 west of Frontier before enlisting at Shaunavon early in 1916. JAMES REYNOLDS - Private (10th Battalion, Alberta Regiment) James Reynolds (b.1884) of Frontier died 19180314 of his wounds and is buried at Houchin British cemetery south of Béthune, Pas-deCalais, France. He was the son of Mary Reynolds of Enniskillen, Fermanagh, Ireland. James was born at Belturbet, Cavan, and homesteaded NE13-3-20-W3 at Frontier. He was working as a liveryman at Shaunavon when he enlisted there early in 1916. James married Mary Eleanor of Belturbet after going overseas. VERNON THOMAS SHERVEN - Sergeant (RCAF air gunner) Vernon Thomas Sherven (b.1923) of Frontier died 19440601 and is buried at Sleepy Hillock cemetery, Montrose, Angus, Scotland. Sherven’s Halifax stalled and crashed in Shielin Caenlochan forest in the Scottish highlands during a training fl ight from No. 1667 Heavy Conversion Unit. He was the only son of Levi and Jenny (Nestegaard) Porter. Jenny remarried as Mrs. Conrad Skjerven and they came from North Dakota to homestead SE28-2-19-W3 southeast of Frontier. Vernon was born at Fillmore, Benson Co., North Dakota, adopted his step-father’s surname, was educated at Sletten school and was a labourer when he enlisted at Calgary, Alberta, early in 1943.

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MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR LOCAL BOY KILLED IN ACTION F R O M T H E A D VA N C E A R C H I V E S

editor@gulllakeadvance.com

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he service at the United Church last Sunday morning, was in the form of a memorial to Flying Officer George G. Cann of the R.C.A.F., son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Cann, of Gull Lake, who was killed in action Tuesday, November 3rd. The Rev. W.E. Bannerman took as the subject of his address “Greater Love Hath no Man than this, that a man lay down his Life for his Friends.” The Altar was draped with the Union Jack

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Lt John Meikle - WWI SSgt Edward Murrell - WWI F/S James Allan Pirie - WWII

PENNANT

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PIAPOT

and decorated with flowers. The junior choir led in the singing of the hymns and Mrs. E. Ohrner rendered a solo “In The Garden.” Out of town members of the family attending the service included Mrs. J. Hall of Lethbridge, Miss Violet Cann of Calgary, Mr. and Mrs. James Cann of Swift Current and Mr. Robert Cann of Carstairs, Alberta. The congregation was composed of members from various denominations, as a mark of respect and an expression of sympathy.

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Casualities Of War

DISPATCHER WARTIME MOTORCYCLIST REMEMBERED

We knew why he went over and what he has to do. He saw the death camps. He was there. He was adamant we not forget about the grim situation...”

SCOTSGUARD LCpl Emerson James Foster - WWII P/O David Albert Laird - WWII Pte Herbert Player - WWI Gnr Gabriel Ferdinand Schlemko - WWII Pte John Reid Wallace - WWI Pte Clarence Alvin Warner - WWI

S H AU N AVO N Lt Alexander William Aitchison - WWI

BY J O R DA N PA R K E R

editor@gulllakeadvance.com

ohn E. Bartole spent his formative years doing dangerous work, he was a disptacher, driving a motorcycle in war-torn areas in order to bring supplies and essentials to civilians during World War II. The father was a good-natured man. He was oddly embarrassed of his middle name, and his son Murray would only describe it to The Advance as “old fashioned,” with a chuckle. His father was a happy man, but he was pretty withdrawn when it came to his struggles during the war. He preferred to remember the good times. “We got a few things out of him, but we never got down to the nitty gritty. It was all about the good times and never about the bad parts. He was reclusive about that. He was there, and it must have been hard to be happy in that situation. It’s understandable.” He would discuss his experiences with adults, but change the subject if his kids came around. “It was just the way he was. He went through so much. He wanted to talk about the good memories, if you can call them that.” Bartole grew up on a farm southeast of Regina, and would settle in Webb after he was married. He would farm for his in-laws. But his son Murray recounts with passion his father’s extraordinary experiences in the military. “He rode on a motorcycle and escorted convoys and groups. He went all over the place. He went from France to Holland, then to Italy and even the north end of Africa. He did the whole gamut of the place,” he said. “He spent quite a bit of time in Holland, and he talked a few times about when Holland was liberated. Some buddies got there first and were heroes. Everyone was treated well there, and he talked as if he got to know some civilians.” Bartole Sr. was 20 when he went in in 1943, and was working in Regina at the time. During that period, going to war was just something you did, and not much thought was given as to alternatives. “His basic training was in Ontario, and he was trained to ride a motorcycle there. I never did ask him why he got involved in that aspect, but it was a job about moving equipment,” he said. “Being a farm kid, he never knew much about motorcycles, but he became a good rider. But I remember when I was a kid, my dad called bikes death traps. He would ride every once in a while, but I think he remembered it as a not very glorified job. He didn’t like us on them after the war.” Bartole wishes he had been older and spent more time going over things with his

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dad, but he never pushed for information. He caught some insight, though, during an Alberta antique motorcycle group’s drive through Maple Creek. “I took dad down there, and I learned so much from that session. They had an army issue Triumph bike and a Norton one. They had dispatch rider uniforms on. Once they found out he had been one, they grabbed him and had him for an hour,” laughs Bartole. “I learned that the restored Norton bike came from Africa. It had a rhino on the side of the tank, and dad had said the ones in Africa had rhinos on them specifically. They used Nortons because they were lighter.” John Bartole, who would die at 85 years old in 2010, told his son a story about when he took a convoy into Berlin. “They were taking medical supplies, food and blankets. Basically it was survival stuff. When they got in, they had to surrender all arms, and went behind enemy lines to do this,” he said. “It was eerie because they were going in with vehicles and German troops were passing them, heading for the front lines the other way. They were defenceless, and I often wondered if it wasn’t a mercy run after Berlin was obliterated. But I never got clarity.” He was bothered by some memories from his time serving, and one in particular stuck with him. “He said he had the largest issue was not knowing what had happened at war-struck places. He brought a dutch shoe from a child home to us. He found it laying on a pile of rubble, and he never knew where the child was. He never knew if he’d been killed,” said Bartole. “The house was destroyed, and there was just that one show on the wreckage. It was something he carried with him.” His father was a pretty somber man during Remembrance Day each year. “His personality had changed. Looking back at the memories, he had lost people who were very close to him. He wasn’t a really emotional person, but it definitely bothered him and it haunted him,” he said. “We knew the meaning of the day growing up, and he never wanted us to forget what it stood for. The kids that went over were young farm kids, and they were thrown into something like that. They were naive. They had no idea what they were getting into.” The pride he feels at his father’s accomplishments is immense. “We knew why he went over and what he has to do. He saw the death camps. He was there. He was adamant we not forget about the grim situation. It was shocking, but we had to know,” he said. “He always wanted us to remember, and we carry his memory with us. We’re so thankful for everything that he did.”

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Gull Lake JAMES ANDERSON - 1009021 Private (46th Battalion, Saskatchewan Regiment) James Anderson (b.1882) of Gull Lake was KIA 19171026 at Passchendaele and is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial at Ieper, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium, which bears the names of 55,000 men who were lost without trace during the defence of the Ypres Salient in the First World War. He was the son of William and Jane Anderson of Belfast, Ireland. James, who was born at Carrickfergus, Antrim, was working as a carpenter when he enlisted at Gull Lake early in 1916. He had worked earlier in the Cabri area. WILLIAM BAIRD 1009031 Private (46th Battalion, Saskatchewan Regiment) William Baird (b.1897) of Gull Lake was KIA 19180902 at Dury and is buried at Windmill British cemetery, Monchy-le-Preux southeast of Arras, Pasde-Calais, France. He was the son of Charles W. and Elizabeth (Lizzie) Baird of Wallace Station, Cumberland Co., Nova Scotia. William was born at Halifax and was farming when he enlisted at Gull Lake early in 1916. MANFRED WESLEY CLARKE - 1009565 Private (46th Battalion, Saskatchewan Regiment) Manford Wesley Clarke (b.1897) of Gull Lake died 19180825 of wounds sustained near Meharicourt and is buried at VillersBretonneux military cemetery east of Amiens, Somme, France. He was the son of Trueman Edward and Mary Brownell Clarke of Greene, Butler Co., Iowa, and later of Dublin, Ireland. Manford was born at Amherst, Cumberland Co., Nova Scotia, and was working as a clerk when he enlisted at Gull Lake early in 1916. ALFRED BOOTH DYNES - 1010279 Private (46th Battalion, Saskatchewan Regiment) Alfred Boothe Dynes (b.1897) of Gull Lake was KIA 19181101 at Valenciènnes and is buried at Aulnoy communal cemetery south of Valenciènnes, Nord, France. He was the son of Edward and Elizabeth Boothe Dynes who came from Moorefield, Wellington Co., Ontario, to homestead NW13-11-18-W3 in the Illerbrun district south of Gull Lake and later moved to Edmonton, Alberta. Alfred was teaching school when he enlisted at Gull Lake late in 1916. WILLIAM LUDLOW ESTABROOKS - L64020

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Trooper (Armoured Corps advanced training centre) William Ludlow (Bill) Estabrooks (b.1916) of Gull Lake, where he is buried, died 19420828. Estabrooks was admitted to Christie Street hospital, Toronto, with a diagnosis of acute depression and jumped from a fourth floor window the next day, impaling himself on a iron fence. He was the son of George Whitfield and Margaret Beverley (Currie) Estabrooks who came from New York and Ontario respectively. George had a blacksmith shop and later an implement dealership. Bill worked as a machinist for his father and taught for four months at Moose Jaw technical school before enlisting at Regina early in 1942, leaving a wife Beatrice May (Spencer) at Gull Lake. ROBERT JAMES EUSTACE - 781084 Private (28th Battalion, Saskatchewan Regiment) (Robert) James Eustace (b.1889) of Gull Lake died 19170928 of his wounds and is buried at Dorney burial ground, Buckinghamshire, England. He was the son of James and Elizabeth Eustace of Dorney. James Jr. was born at Wantage, Oxfordshire, and was farming when he enlisted at Moose Jaw late in 1915. JUERGEN CLAUS FISCHEN - L603289 Lance Corporal (Prince Albert Volunteers driver mechanic) Juergen Claus Fitschen (b.1920) of Gull Lake died 19441018 a Shaughnessy hospital, Vancouver, of tuberculosis and is buried at Goodhope cemetery, Gull Lake. He was the son of John, who came from Hagenah, Germany, to homestead NW28-10-19-W3 in the Aldag district in 1906, and Elsie F. (Sharman) Fitschen. Juergen was farming with his family when he was called up for NRMA trainiing at Regina early in 1942 and married

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2015

Margaret (Meincke) of Garden Head the next year. JAMES GIBSON LAURIER FRASER Lieutenant (16th Battalion, Manitoba Regiment) James Gibson Laurier Fraser (b.1894) of Gull Lake was KIA 19180304 and is buried at Bully-Grenay communal cemetery British extension north of Arras, Pas-de-Calais, France. James was a student at law when he enlisted at Moose Jaw in 1916. Brother of MM Fraser. They were the children of Duncan Cameron and Bessie Graham Fraser of New Glasgow, Pictou Co., Nova Scotia. Duncan was the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia from 1906 until his death in 1910. Bessie was living at Moose Jaw when James and Margaret enlisted, and later moved to Victoria, British Columbia.

JAMES TAFT HEMSWORTH - J85396 Pilot Oﬃcer (No. 38 Squadron RAF pilot) James Taft Hemsworth (b.1918) of Gull Lake was KIA 19440406 over the Aegean Sea and is commemorated on the Alamein Memorial, Egypt, for airmen from the middle eastern theatre who died with no known grave. Hemsworth’s Wellington failed to return from a night patrol off Pyreus, Greece. He was the son of William Booth Hemsworth, hardware merchant originally from Ethel, Huron Co., Ontario, and Mabel Clara (Taft) who came from Great Falls,

During the Second World War Jack Johnston served as a Gunner in the Royal Canadian Artillery firing medium range 5.5 inch Howitzers.

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Montana. The family moved from Tramping Lake to Gull Lake in 1925. James was born at Outlook and spent a couple of years working in the family business before enlisting at Regina late in 1940.

The HMCS Dawson Corvette, the ship Robert James Gedny was stationed on, set sail on February 8, 1941 It was decommissioned in 1945 after the end of World War II.

Gedny poses inside a tube used for carrying fresh air down to the boiler room, where he worked as a Class 4 Boiler for the duration of World War II.

JOSEPH MILTON HODGSON - 252104 Private (209th Battalion, Central Ontario Regiment) Joseph Milton Hodgson (b.1897) of Gull Lake, where he is buried, died 19160314 of heart failure. He was the son of Oscar L. and Essie Hodgson who came from Riversdale, Bruce Co., Ontario, to homestead SE32-11-19-W3 south of the Roscommon siding. Joseph was farming when he enlisted at Swift Current less than a month before his death.

Gedny poses with a military friend holding shells later used for depth charges across the Atlantic. The HMCS Dawson was known as an escort ship, protecting the merchant ships inside.

Remembrance Day more than just a service for Gull Lake man BY B E T H JA R R E L L

beth@gulllakeadvance.com

lthough Alan Gedny did not serve in the military himself, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t done his research. Gedny’s father, Robert, served in World War II as a member of the Navy. In the years since, Gedny has spent a significant amount of time researching and gathering information about his father’s role in the war, something he believes is important in honouring the sacrifice of those who fought for Canada made. Robert James Gedny served on the HMCS Dawson Corvette, a 1941 ship decommissioned in

1945. It launched in February of 1941 and immediately set sail for England. “It was actually a submarine chaser, and they could shoot depth charges, which were basically bombs that floated down and hit the German submarines to explore them,” Gedny said. “They were basically an escort for the merchant ships, probably destroyers that the Canadian Navy would have had,” he said. “They escorted the merchant ships back and forth, because they didn’t have any guns on them or anything to defend themselves.” Gedny says his father’s time on the ship was extremely memorable to him, and he remembered him

We shall never forget.

telling stories about his time in service. “If they detected a submarine, they would have tried to protect the stuff going back and forth between Canada and Britain,” he said. “My dad always referred to himself as a member of the escort ships. “They had big depth charges, so they wouldn’t ever know if they hit anything. They’d have to stick around to see the oil slick, and they sure didn’t want to do that- not if it meant running into other enemy ships with bigger weapons.” After joining in 1941, just in time for the ship’s first launch, the senior Gedny stayed in the Navy until the war ended, when he returned to

his home in Gull Lake. “After the war he started farming, and in the winter he went up to Trail, B.C. to work in the smelter. They didn’t have a lot of cows or anything, so he worked in the winter-time too to make sure he could keep farming in the summer. He was a very, very hard worker.” Alan says that for him, Remembrance Day is about honouring his father and the other members that he served with. “The vets fought for our freedom and still fight today, and that’s why Remembrance Day is important. We need to honour them,” he said. “This is one day of the year that we can take a minute to remember that.”

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ALBERT ALEXANDER KOSHNEY - L102926 Private (Black Watch) Albert Alexander (Abby) Koshney (b.1921) of Gull Lake was KIA 19440806 during the push to Falaise and is buried at Bény-sur-Mer Canadian war cemetery near Reviers, Calvados, France. He was the oldest son of Peter Paul and Anna Belle (Suchla) Koshney. Peter came from Poland to

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New York as a stowaway during World War I, and later farmed and practiced carpentry at Gull Lake. Abby was carpentering with his father when he enlisted at Regina late in 1942. His brother Larry served in the RCAF, and brother Alphonse had his tank blown up at the Falaise Gap just a short distance from where Abby was killed. JOHN C. KENNEDY 21622 Private (5th Battalion, Saskatchewan Regiment) John C. Kennedy (b.1888) of Gull Lake(?) was KIA 19150425 at Gravenstafel and is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial at Ieper, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium, which bears the names of 55,000 men who were lost without trace during the defence of the Ypres Salient in the First World War. John was a native of Dublin, Ireland, and was working as a cook and baker when he enlisted in the 60th Rifles at Camp Valcartier, Québec, on the outbreak of the war. His next of kin was a cousin Geretrude Portins at Illerbrun and later of Moose Jaw.

CHARLES BRUCE MACLENNAN - J95550 Pilot Oﬃcer (No. 419 Moose Squadron RCAF wireless air gunner) (Charles) Bruce Maclennan (b.1924) of Gull Lake was shot down over Hamburg 19450331 and is

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2015

buried at Becklingen war cemetery southeast of Soltau, Germany. Maclennan’s Lancaster was one of the few to be shot down by the new German jet fighters. He was the son of Joseph and Constance (Wood) Maclennan. Joseph came from Antigonish, Nova Scotia, and taught throughout the prairies. Bruce was born at Regina but moved to Gull Lake as a baby when his father became the school inspector there in 1926. He went straight into the air force after graduating from high school in 1942. His brother Ian flew Spitfi res out of Malta.

Gull Lake Boy Receives Wings Following Six Months of Training F R O M T H E A D VA N C E A R C H I V E S

editor@gulllakeadvance.com

letcher Vaughan Taylor, son of Mr. and Mrs. Jack Taylor of Gull Lake, graduated as a Fighter Pilot of the Royal Canadian Air Force, when he received his Wings Friday of last week. The graduation entitled him to the rank of Sergeant Pilot Taylor. Fletcher who came to Gull Lake from Moose Jaw as a baby one year old, celebrated his twenty-first birthday last January. He received his education in Gull Lake and enlisted in

JOHN VALENTINE McCARTHY - 781459 Private (50th Battalion, Alberta Regiment) John Valentine McCarthy (b.1893) of Gull Lake was KIA 19170410 at Vimy Ridge and is commemorated on the Vimy Memorial north of Arras, Pas-de-Calais, for the 11,000+ Canadian soldiers who perished in northern France with no known grave. He was the son of Annie McCarthy of Annascaul, Kerry, Ireland. John was farming when he enlisted at Gull Lake late in 1915.

R.C.A.F. on October 16th, 1940. His graduation came exactly six months following his enlistment. Brandon was his first station and later he was transferred to Prince Albert where he made his solo flight and his L.A.C. From Prince Albert he was sent to Ottawa and graduated as a Pilot from No. 2 Service Flying Training School of the British commonwealth air training plan. Fletcher is now ready for transfer overseas to complete training on service types of aircraft. He is also eligible to be selected as a Commissioned officer.

ROBERT LYLE McCULLOCH - R107653 Flight Sergeant (No. 103 Squadron RAF air gunner) Robert Lyle (Bob) McCulloch (b.1922) of Gull Lake was KIA 19420922 and is buried at Brigg cemetery, Lincolnshire, England. McCulloch’s Halifax crashed at Elsham Wolds returning from a raid. He was the son of Clarence Earl and Nora Ethel (Erickson) McCulloch who came from Cooperstown, Griggs Co., North Dakota, where Bob was born, to homestead NW1-1519-W3 north of Gull Lake.

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George Waddington was a two-war veteran BY J O R DA N PA R K E R

hen Ponteix resident Sue Haglund looks back on her father, she sees a strong man whose service encompassed huge areas of his life. George Waddington was in World War I and World War II. He gave much of his life to the service of this country. “He didn’t go overseas in the second war, but he did in the first. My father was born on a ship coming over from England and lived in Ontario. He would talk to us after a few drinks about the war, but he was normally pretty quiet about it,” she said. This contributes to an overall culture with military veterans, who prefer to remember the happier times of their service, and understandably wish not to drudge up the bad experiences. “A lot of them are that way and don’t like to talk that much. It’s difficult to see some things, and he remembered the wet trenches, the poor conditions and the bad food,” she said. “I’ve known a lot of veterans and they keep it to themselves. They don’t divulge the really bad stuff that went on. He talked about the things they did and places they were. “He was a soldier on the front lines. He mentioned the horrible life and conditions they have. It was soaking wet and cold, and with guys getting shot. It wasn’t a good place to be.” He had a drive within him, and the fact was

nothing was going to stop Waddington from serving. “In the first war, he actually lied about his age to get in. He was 16 or 17 and he said he was 18. They really weren’t too careful. They just wanted people over there. He was very passionate about serving his country,” said Haglund. “He was in the North West Mounted Police before that. He had quite a life. He left home very young and never got back until after the war. There are just so many questions I should have asked him about all this.” She said many traumatic events stuck with her father, and the aftermath of war isn’t really something that used to be dealt with. “He talked about one of his friends that was shot. He wasn’t dead at the time, and my father had to drag him to some shelter,” she said. “He was wounded himself in the First World War. He was shot in the head and got shrapnel in his feet. He had to have toes removed.” The pride Haglund felt at all her fathers accomplishments won’t soon dissipate. “Remembrance Day was quite important to him. He did in 1972, but we always miss and remember him. I’m happy he went to fight for out country. He was very unhealthy from it, and he had been gassed. His lungs were bad and he suffered,” she said. “But i think he thought it was worth it. Someone had to go and he went and fought for the future.”

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The family moved to Climax where Clarence worked as a mechanic, then to Shellbrook, to Gull Lake in 1940 and finally to Shaunavon later in the war. Bob was educated at Shellbrook and was working as a mechanic at Robinson’s garage at Gull Lake when he enlisted at Regina in 1941. His brother Clarence Jr. also served in the RCAF while sister June was in the Canadian Women’s Army Corps.

Waddington told family about the rotten conditions they faced in the trenches

editor@gulllakeadvance.com

George Waddington fought in both World War One and World War Two.

KEITH BRADLEY MIRAU - T59643076 Captain (No. 424 Transport and Rescue Squadron RCAF pilot) Keith Bradley Mirau (b.1944) of Gull Lake was KIA 19740809 and is buried at Swift Current memorial gardens. Mirau’s unarmed Buffalo was on a United Nations Emergency Force flight from Ismailia, Egypt, to Damascus when it was shot down by a Syrian missile. He was born at McMahon, the son of Arnold Mirau, and moved with his family to Gull Lake in 1951. Keith left a wife Gloria (Berg) and sons Kelly and Douglas at Belleville, Hastings Co., Ontario. The death of Mirau and his eight passengers (“the Buffalo Nine”) was the single worst loss of life in Canadian peacekeeping history. August 9th is still marked as Peacekeepers Day, and Buffalo Park at Calgary, Alberta, was dedicated on that date in 2005 in tribute to peacekeepers past and present, especially the Buffalo Nine. JAMES LEO O’CONNOR - 4020966 Private (21st Battalion, Eastern Ontario Regiment) (James) Leo O’Connor (b.1899) of Gull Lake was KIA 19181011 and is buried at Niagara cemetery, Iwuy northeast of Cambrai, Nord, France. He was the son of Bartholomew and Mary E. (Barry) O’Connor of Lonsdale, Hastings Co., Ontario. Leo was a labourer when he was drafted at Kingston, Frontenac Co., early in 1918.

We salute our brave men and women who have served our county. R.M. OF CARMICHAEL NO. 109

Box 420 Gull Lake, SK. S0N 1A0

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2015

Orville Studer

RICHARD VALENTINE SELLS - L84568 Lance Corporal (Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders) Richard Valentine (Dick) Sells (b.1922) of Gull Lake was KIA 19450303 during operations to clear the west bank of the Rhine and is buried at Groesbeek Canadian war cemetery near Nijmegen, Gelderland, Netherlands. Sells had been wounded in Normandy while serving with the South Saskatchewan Regiment. He was the son of Orval and Alma (Johnson) Sells who came from Montana to W3-13-19-W3 southwest of Gull Lake. Richard, whose brother Howard served in the RCAF, attended Bench and Gull Lake schools and was farming with his family when he enlisted at Moose Jaw early in 1942. His brother Edwin also served overseas with the Army while brother Howard was with the RCAF in England.

Orville V. Studer was born November 28, 1921 at home to John and Madeline Studer. He was delivered into the arms of his Grandma Dean, who was the local midwife. He grew up in the Klintonel School District north of Eastend, Saskatchewan where he also attended school … the school that the love of his life would later come to teach at. Mary Flannery (that new school teacher), boarded at Orville’s sister’s place. Orville soon became a frequent visitor and was now more interested in this new School Marm than visiting his sister Delores. Th is love story was interrupted by WWII. Orville was called up for the liberation of Europe. He saw active service with the VIIIth RECCE in Belgium, Holland and Germany from October, 1944 until VE Day, 1945. Orville was then posted to Germany, as part of the occupation army, for one year. The love story resumed when he came home; Orville and Mary were married on December 20, 1946 in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan.

CHRISTIAN OLSEN - 781760 Private (28th Battalion, Saskatchewan Regiment) Christian Olsen (b.1881) of Gull Lake died 19180820 of abdominal wounds sustained ten days earlier during the battle of Amiens and is buried at Villers-Bretonneux military cemetery east of Amiens, Somme, France. He was the son of Hans Olsen and Karin Marie Nielsen of Hojelse, Sjaelland, Denmark. Christian was a farmer and mechanic when he enlisted at Moose Jaw early in 1916. RICHARD GORDON SWEETING - L58711 Lance Corporal (Royal Canadian Corps of Signals) (Richard) Gordon Sweeting (b.1918) of Gull Lake died 19450913 and is buried at Groesbeek Canadian war cemetery near Nijmegen, Gelderland, Netherlands. Sweeting and his Dutch girlfriend were returning from a dance at Hilversum when they were run down in the street by a jeep (the court of inquiry ruled it accidental). He was the son of Richard Herbert and Inez Zora (Wolf) Sweeting. Richard Sr. came from the Bahamas to homestead W25-8-25-W3 in the Murraydale district in 1912, surely the only Saskatchewan homesteader to have previously managed a pineapple plantation. Inez came from Indiana and they went into business at Gull Lake just two years later. Gordon was a ticket taker at the Lyceum Theatre when he enlisted at Regina in 1941. His brother Lysle served in the Navy. CLAYTON WHITE R77630 Sergeant (No. 419 Moose Squadron RCAF fl ight engineer) (Captain) Clayton White (b.1912) of Gull Lake was KIA 19440613 and is buried at Meharicourt communal cemetery east of Amiens, Somme, France. White’s Lancaster was shot down at Courcellesau-Bois during a raid on the marshalling yards at Cambrai, Nord, his fi fth mission. He was the son of William and Annie (Germyn) White who came from Bobcaygeon, Victoria Co., Ontario, to homestead SW2012-17-W3 south of Antelope in 1906. Clayton was farming out when he enlisted at Calgary, Alberta, late in 1940.

SYRIAN IMMIGRANT FOUGHT FOR A BETTER LIFE David Salloum (middle) poses with his family in the 1950’s. Syria-born Salloum went to war to fight against the Ottoman Empire, and ended up assimilating to Canadian culture a great deal. BY J O R DA N PA R K E R

editor@gulllakeadvance.com

avid Salloum was a World War One veteran, posted to the 128th battalion. A Syrian immigrant, he went to war to push back against the Ottoman Empire that oppressed his family back in the old country, and found himself assimilating to Canadian culture in the process. This month in Maple Creek, his grandson Dr. Jim Warren will be recounting the veteran’s trials and tribulations in the latest Great War Project presentation done by the Southwest Saskatchewan Oldtimers’ Museum & Archive. Dr. Warren, a lecturer with the University of Regina, says his grandfather was born in the part of Syria that has become Lebanon, and came to Canada with his brother and five cousins in 1912. They would soon homestead around Vanguard, Hazenmore and Ponteix. “They were homesteading when the war broke out, and my grandfather was recruited out of Moose Jaw. He had a wife and three kids back in Syria, and he was concerned about their welfare.” The Ottoman Empire was divided by religious strife, an area containing many different belief systems within it. The Ottomans were more tolerant toward some over others. “The Ottomans officially tol-

erated Christians, but they paid higher taxes and paid income tax the Muslims didn’t pay. There were rules in place, like Christian families couldn’t have more than one son, they couldn’t ride horses or carry guns. Not that many of these were followed though.” The French had taken Christians under their wing since the Crusades and the Ottomans didn’t want to step on that. “My grandfather was a farmer and stonemason, but there wasn’t enough farmland to go around. They set off for the new world, first going to Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, and then finally Canada.” Some died and scattered off during the trip, but those who stayed along ended up in Saskatchewan just in time for the war. “It broke out, and word slipped to us that the Christians in our area were getting it tough. By the end of the war, 100,000 Christians had died from starvation because Turks took their crops. My grandfather and cousin -- who was from Eastend -- ostensibly joined the war to fight the Turks.” But Salloum would end up in France in 1916, and he would be pulled out in 1917 as his lungs were too damaged to go forward. “He had lung trouble from gas attacks. He came home, and when the war finished he brought his family to Canada. There was land available for veterans, so he did okay by the war. They had three more kids here,

and once the farm developed they sold it and went into groceries.” They had a store in Vanguard that burned down in the early 1930’s. They had nothing, and ended up in Regina, where Salloum worked as a janitor for veteran affairs until he retired. “Canada treated him good. One thing he liked was he could sleep at night without worrying a neighbouring faction would come kill him. He believed in assimilation, but remembered the important things about where he came from,” said Warren. “When World War II broke out, his four sons all served. It was about strategic assimilation. You keep aspects of your culture but do all you can to be part of your new community.” He says history is just repeating itself in Syria right now. “Look at it. It’s a mess. From all my grandfather told me, he came here to get the hell away from it. Religion was part of the problem, as was control of resources,” he said. “My grandfather fought for a better life for his family, and he achieved that for sure.” The presentation, Fighting for the King Against the Sultan: Syrian Strategic Assimilation Through War, will be on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. at the C.M. Glascock Building. Admission is by donation and refreshments are provided.

a letter to home

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Casualities Of War

Hazlet

The Dieppe raid was a “Grand Battle and the boys stood up to it marvelously.” Lieutenant Ross McIlveen writes in a letter to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. R.L. McIlveen of Gull Lake. We have the privilege of publishing part of his letter which will be of interest to a large number of our readers, bringing the story as he saw it.

South Saskatchewan Regt. Canadian Army Overseas Dear Mother and Dad, Well I feel a lot better now than when I wrote my first letter after sending you a cable. I still feel a bit tired. It really was a tough job and took a lot of hard work. But we really did a good job all the way around. You will likely have the complete story by the time you get this letter. You will likely see my picture in the paper too. It has been taken enough times in the last few days. Well anyway here is part of the story as it happened to me. It was really a grand battle and the boys stood up to it marvelously. They have all the courage and determination in the world. We licked Jery, and did it on his own ground we used his tactics and made better use of them than he did. He outnumbered us two or three to one and we still made him say “Uncle”. I never saw a more cool and collected bunch as our Canadian lads. When they first came under fire they just cussed a little bit and fired right back. Just a few seconds after we had landed a bullet bounced off the steel hat of one of my boys. He just said “Damn his bloody hide” didn’t bother to aim and shot the Jerry right thru’ the eye. It was our first kill and the lads didn’t stop from then on. It was just as if they were out in the field back here at camp doing a little battle drill training. Actually Jerry was pretty yellow. As long as he was under cover and we couldn’t find him to shoot him, he was brave and fought very well and we had a little fun, but just as soon as we found him and started putting some shots in his direction he quit and stood up with his hands up and shouted “Kamerad”. We took a lot of prisoners. Actually the real purpose of the raid was for information about the enemy and to get prisoners. You can be plenty proud of the Canadian soldiers. You and all the rest of the Canadians over there can be proud of the men you sent over to fight for you. They are the tops and there are none better anywhere. You have the story in the papers - well there is a bigger story behind that, that will never be told. It is the story of the individual man and officer. I can tell you that it really was and is a wonderful story. We really had it tough at times. There were times when I thought that none of us would

leave but the courage and determination of the men was amazing and they won their way through. The discipline was perfect, every order obeyed to the letter. Most of the time orders were not necessary, the men knew their jobs and did it and did it darn well. One of the platoons in my company contacted an enemy machine gun post. They shot it up and made the enemy take to cover underground. Then our men moved right into the centre of the area and Jerry tried to snipe them off one by one. Heck, Jerry didn’t have a chance at that kind of fighting. Our boys have spent too many years on the prairies shooting gophers through the eye. We cleaned most of them out in a hurry and what were left thought that the best idea was to throw out their rifles and come out with their hands up. We shot about twenty Jerries there and didn’t lose any of our boys. I found a German mortar and some bombs. It didn’t take me long to figure out how to work it and I tried to blast out four snipers who were bothering us. I blasted the devil right out of their area and we received no more shots so I assumed that I had wiped them out too. When I finished with the mortar I threw it over the cliff into the sea. No sense leaving it for them to use again. After that we found a couple of Jerry machine guns and a lot of ammunition. We fired off the ammo at Jerries and then threw the guns in the sea. They were too heavy to carry around. We used a lot of Jerry weapons. When I left France I had to swim half a mile out to the boats. We all did as the tide wasn’t high enough for them to come in any farther. I was plenty wet. I came home in a destroyer and I froze all the way home in my wet clothes. I spent twelve hours on that boat. Boy, I was never so glad to see the white cliffs of England in all my life. We finally landed on shore about 1:30 in the morning and they whisked us off to a reception camp. There they took our names and then gave us a cup of hot raw rum. Boy I really warmed up in a hurry then. After that I had a cup of tea and some biscuits and felt much better. I got half an hour sleep and they sent us back to camp. There I got about five hours sleep and then worked for about another ten hours before I got to bed again.

We will remember.

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WILLIAM BAIN 252659 Private (49th Battalion, Alberta Regiment) William Bain (b.1889) of Hazlet was KIA 19170825 at Hill 70 and is buried at Fosse No. 10 communal cemetery extension, Sains-en-Gohelle north of Arras, Pas-deCalais, France. He was the son of Robert Bain of Fortrose, Highland, Scotland. William and his wife Ann (Munro) homesteaded NW22-1618-W3 south of Fosterton. He was working as a carpenter at Swift Current when he enlisted there early in 1916. FREDERICK CLYDE CLARE - 73769 Private (28th Battalion, Saskatchewan Regiment) Frederick Clyde Clare of Hazlet died 19150219 of disease and is buried at Brookside cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was the son of Joseph Sharpe and Ellen Clare of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Frederick homesteaded SE6-17-18-W3 east of Hazlet and enlisted at Regina on the outbreak of the war.

PATRICK W. DUNNE - 73537 Private (28th Battalion, Saskatchewan Regiment) Patrick W. Dunne (b.1892) of Hazlet was KIA 19151008 in the Ypres salient and is buried at Kemmel Chateau military cemetery south of Ieper, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. He was the son of Jane Dunne of Wilkinstown, Meath, Ireland. Patrick homesteaded NE3-1720-W3 west of Hazlet before enlisting at Saskatoon on the outbreak of the war.

DANIEL FRANCIS GIENOW - 925497 Private (5th Battalion, Saskatchewan Regiment) Daniel Francis Gienow (b.1895) of Balgonie was KIA 19170409 at Vimy Ridge and is buried at Nine Elms military cemetery, Thelus north of Arras, Pasde-Calais, France. He was the son of Daniel and Anna (Borkr) Gienow who came to Balgonie from Killaloe, Renfrew Co., Ontario, in 1911 to operate a dairy. Daniel Jr. was working on a farm in the Hazlet area when he enlisted at Estevan early in 1916.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2015

FREDERICK MONSON - 1009573 Private (46th Battalion, Saskatchewan Regiment) Frederick (Fred) Monson (b.1887) of Hazlet was KIA 19180116 and is buried at Sucrérie cemetery, Ablain-Saint-Nazaire north of Arras, Pas-de-Calais, France. He was the son of Sam Monson of Milnor, Sargent Co., North Dakota. Fred homesteaded SW2116-20-W3 southwest of Hazlet before enlisting at Gull Lake early in 1916. WILLIAM NORMAN PARTRIDGE – R114771 Flight Sergeant (No. 166 Squadron RAF wireless air gunner) William Norman (Billie) Partridge (b.1920) of Hazlet was KIA 19430514 and is buried at Staveren general cemetery, Friesland, Netherlands. Partridge’s Wellington went down in the sea off the Dutch coast. He was the only son of William and Winnifred (Daw) Partridge who came from England to homestead NE25-16-21-W3 west of Hazlet. Billie was born in the Bestville district, educated at Boyer Lake school and was farming with his family when he enlisted at Regina in 1941. He married Marjorie Joan (Jacques) at Roseray late the following year. DONALD LAWRENCE ROBERTSON - R102097 Flight Sergeant (No. 156 Pathfinder Squadron RAF air gunner) Donald Lawrence Robertson (b.1913) of Hazlet was KIA 19430403 and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial near London, England, for airmen who died with no known grave. Robertson’s Lancaster went down near Heligoland. He was the son of Donald Kerr and Myrtle Mildred (Scott) Robertson who came from Kincardine, Bruce Co., Ontario, to homestead NE6-15-29-W1 southeast of Welwyn. The family moved to Hazlet in 1931 where Donald Sr. bought grain for United Grain Growers. Donald Jr. was born at McAuley, Manitoba, educated at Welwyn, and was working as an Ogilvie grain buyer when he enlisted at Regina in 1941. His brothers Orland, Leonard and Ronald all served in the Army. Interestingly, Donald Jr.’s identity disc was found in 1991 after a Dutch mussel fisherman dredged up part of the wreck of his plane 15 km off Texel Island. SAMUEL ROBINSON - 252809 Private (102nd Battalion, Central Ontario Regiment) Samuel Robinson (b.1886) of Hazlet was KIA 19181001 north of Cambrai and is buried at Ramillies British cemetery northeast of Cambrai, Nord, France. He was the son of Thomas and Betty Wolstencroft of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. Samuel homesteaded SW13-1619-W3 southeast of Hazlet before enlisting at Swift Current in 1916. Note that while he was born Samuel Wolstencroft he served as Samuel Robinson.

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Casualities Of War

Leader WILLIAM BAIN L64955 Signalman (Royal Canadian Corps of Signals) Oscar (Grassy) Albrecht (b.1919) of Leader was KIA 19440717 near Caen and is buried at Brettevillesur-Laize Canadian war cemetery, Calvados, France. Because he was a conscientious objector, Albrecht opted to become a signaller and was struck by mortar shrapnel while stringing communications wires from a telephone pole. He was the son of Wilhelm and Christina Albrecht who came from Romania and retired to Medicine Hat, Alberta, during the war. Grassy was working the family farm at NW5-22-26-W3 just southwest of Leader when he enlisted at Regina early in 1942.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2015

at Groesbeek Canadian war cemetery near Nijmegen, Gelderland, Netherlands. He was the son of Christ Ludwig and Emilie Hofer who homesteaded NE36-2127-W3 southwest of Leader. Richard was farming with his family when he enlisted in the 16/22 Saskatchewan Horse at Camp Dundurn in 1940. RUSSELL REINHOLD KASPER - L36378 Corporal (Canadian Army Corps of Military Staff Clerks) Russell Reinhold Kasper (b.1919) of Leader was KIA 19440831 during the push to clear the Channel ports and is buried at Sainte-Marie cemetery near Le Havre, Seine-Maritime, France. He was the son of William and Adeline (Wenzel) Kasper, William came from Ukraine to homestead SW20-22-25-W3 east of Leader in 1912. Russell was an apprentice mechanic when he enlisted at Camp Dundurn in 1940. His brother Walter served in the RCAF.

Dick Wells at the time of his enlistment in 1956. He worked in naval intelligence for most of his career working against the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Pte. Al Countryman joined the army in the fall of 1941. He took basic training in Regina and advanced training in Red Deer.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

JOHN GEORGE BICKLER - L102394 Private (South Saskatchewan Regiment) John George (Pokey) Bickler (b.1922) of Leader was KIA 19440718 at Marcelet and is buried at Brettevillesur-Laize Canadian war cemetery, Calvados, France. He was the son of Carl and Phyllis (Turnbach) Bichler who came from North Dakota to the Liebenthal district, where John was born, moving to Leader in 1934. John was farming when he enlisted at Regina in 1942.

Sgt. Errol Rushford Injured In Plane Accident Overseas PAUL HUBERT MEIER - Lieutenant (Black Watch) Paul Hubert Meier (b.1920) of Leader was KIA 19450226 during operations to clear the west bank of the Rhine and is buried at Groesbeek Canadian war cemetery near Nijmegen, Gelderland, Netherlands. Meier spent 1940-41 in the 16/22 Saskatchewan Horse (L36398) and 1941-42 in the RCAF (R122869), where he failed his aircrew tests and returned to the Army at Toronto, Ontario. He was the son of Reinhold William and Elsie A. Meier who homesteaded NW921-26-W3 south of Leader and later moved to Prince Albert. Paul was a student when he first enlisted at Camp Dundurn in 1940.

Only One of Crew To Survive, Remainder Burned To Death Information has been received by his wife and other in a letter from Sgt. Errol Rushford, air gunner of the R.C.A.F. stationed somewhere in England, that as a result of an accident he is confined to hospital suffering from three broken ribs, a collapsed lung and other minor injuries.

RICHARD HAROLD HOFER - L36397 Trooper (Calgary Regiment) Richard Harold Hofer (b.1920) of Leader was KIA 19450416 at Groningen during the liberation of the Netherlands and is buried

CLARENCE GERHARD WENZEL - J85020 Pilot Oﬃcer (No. 281 Squadron RAF wireless air gunner) Clarence Gerhart (Shorty) Wenzel (b.1920) of Leader was KIA 19440426 and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial near London, England, for airmen from the north European theatre who died with no known grave. Wenzel’s Warwick was participating in an air/ sea search when a wingtip snagged a wave and went down in the Irish Sea off the north coast of Wales. He was the son of August and Pauline (Reinhardt) Wenzel. August came from Ukraine to homestead NW21-2026-W3 north of Liebenthal in 1908. Shorty worked as a clerk for Safeway at Regina for two years but was farming with his family when he enlisted at Regina in 1941.

Sgt. Errol Rushford

Sgt. Ian Maclennan Receives The D.f.m. Gull Lake Boy Commissioned As A Pilot Officer

Sgt. Ian Maclennan

BARRY COCKS L154307 Private (Royal Regiment of Canada) Barry Cocks (b.1922) of Leader was KIA 19440718 near Caen and is buried at Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian war cemetery, Calvados, France. His father David Cocks originally came from London, Middlesex Co., Ontario, his mother Esther (Reucher) (who died when he was a child) was born in Kansas, and they farmed southwest of town. Barry was working in his father’s dray business when he was called up for NRMA training at Regina late in 1942, he went active at Camp Vernon in 1944.

The injuries were sustained on September 15th, and information was received by Mrs. Rushford from Ottawa. Details of the accident are meagre but according to the letter Errol had to jump to save his life and the remainder of the crew were burned to death.

nformation was received Saturday by Superintendent and Mrs. J. Maclennan in a cablegram from their son, Sgt. Pilot Ian Maclennan, now stationed at Malta, to the effect that he had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal and that he had been commissioned as a Pilot Officer. This makes the second Gull Lake Pilot to receive the flying decoration, Sgt. Fred Moritz having been awarded the D.F.M. some time ago. Pilot Officer Maclennan joined the

R.C.A.F. in May of 1940 and went overseas in July 1941. While finishing his training in England he was admitted to hospital where he remained for three months prior to starting flight operations in December of last year. No details have yet been received, but Pilot Officer Maclennan is to be congratulated upon bringing this honor not only to himself but to the town and district of Gull Lake.

Lest We Forget GRASSLANDS ANIMAL HEALTH SERVICES 201 Hwy 21, Maple Creek, SK 306-662-5100 We honour those who served, and are serving, our country. Financial Consultants

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2015

Casualities Of War

Shaunavon Shaunavon, farmed until he enlisted at Esquimalt in 1937, and survived the sinking of HMCS Fraser. His brother George and half-brothers Jerome and Richard Flynn plus halfsister Florence also served in the Navy.

ALEXANDER WILLIAM AITCHISON - Lieutenant (13th Battalion, Québec Regiment) Alexander William Aitchison MC (b.1893) of Shaunavon died 19160513 of wounds sustained near SaintÉloi and is buried at Lijssenthoek military cemetery west of Ieper, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. He was the son of Thomas and Jessie Aitchison of Edinburgh, Scotland. Alexander was born at York, North Yorkshire, England, and was working as a clerk for the Canadian Bank of Commerce when he enlisted as a private (43509) at Camp Valcartier, Québec, on the outbreak of the war. He was commissioned from the ranks overseas. Military Cross citation (April 1916): For conspicuous gallantry in leading forward a party of bombers and rifles through the enemy’s barrage in order to occupy an important point. His gallant act removed a great danger.

We Honour Those Who Served Their Country

PAM BUSBY

Today we honour those who served, and those who are serving, our country.

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PHILIP ANDREW BENTLEY - L58727 Corporal (Royal Canadian Corps of Signals) Philip Andrew Bentley Jr. (b.1921) of Shaunavon died 19450329 during the assault crossing of the Rhine and is buried at Bergen op Zoom Canadian war cemetery, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands. Bentley was sent to Turnhout by motorcycle on a mail run on 27 March and was involved in a fatal collision with a car two days later, but what happened during the interval remains a mystery. His father Philip Andrew Vining Bentley was born at Pilot Mound, Manitoba, served in the Boer War, and came to Shaunavon in 1917 to work for Fennell’s Hardware. His mother Suzanne (Bronner) was a native of Paris, France, and moved to Edmonton during the war. Philip was a truck driver for Macdonald’s Consolidated when he enlisted at Regina in 1941. JOHN GRANT BREBBER - 21501 Leading Stoker (HMCS Margaree) John Grant (Jackie) Brebber (b.1916) of Shaunavon was KIA 19401022 and is commemorated on the Halifax Memorial for servicemen lost or buried at sea. He was the son of John and Martha Brebber of Manyberries, Alberta. After John’s death Martha married John Flynn (d.1929) and moved to the String Butte district south of Gull Lake in 1922. Jackie was born at Lacombe, Alberta, attended school at

HAROLD C. CAMERON - 12975 Private (5th Battalion, Saskatchewan Regiment) Harold C. Cameron (b.1888) of Shaunavon died 19150624 of his wounds and is buried at Le Treport military cemetery northeast of Dieppe, Seine-Maritime, France. Cameron received a gunshot wound to the spine. He was the son of Elizabeth J. Cameron of Bearsden, Glasgow, Scotland. Harold was born at Rothesay, Argyll & Bute, and was working as a bank manager when he enlisted at Camp Valcartier, Québec, on the outbreak of the war. EVERITT LINDSAY CAMPBELL - 252746 Private (10th Battalion, Alberta Regiment) Everitt Lindsay Campbell (b.1888) of Shaunavon was KIA 19170815 at Hill 70 and is buried at Loos British cemetery, Loos-en-Gohelle west of Lens, Pas-de-Calais, France. He was the son of Angus N. Campbell of Black Cape, Bonaventure Co., Québec, and left a wife Annie (Jamieson) there (they were married after he enlisted). Everitt homesteaded SE14-8-17-W3 east of Shaunavon before enlisting there early in 1916. WILLIAM JOHN COLLINS - 252759 Private (10th Battalion, Alberta Regiment) William John Collins (b.1893) of Shaunavon was KIA 19170428 at Arleux-en-Gohelle and is commemorated on the Vimy Memorial north of Arras, Pas-de-Calais, for the 11,000+ Canadian soldiers who perished in northern France with no known grave. He was the son of John R. and Sarah A. Collins of Vancouver, British Columbia. William was born at Kincardine, Bruce Co., Ontario, and was working as a bank clerk when he enlisted at Shaunavon early in 1916. HENRY COUGHLER - 258056 Private (28th Battalion, Saskatchewan Regiment) Henry Coughler (b.1885) of Shaunavon died 19181101 of his wounds and is buried at Terlincthun British cemetery, Boulogne, Pas-de-Calais, France. He was the son of William and Agnes Coughler of Cass Bridge, Dundas Co., Ontario. Henry was farming when he was drafted early in 1918. JOHN LOUIS DOWNEY - 252051 Private (1st Battalion, Canadian Machine Gun Corps) (John) Louis Downey (b.1893) of Shaunavon was KIA 19180927 at Canal du Nord and is buried at Ontario cemetery, Sains-les-

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Marquion west of Cambrai, Nord, France. He was the son of Henry Downey of Langton, Norfolk Co., Ontario. Louis was a labourer when he enlisted at Shaunavon late in 1915.

RONALD DUNBAR R102159 Warrant Officer 2 (No. 403 Wolf Squadron RCAF Spitfire pilot) Ronald Dunbar (b.1923) of Shaunavon was KIA 19430313 while on a cross channel escort mission and is buried at Blargies communal cemetery extension, Oise, France. He was the son of Alex, who worked for Barr Lumber and sold insurance, and Janet Amanda (Dean) Dunbar who came from Scotland (they later moved to Mission, British Columbia). Ronald enlisted at Regina in 1941 straight out of high school. His brothers Robert and George also served in the RCAF. PHILIP FAIRSERVICE - 252064 Private (49th Battalion, Alberta Regiment) Philip Fairservice (b.1892) of Shaunavon was KIA 19171030 at Passchendaele and is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial at Ieper, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium, which bears the names of 55,000 men who were lost without trace during the defence of the Ypres Salient in the First World War. He was the son of John Fairservice of Black Cape, MRC de Bonaventure, Québec. Philip was farming when he enlisted at Shaunavon early in 1916. LLOYD RICHARD FENNELL - J28251 Flying Officer (No. 207 Squadron RAF bomb aimer) Lloyd Richard Fennell (b.1924) of Shaunavon was KIA 19440719 and is buried at Margny communal cemetery, Marne, France. Fennell’s Lancaster was shot down over Revigny. He was the only child of Joshua R. and Ethel Mae Fennell who came from Ontario to homestead NE17-9-18-W3 west of Instow in 1913, and subsequently went into the hardware business at Shaunavon. Lloyd enlisted straight out of high school. MALCOLM GALBRAITH - 872064 Private (44th Battalion, New Brunswick Regiment) Malcolm Galbraith (b.1897) of Shaunavon was KIA 19170603 and is buried at La Chaudière military cemetery, Vimy, Pas-de-Calais. France. He was the son of William Galbraith of Brigham, MRC de Brome-Missisquoi, Québec. Malcolm was born at Campbeltown, Argyle & Bute, Scotland, and was farming when he enlisted at Shaunavon early in 1916. STANLEY GEORGE HALL - J39298 Pilot Officer (No. 427 Lion

Squadron RCAF navigator) Stanley George Hall (b.1922) of Shaunavon was KIA 19441125 and is buried at St. John the Baptist churchyard, Buckhurst Hill, Essex, England, near his birthplace. Hall’s Halifax crashed in the sea near Kingston, Moray, Scotland, on return from a mine laying operation. He was the son of Norman Ambrose and Eleanor Kathleen (Askew) Hall who came from Buckhurst Hill to Ponteix and on to Shaunavon in 1935 where Norman operated a machine shop. Stanley worked at the Bank of Commerce at Shaunavon, Radville, Lacadena and Saskatoon before enlisting at Regina in 1942. Both of his brothers Roy and Keith also served in the RCAF.

BERTRAM ELLIOTT HERRICK - L65250 Private (Loyal Edmonton Regiment) Bertrum Elliott Herrick (b.1920) of Shaunavon was KIA 19450123 and is buried at Ravenna war cemetery, Piangipane, Italy. He was the son of Harason and Helen Herrick who homesteaded NE33-919-W3 in the Leitchville district northwest of Shaunavon. Bertrum was farming when he enlisted at Regina early in 1942. His brothers Edwin and Maurice also served in the Army and their sister Mildred was with the RCAF. ERNEST JAMES KEEFE - J14117 Flying Oﬃcer (No. 404 Buffalo Squadron RCAF pilot) Ernest James (Ernie) Keefe DFC (b.1923) of Shaunavon was KIA 19440628 and buried at Brookwood military cemetery near London, England. Keefe’s Beaufighter crashed on the Pipers Pool road, Cornwall, on returning from a patrol over Lorient, France. He was the son of Henry Joseph and Laura Mary Keefe. Harry came from South Dakota to work for the town of Shaunavon in 1913. Ernie was born at Weyburn, took his elementary school at Shaunavon and high school at Griﬃn, and worked briefly as a truck driver at Shaunavon and a mechanic at Estevan before enlisting in the Army at Weyburn in January 1941. He transferred to the RCAF eight months later at Winnipeg, Manitoba. Ernie married Ruthann (Harder) at Wainwright, Alberta, in 1942, she and their son Richard James later lived at Vancouver, British Columbia. Ernie’s brother Harold was also in the RCAF, brother Arthur was with the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps. FRANK ERNEST MACHEN - 829820 Private (52nd Battalion, Manitoba Regiment) Frank Ernest Machen (b.1886) of

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2015

Oscar Erickson’s legacy uncovered by family BY J O R DA N PA R K E R

editor@gulllakeadvance.com

istory can be a difficult beast to tackle, and meticulous attention to detail is of the utmost importance if you’re going to tell a piece accurately. So when the Gull Lake Advance searched exhaustively for an Oscar Brickson, one of seven people honoured at the Nadeauville Monument 18 miles north of Tompkins, we couldn’t find information on him. We sadly ended up having to leave him out of our write-up two years ago. But now, Oscar’s family has come forward and an unfortunate name mix-up has been clarified. Mr. Erickson (not Brickson) is the great uncle to Sandra Moe, a Climax resident who remembers stories of her relative fondly. “We’re going by what we remember and the things I found. When my parents died, I began to find all these things related to him and his service,” she said. “He was my grandpa’s brother, and he was 21 when he died fighting in Passchendaele. My dad talked about him being killed, and they never knew if he was reburied. His remains are on the hills there.” Contained in documents submitted to The Advance is a death certificate for Private Carl “Oscar” Erickson, killed in action. He died Nov. 6 in 1917. A letter addressed to his sister was written after his death by R. V. Blackburn Capt. B. Coy. “We were victorious, but of course many had to pay the supreme sacrifice. Your brother’s

remains are resting on the slope from Passchendaele, Belgium, an may his example linger with us for time to come and be an example to the boys here and those in Canada,” it read. Moe was always shown the Nadeauville monument and taught to be proud of her family, so she was happy to give The Advance the pieces we were missing in order to publish his legacy. “My Mom passed away and it was all in a box. I started digging and didn’t have any information to go on. I found a letter sent to him from his sisters. His Dad had died on October 31st, but he would die at Passchendaele and never receive it. It was returned back.” Moe wanted to figure out her family tree, and she found it to be difficult because the original family name was Ericsson, and her grandfather was the one who switched it. “He always said there were too many spelling it with two C’s, so he put a K. Even the wedding certificate for his sister had two C’s,” she said. “But I got looking and I really began to find out things about him. I figured the name on the plaque was Erickson, and not Brickson. My cousins are in Tompkins and there’s a whole family of great nieces and nephews who won’t him to be remembered.” She holds onto a service medal of his from the war tightly. “It’s vey important to me. Knowing he served and putting his legacy out there is so big. Having these keepsakes really is amazing, and now everyone else knows about him too.”

Gull Lake Legion #119

We honour those who have sacrificed so much for us.

Branches in Maple Creek l Consul l Tompkins l Richmound l Fox Valley l Mendham l Burstall

Remembrance Day Service will be held in the

Gull Lake Community Hall Wednesday, November 11. Please be seated by 10:40 a.m.

Lunch will be served following the laying of the wreaths which will take place at the hall.

We honour those who served, and continue to serve, our country.

Town of Eastend 306-295-3322

eastend@sasktel.net

Gull Lake Royal Canadian Legion Branch #119

MacBean Tessem Barristers & Solicitors 151-1st Ave N.E , Box 550 Swift Current, SK S9H 2B1 Email: macbeantessem@macbeantessem.com

RM of White Valley #49 306-295-3553

rm49@sasktel.net

Offices at 108 Maple Ave N. Eastend, Sask

G. Foster Tessem Q.C. Gull Lake Office

2382 Proton Ave Phone: 306.672.4404 Office Hours: Every Tuesday 9 a.m to 4 p.m.

Phone: 773.9343 Fax: 778.3828

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Merle Undseth

Merle Undseth Family

A War Story With A Happy Ending The night of December 13 or 14 in 1944 on a night patrol that didn’t work, four of us were with the officer. He told us to find our own way out - if he took us out, we all would be killed. On the way out I found a man. He said to leave him and save ourselves, as he was dying - he was badly wounded. I picked him up and told the man with me to take his legs. We got out and when I let him down, he took my hand and thanked me for taking his body out. He then when limp and I thought he had died. Sixty-six years later at a reunion what happened? I found out from Rick Undseth how I carried his father out and we knew each other at reunions. He didn’t die that night and I was at his funeral in Swift Cur-

Dwight Small

rent. In June 2015 his wife passed away in Calgary. They buried her at St. John Lutheran Cemetery south of Pennant. The next day the family of two sons and one daughter, all their children, grand children and great grandchildren stopped to see me. They all hugged me and shook my hand. They all wanted to meet the man that if it hadn’t of been for me, none of them would have been born. This to me was the greatest moment that could ever have happened - so it was a war story with a happy ending and a great honour for me.

Dwight Small Royal Regina Regiment

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Gull lake boy hits the headlines in raid on Nazis S

gt. Fletcher Taylor, son of Mr. and Mrs. Jack Taylor of Gull Lake, and now stationed with the R.C.A.F. in England, hit the headlines of the daily papers last week and was mentioned in the news items over the radio, as taking part in a bomber attack on Wil-

helmshaven, Tuesday night last week, which left large fires burning in German’s chief North Sea naval base and returned without loss to themselves. The dispatch states that: Sgt. F.V. Taylor of Gull Lake, Sask., now captain of a Wellington, had to

fly through a heavy anti aircraft barrage. “It seemed quiet when we got there but then it all came up at once,” Taylor explained. “They put up quite a fence and you can bet we did a lot of shifting.”

Shaunavon died 19170622 of wounds sustained three weeks earlier (complicated by pneumonia) and is buried at Wimereux communal cemetery north of Boulogne, Pas-de-Calais, France. He was the son of James (deceased) and Mary Ellen Machen who came from Darlington, Durham, England (Mary returned there at the end of the war). Frank was born at Barnsley, South Yorkshire, and was working as a bridgebuilder when he enlisted at Winnipeg, Manitoba, early in 1916.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2015

clerk when he enlisted at Shaunavon on the outbreak of the war, leaving a wife Eleanor Catherine (Kerr) later of Dauphin, Manitoba. His brother Alfred Vernon also served with the South Saskatchewan Regiment. EARL FREDERICK McLEAN - L92929 Rifleman (Regina Rifles driver mechanic) Earl Frederick McLean (b.1922) of Shaunavon was KIA 19450226 during operations to clear the west bank of the Rhine and is buried at Groesbeek Canadian war cemetery near Nijmegen, Gelderland, Netherlands. McLean enlisted first in the Royal Canadian Engineers, transferring to the Johns in 1944. Earl was the only child of Neil McLean and Nellie Monica (Hamilton), who died in childlbirth. Neil operated a dray at Shaunavon and also served as mayor. Earl was working in his father’s business when he enlisted at Regina in 1942.

THOMAS MADDEN - 73139 Private (28th Battalion, Saskatchewan Regiment) Thomas Madden (b.1879) of Shaunavon was KIA 19160606 at Sanctuary Wood and is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial at Ieper, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium, which bears the names of 55,000 men who were lost without trace during the defence of the Ypres Salient in the First World War. Thomas was born at Covington, Kenton Co., Kentucky, and was working as a teamster when he enlisted at Moose Jaw late in 1914. Earlier he homesteaded SE3-8-18-W3 southeast of Shaunavon. JAMES ROY McINTYRE - L12159 Sergeant (South Saskatchewan Regiment) (James) Roy McIntyre (b.1917) of Shaunavon was KIA 19420819 at Dieppe and is commemorated on the Brookwood Memorial near London, England, for soldiers in the northern European theatre who died with no known grave. He was the son of Robert A. McIntyre who homesteaded SE5-11-15-W3 in the Stone Farm district in 1909. He married Mabel (McLean) at Pilot Mound, Manitoba, in 1916 and started buying grain. They subsequently lived at Admiral, Plenty, Woodrow, Shaunavon, Calgary, Alberta, and Orangeville, Dufferin Co., Ontario. Roy was born at Admiral and was a postal

FRANK MEYERS 3353035 Private (15th Reserve Battalion, Saskatchewan Regiment) Frank Meyers (b.1897) of Shaunavon died 19181018 and is buried at St. Margaret churchyard, Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire, Wales. Meyers succumbed to bronchial pneumonia at Kimmel Park hospital, Rhyl. He was the son of Frank Michael and Antonia Meyers of Jordan, Scott Co., Minnesota. Frank Jr. was working as a mechanic’s helper when he enlisted at Regina four months before his death. GERALD MILLER - 252683 Private (49th Battalion, Alberta Regiment) Gerald Miller (b.1890) of Shaunavon died 19171107 of his wounds and is buried at Abbéville communal cemetery extension northwest of Amiens, Somme, France. He was the son of Frank and Martha J. Miller of Rocklake, Towner Co., North Dakota. Gerald was born at Dumont, Butler Co., Iowa, and homesteaded

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SE36-9-19-W3 north of Shaunavon before enlisting there early in 1916. JOHN MURCH 925019 Private (5th Battalion, Saskatchewan Regiment) John Murch (b.1893) of Shaunavon was KIA 19180726 and is commemorated on the Vimy Memorial north of Arras, Pas-de-Calais, for the 11,000+ Canadian soldiers who perished in northern France with no known grave. He was the son of William H. and S.E. Murch of Salcombe, Devon, England. John homesteaded NE34-8-19-W3 northwest of Shaunavon before enlisting at Weyburn late in 1916. GEORGE HANS OLSEN 13269 Private (5th Battalion, Saskatchewan Regiment) George Hans Olsen (b.1888) of Shaunavon(?) was KIA 19150524 at Festubert and is buried at Brown’s Road military cemetery, Festubert east of Béthune, Pas-deCalais, France. He was the son of Ole and Kirstine Olsen of Copenhagen, Denmark. George was born at Fakse Ladeplads, Sjaelland, and was a butcher when he enlisted in the 27th Light Horse at Shaunavon on the outbreak of the war. RALPH E. ORR - 13029 Private (5th Battalion, Saskatchewan Regiment) Ralph E. Orr (b.1879) of Shaunavon was KIA 19150522 at Festubert and is commemorated on the Vimy Memorial north of Arras, Pas-de-Calais, for the 11,000+ Canadian soldiers who perished in northern France with no known grave. He was the son of William E.R. Orr of Hamilton, Ontario. Ralph was born at Teeswater, Bruce Co., was active in the 27th Light Horse and was a building contractor when he enlisted at Shaunavon on the outbreak of the war. CHARLES REUBEN RUSSELL - 252912 Private (49th Battalion, Alberta Regiment) Charles Reuben Russell (b.1881) of Shaunavon died

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2015

19181110 of cancer of the neck and is buried at Cliveden war cemetery, Taplow, Buckinghamshire, England. He was the son of Dr. Charles Wycliffe and Rhoda Louisa Russell of Riley, Vigo Co., Indiana. Charles Jr. homesteaded NW20-9-19-W3 northwest of Shaunavon before enlisting there in 1916.

ALBERT EDWARD ROSCOE - 13678 Lance Corporal (5th Battalion, Saskatchewan Regiment) Albert Edward Roscoe (b.1890) of Shaunavon was KIA 19150524 near Festubert and is commemorated on the Vimy Memorial north of Arras, Pas-de-Calais, for the 11,000+ Canadian soldiers who perished in northern France with no known grave. He was a friend of Mrs. Caleb Bateman of Stirling, Hastings Co., Ontario, with whom he lived after coming to Canada as a Barnardo boy. Albert was born at Belfast, Ireland, and was a lumberyard clerk when he enlisted in the 27th Light Horse at Shaunavon on the outbreak of the war. Roscoe was originally buried at Festubert but his grave was subsequently obliterated by artillery shells. His name appears on the memorial as Rosco. ROY ANDREW SHARP - 252758 Private (10th Battalion, Alberta Regiment) Roy Andrew Sharp (b.1887) of Shaunavon died 19170702 of wounds sustained during the preparations for Hill 70 and is buried at La Targette British cemetery, NeuvilleSaint-Vaast north of Arras, Pas-de-Calais, France. He was the son of Herbert Randall and Nancy Sharp who came from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Roy and his wife

Stella Amanda homesteaded NE34-9-19-W3 north of Shaunavon before he enlisted there early in 1916.

DAVID ALEXANDER SPEIRS - L105240 Private (South Saskatchewan Regiment) David Alexander Speirs (b.1919) of Shaunavon died 19441009 and is buried at Brookwood military cemetery near London, England. The details in his file are sketchy, but it appears Speirs suffered severe leg wounds at the front 19440720. There are references to him being a POW and to an American field hospital. By the beginning of September he was in 17 Canadian General hospital being treated for a very badly healed leg and died a month after that, the immediate cause being a massive haemorrhage. He was the son of James and Jessie R. (Redpath) Speirs who both came from Ontario, James homesteaded NW13-8-19-W3 just west of Shaunavon in 1910. David was farming with his family when he enlisted at Regina early in 1943. His brother Harvey also served in the Army.

Carl Benjamin Hay

Carl joined the Canadian army January 29, 1942. He was the youngest of Grandma’s seven sons and was determined not to be left behind when his brothers joined the forces. He spent these years as a driver / mechanic in the tank division, mainly in Italy. He never talked much about his years in service … he said “that was then, this is now”. Thank you Dad for the youth you gave up to fight for our freedom. - Linda Kulferst and families

WILLIAM EDMOND TUCKER - 252726 Private (10th Battalion, Alberta Regiment) William Edmond Tucker (b.1898) of Shaunavon died 19171001 of his wounds and is buried at Noeux-les-Mines communal cemetery extension south of Béthune. Pas-de-Calais, France. He was the son of William St. Clair Tucker who came to Lajord from Hastings Co., Ontario. William Jr. was farming when he enlisted at Shaunavon early in 1916.

Wong Gin - Reserve Army (Herbert)

King Gin - Army Cadets (1946)

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2015

Casualities Of War

Val Marie

EMILE JOSEPH FRANCIS DUNAND J10667 Flying Oﬃcer (No. 49 Squadron RAF wireless air gunner) Emile Joseph Francis Dunand (b.1918) of Val Marie was KIA 19430202 and is buried at Jonkerbos war cemetery near Nijmegen, Gelderland, Netherlands. Dunand’s Lancaster was shot down near Kessel. Emile was born at Frenchville, educated at Val Marie and was working as a surveyor and an irrrigation worker before enlisting at Regina in 1941. Brother of MJF Dunand.

A copy of the original document Corporal Dayton Toney received declaring that the war was over. Mr. Toney still lives in Gull Lake.

MARCEL JOSEPH FERDINAND DUNAND - L102437 Private (Royal Regiment of Canada) Marcel Joseph Ferdinand Dunand (b.1923) of Val Marie was KIA 19440924 and is buried at Bergen op Zoom Canadian war cemetery, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands. Interestingly, Dunand’s name appears on the honour roll of the South Saskatchewan Regiment but oﬃcial records place him with the Royal Regiment. Marcel awas born at Ponteix and was a labourer with PFRA when he enlisted at Regina in 1942. Brother of EJF Dunand. They were the sons of Antoine Marie and Marie Louise (Lebel) Dunand. Antoine came from France, Marie from Cantal, and they were general merchants at Val Marie. Emile and Marcel’s brother Roger served in the Army, while another brother Guy was with the United States Army for two years.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Pte. J.R. Dilworth Killed in Action Private Jas R. Dilworth, son of Mrs. A. and the late William Dilworth, formerly of Carmichael and Gull Lake, has been killed in action according to information received from his mother, who now resides in Pincher Creek, Alta. Born at Carmichael on March 20th, 1917, James R. Dilworth received his education at Gull Lake. Going to Pincher Creek, Alberta, he worked there for almost five years before enlisting at Calgary in May 1942. Later he was sanctioned at Nanaimo and Victoria, B.C. then at Dundurn, Sask.,and from there to camp Bordon and Aldershot, going overseas in July 1943. He served in the 31st (Alta) Recce

Lest Wt e Forge

Regiment. While stationed at Dundurn he went into the Canadian Armoured Corps., and after going overseas was transferred to the South Alberta Regiment and then to the Rocky Mountain Rangers. On August 30th, he went to France and was posted to the Queens Own Cameron Highlanders of Winnipeg, in which he was serving at the time he was killed. His last letter home was dated September 11th from Belgium. Private Dilworth is survived by his mother and two sisters, Emily and Gladys all of Pincher Xreek, another sister Mrs. Lee (May) of Lethbridge and one brother Clifton, who at the present time is thought to be in Belgium.

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