305 www.on.legion.ca ONTARIO COMMAND McPARLAN, Francis James “Jim” Jim was born in Perth, Ontario on March 6, 1924. He enlisted in the Navy in 1942 and served with the 260th Canadian L.C. Infantry Large in England, Normandy, Sicily and Salerno. He served as a Stoker on the ships during World War II and survived the landing on the beaches of Normandy where he pulled a lifeline through rough waters for the troops headed to the beaches. He crawled into the tree line, tied the line taut and held strong until the last soldier was unloaded from the landed craft. After a stint in the merchant navy, Jim returned to civilian life and with wife Cecelia raised four daughters. After working 35 years in the aviation industry with AVRO, De Havilland and McDonnell-Douglas, Jim retired with Cecelia to Cookstown, ON. Jim became a dedicated president of the Alliston Sr. Bowling league, member of the Alliston Legion for 26 years, and St. Paul’s Church. On June 6, 2014, the seventieth anniversary of D-Day, at the age of ninety, Francis James “Jim” McParlan passed away at his home in Cookstown. MELVILLE, Frank E. Frank was born in London, England on April 17, 1897. He migrated to Canada as a “Bernardo Boy” and worked on his Hooton Farm in the Peterborough area. He enlisted in the Army in 1914 and served in Europe and France during World War I. He was wounded twice while in service. During the war, he was light weight boxing champion. He was discharged in 1918. Prior to moving to Toronto he worked at Quaker Oats in Peterborough where he met Mary Armstrong and they were married. In Toronto, he was Assistant Supervisor and Head Gateman of Maple Leaf Gardens. Frank passed away in May 1972. MEEKS, Oakland Clair “Zero” Zero was born in Bell Rock, Ontario on November 22, 1918. He enlisted in the Army in September 1941 with the 1st Canadian Survey Regt. G Troop. He served through Italy, moved on to France/Germany then to Holland for the liberation during World War II. He was awarded the 1939-1945 Star, the Italy Star, the France and Germany Star, the Defence Medal, the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and the 1939-1945 War Medal. On return to civilian life he worked in the lumber industry, did carpentry and worked on the family farm. He was very active in his Verona Legion Branch 260 until the doors closed. He passed away on December 31, 1996 at the same house he was born in and is interred in Verona Cemetery, Frontenac County.
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