129 The Royal Canadian Legion MANITOBA & NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO COMMAND www.mbnwo.ca MASNIUK, Peter Paul WWII Peter was born on February 17, 1920 at Morweena, Manitoba. He enlisted in the 18th Armoured Car Regiment in April 1942. It became the 12th Manitoba Dragoons in June 1942. He took basic training at Fort Osborne Barracks, Portage la Prairie and Debert, Nova Scotia. He went overseas and landed in Glasgow, Scotland on August 30, 1942. D-Day was June 30 on the beaches of Calais. The 12th Manitoba Dragoons were part of the Army that liberated Caen and the breakthrough to the River Seine. During the taking of Caen their forward troops were severely bombed by their own Air Force. They fought through France, Belgium, Holland and ended up in Northern Germany at the end of the war. Trooper Masniuk was promoted to Corporal and frozen as essential to the occupation of Germany. The Regiment was shipped home in January 1946 and Corporal Masniuk was discharged in March 1946. The Battles to remember were the closing of the Falaise Gap in Normandy, the Battle to hold the Bridge at Nijmegen and the battle to drive the Germans back in the Hochwald Forest in Holland. On discharge, Corporal Masniuk received the usual five medals: the 1939-1945 Star, the France and Germany Star, the Defence Medal, the Canadian Voluntary Service Medal 1939-1945 and Clasp and the Honourable Discharge Medal. Peter transferred from The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 141 to Hodgson Legion Branch 158 in 1957. He served as President from 1960 to 1966, also Zone Commander of Zone 52, 1965 to 1970 and Deputy District Commander, District 5 for two years. Pete received the Past Presidents Medal, The Past Zone Commanders Medal, the Past Deputy District Commanders Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Canada Medal from the Queen, the Legion Service Medal, 1926-1976 and the 60th Dominion Jubilee Medal for his work and devotion to The Royal Canadian Legion. MATTHEW, Harley PEACETIME Harley Matthew, son of the late Ross Matthew and Dorothy Switzer, enlisted in the Navy on November 30, 1961. He took his basic training at Cornwallis, Nova Scotia. He sailed on HMCS Sioux which was decommissioned in the fall of 1963. The Sioux was a “V” class destroyer. Harley served with the 5th escort squadron on the Kootenay, in the Baltic and North Atlantic during the “Cuban Crisis”. He also served in the Mediterranean during the “Cyprus Crisis”. Harley left the Navy in August 1964 to return to civilian life. He resided in Norman Wells, Northwest Territories. The picture was taken in front of the Coliseum in Rome.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM0NTk1OA==