427 www.on.legion.ca ONTARIO COMMAND POOLTON, John Abernethy “Jack” Jack was born on January 9, 1918, in Toronto, Ontario. His father had settled in Kapuskasing in 1917 as part of the Soldier’s Sailors’ Settlement Colony. Enlisting on April 20, 1940, with The Royal Regiment of Canada in Toronto, Jack served in Iceland from June to October 1940, guarding Iceland from German invasion. On August 19, 1942, Jack participated in the ill-fated Dieppe Raid, where he was captured, spending the remainder of the war as a Prisoner of War in Stalag VIIIB Lamsdorf, Germany. For 410 days, the Dieppe Prisoners of War had their wrists bound, initially with rope and then manacles, for at least twelve hours per day. Jack made three escape attempts, only to be recaptured. On January 22, 1945, the Prisoners of War were forced to walk across Germany, on what became known as the Death March. Jack was liberated on April 12, 1945, in a village called Ditfurt, Germany by troops of the United States, 9th Army. Jack was discharged on September 10, 1945. He wrote a book about his experiences called Destined To Survive: A Dieppe Veterans’ Story. He was a fifty-year member of The Royal Canadian Legion in Kapuskasing and Orillia. Jack passed away onAugust 3, 2005. POTTER, WilliamWilson William was born in McGillivray Township, Parkhill, Ontario on October 19, 1895, the son of Roger and Sarah Potter. William was a barber and farmer when he enlisted in the Army on January 5, 1916 in Parkhill, Ontario. William joined the 135th Battalion and sailed on the SS Olympic in August 1916 to England. He then joined the 125th Battalion, later the 1st Central Ontario Regiment 75th Battalion. William served in Canada, England and France. He was killed in action on September 4, 1918 serving in France and is buried in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais Cemetery in France. POOLTON, Thomas Thomas was born on May 2, 1888, in Birmingham, England, and spent five years of his young life in an orphanage. Family history has it that he stowed away on a ship to Canada and went to work for a cattle farm in Brampton. He returned to England in 1907, married and had two children. In 1911, Thomas decided move to Canada again. His wife became ill on the ship and died within weeks of arriving in Ontario. On November 11, 1914, he enlisted with the 20th Battalion and saw action in the Battle of Sanctuary Wood in Ypres, where he was wounded on June 12, 1916. After spending several months in hospital, he returned to Canada and re-married He was discharged on September 30, 1917. Thomas then left for Kapuskasing, Ontario as part of the Soldiers Sailors Settlement Colony. While many other participating in the Colony left Kapuskasing as the conditions were too harsh, Thomas and his family persevered. He became Kapuskasing’s first milkman and was one of the founding members of The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 85. He served in the Veteran’s Guard during World War II. Thomas died in Sunnybrook Hospital on September 26, 1963.
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