Local vets honoured for Second World War service

The day he left for training was the “saddest day of his life,” as he left behind a pregnant wife and two young boys.

Trusty’s daughter was born while he was in training, but he couldn’t return home. Trusty went to fight overseas and didn’t get the chance to see his daughter for five years.

That’s one of the many sacrifices the group of veterans made after Canada joined the Allied forces in fighting the Nazis more than 75 years ago.

Trusty talked to Prince Albert MP Randy Hoback, who was handing out the pins to each member. Hoback explained their families have a long history.

Meanwhile, Marvin Byrne was on a plane to Japan when the U.S. dropped one of the two atom bombs. He is one of the veterans hwo dd see action in the war.

Byrne was one of the members of the his family to receive a standing ovation at the Clunie-Cooper Memorial.

Lee Gisi had a similar story. He took six weeks of training as a self-described “bulletproof 17-year-old” before he was to head to Holland.

Ed Laird is a well-known local veteran whose role as a Bren gunner took him to Italy.

Marie Mathers was hired as a spy in the war, according to the biographies read out at the ceremony.

Special Holland connection

Although this ceremony was intended to mark the 75th anniversary of Canada’s participation in the conflict — which actually was Sept. 10, 2014 — it comes much closer to another important date in Second World War history.

On May 5, 1945, after five years of the occupation in Holland, the Nazis surrendered to the Canadians.

This liberation was still fresh in the minds of the Dutch during a special parade of that 70th anniversary earlier this month in the city of Wageningen, in central Netherlands.

Veteran Murray Smail remembers the undying appreciation of Holland’s people from a trip he took there about a decade ago.

“We were given real good hospitality. Anything you wanted, they’d do it for you if they possibly could,” Smail said.

“You just put a Canada badge up in Holland and you’re free, free as everything. It’s amazing.”

Smail’s role in the war involved operating telephone communications between different groups of soldiers.

Running phones without landlines at the time was cutting edge, he said.

He said protecting the signals of this communication was important for his mobile signals unit; whether he was in England, Germany, or Holland.

“You don’t want anything going back, you’re sticking your neck out if you do, you’re giving your position away and the next thing you know you’re getting artillery at you,” Smail said.

His role from 1942 until the end of the war kept him ahead of the action.

Smail recalled heading back to Canada within days of the war`s end.

He now lives in Christopher Lake.

All of the veterans honoured at the ceremony

Howard Andrews
Theresa Brassard
Marvin Byrne
Al Erikson
Lee Gisi
Leon Gobeil
Art Hodgson
Ed Laird
Margaret Laird
Marie Mathers
George Nelson
Oluf Nelson
Janet Paley
Bernard Schatkoske
Murray Smail
Lloyd Smith
James Souter
Floyd Trusty

claskowski@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @chelsealaskowsk

by Chelsea Laskowski

Local vets honoured for Second World War service

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