151 The Royal Canadian Legion MANITOBA & NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO COMMAND www.mbnwo.ca NAZAR, Fredrick “Fred” WWII Fred was born in Poland in 1925. He moved to Canada with his family when he was three years old living a few miles south of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. Fred enlisted in the Canadian Navy in Hamilton, Ontario in 1943. He did basic training in Hamilton then was sent to Halifax. His first ship was the HMCS Bayfield, an escort Bangor class minesweeper. Fred was part of the escorts along Newfoundland, Halifax and Boston for four to five months. He took part in the second largest convoy to cross the ocean, there was up to two hundred freighters. U-boats sunk five ships which included the loss of one hundred army tanks. Fred worked in the engine (boiler) room as well as helping with other duties. The convoy stopped at the Azores to refuel, then on to Plymouth and Portsmouth, England. Fred and crew started practicing mine sweeping just four months before the Normandy invasion, with 109 crew members on board. He and the crew stopped at ports all along the British Isles. They were the only ship with radar at the time. Fred and crew was a half mile from the French coast just four hours before the D-Day invasion. They were sent back to England because of bad weather. Shortly after they were informed the invasion was on. Fred participated in the invasion helping to rescue survivors and searching for U-boats. They unofficially had three U-boat kills. Their ship, being almost hit by a torpedo on two occasions missing only by ten feet. Fred was in Plymouth at the end of a war he didn’t expect to survive. NEWCOMBE, George WWI George served as a Private in the Army with the 44th Infantry Regiment. He served in England, France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. He was wounded and received a disability pension. After the war, he returned to live in the Fisherton area for a short time.
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