LEST WE FORGET 233 LONGNECK, Felix WWII Felix was born in Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, Saskatchewan, on December 27, 1903. He enlisted with the Royal Canadian Engineers on May 16, 1941, serving in Canada. He was discharged on September 12, 1941, and received the War Medal 1939-1945. He passed away in 1976. LUNDAHL, Len WWII Len was born in Estevan, Saskatchewan in 1921. In January 1942, with the encouragement of his father who was left to farm alone, Len enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in Moose Jaw and in the spring, he went to Calgary to train for the Navy. He completed his training to be an Engine Room Artificer in Halifax and served aboard the corvette HMCS Quesnel for two years. Len spent those years in the dangerous waters of the North Atlantic, escorting convoys carrying supplies to the Allies. He made trips to Murmansk, Russia, to Bermuda and the Quesnel was to dock a number of times in American harbours. Len was lucky to be able to celebrate the end of the war in NewYork City. In November 1945, he married Jean McGregor of Hitchcock, SK who had worked in a munitions plant in Ajax, ON. Len and Jean farmed until 1972, retired to Estevan and raised two daughters: Beverley and Carol. Jean passed away in 1982 and Len lived in Regina, SK, passing in January 2010. LOWDERMILK, Austin Howard WWII Austin Howard Lowdermilk was born on April 8, 1918, in Kenaston. His parents were Roscoe and Hallie (Miller) Lowdermilk who moved from Indiana to homestead northeast of Kenaston in 1909. He came from a large family, consisting of five brothers and three sisters. He attended Aikens country school and then farmed with his family. Austin enlisted in Prince Albert on May 22, 1942, at the age of 23. Initially, he was attached to the Prince Albert Volunteers. He trained at Vernon from June to September 1942, and went overseas as a member of the South Saskatchewan Regiment in September 1942. During his service, he earned a Good Conduct Badge, a Canada Volunteer Service Medal, and the France and Germany Star Defence Medal. He was twice wounded: at Clair Tizon on August 14, 1944, and at Groesbeek on December 14, 1944. The latter wound, the result of an exploding mine, required the amputation of his right foot. His record indicates that he became “seriously ill” succumbing to the wound at No. 6 Canadian Field Dressing Station on December 22, 1944. Private Austin Howard Lowdermilk’s final resting place is Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery. His family received the tragic news in a letter of sympathy from General A. E. Walford, dated January 10, 1945. His mother received a Memorial Cross in his honour.
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