The Royal Canadian Legion Saskatchewan Command LEST WE FORGET 279 The Bethune Branch of The Royal Canadian Legion was first organized and registered under Charter No. 107, on July 19, 1927. Charter members were: R.A. Palmer, A.H.C. Fry, Wm. Burnett, H.W. Bromwich, Rev. B.H.L. Dance, Perry Fall, Wm. Rollo, Walter Beale, J.C. Henry, and S.T. Thompson. The Branch was disbanded in 1936. All records have been lost or destroyed, so no further information on that time period is available. On August 19,1946, a meeting was held in the Findlater hall to organize a Branch of The Royal Canadian Legion under the guidance of L.J. Chase. A charter was issued by Dominion Command and registered on September 16, 1946 as Branch No. 304. Charter members were: G. Gibson, Pat Hehir, James Herriott, Harold (Casey) Jones, Allan McDougall, James McDougall, Frank Schneider, James Scott, Jack Scott, John Stewart, Clarence Wray, Harold Young and Thomas Young. Raffles and dances were held to raise funds. Students were sent to Track & Field Camps, as well as giving bursaries and scholarships to needy students. For quite a number of years, the Branch sponsored a picnic in the summer and an Annual Christmas party with Santa Claus and candy bags for the young people. In 1958, the Branch purchased a building for their own use and in 1967; they built an addition to the main building. Since there was no Branch operating in Bethune, an invitation went out to the Veterans from that area to join. Veterans from Bethune and Chamberlain began joining in the 1950s. In 1981, the Branch was moved to Bethune and the name changed to Bethune Branch No. 304, as Dominion Command would not let Bethune use the old original No. 107. The building was sold in Findlater and they purchased one in Bethune. The Findlater and Bethune Branches have sponsored a Remembrance Day Service every year on November 11th since 1946. The Bethune Branch also conducted a reverse draw and cabaret, for years, to raise funds, which were donated to charities and local non-profit organizations. The present membership is twenty-two, with twelve being Life members. LADIES’ AUXILIARY TO FINDLATER BRANCH 304 This Branch was organized in November 1947, with the following charter members: Belle Ackerman, Renie Avery, Elsie Bachmann, Annette Faulk, Edythe Hehir, Sally Herriott, Elsie McDougall, Vera McDougall, Amy Read, Margaret Scott, Eva Stewart and Kathleen Wray. The Auxiliary was active in many social functions, such as teas, bazaars and picnics, as well as assisting the Legion Branch. They have sponsored young people to the Legion Track & Field Camp and contributed to various charities, the most important being an annual contribution to the Veterans Comfort Fund. Due to lack of membership, the Auxiliary disbanded in May 1980. BETHUNE BRANCH 304 The Wishart Branch #305 was founded on October 1, 1946 under the British Empire Service League as indicated by the copy of the original charter request. The first President of the Branch was E.C. Watson. As of September 1, 2006, the Branch still had three World War II Veterans as members. Comrade H. Hall, Comrade T. Bzdel, and Comrade Niedjelsky. The rest of the members consist of peacetime Veterans, wives, sons, daughters and grandchildren of the World War II Veterans. The first Associate member to become Vice-President and President was Comrade Dolores Zelinski, in 1988. The first Associate member to be Secretary/Treasurer was Comrade Peter Sianchuk, Jr. The Associate members now make up the larger portion of the membership and have assumed the roles of leadership within the Branch and have gone on to being more active within the Zone and District. The Legion members had always gone to the local school a couple of days before Remembrance Day to speak to the students about the horrors of war and about the fight for all of our freedoms. The present members have carried this tradition forward; with the exception now being the students do the school's Remembrance Day program honoring the Veterans. The Branch has an active Poppy Campaign, with Remembrance Day Services still the highlight of the year. The last few years have seen an increase in attendance. The Poster, Poem and Essay Contest is still a major activity for the local school. The Ladies’ Auxiliary came into being on November 6, 1961, and the first meeting was held in the Wishart skating rink. The charter members at the very first meeting were: Beatrice Hiovind, President; Ella Engstron, Secretary/Treasurer; and executive members Joyce Hall, Muriel Hall, Marge Gotto, Pearl Wilyman, Eileen Cossar, Olga Urbanowski. As the years progressed, more Veterans’ wives joined the Ladies’ Auxiliary and it remained viable until it was disbanded on May 22, 1999. At that time, most of the Ladies’Auxiliary joined the Legion Branch as Associate members, bolstering up the Legion numbers. The Legion is very much a part of the community and the intention is there to remain an integral part of the community bringing forth the message of Remembrance and remembering the Fallen. Lest we forget. WISHART BRANCH 305
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