Stories from the Frontlines

Ralph was born in 1921 to Gordon and Agnes Bullivant of Okotoks area. He joined the air force in 1942 and was commissioned as a pilot officer in 1943. Ralph served overseas as an air gunner with the 432 Squadron of the RCAF. In 1943, Ralph is quoted in a Winnipeg Tribune newspaper article which was citing the accomplishments of numerous Canadians overseas. ‘“I haven’t been shot up, shot down, or conned by searchlights in 17 trips,” says Sgt. Air-gunner Ralph Bullivant of Okotoks who is a tail gunner in an RAF Stirling.’  

In July, 1944 Bullivant and his squadron were part of the Canadian Bomber Command’s renewed battle of Hamburg which, in concert with the RAF, dropped hundreds of tons of explosives in a 1000-plane raid. 14 Canadian squadrons took part in the Hamburg operation, dropping bombs or laying mines in enemy waters. The night’s work cost a total of 62 allied planes, of which 23 were Canadian heavy bombers.  According to newspaper accounts, "This was the heaviest loss suffered by the Canadian Bomber Group in any one night since its formation a year and a half ago. Anti-aircraft defenses were particularly strong around Hamburg and enemy night fighters were plentiful. One enemy plane was destroyed over the North Sea as it followed the Bomber Group on its way home. Credit for the victory went to Flt Sgt Gus Perry of Abernathy, Sask. and Pilot officer Ralph Bullivant of Okotoks, Ab.”

For his gallantry, Ralph was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross in October, 1944. His certificate reads: “This officer has completed very many sorties on his second tour of operational duty. He is a cool, confident and skillful air gunner and has played a worthy part in the defense of his aircraft. One night in July 1944, whilst over enemy territory, his aircraft was attacked by a Junkers’ 88. In the ensuing fight Pilot Officer Bullivant cooperated excellently with his co-gunner and their good shooting caused destruction of the enemy aircraft.”

And now for the rest of the story… Right after high school, Ralph attempted to join the air force. He was rejected as he had bunions on both feet, apparently caused by ill-fitting shoes. He worked on a threshing crew to earn enough money to have these bunions removed. Dr. Gordon Townsend, an orthopaedic surgeon in Calgary, operated on Ralph and removed the bunions. Ralph could not walk for a week or so and moved by sliding around the house on a newspaper. He applied again to the air force in 1942.

Peter was one of three Spackman brothers to serve in World War II. Rey served in the air force, John in the army and Peter in the navy. A copy of Peter’s memoirs is located at the archives. In it, he writes: “I joined the navy, mainly because it was going to make Mom proud to have a boy in each of the services… I joined up in Calgary and proceeded to Winnipeg where I took my basic training. I chose signals as my trade and transferred to the radar branch because radar operators were needed, the course was shorter, and I’d get to sea quicker…” 

It was a three-week course. Peter was posted to a corvette, the HMC Arrowhead, in Halifax. The Arrowhead was tasked with escorting a convoy across the Atlantic. “Our radar shack was behind the bridge and contained a radar set called the SWIC for short and proved to be the only radar aboard that was reliable. Our job was to have one party sit and stare at a radar screen while slowly turning a crank which in turn turned an antenna in a complete 360 degree circle. Each time when we were any distance from shore, an ‘echo’ would show up and would be identified as a ship, a school of whales, aircraft, land or an iceberg. While you were doing this, the partner was writing everything down. The radar cabin was four-feet square so there wasn’t much room to move. The trip took three weeks and I was sick the whole time, but never shunned my watches of four on, four off, six on, six off. We were headed toward Greenland and the convoy we were escorting was scattered from horizon to horizon. Finally more protection came from the British side of the Atlantic and we turned back to St. John’s, Newfoundland to escort another convoy.”

Peter continued with the navy until the end of the war.

Helen McKay moved with her family to Okotoks in 1925 and taught school here from 1933 to 1943 before joining the war. She enlisted with the Canadian Women’s Army Corps (CWAC) in 1943 at the age of 36. Following basic training at No. 5 CWAC Basic Training Centre in Vermilion, she was posted to the No. 16 Administrative Unit at Currie Barracks in Calgary. Part of her responsibilities was recruitment and she travelled throughout Southern Alberta meeting with and encouraging enlistment of women into the women’s army corps. Helen was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant in June 1944 and later was promoted to Sergeant. She served with CWAC until 1946 and later with the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps Militia Unit in High River. Miss McKay returned to teaching in Okotoks and retired in 1972.

Letter from the front, Nov. 24, 1944:
Mrs. Margaret Johnson of Okotoks has received word from her son Jim saying that he has been in Belgium since Oct. 1, 1944. “Going across England was a piece of cake. We had a very nice pleasure drive to where we are now and we saw plenty of country. We received many a hearty welcome on passing through a village of town. Food isn’t any too plentiful but fresh fruit is in abundance and so is grain, but meat and milk are quite scarce… Clothing and especially footwear is very scarce.” Jim also says he wishes he had studied French a little better at school but he is gradually getting to understand the language. (After the war, Jim remained with the Royal Canadian Air Force, serving as an instructor until retiring in 1977.)

Cpl. Dave Patterson of Okotoks served with the Calgary Tanks of the Royal Canadian Army during World War II, which were known overseas as the 14th Army Tank Regiment. After two years of training in England, the regiment was involved in the raid on Dieppe. In fact, the Calgary Tanks were the first Canadian unit of the newly formed Royal Canadian Armoured Corps to go into combat the morning of Aug. 19, 1942. While training in England, Dave Patterson was featured in an article in the July 18, 1941 Daily Express newspaper in England under the headline “Okotoks Dave says tanks are swell.” An excerpt of the article reads: “This is Dave Patterson bursting to tell you what a swell job they are making of tanks over here. Remember when I was a mechanic at the Turner Valley oil wells near Okotoks and thought I did a pretty good job of work out there. But believe me it is nothing to what I have seen today.”

In 1943, the 14th Tank Regiment saw battles in Sicily and Italy. Cpl. Patterson received high praise for his contributions to the Italian Campaign and was recognized in dispatches for perfecting the ‘snake’ used by U.S. troops at the Anzio beachhead in Italy. The ‘snake’ was a three-inch pipe, filled with high explosives, which was pushed 300 to 400 feet ahead of a tank. It was about 250 feet long and extended across the path of the tank and deep into the minefield where it was exploded by an electronically controlled detonator. It was possible to destroy an entire minefield with one exploding ‘snake.’ Cpl. Patterson was reportedly skilled at using the device.

Muriel Gould, daughter of John and Hattie Gould of Okotoks, joined the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service in 1942 at the age of 22. She trained in Galt, Ontario, Digby, Nova Scotia and Esquimalt, BC.

In the history book, A Century of Memories, Muriel writes: “At that time I wondered what I had gotten myself into, as it was a rigorous and strict training, and also very lonely. I remember receiving parcels from my sister Elsie which was great – cookies, cake and chocolate. Needless to say, my friends and I would eat everything before the day was out.”

A highlight for Muriel was in 1944 when she was chosen to represent women in the naval service at the Jack Benny Victory Loan celebration in Victoria where she met American comedians and actors Jack Benny and Edmund Lincoln Anderson, more commonly known as ‘Rochester.’  Muriel and Rochester were featured in the newspaper which appeared first in Victoria and then in the Calgary Herald.

In April 1944, famous radio comedian Jack Benny, his partner Mary Livingston, Rochester and the rest of his radio entourage visited Vancouver and Victoria on a War Bonds tour. Jack (as well as other Hollywood entertainers like Bob Hope) did dozens of shows, particularly United Service shows (USO shows) in the United States and overseas to support the troops and boost morale or help raise funds for war bonds/victory loans. Jack Benny was the star of the NBC radio show “The Jack Benny Program,” and Rochester was his valet on the show. Rochester became the first Black American to have a regular role on a nationwide radio program. The radio program continued until 1965.

Following the war, Muriel married John Christensen of Okotoks in 1945. John also served in the Canadian Navy.

Ronald Banister was born in 1917 to Harold and Laura Banister of Okotoks. He enlisted with the RCAF in 1941 and took his training in Toronto, graduating as an officer and navigator. In 1942 he was posted overseas, serving as a RCAF officer on bomber command attached to RAF 90th Squadron.

In the history book, A Century of Memories, Ron writes: “The first 10 ops were on the old Sterlings going out on moonlight nights flying tree-top height, dropping arms to the French underground Moqais and mines in the shipping lanes of the Baltic. We racked up our Sterling one night with a bomb load of 10 mines on board. Miraculously no one was injured. We transferred to Lancasters and finished our tour on a new Lancaster ‘R for Rodger’, bombing targets in Germany. Three of our crew received the Distinguished Flying Cross after the tour, myself included. I was glad to do my last trip.”  Ron was recommended for a Distinguished Flying Cross in December 1944 after flying 29 sorties between May 1 and Sept. 6, 1944 accumulating 132 hours and 27 minutes. His citation reads: “In recognition of gallantry and devotion to duty in the execution of air operations against the enemy.” The recommendation letter tells the rest of the story: “Despite the discomfort that this officer must have suffered throughout the greater part of his operations tour, he persevered in very commendable fashion to complete his sorties with the rest of his crew. After a very few sorties he was found to be suffering from a duodenal ulcer but insisted in remaining an active member of his crew and on no occasion did he permit his physical disability to interfere with his operational performance which was always maintained at a very high level of efficiency. As a navigator, his ability was well above the average. It is considered that this officer’s courage and determination in maintaining such a high degree of operational efficiency under difficult conditions is worthy of the highest praise and the award of Distinguished Flying Cross is recommended.”

As mentioned, the last Lancaster Ron served on was one named R for Rodger. Aircraft used by the RAF 90th Squadron had alphabetic names, Q for Queenie, S for Sugar, T for Tommy and R for Rodger.  According to Ron, after his last tour, the R for Rodger was shot down on the first trip the new crew took her out. All hands were lost.

After Germany, Ron was posted back to Canada to instruct navigation at Rivers, Manitoba. Then the air force needed experienced aircrew to go to the Middle East and Ron volunteered. He was first posted to Vancouver where he was joined by his family including his young daughter Laureen and his wife Inez who was expecting their second child.  Ron writes in A Century of Memories: “While waiting transportation to take me to my posting in India, VJ Day was declared. I thought an immediate discharge would be automatic. Not so. I was posted to India… later posted to Calgary to be discharged in August, 1945.”  Ron was discharged with the rank of flight lieutenant. He returned home to his family which now included a newborn son, which they named… Rodger. (“Guess who he was named after?” writes Ron.)

Cliff Miller was one of three sons of Joe and Marie-Alice Miller of Okotoks. He served with the Royal Canadian Navy as a signalman on the Fairmile Motor Launch Q120. In January 1944, Q120 was part of the 82nd ML Flotilla. The 82nd consisted of six Fairmiles operating out of Shelburne, Nova Scotia. He served as a signalman specializing in visual communication, which included signal flags and signal lights. He was required to memorize the colours and meanings of more than 80 signal flags and to prepare and hoist the many various flag signals quickly and correctly. It also required directional signalling using a flashing light in which messages were flashed to passing ships. Cliff served with the Canadian Navy for three years until the end of the war. He returned to Okotoks. 

But now for the rest of the story. A year and a half after the war, Cliff and his family, including his brother Jim, his parents Joe and Marie-Alice, as well as his good friend Hugh Hamilton of Medicine Hat, who had also served in World War II, travelled to Lake Louise for a vacation. Cliff and Hugh obtained a canoe from the boathouse and set out across the lake.  According to the Okotoks Review, “the canoe capsized and the boys were thrown into the water. Cliff was seen to start swimming for shore but turned back evidently to help Hugh who was not as good a swimmer and both boys sank. The drowning occurred about 300 yards from the dock in perfectly calm but very cold water, which probably neutralized the boys’ attempts to swim. The bodies have not been recovered.” Cliff was 23 years old and Hugh was 26. After serving their country at sea, they drowned in a boating accident at Lake Louise.  

Mary Elizabeth (Bessie) Quinn was born to E.C. and Elizabeth Quinn who homesteaded northeast of Okotoks in 1885. Bessie became a teacher and taught in Okotoks from 1927 to 1968. In 1942 she became one of the first women to join the newly formed Canadian Women’s Army Corps which had established in March, 1942. CWACs underwent three months of basic training before entering active service, and were paid two-thirds of a man's basic pay. Bessie received her training at No. 5 Basic Training Centre in Vermilion. At first she was engaged in recruiting women to join the women’s army corps. Later she went to Ottawa and Montreal for additional training courses. In Montreal she was commended for achieving distinguished marks on a night vision course. Bessie returned to Mewata Depot in Calgary where she began serving as a night vision instructor for men in the army’s medical corps. After the war, Bessie returned to teaching in Okotoks, primarily the lower grades, and taught until 1968. She passed away in 1983.

Cliff Evans was born in England and immigrated to Canada with his parents as an infant. He went to school in Okotoks and worked in Wentworth’s General Store before joining the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1941.  Overseas, Cliff served for a time with the Pathfinders. Pathfinders were an elite corps of crews with high navigational abilities, hand-picked from operational bomber squadrons that formed in August of 1942. The Pathfinders literally were the lead guides, marking targets with green, red, and yellow flares, which allowed the main force to accomplish precision bombing. 
Cliff received the Distinguished Flying Cross in October 1944 for conspicuous gallantry and high devotion to duty. His citation reads: “Flt. Lieut. Evans has completed many sorties against strongly defended targets in Germany. On three occasions his aircraft was attacked by fighters. By his coolness and devotion to duty, this officer was undoubtedly responsible to a great extent for the successful completion of these flights. Since May, 1944 Flt. Lt. Evans has been squadron navigation officer and his outstanding ability and strong sense of duty have set a magnificent example to his crew and squadron.” In all Cliff completed more than 30 sorties on enemy targets with the 426 Thunderbird Squadron including three attacks on Berlin. In 1945 he was promoted to squadron leader.  The 426 Thunderbird Squadron was a bomber squadron, first using Wellington bombers, then Lancasters and then Halifax bombers. The Squadron’s motto was “On Wings of Fire.” Its emblem was the thunderbird; a mythical bird, the sight of which is supposed to cause havoc and death to those who perceive it.  During WWII, the 426 Squadron lost a total of – coincidentally --  426 airmen. 

Cliff stayed with the RCAF after the war and became involved in LORAN, short for long-range navigation, which was developed during World War II to provide low frequency radio navigation for ships and aircraft.

Frank Baceda was working for Canadian Western Natural Gas in Okotoks when he enlisted to serve in World War II. Baceda joined the Royal Canadian Navy and served as a chief petty officer aboard the Mahone. It was a Bangor-class minesweeper. The Mahone was assigned to Western Local Escort Force in 1941 that referred to the fleet of anti-submarine escorts which accompanied convoys across the Atlantic. The Western Force operated from port cities like Halifax, Gaspe Bay and Sydney to an area known as the Western Ocean Meeting Point out in the ocean where another fleet of escorts assumed responsibility to safely delivering the convoys to the British Isles. Frank Baceda shared his experiences aboard the Mahone following the war by speaking to school children. Some of the stories he shared were featured in the Okotoks Review: “The children of Grades 2 & 3 were thrilled on Tuesday afternoon when Frank Baceda visited the school and gave a most interesting talk on life aboard a minesweeper… For several months Mr. Baceda was on convoy duty; the trips taking them to about 100 miles from Iceland. Plowing through ice floes was a novel experience. The ships from England were met there and convoyed on. He told the children about the sensations of being shut down in the stokehold when the ship was in action or preparing to go into action. He also mentioned that the first whale they sighted was mistaken for a submarine. Before a ship goes into action, he explained, the crew all dress in white uniforms. This is for two reasons and both due to wounds: 1. The white cloth is less liable to infect a wound; and 2. The place of the wound shows up immediately.  At the conclusion of his talk, Petty Officer Frank Baceda was given a very hearty vote of thanks. The children sang “The British Navy” and voted him a worthwhile member of the Men of Navy Blue.”

Wesley ‘Mac’ McLellan grew up in Saskatchewan and enlisted with the Royal Canadian Air Force in July, 1940 at the age of 21.
Cpl. McLellan was part of the ground crew stationed at RAF bases in Digby, Lincolnshire, England and Castle Archdale in Ireland where he was responsible for still and moving photography of his squadron. McLellan was the NCO over three other servicemen who were tasked with loading film into cameras, mounting them in fighter and bomber planes, and then upon the plane’s return, retrieve the film, process it and develop prints. These prints and moving pictures proved valuable on reconnaissance missions as well as provided proof of hits.
“I was responsible for 30 or 40 cameras – for the whole squadron – little fighters would take movie cameras, 16mm. Bombers would use F-24s,”  he said. Prints and film were then sent to headquarters. Pilots often asked Mac to develop an extra print as a keepsake of a successful mission. He kept a few for himself as well.
Following the war, Mac moved to Okotoks where he was active with the Okotoks Legion. In 2003, he donated his collection of war photographs to the Okotoks Museum and Archives on the condition they not be exhibited until after his death. He mused that he might get into trouble for keeping some of the prints.
Mac McLellan passed away in 2014 at the age of 94.

Francis (Franny) Hoiland, was the son of Edward and Johanna Hoiland who moved to Okotoks in 1937. He married Audrey Lawson in 1941. Franny joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in October, 1942 shortly after the birth of their son Kent who was born on the day of the Dieppe Raid, August 19, 1942. Franny took initial training in Edmonton. In 1943 he attended the Technical Training School in St. Thomas, Ontario and then with the rank of Leading Aircraftman (LAC) was posted to No. 19 Service Flying Training School (SFTS) in Vulcan. He served as an aero-engine mechanic with the RCAF for three years. The advantage of being posted in Canada was it was a little easier to be ‘on leave’ and go home to visit family. It was especially important when Franny got this telegraph on Sept. 9, 1943. “AC1 Hoiland, F. J.  Daughter born. Can you get leave to visit wife in hospital? Dr. B. Humphrey.”

The Okotoks Museum and Archives is fortunate to have many of Franny’s war service records. Those records reveal, for example, that Franny received $270 as basic war service gratuity. He also requested a ‘re-establishment credit’. The application for this credit required him to identify his intent for these funds to which he replied he wished to purchase a chemical icebox. Oh, and that daughter who was born while Franny was serving, she made headlines on VE Day in May, 1945. Little Sandy was a year old when she was “kidnapped”, buggy and all, and taken around a happy V-E Day parade route in Okotoks to celebrate Victory in Europe Day. After the war, Franny was involved in the trucking business. He died in 1954.

Charles Halstead moved to Okotoks in 1937 and enlisted with the Calgary Tanks in 1941. He spent over 4.5 years on active service and saw action throughout Europe. Overseas, the Calgary Tanks were known as the 14th Army Tank Regiment, and after two years of training in England, were involved in the raid on Dieppe. Most believe that the raid had been a disaster from the start, however, valuable lessons were learned which helped save lives in future Allied landings in North Africa, Sicily and D-Day at Normandy. In July of 1943 Calgary Tanks went to Sicily with the 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade as part of the 1st Canadian Division. The Allied invasion of Sicily proved to be the largest amphibious operation of the war to date with 160,000 Allied troops assaulting beaches heavily defended by 250,000 Italian soldiers and 50,000 Germans. After a five-week campaign, Canadian troops helped the Allies capture Sicily. Immediately it was onto Italy. In September of 1943, the Allies, including the Calgary Tanks, moved onto the Italian mainland and participated in sustained door-to-door combat with the occupying Germans in the towns as well as the mountainous terrain. The regiment was re-equipped with Sherman tanks which were considered at the time to have superior armour and armament and maneuverability. 

In December, 1943 Canadian troops captured the Adriatic port of Ortona following a ferocious house-to-house battle. It was during December that Staff Sgt Major Charles Halstead played a pivotal role; and one which earned him the Military Medal.
His citation reads: “On Dec. 11, during the fighting beyond the San Leonardo bridgehead, it was necessary to send a squadron of tanks to protect the right flank of the attack. At the end of the day the squadron found itself in position where it could not be reached to supply vehicles with vitally necessary petrol, ammunition and rations. A mule train was organized to carry the needed supplies to the tanks in the dark. Staff Sergeant-Major Halstead went on ahead under direct enemy machine gun and sniper fire, arranged a rendezvous for the mule train with his squadron commander, later returning in daylight in direct view of the enemy after succeeding in placing the urgently needed supplies within reach of the tanks. The courage and initiative displayed by Staff Sergeant-Major Halstead during the time and his realization of the vital importance of the supplies resulted in not only allowing the squadron of tanks to hold their positions, but saved both tanks and information from being destroyed and the position from being overrun by the enemy.”

After the war, Charles served on Okotoks Council from 1968-74 and was a member of the volunteer fire department for many years, including several years as fire chief.

Egerton Warren King was born in 1910 to Arthur and Grace King who had moved to Okotoks in 1917. He served in the Royal Canadian Navy as a sub-lieutenant during World War II. As maintenance engineer for the 1st Canadian LCI (L) flotilla, Egerton was entrusted with the task of keeping the machinery and electrical equipment of Canada’s large infantry landing craft flotillas in perfect working order. This was an essential role throughout the war but perhaps no more significant than on D-Day. King helped ensure the flotillas, carrying men and supplies, crossed the English Channel to Juno Beach during the Battle of Normandy. An article in the Okotoks Review, following the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944, highlighted King’s contribution as a maintenance engineer, often risking his own life to get the job done: “Sometimes when they can’t finish the job at the home base, they make the cross-channel trip to do it.” After the war Egerton lived in Fernie and then Edmonton where he became president and chief executive officer of Canadian Utilities. 

Campbell Gibbard was born in 1923 just northwest of Okotoks. “When I was five or six years old, my dad and I went up to Calgary for an airshow… He parked the car. I was leading the family and went through the hangar door, walked through another door and came out the other side. There was a biplane. I didn’t know what it was at the time. So I tried to look into the cockpit to see what I can see. The owner picked me up to show me. From then on, flying was an ambition. By the time I was 14, a war was coming on so that was my opportunity to learn to fly,” he shares in the book, She Made Them Family. Campbell turned 18 on June 20, 1941 and enlisted with the Royal Canadian Air Force the next day. After training in Canada, he was posted overseas and went on to serve in all corners of the war including Egypt, Cyprus, Italy and England. Late in the war, Campbell was posted to the 404 Buffalo Squadron based in Scotland. The Buffalo squadron flew Beaufighters and Mosquito light bombers providing air support and patrolling for enemy ships and subs in the shipping lanes along the Norwegian and Dutch coasts. Campbell was mentioned in dispatches in April 1945: “F/O’s Gibbard and Burns flew a successful recce on the morning of 26 April 1945. Encountering considerable flak along the way, they discovered multiple targets in a number of harbours and fjords and communicated the information to the inbound Dallachy Wing force, which then carried out a successful attack.” Campbell also writes of this mission: “While we were flying to Norway peeking over the mountains in the fjord, we spotted ships. Burns prepared a wire and I quickly got out of range of the anti-aircraft fire. Burns’ message got to bomber command and the whole Dallachy Wing – which included three squadrons of 50 aircrafts – went off to blast the ships we found. And they did sink some of them. We didn’t have time to be frightened, we were too busy. You got back okay and that was it. We did not worry about it. After the debriefing, we got some hot rum.” F/O Gibbard came home to Canada in July 1945.

Donald Anderson was born in Blackie and raised and educated in Okotoks. He was a great athlete growing up. In the Okotoks history book, A Century of Memories, he writes: “Sports were my life. When I played with the Okotoks hockey team they were undefeated for four straight years. In those days we played 60 minutes. I remember playing at Banff Winter Games defeating them 17-7 at which time I scored 13 goals and had four assists. Later I hitchhiked to Calgary from Okotoks to play for the Calgary Junior Royals and the team reached the finals.” Don joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1942. The Okotoks Review reported: “It is of interest to note that with Don’s enlistment, the class with which he graduated from Okotoks High School, are 100 per cent in the armed forces.”
Don was posted to Brandon Manning Depot and then to the RCAF No. 11 Equipment Depot on Bonnybrook Road in Calgary. There were five RCAF equipment depots established in Canada during the war and their role was to serve as master supply centres for all the training schools in their region. The equipment depot in Calgary was responsible for providing supplies and support for the 27 training schools in Alberta. Those service members stationed in Canada were fortunate to play on air force sports teams -- Don fit right in. Don played for the RCAF No. 11 Equipment Depot hockey team and led the league in scoring. He also competed in the RCAF track and field meet held in Winnipeg and, according to Don, he threw the ball farther than anyone could recollect. 
After the war, Don continued his sports career, first playing for the Okotoks Oilers and then with the Coleman Grands, leading this team in the Western Canadian Championship playoffs. He went on to play for the Spokane Spartans, the Trail Smoke Eaters and finally the Calgary Stampeders in the Western Canada Hockey League.  An injury in 1952 forced Don’s retirement from hockey.

Philip Rowland Bice was born 1918 near Aldersyde to Hocken and Bessie Bice. Philip joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1941 and trained as a pilot, graduating as an officer from the No. 15 Service Training Flying School in Claresholm which had just opened in June of 1942. Philip then graduated as a flying instructor from one of the first classes offered at the No. 2 Flight Instructors School at Vulcan that had begun operations in July 1942. Philip spent four years as a flight instructor at Currie (No. 3 Service Flying Training School in Calgary), Pearce (No. 36 Elementary Flying Training School at Vulcan), and Trenton (No. 1 air base at Trenton, Ontario which was the largest training centre of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan during the Second World War.)
Unlike most enlistees who had to leave their family behind while serving, Philip was able to take his wife, Jean, with him. Philip and Jean were married in 1940 and had been living on the farm at Aldersyde when Philip enlisted. Throughout his service as a flight instructor, Jean accompanied Philip as an air force wife. After the war, Philip and Jean returned to the farm at Aldersyde, later operating the Texaco Service Station in Okotoks in partnership with Jack Bailey.

Bruce was born in Aldersyde in 1914 to Ernie and Hilda Bird. Bruce took a government-sponsored machinist course in Medicine Hat and was sent to work at the Canadian Pacific Railway’s Ogden Shops in Calgary. The buildings at Ogden Shops had been converted to manufacture weapons for the war effort during World War II.  Bruce joined the active army in 1941 at the age of 28 and was sent to Barriefield, Ontario for training before going overseas with the Royal Canadian Ordinance Corps. During the Second World War, the RCOC had a strength of 35,000 military personnel. This corps procured all the material goods required by the Royal Canadian Army, from clothing to weapons. In the history book, A Century of Memories, it states Bruce’s corps was “on the Atlantic when the European Armistice was proclaimed, often called V-E Day. They continued on to Europe to act as an occupational army and to retrieve and clean up the war equipment and damage wrought. Two years later he returned to Canada to find many of the jobs already filled and land prices high.”  Bruce and his family settled in Claresholm after his war service, later moving to Vegreville. He passed away in 1982.

Harry Tucker was born in 1921, the youngest son of Frank and Beatrice Tucker of Davisburg who later moved south of Okotoks. When war broke out in 1940, Harry tried to enlist in the army but wasn’t accepted because of an eye defect. Two years later, he tried to enlist again and this time was accepted. Harry was a big strapping farm boy and, according to the newspaper, there was great difficulty in finding an army uniform big enough to fit him. In fact, there is a great photo in the Calgary newspaper of Harry holding up two other servicemen – one in each arm. Following basic training Harry was transferred to the Canadian Provost Corps where he served as an MP (military police) stationed in Calgary. It was here that he met and fell in love with Peggy Skeet, who worked in the Provost Marshall’s Office. Peggy, originally from Delia (near Drumheller) joined the Canadian Women’s Army Corp in 1942. She served until 1944 and Harry served until his discharge in 1945. They married right after the war and returned to farm at Okotoks.

Jack D. Miller was born in 1922 to Ervie and Addie Miller who farmed north of Okotoks. In 1941 he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force and graduated as a wireless air gunner from the RCAF training centre at Mossbank, Sask. On the west coast he saw active duty for three years with the #120 Bomber Reconnaissance Squadron and #6 Bomber Reconnaissance Squadron, both based in Coal Harbour, B. C. The squadrons used Supermarine Stranraer flying boats to provide anti-submarine operations, primarily searching for Japanese subs and ships. There were only 40 Stranraers operated by the RCAF and 17 operated by the Royal Air Force. Both air and ground crews of the squadrons loathed the Stranraer. In fact, the Stranraer earned a vast number of derogatory and sarcastic nicknames. The plane was most often referred to as a “whistling shithouse” because the toilet opened out directly to the air and when the seat was lifted the airflow caused the toilet to whistle. It was also referred to as the “Whistling Birdcage”, “Flying Meccano Set”, “Strainer”, and the “Flying Centre Section of the Lion’s Gate Bridge.” Clearly, it wasn’t well liked by Jack Miller and the rest of the squadron. Despite three years of service on the west coast, the squadrons saw no enemy action by the Japanese. Jack returned to Okotoks to farm.

Paul Kauffman Jr. of Okotoks was just 16 years old when he tried to enlist with the Canadian Armed Forces. He was turned down. His dad Paul, the Okotoks policeman, had already enlisted and Paul Jr. wanted to join him. “I was scared to death that war was going to be over before I could get over there so I badgered the Canadian Navy and they told me ‘no way, come back when you’re 18’ but that didn’t satisfy me so I went to Kalispell and the U.S. Navy agreed to take me...”
His first job was as a radio operator on the battleship West Virginia (which had been sunk at Pearl Harbour and then rebuilt). Paul was stationed at Okinawa when the atomic bombs were dropped.
“Through the eyes of a 19-year- old, I just could not imagine something that terrible and that horrible.”
“I stood there in what was a large city and nothing. A few gurus sticking up, that used to be a hospital, and all the way up the hill on either side, just total desolation. A few people just wandering around, shell-shocked. Too shell-shocked to even run from us. I spent two or three hours wandering round what used to be this city, trying to picture in my own head what was there before, but I couldn’t. When I saw the steel guru sticking up that kind of stuck in my mind because the hospital bed was wrapped around it.”
“We went into Tokyo Bay there for the surrender. That was an awe-inspiring sight because we had a lot of large surface ships by that time… When the war was declared over, the whole fleet gathered at Buckner Bay and Okinawa and then steamed en masse towards Tokyo Bay to create a spectacle for the Japanese people… There was a lot of showmanship involved.”
Paul Jr. mailed a letter from Tokyo Bay to his mother in Okotoks on the day the surrender was signed. “I still have it. My granddaughter can do something with it perhaps.”

Paul went on to have a lengthy career with the U.S. Navy including participation in the Korean War and Vietman War. (From an oral history interview conducted by the Okotoks Museum and Archives in 2003).

Glen William Lineham was born in 1916 to Bill and Jean Lineham (and a grandson to W.D. Lineham). Glen was named after Jean’s brother Glen Morrison who flew with the Royal Flying Corps in World War I. Glen enlisted in World War II and became a navigator-bombardier in the Royal Canadian Air Force rising through the ranks to flying officer. During the war, he flew one tour with coastal command and then his second tour he flew combat cargo transports attached to the British 14th Army in Burma.
Why was a Canadian airman attached to the British 14th Army and what were they doing in Burma? The British 14th Army was often referred to as the "Forgotten Army" because its operations in the Burma Campaign were overlooked and overshadowed by what was happening in Europe.  
The Burma Campaign was a series of battles fought in the British colony of Burma.  The British army and its allies (China and the U.S.) were fighting the invading forces of Imperial Japan which began their occupation in 1942. The British feared that if they couldn’t push the Japanese out of Burma, India would be next. The Burma Campaign turned out to be the longest and bloodiest and arguably one of the most challenging campaigns in World War II. The tropical climate and harsh terrain of Burma posed a huge challenge to the army. With no roads existing in the area to transport supplies, the army relied solely on the air force to deliver supplies – arms, ammunition, clothing, food and medicine to the 300,000 troops on the ground. Sometimes planes would land on makeshift airfields, and if planes couldn’t land, they dropped their loads by parachute to the ground.
This is what brought Flying Officer Glen Lineham to Burma. He was a member of Squadron 435 that delivered much needed supplies to Burma using the Douglas Dakota military transport aircraft. In fact, Lineham was on the first RCAF squadron to fly over Burma. Their first operation was to cross the Chindwin River into North Burma and deliver 75 tons of food, gasoline and ammunition to troops on the ground.
The 435 Squadron’s motto was, appropriately “Determined on delivery.” Its emblem featured a Chinthe which is a mythical (lion-like creature) often seen guarding the entrances of pagodas and temples in Burma.  In a public presentation after the war, and documented in the Okotoks Review, Glen described the dangerous missions in Burma: “The Japanese were always on the lookout for unprotected cargo planes and if they got sight of one, well it became just another one reported missing. Crews hardly ever camped at night without finding one or two of their numbers gone. Noting was said about them. Everyone knew that it might be their turn next.  The sufferings and deprivations that the forces went through in Burma were indescribable, said Glen. The army were going up and down mountains, through malarial swamps and bogs, fording streams and rivers with a deadly miasmatic mist around them and all kinds of poisonous insects, reptiles and savage animals infesting their path. As for flying, said Glen, he believed it was the worst country for flying in the world especially in the wet season which was when they happened to strike. Between the wind and the rain and especially the monsoon in which a plane seemed like a kite, Burma was an experience none of them wanted to go through again.” 
The Burma campaign was a success. The Allies managed to push the Japanese out. The 14th Army's Burma campaign became the largest air supply operation of the war. After the war the commander of the 14th Army said: “Ours was a joint land and air war; its result was much a victory for the air force as it was for the army.”
For his contribution to the Burma Campaign, Glen was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Glen died in 2004 in Innisfail at the age of 87.