225 The Royal Canadian Legion MANITOBA & NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO COMMAND www.mbnwo.ca WOODCOCK, Justin PEACETIME Justin Woodcock, a proud First Nation Veteran from Opaskwayak Cree Nation, began his military career in 2009, and served nearly a decade, including service in both the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Navy. Initially, he spent five years stationed with Lord Strathcona’s Horse Royal Canadians as an armoured crewman in Recce Squadron. During this time, he took part in several domestic deployments, including OP LUSTRE in 2011, where he assisted with flood mitigation in Manitoba, and OP LENTUS in 2013, where he helped with search and rescue efforts in floodaffected areas of southern Alberta. After transferring to the Navy, Justin served three years as a Combat Systems Engineer aboard HMCS Regina, stationed in Esquimalt, BC, and took part in numerous sails up the coast. Upon leaving the Canadian Forces, Justin set his sights on becoming a social worker to assist veterans and give back to the military community that had shaped him.Today, he has fulfilled that mission and supports First Nations veterans across Southern Manitoba as the First Nations Veterans Coordinator at Southern Chiefs’ Organization. WOODCOCK, Kenneth John WWII The last fighting Kenneth participated in was on March 29/30, 1945. The Royal Winnipeg Rifles “Little Black Devils” were part of the 7th Brigade of 3rd Division in the 2nd Corps in the 1st Canadian Army. The 2nd Corps was assigned the task of driving the Germans out of eastern Holland. They had crossed the Rhine River into Germany in the wake of the 2nd British Army. The 3rd Canadian Division was not required to turn north towards Holland. To reach the Dutch border, they had to fight their way through the German city of Emmerich, occupied by paratroops and the Volkssturm (the People’s Army). In the early hours of March 29, the Rifles began their approach towards the city. They had been assigned to the northern part of the city with its nearby woods. Encounters and prisoners were both light, however, on pushing into the outskirts of the city, they ran into trouble. On the following day, March 30, they were heavily counterattacked. Fighting practically destroyed the city. By nightfall, the way was cleared for the Liberation of Holland. On April 1, the Rifles moved forward, crossing the border. Rifleman Kenneth John Woodcock was killed in action on March 30, 1945, at the age of 24. He was buried in Plot XX, Row G, Grave 16 of the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. The Canadian Permanent Committee on Geographical Names adopted on May 5, 1981, and names “Woodcock Lake” located in northern Manitoba, latitude 57 03’, longitude 100 30’ after Rifleman Kenneth J. Woodcock. His brother, Harvey Woodcock, was killed in action on July 30, 1943. Another brother, Cyril Leslie Woodcock, was a Private in the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps. Kenneth received the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp, Defence Medal, 1939-1945 Star, France and Germany Star, and War Medal 1939-1945.
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