205 The Royal Canadian Legion MANITOBA & NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO COMMAND www.mbnwo.ca SHARPE, Harry Leonard Mansfield WWII Harry came from a home southeast of Minnedosa, in the Hazelwood District. His parents were Manfred and Agda (Larson) Sharpe. Following his school days and helping on the farm, he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force. His postings included Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Coal Harbour, Port Hardy, Nanaimo, and Vancouver, BC. After undergoing appropriate training, he taught courses in chemical warfare and hand to hand combat, in preparation for any confrontation in any way with enemy forces. After the end of the war and his discharge, he returned to the farm. He received the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and the War Medal 1939-1945. Harry married Marion Clark, daughter of Nelson and Winnie Clark, and settled down to farm and raise a family of three children: Martin, Fred, and Carol. There are four grandchildren. Harry was a dedicated family man and farmer. He passed away at his home on Christmas Day 1978 and was buried in the family plot in Smoland Cemetery. SKATCH, Steven Russell WWII Steven was born on a farm in the RM of Harrison, Crawford Park, Manitoba. He joined the army in Dauphin, Manitoba with the Royal Canadian Artillery on April 15, 1942. He was nineteen years old at the time, living in Dauphin, and working at Kippen’s sawmill south of Dauphin, one mile north of Moon Lake. He was sent to Winnipeg (Fort Garry), for two months of basic training. After that, he was posted to Shilo for three months on a special driver training course with the Royal Canadian Artillery. He was an instructor using 2 ½ ton trucks. At the end of that course, he was posted to Vancouver. The job he had there was driving H.Q. staff – R.C.A. for two months. Following this training assignment, he was sent to Nanaimo for three weeks mountain driving training, then to Victoria for a month for still more driving training. Two weeks in Debert, NS was his last stop before being drafted overseas. Early in 1943, he boarded the Queen Mary in Halifax and sailed across the Atlantic to England. It was a solo trip with no convoy or escort. They had to veer off course at times to avoid German U-boats. The Q.M. docked at Liverpool after eight days at sea. Then they took the train to Sunnydale near London. After two weeks of patrol duty, and just killing time, he was sent on an overnight trip by train to Aldershot, Scotland. Next morning, he was dispatched to Hayling Island on a special driver’s instruction assignment, driving on sandy beaches because they resembled invasion beaches as well as in the sea itself. While at Hayling Island, he met a girl by the name of Joan Tibble, who was a ranger working with the older Girl Guides. True to the girl Guide motto, “Do a good turn every day,” the Rangers invited a bunch of Canadian soldiers to their Christmas party. Steven was one of those Canadian soldiers. He took Joan home the first night he met her. This event was to have a lasting positive impression on Steven’s whole future life. He couldn’t remember whatever else happened at the party. (continued)
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