211 The Royal Canadian Legion MANITOBA & NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO COMMAND www.mbnwo.ca STEVENSON, Henry Carson “Stevie” WWII & KOREA Stevie was a native of Belmont, Manitoba, born on November 3, 1918, the son of Dr. William and Katherine Stevenson. He attended the University of Manitoba, faculty of medicine, and worked in cheese plants in the Interlake area to help finance university. He graduated in 1945, at the age of 27, as a medical doctor. After several months of service in the Canadian Army Medical Corps, he joined the medical staff in Minnedosa on April 1, 1947, and served as municipal doctor. In 1950, Captain Stevenson served with distinction as an Army Medical Officer in the front lines during the Korean War. While on leave, he came back to Canada to marry Catherine Joyce Hardy, a registered nurse serving in the Shaughnessy Military Hospital, Vancouver. He then returned to the front in Korea, to do what he could to save lives and reduce suffering. On one daring mission in which he put his own life squarely on the line, he ventured well beyond sixty feet into enemy territory under heavy fire, and rescued and retrieved a wounded soldier. He was subsequently awarded the O.B.E. and was personally decorated as a member of the Order of the British Empire at an investiture in Buckingham Palace by Queen Elizabeth II. He had a heart of gold and could never refuse medicine to the hundreds of Korean civilians who begged him for it daily. Following his discharge from the army, he spent almost a year in Dublin, Ireland where he pursued post-graduate work in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the world-famous Rotunda Hospital. In 1953, at the conclusion of his studies, the Stevenson family moved back to Minnedosa where he continued his practice as a family doctor to a great many people. He was the Medical Officer for the Canadian Army sevenweek special Militia Training Plan held in Minnedosa Armouries from October 31 to December 18, 1961. On February 7, 1987, while on his second safari in Africa, Dr. Stevenson died of a heart attack. His body was flown back to Minnedosa for the funeral service on February 16 in the United Church. Rev. Tom Delgaty was honoured to give the message. He was buried in the Minnedosa Cemetery. Stevie and Joyce raised a family of seven children: Thomas, Catherine, Peter, Shirley, Roderick, Matthew and James. Joyce passed away on May 22, 1980. Dr. H. C. Stevenson was an avid conservationist, dedicated to the work of Ducks Unlimited. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge and a Shriner, a member of The Royal Canadian Legion as well as Past President, and was active in the Korean Veteran’s Association. He received the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp, War Medal 1939-1945, United Nations Medal for Service in Korea, Korean Medal, Korean Voluntary Service Medal 1950-1954 (awarded thirty years after the end of the war), Korean Veteran’s Association Medal, Canadian/Korean Veterans’ Association Award of Merit and the Order of the British Empire for bravery in action in Korea.
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