201 www.on.legion.ca ONTARIO COMMAND HILL (HARNDEN), Bessie Mae Bessie was born in Vernonville, Ontario on March 15, 1922. Before enlisting in the CWAC on April 1, 1945, Bessie worked as a Bomb Girl with her mother at Defence Industries in Ajax, Ontario. Her father made her promise to not go overseas as her brother and sister had and he did not want to run the risk of losing any of them. Bessie did her basic training in British Columbia and was then stationed at Pier 21 in Halifax duringWorldWar II. Her duties consisted of meeting the casualty ships arriving and assisting the wounded. Bessie would board a train headed across Canada and tend to the wounded soldiers making sure they were delivered to their hometowns along the way. When the train had reached the end of the line, she would return to Halifax and start all over again. Bessie was released from service on July 2, 1946. She married George Newcombe Hill on September 7, 1946. She became a resident of Havelock, Ontario in 1987 where she was a member of The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 389 for over twenty years. Bessie passed away on January 13, 2013. HILL, George Newcombe George was born in Dummer Township, Ontario on May 16, 1922. He enlisted in the Army (Regular Force) on September 7, 1939 with 13th Canadian Field Regiment RCA. He served 1684 days, 1461 of them overseas. His rank was Gunner but he trained to be a Fitter “A” (mechanic) in England. His artillery outfit landed on D-Day and he went all the way to Germany. He was wounded twice, shot in the arm and shrapnel in his knee. After VE day he signed up for the far east. While he was home for thirty days on leave, VJ day came about and he was discharged on September 7, 1945. September 7 was a lucky day for him as he was married on that date in 1946. He was a thirty-year member of The Royal Canadian Legion Havelock Branch 389. George was a resident of Pickering, Ontario from 1955 until his passing on June 3, 2003. HILL, Edward Franklin “Frank” Frank was born in Dummer Township, Ontario on November 4, 1934. He enlisted in the Army (Regular Force) on June 9, 1950, with the Midland Regiment, R.C.I.C. and trained in London, Ontario to be a parachutist. He was transferred to the Canadian Joint Air Training Center in Manitoba in November 1953. In February 1954, he was at the rank of Private (First Class). In January 1956, he was transferred from the R.C.R. Depot to First Battalion R.C.R. In February 1956, he left Canada bound for the United Kingdom then on to Holland and posted to the Canadian Army (Continental Europe). In October 1956, he was a Leading Infantryman. Frank left Continental Europe (Germany) for Canada in November 1957. After arriving back in Canada, he was an Infantry Machine Gunner, Group 2 in April 1958. Frank was discharged on November 30, 1958, and settled in Bowmanville, Ontario, started a family, and had a good full life. He was a member of The Royal Canadian Legion Havelock Branch 389. Frank passed away on February 26, 2016.
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