LEST WE FORGET 93 CROSS, Robert Tracy WWII Tracy was born on December 5, 1923 in Yorkton, Saskatchewan. He spent his childhood in Crescent Lake and Yorkton, Saskatchewan. He joined the RCAF in 1942 and trained as an aero-engine mechanic at Moose Jaw, SK. He took his basic training at Lachine, Quebec. In 1944, he was posted to #11 SFTS air base in Yorkton, SK, where he serviced twin motor Cessna Crane aircrafts. Later that year, he was posted overseas to Middleton, St. George, England, where he serviced Lancaster bombers. In 1945, he went to various locations in Europe. The 666 Squadron was disbanded in 1945 so he was posted to Uetersen, Germany, where he worked on the spitfire fighter aircraft. He returned to Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1946 where he was discharged. He returned to Yorkton, Saskatchewan, in 1951 and worked for the International Harvester company and IHC dealers until his retirement in 1989. He married Eve Rees at Armstrong, British Columbia in 1953. He and Eve had two children. Tracy still lives in Yorkton, Saskatchewan where he is an active member of The Royal Canadian Legion Alexander Ross Branch 77. CRUICKSHANK, George Wesley WWI George Wesley Cruickshank was born in Parkhill, Ontario, on February 25, 1891. His family moved near Bratton, Saskatchewan, in 1906. Wesley was the second son in the family. The family struggled with farming and supplemented their income by doing other jobs like hauling lumber, delivering mail and working in a grain elevator. When World War I broke out, both Wesley and his brother John (Jack) enlisted in the Army on April 26, 1915. Wesley served sixteen months in France with the 53rd Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force. He was part of the overall effort to take famous Hill 70 when he was injured in trench warfare on July 13, 1917. He suffered wounds to his arms, face and legs from a trench bomb. His left leg was amputated above the knee. He was awarded the Good Conduct Badge on July 14, 1917. He was sent back to Canada to convalesce at hospitals in Regina and Moose Jaw before he received his discharge on July 25, 1919. Despite his injuries, Wesley worked in a hardware store in Macrorie for some time. CROWE, Ernest Walter “Ernie” WWI Ernie was born on December 11, 1899 at the community of Cochrane Ranche, District of Alberta, NWT. With the war raging in Europe, he enlisted in the 10th Battalion in late December 1915, very shortly after his sixteenth birthday. After training in England, Ernie soon found himself in the trenches in France. He survived Vimy Ridge at the age of seventeen. At the Battle of Hill 70, however, a bullet entered his right forearm and which eliminated his elbow upon exiting. Bleeding profusely, he crawled to his comrades. He was later shipped to Canada with his elbow consisting of stainless-steel wire. In later life, Ernie married Wilhelmina, daughter of Burpee and Mary Anderson of Silton, SK. He was a founding member of The Royal Canadian Legion in Cochrane, AB, and was a member for over sixty years. Ernie passed away in 1989.
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