63 The Royal Canadian Legion MANITOBA & NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO COMMAND www.mbnwo.ca DRYSDALE, Alan WWI Alan was born on April 5, 1914, to James and Henrietta (McAlroy) Drysdale in British Columbia. He attended school in Neepawa until 1929 and graduated from the Vancouver High School of Commerce about 1933. Alan worked as a miner and then for the Police Department as a constable until 1941. He then enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in July 1941. After graduating as a pilot, he was sent overseas to England where he took further training. Alan was posted to Coastal Command and later transferred to North Africa. It was during a training flight over Algiers, North Africa that he and his entire crew crashed and were killed. Flying Officer Allan Drysdale died on June 26, 1943 and was buried in the El Alia Cemetery in Algeria, Grave No. 12.F.36. DRYSDALE, James Basil WWII James was born on September 17, 1923, to Philip and Clarice (Minshull) Drysdale. He received his education in Union and Neepawa. In 1943, he joined the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve and trained at HMCS Naden in Esquimalt, BC. He also trained in Sydney and Halifax, Nova Scotia. His final training was a month on the MHMCS Capilano in Bermuda. In the spring of 1944, he was posted to convoy duty between Newfoundland and Londonderry, Ireland. Chasing subs was the important job for these sailors and James remembered well the time that the boat nearest to the one he was on was sunk. After the war, he received his discharge at HMCS Chippawa and worked for a time as a fireman at CNR in Churchill. After a time, he became an engineer for CN and settled in Biggar, Saskatchewan. There he met and married Marguerite Foster. James passed away on May 3, 2012 and was buried in Riverside Cemetery in Neepawa, Lot 132, Block A, Range CG. DRYSDALE, John Minshull WWII John was born on February 1, 1928, the seventh son of Philip and Clarice (Minshull) Drysdale in Neepawa. When World War II broke out, John was still attending school in Union and Neepawa. He was an Air Force Cadet during that time.When he became of age, he travelled to Rivers and joined the Air Force where he was trained as an instrument technician working on fighter jets. He was stationed at Rivers, Tuktoyaktuk, Trenton and Vancouver. While back in Manitoba on leave, he met Margaret Keachie of Petrel, and they were married on April 14, 1951 near Carberry, Manitoba. They moved to Vancouver where, shortly afterwards, John was posted to Churchill, Manitoba. He was also posted to MacDonald, Manitoba and four years later, he was posted to Montreal with different military responsibilities, ensuring the proper manufacturing of airplane instruments. He remained with the Armed Forces until his retirement in 1970 after 25 years of service. They purchased a mixed farm in the Petrel district where they farmed until they moved to Carberry in 1995. In 2017, John and Marg moved into Country Meadows Estates. He passed away on August 15, 2018, in Neepawa. John was buried at the Carberry Plains Cemetery in Carberry.
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