395 www.on.legion.ca ONTARIO COMMAND WRIGHT, WilliamWilfred William was born in Mount Forest, Ontario on June 18, 1896. He enlisted in the Army (Regular Force) on January 21, 1916, and served during World War I with the Canadian Expeditionary Force 166 Battalion. He also served duringWorldWar II as a training sergeant until his release in May 1941. William worked as a tent installer. He married Violet and they had one son, Gordon, born in 1925. YATABE, Minoru “Min” Minoru “Min” was born on September 15, 1922, in Vancouver, BC. His parents immigrated from Japan to Vancouver in about 1911 and he was one of eight children. Min was one of 76 Japanese Canadian students at UBC who were forcibly removed in 1942. After he was removed from the West Coast, he moved to Ontario. Enlisting on March 27, 1945, he was one of the first Japanese Canadians to enlist in the Canadian Military and would later settle in Toronto. As a graduate of the S-20 group of Japanese Canadian Soldiers, Min trained in Brantford and served in Southeast Asia with the Canadian Intelligence Corp/British Intelligence Corp during World War II, whose task was to interview Japanese POWs as the war reached its conclusion. He was discharged on July 16, 1947. As a University of Toronto 5T2 chemical engineering graduate, Min worked at Gore & Storrie Ltd. for 35 years. Min will be remembered for his volunteer activities in many organizations including Boy Scouts Canada, Better Living, Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre and the Royal Canadian Legion Todmorden Branch 10. He received the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp, War Medal 1939-1945, and in 2013, he received the Queen’s Jubilee Medal. Min passed away on October 12, 2018, at the age of 96. WYNNYK, Nicholas “Nick” Nick was born in Edmonton on July 21, 1925. He enlisted in the Army (Regular Force) on October 18, 1943, and served as a Trooper until his discharge on May 14, 1946. He served with No. 13 District Depot in Canada, the United Kingdom and in Europe during World War II. He received the France and Germany Star, Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with Clasp and the War Medal 1939-1945. Much of Nick’s hearing was lost to the sounds of small arms fire and shells ricocheting off his armoured vehicle. The sounds terrorized its occupants and Nick said that he always wondered if a tank shell would follow the pings and kill them all. Nick never talked too much about the war. Memories of fallen comrades and friends left scars of war’s brutality on his soul. Nick learned one thing in the war. You have to help others. Nick channeled his energies into coaching youth sports. He helped those who could not afford equipment and became president of the Swansea Hockey League in Toronto. A true community leader shaped our youth by giving them a chance to succeed through sport. He was a member of The Royal Canadian Legion in Toronto for thirteen years. Nick passed away on February 28, 1989.
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