249 The Royal Canadian Legion MANITOBA & NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO COMMAND www.mbnwo.ca SEABORN, Leonard E. WWII Leonard was born in Sussex, England on August 6, 1909. He enlisted in the Army in Winnipeg on September 27, 1939 and served with the Winnipeg Grenadiers in Bermuda for three months, Jamaica, and Hong Kong. He was a prisoner of war at Oyama, Sham Shi Po from December 25, 1941 to September 14, 1945. Lance Corporal Leonard Seaborn received the War Medal 1939-1945, 1939-1945 Star, Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp, Pacific Star and Defence Medal. He was a member of The Royal Canadian Legion Neepawa Branch 23. He was married to Alison. Leonard passed away on May 5, 2001. SEAR, Charles A. “Charlie” WWI Charles was born in Katrime, Manitoba on February 8, 1894. In the spring of 1916, at the time age of 22, Charlie joined the 12th Field Ambulance which comprised of approximately 200 young volunteers from Gladstone and the surrounding area. These young men were given some medical training but their main function was to go out into no man’s land, get the wounded to field hospitals and to gather up the dead. For three years, there was seldom a shortage of work. While they were trained with motorized vehicles, these proved to be practically useless in the muck and mire and shell holes of France and Belgium. Most of their ambulances were drawn by horses. The 12th Field Ambulance took part in many of Canada’s battles, including their huge victory at Passchendaele in the fall of 1917. The 12th was demobilized and Charlie was honourably discharged on July 5, 1919. At the age of 25, he returned to civilian life. Charlie passed away in 1965. SIRETT, Ebenezer Alfred “Ebb” WWII Ebenezer was born on September 13, 1919, to Fred and Mabel (Davidson) Sirett in Neepawa, Manitoba. He grew up on a farm in Neepawa and received his elementary education at the Gordon School District twelve miles southwest of Neepawa. He received his elementary education at the Gordon School. He travelled to Franklin, eight miles by bicycle or horse and cutter to get his Grade 12 from Minnedosa Collegiate in 1938. In 1939, he entered the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Manitoba. In 1941, Ebb answered the call to arms and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. He took his elementary training at Ladner, BC and Claresholm, AB. In 1942, he went to England to continue training on Oxford and Halifax Bombers. He was assigned his crew of Carter, Brice, Boyer, Kelly, McBride and Burke. They made their first operational flight to Hamburg on February 3, 1943. They completed nine operational flights over enemy territory but never returned from their tenth flight. He died tragically during a bombing attack against Essen, Germany on April 3, 1943. He had received his commission just weeks before he was shot down. Pilot Officer Ebenezer Sirett was buried at Uden War Cemetery in the Netherlands. Sirett Lake (64 P/8), south of Caribou Lake was named after him in 1974.
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