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Wednesday.November 9.2016 Powell River Peak » prpeak.com
Lest we forget FOR THE BRAVE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES SO WE COULD HAVE OURS
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Ultimate sacrifice After more than four years of war, at 11 am on November 11, 1918, the Great War, or World War I, came to an end. Nearly 61,000 soldiers from Canada paid for the freedom of others with their lives; another 172,000 returned home with injuries, some of whom were never the same. From the young, developing communities in the Powell River area, 12 young men left family and friends to fight overseas and never returned. Nearly 27 years later, in August of 1945, another six years of warfare came to an end after Japan surrendered to allied forces. World War II resulted in the deaths of more than 60 million people worldwide, three per cent of the world’s total population at the time, including military personnel and civilians killed during the war or by the disease and famine that followed. Of the 43,600 Canadians killed during battles, invasions or training exercises, 54 were soldiers who called the Powell River area home, either since birth or after moving to the community for work or family reasons. More than 1,000 men and women from the area served in one military capacity or another during the two global wars. The following pages
honour individuals who made the ultimate sacrifice and never returned home, and others who spent months or years away from loved ones before being able to come back and resume their lives. For more information regarding
soldiers from the Powell River area who perished in World War II, go to pruhoww2.weebly.com. Created by Grant Workman, the website honours individuals killed in combat or training by combining available pre-war information with as
many details as possible about their training and service. Accompanying some of the biographies is additional information from wartime newsletters about specific missions and invasions conducted by allied troops, provid-
ing more insight into what the soldiers were facing at the time. For information on all of the men and women from the Powell River area who served in World War I and World War II, go to powellrivermuseum.ca.
Sacrifice
For your dedication, bravery and commitment to our great country,
we thank you! - lest we forget -
Freedom Hope With admiration and gratefulness to our heroes, The Salvation Army salutes and gives thanks for freedom gained at such a price. As an international movement, The Salvation Army is honoured to serve Soldier To Soldier. We remember and give thanks.
THE SALVATION ARMY
Powell River Corps 4500 Joyce Avenue
HOME OF THE FREE BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE Rachel Blaney
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Powell River
1-800-667-8404 RachelBlaney.ndp.ca
4696 JOYCE AVENUE 604.485.6277
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Few remain who remember From the times when her dad did talk about the war, which was rare, Sally Gaddes can remember enough to compile one page of handwritten notes. “He would never talk about it,” said Gaddes. Her father, Ronald (Ron) James Fraser, was born in 1924 and came to Powell River
with his family in 1928 at the age of four, the same year the Patricia Theatre opened at its current location. When he was 17, Fraser’s father gave him permission to enlist, something unthinkable for a 17-year-old today. “Dad has great-grandchildren and they’re interested in [the war],” said Gaddes. “The idea of Grandpa being 17 when he went off to war is shocking to them. What he saw, because they have seen
it in movies, and what he went through, it’s shocking.” In 1942, as an able seaman Royal Canadian Naval volunteer reservist, Fraser shipped off to England, along with most of the able-bodied male population of Canada, to fight for king and country in World War II (WWII). At the age of 20, on June 6, 1944, Fraser was a crew member in one of the landing craft that crashed ashore while transporting Canadian soldiers onto Juno Beach; it was D-Day. Planning , preparation and operational details of Canada’s involvement in D-Day are well documented. Fraser was part of it, training for the invasion of Normandy at Brighton Beach, according to his family. A few months later and after the invasion that would result in the Allied liberation of Europe from Germany, in September, 1944, Fraser came home to Powell River on a 28-day furlough. According to an account in the archives of Powell River Historical Museum, he looked “fine and taller than ever.” Another account from October, 1944, said Fraser and his brother-in-law Johnny
Thank you for the freedom
The Powell River Regional District thanks all veterans and active members of our armed forces for their service to our country. 648Vw03RD
“What we desire for ourselves, we wish for all”
Local 76 - Powell River
Remembering and honouring all the brave veterans
So that those who’ve never known war never have to! School’s Remembrance Day Ceremonies Thursday, November 10 10:20 am Brooks Secondary School 10:30 am Kelly Creek Community School 10:45 am Edgehill, Westview and Henderson Elementary Schools 11:15 am Texada Elementary School 1:00 pm James Thomson Elementary School
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Bichard were taken out to an E Company stag and “the reputation of the navy was notably upheld.” When WWII vets talk about the war, it’s the fun, foolishness and friendships they are more inclined to recollect, not the horrors of war. The awful truths of what Fraser experienced is lost. He is one of the few WWII veterans from Powell River still alive. At 92 years old, his memories have deteriorated and the war is all but forgotten with the frailty of age. Juno Beach Centre, Canada’s WWII museum and cultural centre in Normandy, France, honours the 43,600 Canadians who lost their lives during the war, 5,500 of which were killed during the Battle of Normandy; 359 on Juno Beach. “My husband and I went to France eight to 10 years ago and went to Juno Beach. I came back with pictures to show what it looked like now as opposed to what dad remembers and he wouldn’t even look at them,” said Gaddes. “He saw and heard men die right around him; it definitely stayed with him.” According to Gaddes, the family, including her sister Nancy Bird and brother Ron Fraser, along with their mom and dad, will be attending Remembrance Day observances. “Remembrance Day became really important for us when my sister and I had our kids,” she said, “because we realized they should know what their grandpa did and went through.”
476-Powell River SD #47
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FALLEN SOLDIERS OF WORLD WAR
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ALEX DICKIE BLACK 1898 - September 24, 1917 Service: Canadian Infantry Buried: Aix-Noulette Communal Cemetery, France
Alex was the only son of W. Black, who was a colour boss in Powell River Company’s beater room.
R. BIRKENSHAW Details are not available for this soldier.
R. BRYANTON
1898 - April 15, 1918 Service: Canadian Infantry Buried: La Targette British Cemetery, France
He was the son of Joe Bryanton, a woodmill electrician at Powell River Company.
E.A (HARRY) CARTER Harry worked in the lumber yard at Powell River Company and gained a commission during the war. His military service information and birth/death dates are not known.
1886 - November 23, 1916 Service: Canadian Engineers Buried: Berks Cemetery Extension, Belgium
Son of Bob Cole, a mill carpenter, Gordon was a machinist for the Powell River Company.
WILLIAM STANLEY 1880 - October 13, 1918 Service: Canadian Army Medical Corps Buried: Queant Communal Cemetery, France
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A veteran of the Boer War in South Africa, William worked as a cashier for the Powell River Company.
4240 Padgett Road sgexcavating.com 604.414.5455
TOMMY LANT Tommy was a partner in Wilshire and Lant, a gentlemen’s furnishing business in Townsite. His military service information and birth/ death dates are not known.
C. MOODIE
1889 - April 14, 1915 Service: Canadian Infantry
He was a drugstore assistant prior to the war and is buried at Menin Gate Memorial, Belgium.
TOMMY SIMMONS
1893 - May 8, 1917 Service: Canadian Infantry Buried: Vimy Memorial, France
Tommy worked for the Powell River Company and, with his friend Sidney Stewart, pre-empted land in Grief Point.
SIDNEY STEWART
1890 - May 8, 1917 Service: Canadian Infantry Buried: Vimy Memorial, France
Prior to the war, Sidney worked for the Powell River Company and pre-empted land in Grief Point with his friend Tommy Simmons.
T hank you for your sacrifice…we will remember
GEORGE WASHINGTON 1872 - November 9, 1916 Service: Canadian Infantry Buried: Contay British Cemetery, France
RICHARD WELSH
George worked as a carpenter’s helper at the Powell River Company.
For those lost, but not forgotten
4488 FRANKLIN AVENUE 604.485.9611
Richard operated a boat for a logging company on Powell Lake. His military service information and birth/death dates are not known.
In honour of ordinary Canadians making extraordinary sacrifices PAGANI & SONS SHOES & REPAIR “the fit specialist”
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GORDON COLE
4670 Marine Avenue • Gibson’s Crossing • 604.485.5110
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FALLEN SOLDIERS OF WORLD WAR RONALD CLINTON BAKER
JAMES ALBERT ANGLIN Service: Royal Canadian Infantry Corps Born: June 9, 1903 Died: June 6, 1944 Buried: Bretteville-Sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery, France
Died: 1943
J.B. was employed by the Powell River Company prior to World War II. No other information is available for this soldier.
James was born June 9, 1903, in Bridgwater, England. He resided in Powell River from June to October 1942, where he was employed by the Powell River Company. Anglin enlisted with the Canadian Army in Vancouver on October 30, 1942, and was killed in action during the D-Day invasion of Normandy, one of 359 brave Canadian men who died on Juno Beach.
Son of Robert and Emma Baker, Ronald, a private and driver/mechanic, was killed in action in Germany after also seeing action in the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Holland. Prior to enlisting, he had just completed grade 12 at Brooks High School. He worked two summers as a pipe fitter’s helper for Powell River Company.
WILLIAM GEORGE REX BAUM
JOHN MCCLELLAND BELL
ALDO BORTOLUSSI
John was born in Strome, Alberta, to William and Kathleen Bell. At age six, he moved with his family to Powell River. He later established Bell’s General Store in Wildwood with his brother William. John enlisted in May of 1942 and became a flight engineer. He was one of two crew members killed in a training accident near Patricia Bay) BC, when their Stranraer aircraft crashed in Stuart Channel.
Aldo was born in Brule, Alberta. In 1925, his family moved to Riverside in Powell River and lived there for six years before purchasing land in Wildwood. Aldo was an air gunner aboard a Halifax II aircraft when it was shot down by a German night fighter aircraft southwest of Kirchberg, Germany. It was his crew’s 16th mission; four of the seven aboard perished in the crash.
Service: Royal Canadian Air Force Born: March 2, 1917 Hometown: Wildwood Died: July 18, 1943 Buried: Powell River Regional Cemetery
Born: September 20, 1920 Hometown: Cranberry Died: August 24, 1943 Buried: Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery, Germany
William was one of six crew members killed when their Halifax V aircraft was shot down near Neuruppin, Germany. Born in Victoria to William Senior and Enid Baum, he moved to Powell River with his family in 1929 and attended Henderson School from 1930 to 1934 and Brooks High School in 1935/1936. William worked for Powell River Company from 1936 to 1940 as a filing clerk, time keeper and head machine operator.
Service: Royal Canadian Air Force Born: June 17, 1923 Hometown: Wildwood Died: October 4, 1943 Buried: Rheinberg War Cemetery
ALBERT MOORE CAREY
LUCIEN (SHADOW) BROOKS
Service: Royal Canadian Air Force Born: October 1, 1912 Died: November 28, 1942 Buried: Unknown
Service: Royal Canadian Air Force Born: August 31, 1920 Hometown: Wildwood Died: April 25, 1942 Buried: Royal Naval Cemetery, Malta
Albert was born in Argyle, Manitoba, and grew up in Royston and Courtenay on Vancouver Island. He was employed as an accountant with the Powell River Company from 1934 to 1941 before enlisting. Along with three other crew members, Albert was lost at sea between Gander, Newfoundland, and the United Kingdom when their Hudson Mk V1 aircraft disappeared. Albert’s name is inscribed on the Ottawa War Memorial.
Lucien was born in Kelwood, Manitoba, to parents Frederick and Augustine, and grew up in Wildwood. He attended Henderson Elementary School from 1927 to 1934 and Brooks High School from 1934 to 1938. Lucien later worked as a casual labourer for the Powell River Company. He enlisted on October 18, 1940, and was flying a Hurricane aircraft when he was shot down over Saint Paul’s Bay in Malta.
In honour of those who have served and sacrificed for our freedom
We acknowledge the supreme 358Vw02RD
sacrifice of those who fought for our freedom and cherish the peace their gift has brought us SUPPORT STAFF SCHOOL DISTRICT 47 City of Powell River
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J.B. ALLAN
Service: Royal Canadian Infantry Corps Born: September 18, 1924 Hometown: Wildwood Died: March 28, 1945 Buried: Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery, Netherlands
FALLEN SOLDIERS OF WORLD WAR
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HERBERT ANDREW DAUBNER JUNIOR
JOSEPH WILLIAM DAUBNER
Service: Royal Canadian Air Force Born: August 11, 1918 Hometown: Townsite Died: May 15, 1942 Memorial: Runnymede Memorial, England
Service: Royal Canadian Air Force Born: May 17, 1914 Hometown: Townsite Died: June 22, 1943 Buried: Powell River Regional Cemetery
Herbert, brother of Joseph Daubner, was born in Vancouver, where he spent his elementary school years before attending high school in Powell River from 1930 to 1933. He worked as a millwright for the Powell River Company before enlisting. While on a navigation exercise, Herbert and three other crew members were killed when their Anson Mk I aircraft crashed into Lake Manitoba.
Born in Vancouver, Joseph finished his schooling in 1935, also in Vancouver, before joining his family, who had moved to Powell River in 1930. He worked as a longshoreman for the Powell River Company for two years and attended University of BC for two years before returning to work in Powell River prior to enlisting. On his first mission, Joseph’s Hudson V aircraft was shot down by a German night fighter aircraft north of the Terschelling Islands, Netherlands. All four crew members were reported missing and presumed dead.
WILLIAM DITTLOFF
ARTHUR DEAKIN
Service: Royal Canadian Air Force Born: October 12, 1917 Hometown: Powell River area Died: November 13, 1944 Memorial: Runnymede Memorial, England
Service: Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve Born: January 31, 1920 Hometown: Wildwood Died: August 21, 1944 Memorial: Halifax Memorial Cemetery
Born in Franklin, Manitoba, Arthur was employed by Canadian Bank of Commerce in Carman, Manitoba, before transferring to Powell River, where he worked and lived until enlisting on February 11, 1941. He was the navigator on a Wellington GR aircraft that took off near Ballymoney, Northern Ireland, on a training exercise and was never heard from again. After a day and night search, it was presumed that the crew and aircraft were lost at sea. Arthur was posthumously awarded RCAF Operational Wings in recognition of gallant service against the enemy and Deakin Lake in Manitoba is named in his memory.
Born in Regina, Saskatchewan, William served on HMCS Chippawa, HMCS Naden, HMCS Stadacona, HMCS Alberni and HMCS Chaleur II. Prior to enlisting in March of 1942, he resided in Wildwood and was employed by the Powell River Company. William was killed in action when HMCS Alberni was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat.
HARRY WOODWARD DONKERSLEY
HENRY S.DRAYTON
Born in Leith, Scotland, William moved with his family to Lang Bay. He worked as a mechanic in Powell River for Gordon Motors, Socchko Motors, Powell River Motors and Wildwood Motors until enlisting in 1941. William was one of seven crew members killed when their Halifax III aircraft collided mid-air with another Halifax aircraft southeast of Selby, England.
After completing grade 10 in Vancouver, Henry was hired as a hardware clerk for the Powell River Company. He joined the army in February 1942 and became a gunner. Henry and two other soldiers were killed by defective ammunition while engaged in mortar training in Southampton, England.
Service: Royal Canadian Artillery Born: May 18, 1923 Hometown: Powell River area Died: September 3, 1943 Buried: Brookwood Cemetery, UK
Remembering our veterans of yesterday and honouring our soldiers of today
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Harry was born and raised in Powell River. He completed his education at Henderson Elementary School and Brooks High School, graduating in 1939. Employed at Jack Fletcher’s Men’s Wear, Harry was Powell River’s junior golf champion and competed at the provincial level. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1942 for sinking four enemy merchant ships and damaging a tanker in the Mediterranean. Harry was killed when his Beechcraft Expeditor aircraft disappeared during a ferry flight from Ontario enroute to Patricia Bay, BC.
Remember the people who have made Canada the country it is today and those who are fighting now to make the world a better place
In honour of all men and women who have sacrificed and continue to do, so that we can enjoy the freedom that we have today
Lamont & Company PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT
Service: Royal Canadian Air Force Born: December 30, 1919 Hometown: Townsite Died: January 16, 1944 Memorial: Ottawa Memorial Cemetery
Never forget
4766 Joyce Avenue 604.485.4231 royallepagepowellriver.com
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Service: Royal Canadian Air Force Born: June 19, 1906 Died: August 21, 1944 Buried: Harrogate Cemetery, England
4698 Marine Avenue • 604.485.2566 • michelleschp@telus.net
4494 Joyce Avenue 604.485.7927
POWELL RIVER FABRICATORS 34BCw03RD
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Remembering those who protected us
2812 McCausland Road prfab@prisminc.ca 604.487.9797 EMERGENCY 604.483.8293
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WILLIAM R. DICKSON
Join us at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 164 for breakfast and lunch to honour the veterans and their families Open Sunday to Saturday 7 am-9 pm 7100 Alberni Street 604-485-4823
FALLEN SOLDIERS OF WORLD WAR
GEORGE PAUL ETHOFER
Service: Royal Canadian Medical Corps Born: February 8, 1908 Died: June 6, 1944 Buried: Brookwood Military Cemetery, England
AUGUST JOHN ECKMAN JUNIOR
WILLIAM CHARD FAIRGRIEVE
August spent 10 years living in Wildwood and married his wife Anne in 1939. He worked as a sawmill setter with the Powell River company. August was one of 335 Canadian Scottish Regiment officers killed in action on the same day at Juno Beach.
William worked two summers for the Powell River Company, one in the beater room and another in the Kelly Spruce division. His daughter Kathlyn Diane was born six months after William perished when his Lancaster bomber was shot down by a German fighter plane.
Service: Royal Canadian Infantry Corps Born: June 20, 1914 Died: June 6, 1944 Buried: Beny-Sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, France
George was born on farm near Birnamwood, Wisconsin, owned by his parents, who were originally from Austria. George’s mother passed away when he was 10. His father moved the family to Canada and started farming near Aldergrove, BC. George left school after grade seven and helped work the farm for a couple of years. In 1922, he moved to Powell River and worked as a logger, cook’s helper, trucking paper, clearing land, on labour gangs and as a scale man for the Powell River Company. On October 1, 1942, George travelled to Vancouver, joined the army and became a medical orderly. He arrived in England early in 1944 and went to work in the 600-bed No. 7 Canadian General Hospital. He died in Duncombe Park, Helmsley, England.
Service: Royal Canadian Air Force Born: October 27, 1918 Hometown: Burnaby Died: May 23, 1943 Buried: Oegstgeest Protestant Churchyard, Netherlands
Service: Royal Canadian Air Force Born: November 21, 1915 Hometown: Powell River Died: Aug 21 1942 Buried: Kinloss Abbey Burial Ground, Scotland
William was born in Scotland and moved to Powell River with his family. He attended Brooks High School and took bookkeeping classes at Powell River Night School. He later worked for the Powell River Company as a cost-accounting clerk and eventually rose to assistant chief of company stores. William married Ella Priscilla Louise Taylor on April 6, 1942. The couples’ honeymoon was a train trip to Halifax. William went off to war from there. The couple’s son was born four months after William and four other crew members were killed in a plane crash near Inverness, Scotland, during a night navigation training flight.
Born in Barons, Alberta, Henry grew up in Burnaby and Vancouver before working in Powell River from 1939 to 1941 for Kingcome Navigation Company. Several German night-fighter aircraft combined to shoot down Henry and six other crew members aboard a Halifax aircraft, which was returning from a bombing raid on Dortmund with three engines not working. It crashed into a field outside of the small Dutch village of Oegstgeest, 10 miles northeast of The Hague, killing all seven aboard. In May of 2009, a permanent memorial was dedicated on the exact spot where the plane crashed.
EWART HASSELL
EARNEST GRIBBLE
Reginald was born and raised in Powell River. He worked for the Powell River Company from 1939 to 1941 and resided on Cranberry Lake. He was aboard a Wellington aircraft that disappeared off the west coast of Ireland after making contact with a German submarine that had surfaced to recharge its batteries.
Earnest was born in Powell River. Prior to his death in a plane crash during a training flight near Ludlow, Illinois, he served in the South Pacific during the early stages of the war. Before the war, the second lieutenant resided in Rantoul, Illinois. Earnest left behind his wife Mable and five-month-old daughter Erna.
Service: United States Army Air Force Born: May 17, 1918 Hometown: Westview Died: February 2, 1945 Buried: Rose Hill Cemetery, Idaho
Honouring our veterans who fought for our freedom
Remembering our veterans
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Born in Newcastle, England, Ewart moved to Powell River with his parents Henry and Ellen, who settled in Cranberry. He worked at Mac’s Shoe Store and for B and K Logging. After enlisting, he served in England, Sicily and Italy, where he was one of 40 killed in action while his squadron fought through the German Trasimene Line near Casalmaggiore, Italy.
Our hopes are high, our faith in the people is great, our courage is strong, and our dreams for this beautiful country will never die 84BCw03RD
604.485.6065 101-7020 Duncan Street braininjurysociety.ca
Service: Royal Canadian Armoured Corps Born: April 20, 1922 Hometown: Cranberry Died: June 28 1944 Buried: Assisi War Cemetery, Italy
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REGINALD C. GAUDET
Service: Royal Canadian Air Force Born: April 20, 1921 Hometown: Cranberry Died: March 11, 1944 Memorial: Runnymede, England
Service: Royal Canadian Air Force Born: December 13, 1919 Hometown: Vancouver Died: August 17, 1944 Buried: Sejero Cemetery, Denmark
WILLIAM GILMOUR
HENRY GRAHAM FREEMAN
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FALLEN SOLDIERS OF WORLD WAR JOHN STEWART JOHNSTON
RALPH BRUCE HOPKINS
Service: Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve Born: March 14, 1909 Hometown: Vancouver Died: May 7, 1944 Memorial: Halifax Memorial Cemetery
Service: Royal Canadian Air Force Born: May 10, 1914 Hometown: Powell River area Died: June 27, 1945 Buried: Battleford, Saskatchewan
Born in Scotland, John grew up in Vancouver and later worked for seven years as a stationary steam engineer for the Powell River Company. He and his wife Hazel (Breen) were married September 18, 1940, in Powell River and lived on Maple Street. Their son James was born in June of 1944. After enlisting, John served on HMCS Discovery, HMCS Cornwallis and HMCS Grandmere, HMCS Stradacona, HMCS Chaleur II and HMCS Valleyfield. While aboard the Vallyfield, John and 123 others were lost at sea after the ship was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine. Ships in the area were able to save 43 survivors from the water.
Bruce was born in Boissevain, Saskatchewan. He enlisted in July of 1941 while working as a bus driver for Powell River Stages. After suffering severe injuries in a plane crash near the Bay of Bengal, he spent time recovering in hospital in Bombay, then met and married Adah Wickens, a nurse serving with the Imperial Nursing Service at the hospital. Bruce returned to Canada and lived with his wife in Vancouver and Moosejaw while recuperating further. After falling ill again as a result of the injuries, he was taken to Montreal for further treatment but died the day after arriving. His baby daughter was three weeks old at the time of his death.
NORMAN JOHNSTON
GORDON BOOTH HUGHES Service: Royal Canadian Navy Born: July 31, 1924 Died: November 9, 1945 Buried: Yeovilton Churchyard Military Cemetery, England
Born in Vancouver, Norman moved to Powell River with his family in 1922. He attended Henderson Elementary School from 1926 to 1936, Brooks High School from 1936 to 1937, and was involved with Westview Boy Scouts for seven years. Norman worked as a clerk for Westview Drug Company from 1937 to 1939. Serving as a wireless air gunner on his 42nd operational sortie over enemy territory, Norman and his fellow crew members were shot down northeast of La Boissiere, France, during night operations. Five of the seven aboard were killed, including Norman, and two became prisoners of war.
ROBERT ARNOLD LASSER
Robert was born and raised in Powell River and completed his schooling at Westview Elementary School, Henderson Elementary School and Brooks High School, graduating in 1938. He helped his father clear the family’s land, referred to as a stump ranch, and worked as a logger for two years prior to enlisting in the Air Force; he had an urge to be a pilot at an early age. Robert was a wireless air gunner aboard one of 54 gliders attempting to land at one of three airstrips carved out of the Burmese jungle. He, along with four other crew members, completed two-thirds of a planned circuit and crashed short of the runaway.
Honouring the men and women who have served and continue to serve for peace and freedom
Born in Nanaimo to Israel and Nellie (Rowbottom) Keaist, Richard was educated at Henderson Elementary School and Brooks High School in Powell River. Later, he was employed by the Powell River Company as an electrician’s helper. Richard perished during a training exercise when his Spitfire aircraft crashed near Shipley, England.
WILLIAM H. LEESE
DONALD KENNETH LEE
Service: Royal Canadian Air Force Born: January 14, 1921 Hometown: Paradise Valley Died: March 5, 1944 Buried: Taukkyan War Cemetery, Myanmar
Service: Royal Canadian Infantry Corps Born: March 7, 1914 Hometown: Powell River area Died: September 28 1944 Buried: Uden War Cemetery
Born in Ponoka, Alberta, Donald resided in Powell River with his wife Viola and two children prior to enlisting. In July, August and September of 1944, Donald, fought with the Royal Scots northward from France to Belgium, where he was killed in action.
Service: Royal Canadian Air Force Born: March 9, 1924 Died: December 18, 1944 Buried: Leopoldsburg, Belgium
William was born in Powell River and attended school in the region until his family moved to Victoria in 1937. During a night operation attack on Duisburg, Germany, William and seven other crew members on a Halifax bomber collided mid-air with another Halifax near the France-Belgium border. Both aircraft crashed, killing all on board.
– Remembering their sacrifice –
We remember those who served with honour and courage
Remembrance Day
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We honour those who have given their lives serving Canadians and helping people of other nations
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Service & Supply
Born: December 29, 1922 Hometown: Wildwood Died: February 22, 1945 Buried: Brookwood, England
Service: Royal Canadian Air Force Born: October 28, 1919 Hometown: Townsite Died: June 3, 1944 Buried: St. Desir War Cemetery, France
Gordon was born in Powell River and was a fireman prior to enlisting as an navy airman. While in formation over Devon, Gordon’s aircraft touched wings with another Chance Vought Corsair F3A-1 aircraft. While the other pilot was able to bail out and survive, Gordon perished in the resulting crash.
AARON
RICHARD PRESTON KEAIST
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FALLEN SOLDIERS OF WORLD WAR
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ROBIN GIBSON LEESE
JAMES LLOYD
Robin was born in Duncan and moved to Powell River with his family at a young age. He graduated from high school in 1940 and obtained a King Scout badge in just two and a half years along the way, which was considered a remarkable achievement in that short of a period. After initial training in Brandon, Manitoba, Robin qualified as an air gunner and later as a pilot. He was then stationed in North Africa, where his squadron began conducting antishipping strikes in the Aegean Sea. Along with a crew on four on a Baltimore aircraft, Robin took off from an airstrip south of Tobruk, Libya, and was never heard from again. Another Baltimore in the area reported that weather had turned poor with showers and heavy wind. Robin was declared missing in action and later presumed killed in action.
James was Powell River’s first casualty of World War II, having died of natural causes while at an infantry training centre in Toronto. James was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and served with the British Royal Navy in World War I. Later, after buying a farm and settling in Manitoba, he and his wife Kate MacDonald had eight children, all of whom later joined the services and survived World War II. Eventually the couple moved to Stillwater, where James worked at the O’Brien logging camp. When the war broke out in 1940, due to his age, joining the Canadian Navy was not an option, so James and his brother Charlie joined the Highlanders.
Service: Royal Canadian Air Force Born: July 20, 1922 Hometown: Townsite Died: October 2, 1943 Memorial: Alamein Memorial, Egypt
ARTHUR JAMES (JIMMY) LYLE
Service: Seaforth Highlanders of Canada Born: September 18, 1895 Hometown: New Westminster Died: April 29, 1940 Buried: Prospect Cemetery, Toronto
ARCHIBALD LESLIE MACLEAN
Service: United States Army Born: March 19, 1916 Hometown: Townsite Died: October 31, 1944 Buried: Golden Gate National Cemetery, California
Son of Powell River’s Arthur James and Alice Lyle, Jimmy was born in South Hadley, Massachusetts. Although not confirmed, there is a good possibility he resided in Powell River prior to enlisting. His remains were returned from Epinal, France, in September of 1948.
FRANK MCMULLIN
Service: Royal Canadian Armoured Corps Born: October 11, 1922 Hometown: Port Alberni Died: July 21, 1944 Buried: Bretteville-Sur-Laise Canadian War Cemetery, France
Archibald was born in Dunvegan, Ontario, and spent most of his childhood in Port Alberni, where his father was a United Church minister. In 1941, the family moved to Powell River when a position became open at Westview United Church. Archibald graduated from Brooks High School one year later, then worked for Powell River Company for two months before enlisting. Due to his leadership skills while training, he was appointed lance corporal in October of 1943 and then sent overseas. Following the landing of the third Canadian infantry division on D-Day, Archibald arrived in France with his regiment. Two weeks later during an attack on Verrières Ridge, he was killed in action, one of 800 Canadians to perish before the ridge finally fell in August of 1944.
PHILLIP JOHN ASHWORTH MAGSON
Service: Royal Canadian Air Force Born: January 12, 1909 Hometown: Prince Rupert Died: March 17, 1942 Memorial: Runnymede Memorial, England
Frank was born in Armstrong, BC, and moved with his family to Prince Rupert, where he attended elementary school. He completed his schooling at Oak Bay High School in Victoria and learned about the pulp and paper industry and accounting via correspondence. Prior to enlisting in 1941, Frank spent 12 years working for the Powell River Company and was its head paper tester upon departure. He became Powell River’s first air casualty of World War II when the Hudson aircraft he and five other crew members were conducting a training flight in lost control and crashed into the North Sea near Yorkshire, England.
Service: Royal Canadian Air Force Born: July 12, 1920 Hometown: Cranberry Died: August 24, 1943 Buried: Berlin War Cemetery, Germany
After early childhood education where he was born in Sutherland, Saskatchewan, Phillip completed high school in Vancouver, where his family moved to in 1930. After three years at Vancouver Technical School, he graduated as a printer in 1937, moved to Powell River and spent four years working at the Town Crier newspaper before enlisting. Trained as a bomb aimer, he and the rest of his crew were uninjured after needing to bail out of a Halifax II aircraft in mid-July after it was attacked over England just after takeoff. A few weeks later, Phillip and six other crew members aboard another Halifax perished in a crash near Haldensleben, Germany, after being shot down by enemy fighters.
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FALLEN SOLDIERS OF WORLD WAR
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SHOLTO PATON (HOB) MARLATT
Service: Royal Canadian Air Force Born: August 9, 1913 Hometown: Cranberry Died: November 29, 1942 Buried: Lytham St. Anne’s (Park) Cemetery, England
Sholto was the son of Dr. Charles Marlatt and his wife Mary. Sholto graduated from Brooks High School in 1930 and earned a bachelor of commerce degree from University of BC in 1936. Sholto was employed by the Powell River Company in the export sales division at the Vancouver office from 1937 to 1940. He married his wife Vera in March of 1939 and enlisted in October of the following year. Sholto was killed while taking part in a navigational and photographic training flight when his Mustang aircraft crashed into a hillside near Dunsop Bridge, England, during a period of low visibility. His son, Gordon, had been born three days earlier.
WILLIAM KENNETH MARSHALL Service: Royal Canadian Air Force Born: January 7, 1916 Hometown: Vancouver Died: November 10, 1944 Memorial: Runnymede Memorial, England
William was born and educated in Vancouver. After graduation he held several jobs before moving to the Townsite area of Powell River and working as a capper for the Powell River Company from 1939 to 1942. William was pilot of a Halifax aircraft that reported having an engine problem on a meteorological flight 200 miles from land over the North Atlantic. After the message was received, the plane was never heard from or seen again. A search by air and surface vessels for William and the seven other crew members was called off after five days. All aboard were reported missing and presumed dead.
JOHN MORRIS
ANDREW MORRIS
Service: Royal Canadian Armoured Corps Born: February 14, 1915 Hometown: Powell River area Died: August 17, 1944 Buried: Bretteville-Sur-Laise Canadian War Cemetery, France
Service: Royal Canadian Air Force Hometown: Powell River area Died: October 24, 1942 Buried: Fogo Churchyard, England
Prior to enlisting, John went to Henderson and Brooks schools and lived on Maple Street in Townsite. He later worked for the Powell River Company as a painter, carpenter, pulp and paper tester and sixth hand. He was also an active athlete in the community. During a night solo-training mission near Berwickshire, England, his aircraft lost control and crashed after encountering torrential rain and ice. John had taken off in clear weather, but was unable to make it to an alternate landing site when conditions took a turn for the worse. His brother, Andrew, also perished in World War II.
Prior to enlisting, Andrew, who was born in Cloverdale, attended Brooks High School for three years and worked as a pulp machine operator for the Powell River Company. During a battle on the road to Falaise, France, Andrew and his 28th Armoured Corps were surrounded and attacked by enemy planes and tanks. Although the unit never yielded an inch of ground to the large German force, a tank Andrew was riding in was hit by a shell and burst into flames. Three troopers managed to climb out, but Andrew and another trooper were unable to escape. His brother, John, also perished in World War II.
Service: Royal Canadian Infantry Corps Born: August 5, 1920 Died: May 24, 1944 Buried: Cassino War Cemetery, Italy
John was born in Pender Harbour and raised in Lang Bay. He left school at age 14 and later worked as a screen tender for the Powell River Company. John was assigned to the Westminster Regiment in England, where he continued training until August of 1943. In March of 1944 John was killed in action during a long battle with the Germans for the Liri Valley in Italy.
FRANK RICHMOND VINCENT NELLO
Service: Royal Canadian Air Force Born: July 1, 1916 Hometown: Westview Died: October 12, 1943 Memorial: Alamien Memorial, Egypt
Frank was a labourer for the Powell River Company prior to enlisting in March of 1941. While taking part in a night operation, Frank and five other crew members were shot down near Rhodes, Greece, after dropping flares to illuminate Maritza Airport.
TREVOR CHARLES LEIGHTON PIDCOCK Service: Royal Canadian Air Force Born: September 20, 1917 Hometown: Victoria Died: October 15, 1944 Buried: Heverlee War Cemetery, Belgium
Born, raised and educated in the Victoria area, Trevor moved to the Sunshine Coast and was employed by the Powell River Company as a paper maker from 1936 to 1940. He enlisted in September of 1940. While on a bombing run over Duisburg, Germany, Trevor, who was the pilot, and his crew of five were shot at, which resulted in an engine fire. After the navigator indicated that the plane was no longer travelling over enemy territory, Trevor kept control of the aircraft until the five crew members were able to bail out. As a result, he did not have enough time to save himself. After the plane crashed near Mechelen, Belgium, his body was found with his parachute half open.
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FALLEN SOLDIERS OF WORLD WAR
ALBERT LIONEL RORKE
GILBERT H. SCRIVEN
Albert was born in the United States and moved to Powell River in 1922 with his mother, Wilhemina, after she married John Hanna in Vancouver. He received schooling at Westview Elementary School and Brooks High School. Although not confirmed, he may have worked for the Powell River Company in the cutter room. Albert originally enlisted with the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1941 and trained as a gunner. He spent time at the Central Gunnery School in Sutton Bridge, England, and was part of operations over Lorient, France, and Berlin, Germany. He transferred to the American military in 1943, but carried on with the RCAF in order to complete his tour. He was aboard a Halifax aircraft when it stalled after takeoff for a night training exercise and crashed near Stillington, England. None of seven crew members aboard survived.
Born in Hughton, Saskatchewan, Gilbert worked as an automotive mechanic and then a pulp tester for the Powell River Company. Gilbert was shot and killed at a first aid post by an SS trooper during the battle of Le Mensil-Paty, the last attack by an Canadian armoured battle group in Normandy.
Service: United States Air Force Born: 1916 Hometown: Westview Died: February 16, 1944 Buried: Brookwood American Military Cemetery, England
Little is known about Robert’s early years, other than he was born in Medicine Hat, Alberta. He worked as a Powell River Company labourer before enlisting in 1941. Robert, a wireless air gunner, was aboard a Liberator aircraft that failed to return to base in Scotland after leaving to carry out an anti-submarine patrol off the coast of Norway. All nine crew members were assumed to be lost at sea.
FREDERICK SPRATT
JOSEPH RALPH GORDON SRIGLEY
Service: Royal Canadian Armoured Corps Born: August 8, 1905 Died: May 30, 1944 Buried: Cassino War Cemetery, Italy
BERNARD SMITH
Service: Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada Born: Unknown Hometown: Powell River area Died: March 9, 1945 Buried: Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery, Netherlands
Born in England, Frederick came to Canada as an orphan in 1913 and lived in a foster home in Toronto. Details about his early years are unconfirmed, but he was operating heavy equipment for the Powell River Company before enlisting in August of 1942. Hew was wounded during a battle in Liri Valley, Italy, and died later in hospital.
Bernard worked as a logger in Powell River and operated a boat on Powell Lake prior to enlisting.
Service: Royal Canadian Air Force Born: September 29, 1915 Died: August 17, 1944 Buried: Faarevejle Churchyard, Denmark
Born in Willow Bunch, Saskatchewan, Joseph moved to Vancouver in 1933 for work and, eventually took employment with the Powell River Company as a sheet metal worker. Joseph perished when his Lancaster bomber was shot down over Sejero Bay, Denmark, and crashed into the Baltic Sea.
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Service: Royal Canadian Air Force Born: June 12, 1912 Died: October 28, 1944 Memorial: Runnymede Memorial, England
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ROBERT WILLIAM SHAW
Service: Royal Canadian Armoured Corps Born: March 9, 1919 Died: June 11, 1944 Buried: Beny-Sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, France
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FALLEN SOLDIERS OF WORLD WAR
NICHOLAS STUSIAK
JAMES EMIL VIRAG
Service: Royal Canadian Air Force Born: November 14, 1922 Hometown: Vancouver Died: December 5, 1944 Memorial: Runnymede, England
Service: Royal Canadian Air Force Born: May 20, 1920 Hometown: Cranberry Died: May 27, 1944 Buried: Bournemouth North Cemetery, England
When Nicholas was six years old, his family moved from Saskatchewan to Powell River, where he received all of his schooling. He was working as a pulp mill grinderman for the Powell River Company when he enlisted in 1941 at the age of 21. He became a sergeant-pilot at Patricia Bay, BC, in 1942, and patrolled the west coast tracking Japanese submarines. While stationed there, Nicholas and his wingman put on an aerial display over Powell River by flying between the “mill stacks,” as they were called at the time. Reports indicate they were later reprimanded for breaking air force regulations. His squadron left for England in January of 1944. Eight days after arriving, while engaged in a practice dog fight at low altitude, Nicholas died when his Typhoon aircraft went into a spin and crashed near Bransgore, England.
James was born in Felso, Hungary. Little is known about his pre-war history in Canada, where he immigrated to in 1930. He spent three months working for the Powell River Company in 1942. James was one of seven crew members in a Lancaster bomber that was involved in a mid-air collision with a Halifax aircraft. Both planes crashed near Winwick, England, killing everyone aboard.
MAURICE HUGH WILSHIRE
RICHARD J. WOODRUFF Service: Royal Canadian Air Force Born: February 20, 1916 Hometown: Westview Died: September 30, 1942 Memorial: Runnymede, England
Richard was born on Prince Edward Island and grew up on Maple Avenue in Powell River. After graduating from Brooks High School in 1933, he worked for the Powell River Company for seven years. Richard, a pilot, and his crew of four went missing and were later presumed dead after their Wellington aircraft crashed into the North Sea during a non-operational night navigation training exercise.
SERGIE (STEVE) ZILNIC
Service: Army Seaforth Highlanders of Canada Born: March 8, 1917 Hometown: Cranberry Died: May 23, 1944 Buried: Cassino War Cemetery, Italy
Service: Royal Canadian Infantry Corps Born: September 16, 1923 Hometown: Kelly Creek Died: July 22, 1943 Buried: Agira Canadian War Cemetery, Italy.
Steve was born in Sakatchewan and moved to Powell River with his family. They later settled in the Kelly Creek area. He worked as a donkey man for O’Brien Logging Company in Stillwater. When he enlisted in 1941, Steve said his birthdate was in 1921, so he was in fact underage at the time. After training in Vernon, BC, and Calgary, he was deployed to England, then to Italy. On July 10, 1943, he was one of 25,000 Canadians who landed in Sicily, forcing German soldiers to begin to withdraw. Twelve days later, as Sicily was liberated from fascism, Steve was killed as the last of the Germans withdrew.
Maurice was born in Vancouver and moved to Cranberry with his family at a young age. After finishing one year of high school, he went to work as a truck driver for City Transfer at the age of 16. Maurice enlisted in May of 1942 and was posted in England to train for a line battalion. He was sent to Italy that November and perished six months later during the battle in Liri Valley, just prior to the Germans pulling back, which resulted Rome falling two weeks later.
November 11th, Remembrance Day. It was our great-great grandparents, our grandparents, uncles and aunts, moms and dads. It was our friends and neighbours, and now it’s even our children. It’s time to give gratitude for those who have passed. It’s time to give thanks for those who still serve. It’s time for peace. It’s November 11th, Remembrance Day. Let us not forget.
“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them...” - from ‘For the Fallen’ by Laurence Binyon
We believe that when we stand united in acts of remembrance, we can make a world of difference.
ALL STORES WILL BE CLOSED In keeping with tradition, all Quality Foods stores close each Remembrance Day to pause and reflect on the importance of the role of our service men and women, past and present.
NOVEMBER 11, 2016