LEST WE FORGET 305 STRACHAN, George Alexander WWII George was born in 1917 in Melfort, Saskatchewan. He enlisted in the Army on July 2, 1940. He was a cadet in both Pleasantdale and Melfort before enlisting and had expected to be called up and he was not, so he enlisted instead. George went overseas and was assigned to Artillery, and became a member of the 1st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment and was stationed in England. In 1943, his unit became part of the Italian campaign. During this campaign, his gun crew had driven over a landmine and were blown up. George suffered permanent hearing loss. He was discharged on August 7, 1945. George passed away in 2009. STRAUTMAN (LANGLEY), Margaret Hales WWII Margaret was born on September 2, 1923, to Frank and Kate Langley. She was raised on the farm situated between Speers and Maymont. She enlisted in Saskatoon on May 29, 1943 and was assigned to HMCS Bytown in Ottawa. She was transferred to Conestoga Base in Galt, Ontario on January 27, 1944, then to Cornwallis, NS on March 25, 1944. She then went back to Ottawa in May then shipped out on December 27, 1944 to HMCS Niobe, the British headquarters of the Royal Canadian Navy based in Inverclyde, Scotland. She returned to Peregrine Base in Halifax on July 8, 1945; to Shelburne, NS on September 19, 1945; back to Halifax on November 29, 1945; then to Donatona Base in Montreal on January 16, 1946. She was discharged to the Nurse’s Residence at the Victoria Hospital in Montreal. With the Women’s Royal Canadian Navy, she was a WREN writer and drafted various office records. She was granted an eight-week harvest leave from August to October 1944. Her father requested the leave so she could come home and help drive truck, tractor, and combine for harvest. Margaret married Chuck Strautman and moved to the farm between Speers and Mayfair where they raised three children. They eventually retired to Saskatoon where she resided until her death on September 4, 2018, at the age of 95. STRACHAN, Joseph WWI Joseph was born in 1887 in Edzell, Scotland and came to Canada settling in Vancouver, BC. When World War I broke out, he was called up by the British Government as he was enlisted in His Majesty’s Reserves. He was able to get permission to enlist with a Canadian unit from Vancouver and went overseas with a transport battalion of the Army Service Corps. He was exposed to gas but managed to finish the war. Upon his return to Canada, he joined his brother in Pleasantdale and homesteaded.
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