LEST WE FORGET 61 BECKWALL, August Leroy WWII Leroy was born on August 23, 1922 to John and Hilda Beckwall. He was the nephew of August Alfred Beckwall who died on November 3, 1918 while serving with the Canadian Infantry (Saskatchewan Regiment).The Beckwalls farmed northwest of Radville until 1931 when Hilda moved to Radville. She was an efficient and esteemed midwife who assisted with the births of 208 babies, in many cases without a doctor being present. She saw both of her sons, Leroy andWalter, enlist with the RCAF.Not much is known about Leroy, but Mr. McKay, the high school principal, wrote a stellar letter of recommendation for this young man, indicating Leroy had been Troop Leader for the Radville Boy Scouts. He was also King’s Scout with a considerable number of proficiency badges. Mr. McKay also mentioned that Leroy was a good athlete.On December 5, 1942, Leroy was with Ferry Command in Dorval, Quebec, and was killed when his Hudson aircraft stalled and crashed on landing in Houlton, Maine. He was ferrying planes from Maine, USA, to England.Sergeant Beckwall was twenty years old. He was buried at Radville Laurier Cemetery.Walter survived the war. BENNETT, John Irwin “Jack” WWII Jack was born on April 10, 1922 in Carlyle, Saskatchewan. In January 1942, he went to Regina and volunteered for active service. He was sent to Ottawa for basic training and then to Shilo, Manitoba, for advanced training. He went overseas in June 1943. Early in 1944, he was sent to the Mediterranean and joined the 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade, a division of the English Eighth Army. This was just prior to the fall of Mount Casio. In February 1945, Jack moved to the Western Front, driving through France, Belgium and into Holland by VE Day. He returned to Canada in August 1945 and was discharged that October. Jack passed away on July 6, 2000. BEDWELL, Charles Douglas WWII Charles was born in Marchwell, Saskatchewan, on July 31, 1917. He enlisted in the Canadian Artillery in Yorkton on September 7, 1939 and went overseas in 1940. In 1942, after D-Day, Charles married Mary Bradley from Dartford, Kent, England. He was trained as an artillery soldier and qualified as a driver of wheeled vehicles and as a first-class truck mechanic on all types of army trucks. Charles attained the rank of Sergeant with a total service of 72 months, with 61 months overseas in the UK, Sicily, Italy, Holland and Germany. He received the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp, 1939-1945 Star, Italy Star, France and Germany Star and the Defence Medal. In September 1945, Charles was discharged from the army. He was a member of The Royal Canadian Legion Oyen Branch 208. Charles passed away in 2001.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM0NTk1OA==