63 www.on.legion.ca ONTARIO COMMAND COLLINS, George George was born in Donegal, Ireland on April 10, 1889. He came to Canada in the early 1900s and on January 5, 1918, he was recruited under the Miliary Service Act into the 1st Central Ontario Regiment, Canadian Expeditionary Force in Toronto. He was 27 years old and single. On his attestation form, he described his trade as driver and had no military experience. Private George Collins sailed to England to arrive on March 18, 1918. By mid-August, he was on the front lines in France, assigned to the 1st Battalion, Canadian Machine Gun Corps, with the 1st Canadian Division. He suffered a gunshot wound to the hand in Cambrai on October 1. With the war ending, he returned to Canada for demobilization and was discharged on August 7, 1919. He relocated to Toronto. Eleven of his twelve siblings all immigrated to Canada. George regularly returned to Ireland to visit numerous family members. A lifelong bachelor, George worked for many years at Canada Bread and after retirement, spent summers at the family cottage on the Nottawasaga River. George passed away on March 31, 1988. He is buried inYork Cemetery in Toronto. COMPTON, Gordon Gordon was born on November 24, 1925, in Toronto and grew up in the ‘Beaches’ neighbourhood. On April 24, 1943, he enlisted in the RCN, trained as a stoker, and served on HMCS Ontario, a light cruiser Britain gifted to Canada for service in the Pacific theatre. He also served on stone frigates Cataraqui, Cornwallis, Stadacona, York, St. Hyacinthe and Peregrine. Following the conclusion of hostilities, his ship was tasked with several duties which took it to Hong Kong, Manila, Japan, Hawaii, finally reaching Esquimalt, Vancouver Island at the end of November. Gord made it home just in time to celebrate Christmas Day 1945 with his parents and three sisters. After his discharge on February 8,1946, the Veterans’ Assistance Program enabled Gord to attend the Ontario College of Art and, following graduation, he worked his way up from Eaton’s ‘catalogue and display’ department to become an art director/creative director at several Toronto agencies during a career that spanned 40 years. He raised five boys with his wife, Margaret. Sadly, Gord passed away on April 16, 1991, shortly after his retirement. COOK, Francis Ross Francis was born in Barrie, Ontario on May 28, 1917. He enlisted in the Air Force on April 10, 1941, and served with 16 Service Flying Training School in Hagersville. He volunteered in the hopes of becoming a fighter pilot. Francis was the first casualty of the Town of Newmarket during World War II. He died while in solo flight training in an Avro Anson I when he collided with another aircraft on final approach for landing. Francis was buried with full military honours in the Newmarket Cemetery. His brother, Harold, was also killed in action.
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