The Royal Canadian Legion Saskatchewan Command LEST WE FORGET 43 BENTZ, John Paul WWII John was born in Punnichy, SK in 1915. He worked in the steel mills of Hamilton, ON then farmed in the Paddockwood area before joining the Army in 1943. He served with the Algonquin Regiment in Canada, England, and Scotland, and landed in Holland on June 6, 1944. John was taken prisoner by the Germans at Cullenberg, Holland while on night patrol. In his diary, he writes, “After lying all night in the icy waters near the banks of the Maas River, we were picked up by the Germans at dawn, and taken for interrogation. We were severely beaten and survived on bread and water. It was a time that will never be a forgotten memory.” As John was of German descent, he was considered a traitor by the German Army. Rescued in 1945, he recovered in Scotland, returned to Canada and was honourably discharged. John farmed, worked for Natural Resources until retirement, and was a member of Christopher Lake Legion Branch 159 for twenty years before he passed away in 1994. BERRY, William WWII & PEACETIME William was born in 1923 in Clair, Saskatchewan. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force and served as a Flight Lieutenant in Canada and England from 1942-1945. He also served during peacetime, from 1951-1960. William married and had four children. After moving to Calgary, Alberta, he passed away in 1960 and was buried in Calgary’s Queen’s Park Cemetery. BETZ, Francis Xavier “Frank” WWII Frank was born in 1919 near Pelly, Saskatchewan in the St. Philip District and he served under the National Resources Mobilization Act from May 21, 1941 to May 27, 1942. He enlisted in the 9th Fortress Signal Company of the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals at Prince Rupert, British Columbia on May 28, 1942 and served in Canada, the United Kingdom and Europe at the same time as his brothers George, Jack and Lawrence, although they were not in the same units. Trooper Betz was awarded the France and Germany Star, the Defence Medal, and the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with Clasp. Frank was discharged on March 15, 1946 and returned to the Pelly District where he worked on the family farm with his brother Lawrence. Frank died in 2008.
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