97 The Royal Canadian Legion MANITOBA & NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO COMMAND www.mbnwo.ca JEFFREY, Melvin Laverne “Mel” WWII Mel was born on June 29, 1913, and raised on a farm in the Camille district north of Holland, Manitoba. He farmed until the outbreak of World War II when he joined the Air Force. Mel served in England as a motor mechanic with Motor Transport “A” for the duration of the war. While in the service, he married an English girl, Jane Tyson, and brought her home to the farm when the war ended. Mel served as councillor and later Reeve of the RM of Victoria. Mel joined The Royal Canadian Legion Victoria Branch 121 in Holland. Jane served as president of the Legion Auxiliary as well. Mel and Jane moved their family of three girls to Saanichton on Vancouver Island in the spring of 1962 where they specialized in growing potatoes and flowering bulbs. Mel passed away on August 24, 1982, at the age of 69. JOHNSON, John F. WWII John was eighteen years old when he enlisted in the Army in Regina on August 2, 1943. He was working for the C.P.R. and living in Walpole, Saskatchewan at the time of his enlistment. He was posted for two months to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan for basic training. He then went to Camp Shilo for advanced training on rifles, sten guns, bren guns, and hand grenades for four or five months. He mentioned in Rev. Delgaty’s ‘Veterans’ Military Memories’ that “the food wasn’t bad – it was fair – a young guy could eat almost anything”. After leaving Shilo, he was posted to Woodstock, Ontario for driver training on a six-week course. This was the M.T. section (Motor Transport). There he was trained on all kinds of trucks and jeeps. John was then posted back to Shilo in preparation for overseas draft. From here, he was soon sent to Aldershot, Nova Scotia. In May 1944, John went overseas on the Andes from Halifax, as part of a large convoy of ships. Voyage was uneventful. John’s only problem was he became sick with scarlet fever. Ten days later, they docked at Liverpool and John was hospitalized for a month. After recovering, John was drafted to the continent as a reinforcement to the Algonquin Regiment, the 4th Division, arriving in France a month after D-Day. His regiment advanced through France, Belgium, and into Holland. Just outside of Ghent, John was wounded in his right hand and lost his index finger from shrapnel. This happened in the middle of November 1944. He was immediately flown back to hospital in England. In January 1945, he was sent back home to Canada on the Mauritania. After arriving back home, he spent more time in hospital in Regina where he was discharged as Private in June 1945. John then went back to work for the C.P.R. in Walpole. In the following years, he was stationed at a lot of different places with the railway in Saskatchewan until 1961, when he and his family came to Minnedosa. He was a section man. John retired in 1984 after 42.5 years with the C.P.R. He married Verna Halland from Maryfield, Saskatchewan on July 25, 1947. They had three daughters. John was a member of The Royal Canadian Legion Minnedosa Branch 138 for over fifty years and enjoyed gardening and travelling to Barbados for many winters with Verna. He received the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with Clasp, Defence of Britian Medal, France and Germany Star, 19391945 Star and the War Medal 1939-1945.
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