175 www.on.legion.ca ONTARIO COMMAND HART, Jack W. Jack was born on March 18, 1919, in Edgeware, England. He joined the Royal Air Force on March 1, 1940, as a ground crew member. He came from England to Canada for training at Port Albert, Ontario and returned to England to be deployed to Holland, Belgium and Germany. He was released from service on March 22, 1946. He received the France and Germany Star, Defence Medal, and War Medal 1939-1945. While in Canada for training, he married and had a son. After the war, they reunited in England and lived there for about ten years before moving back to Canada. They resided in Windsor, Ontario and had two more sons. Jack had many jobs over the years, but he is best known for being a master gardener, growing a large variety of vegetables but his favourite was his 200 varieties of roses. Jack passed away in 1991. HARTEN, James Alexander James was born on May 18, 1981, on St. Joseph Island, east of Sault Ste. Marie, to David and Susanna (Brownlee) Harten. He was working as a blacksmith in Saskatchewan when he enrolled in the Army (Regular Force) with the 209th Overseas Battalion in October 1916 but was transferred to the 49th Battalion in December of the same year. James was shipped to France in April 1917 where he was wounded in September 1917 and again in October 1918. He was discharged in March 1919 with the rank of Cpl. and awarded the Military Medal. James returned to St. Joseph Island and took up his trade as a blacksmith. In 1924, he married Sarah McCrea and they had a son. Unfortunately, Sarah passed away three years later. James married Beatrice Adams in 1929 and they had a daughter and a son. He was a very popular person in his community and provided a much-needed service in those days. James passed away on March 15, 1976 and is interred in the St. Joseph Township Cemetery. The Royal Canadian Legion James Harten M.M. Branch 374 is named in his honour. HARTEN, John Wilbert Edmond John was born on April 21, 1918, the son of Forest and Amie Harten of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. He was a clerk by trade and enrolled in the RCAF in North Bay on April 21, 1941. After training, he was posted to England with 421 (Red Indian) Squadron on June 12, 1942. John was flying Hurricanes and Spitfires. After a leave in Canada in the summer of 1944, he returned to England for a second tour on October 1, 1944, flying with 433 (Hornet) Squadron. John then transferred to 416 (Leaping Linz) Squadron becoming its Flight Leader. On April 19, 1945, west of Hamburg, Germany, he was attacking a train that had a flak gun. During that engagement, he was shot down and killed. Flight Lieutenant Harten is buried in the Hotton British Military Cemetery in Belgium. He recorded two confirmed ME 109’s shot down and partial kills of many other enemy aircraft. He is listed as a Canadian Air Ace.
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