Francis Joseph O'Keefe was born in August, 1892 in Okanagan, British Columbia. O'Keefe enlisted with the 172nd Battalion in Kamloops, British Columbia in February, 1916, but died on March 21, 1916 of pneumonia while training in Kamloops. He was buried at the O'Keefe Ranch cemetery, on the family ranch in Vernon, British Columbia. The collection currently consists of one postcard and one photograph.
Kenneth Wheatley Priske was born in 1923 and joined the RCAF. He was part of 10 Squadron RCAF when he was shot down and killed May 2, 1944. The collection currently consists of two newspaper clippings, a telegram, and a photograph.
Frank Honeywell Magee was born in Lowell, MA, USA in June, 1894. Magee enlisted in Vancouver, British Columbia in March, 1915 with the 11th Canadian Mounted Rifles and served overseas with the 7th Battalion CEF until his death on January 24, 1917. The collection currently consists of three letters and one field service card.
Sydney Brown was from North Bay, Ontario. He was born in 1918 and enlisted with the RCAF. Brown was flying with the 420 Snowy Owl Squadron when his Wellington bomber was shot down and he was killed April 15, 1943. The collection currently consists of a dozen photographs and some miscellaneous materials. See also the collection for Zave Brown, his brother, who was killed in 1945.
Zave Brown was born in September, 1925 and enlisted with the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry. Brown served overseas with the RHLI until his death in Holland on March 9, 1945. The collection currently consists of a number of personal photographs of Zave and of his time in the service. See also the collection of his older brother Sydney who was killed in 1943.
Alexander Windram was born at Eyemouth, Berwickshire, Scotland in February 1881. Prior to the war he emigrated to Canada, and settled in Fraser Mills, British Columbia. Windram enlisted with the 131st Battalion in New Westminster, British Columbia in February, 1916. He served overseas with the 7th Battalion and was killed at Vimy Ridge on April 9, 1917. Windram also had two brothers, William and John, who also served in the CEF and who were both killed in 1917. The collection currently consists of seven postcards from Alexander Windram and one photograph. Materials used with the kind permission of The City of Coquitam Archives.
Hughie Patrick "Sandy" Brown was born December 29th, 1935 in Trail, British Columbia. He enlisted in 1953 in Vancouver, British Columbia and served as a Para Rescue SAR Tech and later SAR Jumpmaster with the R.C.A.F. until his honourable discharge in 1979. He completed 735 aircraft jumps in the peacetime service and rescue of both civilians and military personnel over his career, and retired with the rank of Sergent. This collection consists of three photographs and Brown's flight log.
John McGuire Taylor was born in November of 1917. Taylor served with the RCAF during WWII until his aircraft was shot down over North Africa, where he was taken prisoner in November of 1941. He remained a prisoner of war for the remainder of WWII. After being taken prisoner in Africa, Taylor was a POW in Italy, and then finally sent to Germany, where he spent time in Stalag Luft 3. The collection consists of an extended, illustrated memoir written while as a prisoner, as well as photographs, letters, cards, and his flying log.
Roland Hayes was born in Armstrong, British Columbia in October, 1895. He worked as a farmer until he was concripted in 1917. Hayes served with the 72nd Battalion in England and France and returned to Canada at the end of the war. The collection currently consists of one letter and two photographs. We are grateful to the Historic O'Keefe Ranch in Vernon, British Columbia for sharing these materials.
Walter Elliott Middleton enlisted with the Royal Army Service Corps in Winnipeg, Manitoba in July, 1940. During the war he served overseas in the United Kingdome, Europe, and in the Mediterranean before being demobilized in September, 1940. The collection currently consists of his discharge certificate and one letter from 1944.
Reginald Walwin Fisher was born in Alliston, Ontario in March, 1895. Prior to the war he moved to Regina, Saskatchewan where he went to school and then later worked in the city assessor's office. Fisher enlisted in February, 1916 in Regina with the 195th Battalion and then later was transferred to the 52nd Battalion when overseas. He was killed October 26, 1917. The collection currently consists of a clipping announcing his death in a Regina newspaper.
John George Bryce Hall was born in England in December, 1876. Prior to the war he emigrated to Canada where he worked as an acountant in Toronto. Bryce enlisted in August, 1915 in Toronto with the 83rd Battalion. He served overseas in England and France with the 124th Battalion and returned to Canada at the end of the war. The collection currently consists of thirty postcards and his medals.
William Pash was born in London, England in January, 1889. Sometime prior to the war he immigrated to Brantford, Ontario where he worked as a baker. Pash enlisted in Brantford, Ontario with the 125th Battalion and served overseas. The collection currently consists of twenty one postcards.
Henry Johnston was born in Huntley, Ontario in May, 1895. Johnston enlisted in June, 1915 in Port Arthur, Ontario (now Thunder Bay) with the 52nd Battalion. He proceeded overseas with the 52nd and was severely wounded in June of 1916, and subsequently invalided back to Canada. The collection currently consists of one letter, one postcard, and one photograph of the "A" Coy, 52nd Bn. taken in 1915.
William Fradley was born in Bristol, England in July, 1891. He enlisted in Toronto in July, 1915 with the 35th Battalion and sailed to England in October, 1915. Fradley was transferred to the 23rd Reserve Battalion and then later to the 3rd Battalion, in which he was serving at the time of his death on September 23, 1916. The collection currently consists of a photograph of Fradley and a copy of his will.
Edward Freeman Sweet was born in Switzerville, Ontario in January, 1898 and was a farmer prior to the war. Sweet enlisted with the 146th Battalion in Kingston in January, 1916, just after his eighteenth birthday. He died in Kingston, Ontario February 4, 1916. The collection currently consists of one photograph of Sweet at the time of enlistment.
Ian Gordon Hunter McIntyre was born in September, 1921. He attended school in Courtenay on Vancouver Island, British Columbia until 1936 when, at the age of 15 he signed on with the British training ship the HMS Conway. After two years he then joined Donaldson, Black and Company. He sailed with them, including the Murmansk Convoy until his ship, Empire Whale was torpedoed and sunk March 9, 1943. McIntyre was killed at that time and is remembered on the Halifax Memorial. The collection currently consists of a number of miscellaneous personal items.
Clair Barrey was born in Cayuga, Ontario in March, 1894. He enlisted in Dunnville, Ontario in February, 1916 with the 114th Battalion, known as Brock's Rangers. Barrey was serving overseas with the 7th Battalion when he was wounded in August, 1917 at Hill 70, resulting in the amputation of much of his right leg. The collection currently consists of one photograph of Barrey, as well as two letters home which were subsequently reprinted in the local newspaper, The Dunnville Chronicle.
Francois Boutin was born in Alida, Saskatchewan on August 6, 1928. Boutin enlisted in Shilo, Manitoba with the Royal 22nd Regiment in 1947. He served as a paratrooper in Korea before being injured in 1952, shot in both shoulders. He recovered in a hospital in Japan before returning to Canada in June 1953. This collection currently consists of twenty-four photographs and a few personal items.
William Henry George McRobbie was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland in August, 1897 and moved to Leross, Saskatchewan with his family prior to the war. McRobbie enlisted in May, 1916 at Watrous, Saskatchewan with the 214th Battalion. He served oveseas with the 5th Battalion and was killed November 10, 1917. The collection currently consists of a photograph and a few personal items relating to his service.
James DeArze Gill McKie served with the Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry and the 2nd Canadian Guards. During World War ll he served with the PPCLI in Italy. McKie retired with the rank of Sgt. Major in 1962, having served in the Canadian Army since 1937. He died in 1987. The collection currently consists of three letters and one photograph.
John McCallum LeRoy was born in Quebec in October, 1886 and later moved with his family to Bogend, Saskatchewan. LeRoy enlisted in January, 1915 in Humboldt, Saskatchewan. He served overseas with the 5th Battalion Canadian Infantry until his death on April 28, 1917. The town of LeRoy, Saskatchewan, formerly Bogend, is named after him. The collection currently consists of two photographs.
Thomas Joseph Roche was born in Toronto, Ontario in April, 1918 and enlisted with the RCAF where he served as WO II. He served overseas with the 106 Sqdn. Roch'e aircraft and crew were lost on a raid against Hamburg, Germany on July 28, 1943. The collection currently consists of one letter, and two photographs.
Walter Thomas "Tommy" Robus was born in Shoreditch, England in August of 1893. Robus was the first man to enlist from the town of Norwood, Ontario. He enlisted in August of 1914 with the Second Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, arriving in France in February of 1915. Robus served in France for the duration of the war as a member of the colloquially-named “Suicide Club” First Canadian Contingent bomb squad, and saw the Second Battle of Ypres and The Somme. Robus was wounded on four occasions, returning to France each time before his final return to Canada in December of 1918. This collection currently consists of Robus’ letters written to Rev. A. M. Irwin of Norwood, Ontario and newspaper articles written after his death.
