245 The Royal Canadian Legion MANITOBA & NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO COMMAND www.mbnwo.ca VANDERSTEEN, Cornelius “Case” WWII Gunner Cornelius Vandersteen enlisted in Winnipeg on August 21, 1942. He took his basic training in Fort Garry, then to Woodstock, Ontario for three months. From there, he went to Hamilton, Ontario to train as a motor mechanic. Cornelius went to England in 1943 and spent six more months training as a driver and motor mechanic until D-Day. Two days after D-Day, they went to France and spent the rest of the time in full action at the front lines. They played a big part in the liberation of Holland. Their regiment lost three gun crews of six men each during the liberation of Holland. He was an interpreter for the Canadian Army while in Holland. Cornelius met his wife, Johanna Wilhelmina Albersnagel, in August 1945, and they got married on January 10, 1946. He returned to Canada on January 15, 1946 and received his discharge on March 29, 1946. They lived in Fisher Branch for ten years then moved to Calgary in 1956 and remained there until 1980 when they retired to Lavington, twelve kilometers from Vernon, BC. VANDERSTEEN, Mark M. PEACETIME On January 12, 1989, Mark Vandersteen signed the Oath of Allegiance to the Canadian Armed Forces in Winnipeg. On January 27, he boarded a plane for CFB Cornwallis, Nova Scotia for ten weeks of basic training. He graduated from Recruit Training Course 8904. From Cornwallis, he travelled to CFB Borden, Ontario, for a Basic Drivers Course for three weeks. His next course was in CFB St. Jean, Quebec, which was a 26week course in Vehicle Technician Training, where he graduated top in his class with honours. Mark received his first posting in December 1989, to CFB Suffield, Alberta where he worked at Base Maintenance. VANDERSTEEN, Paul WWII Paul was born on January 25, 1918, on the family homestead SW 1625-1 W near Hodgson, Manitoba. He was the son of Cornelius and Rica Vandersteen. Paul enlisted as a gunner in the Royal Canadian Artillery “C” Battery, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on February 10, 1942. He took his basic training in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, and Shilo. After a long day of shooting practice on the firing range, Paul became seriously ill and was hospitalized with pleurisy. While recuperating, he was stationed at Fort Osborne Barracks, in Winnipeg. His platoon went to Dieppe without him. Paul was honourably discharged due to ill health in August 1942 in Winnipeg. Paul married Alma (Delhaye) in 1949. They had four children. He farmed in Fisher Branch until his death on February 3, 1985.
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