77 The Royal Canadian Legion MANITOBA & NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO COMMAND www.mbnwo.ca HALE (nee BURRILL), Beulah B. WWII Beulah was born on June 28, 1921 in Fairfax, near Souris, Manitoba. She was known as “Boots” to family and friends for most of her life. She joined the Canadian Women’s Army Corps in 1942 and was stationed and trained in Winnipeg. She enjoyed her army life, played on many sports teams for the CWACs, and was a well known catcher in the softball circuit. Beulah went overseas to England in the summer of 1945 and was stationed in Farnborough near Aldershot. Many men in Administration had been sent home and the CWACs in the Pay Corps went over to finish the paperwork. She married Bill Hale on December 1, 1945 in Gloucester, England, after he returned to England from his tour of duty in Europe. Bill was also from Souris. Beulah returned home on the Queen Mary with Bill following close behind on the Queen Elizabeth. Beulah passed away in 1998. She was a member of Sarnia Legion Branch 62 for fifty-six years. HALE, William Henry “Bill” WWII Bill was born on June 22, 1922 in Souris, Manitoba. In November 1941, Bill joined the Army in Winnipeg and was stationed at Fort Garry Horse, 10th Armoured Regiment. He trained in Aldershot, England for D-Day. On June 6 at 6:00 am, he crossed the English Channel in the D-Day Initiative. Bill spent four years in Europe as the Allied Front moved through France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany. Bill was a tank driver and later a dispatch rider in Oldenburg, Germany when the news came that the war was over. He had many close calls as a tank driver, earning him the nickname “Lucky”. Bill returned to England and married Beulah Burrill (also overseas as Canadian Women’s Army Corps and from Souris) on December 1, 1945 in Gloucester, England. He has received many medals for his contribution, including the prestigious Légion d’Honneur from the French Government. Bill has been a Life Member of Sarnia Legion Branch 62 for more than sixty years. HAMELIN, Phillip J. WWI Phillip was born in Pineridge, Manitoba in 1896. He joined the Canadian Army and served in France with the Cameron Highlanders Regiment during World War I. He survived tear gas and poison gas but was wounded twice by shrapnel. When the final battle was fought, Phillip was at Vimy Ridge, where the fighting was heavy and then word came that the Armistice had been signed and it was all over. He was awarded two service medals, “a gold one and a silver one, that he didn’t fuss too much about.” Phillip tried to enlist to serve in World War II but was told that he had done his share in World War I and to go home and let the younger ones fight that one. He was a member of Lac du Bonnet Legion Branch 164. Phillip passed away in 1989. HAMBLIN, Walter James WWI Walter was born in Reading, England on August 9, 1895. As a young man in 1912, he came to Canada with the family of a blacksmith for whom he had worked in England. They settled in Morris, Manitoba. Walter enlisted on January 3, 1917, originally as a “shoeing-smith”, then went to France, where he served with the Canadian Expeditionary Force, 5 Division Ammunition Column C.F.A., and attained the rank of Sergeant. He was awarded the Military Medal for Bravery. After his discharge in May 1919, Walter returned to Morris, where he established a blacksmithing business of his own, which later developed into a John Deere implement dealership. He married Jennie Hay in 1924 and they raised two children. Walter was a respected businessman in Morris and a member of the Governing Board of Morris Hospital District for 30 years. He died in October 1980 at the age of 85 and is buried in the Morris Cemetery.
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