LEST WE FORGET 213 KOWCH, Walter WWII Walter was born on June 8, 1925, in Swan Plain, Saskatchewan. He enlisted with the Army on May 16, 1944 and took his basic training in Cornwall, Ontario, and his advanced training SB Course (First Aid) and his medium machine gun course in Camp Borden, Ontario, and served on two regiments, the Toronto Scottish-2nd Division and the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa-3rd Division. He was sent overseas on December 16, 1944 and on December 25, 1944 was off to Liverpool, where he served on the front lines as a machine gunner. He also fought in Belgium, Holland, Scotland, Germany and theatres of service in Canada, the United Kingdom and Continental Europe. He was discharged on August 1, 1946 with an honourable discharge. Walter received the War Medal 1939-1945, Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp, 1939-1945 Star and Defence Medal. He married Anita Hubie on October 29, 1950 and they raised six children.Walter passed away on June 14, 2009 and had been a member of the Norquay Branch 351 of The Royal Canadian Legion for 63 years. LAAKSO, Charles Kalle “Charlie” WWI Charles was born on March 4, 1886, in Kauhajoki, Finland, the eldest of five children. His mother’s name was Mary Laakso. He came to Canada in 1907 (or 1909) to New Finland where his married sister, Wilhelmiina Peterson, lived. He married Magna Josefiina (Fiina) Luoma in 1909 and Charles worked for various farmers and Fiina worked as a seamstress. Much of the farm work involved clearing the land and hauling timber to Rocanville (16 miles away). Charlie and Fiina were living on a farm in the New Finland district and had four children on the 1916 census just before Charles enlisted on March 28, 1916 in Whitewood with the 217th Battalion. Charles also became a Canadian citizen in 1916. He was 5’11” and thirty years of age on enlistment. After basic training, Charles sailed from Halifax aboard the SS Olympic on June 2, 1917, along with many others from the district. He was sent to France on November 29, 1917 with the 28th Battalion. He spent thirteen-and-a-half months in France and according to his file, he had no illnesses or hospitalizations. He was granted leave to the UK from March 6, 1919 to March 20, 1919 and was entitled to wear two blue chevrons. He sailed to Canada on March 21, 1919 and was discharged in Regina on March 26, 1919. Charles returned home to farm in New Finland but according to family history, his exposure to mustard gas in France caused health problems that worsened until he was unable to farm. Charles and Fiina had ten children in total. The Laakso family moved from New Finland to Whitewood in 1934. Charles died of stomach cancer at home in Whitewood on September 24, 1939 leaving Fiina to raise their youngest children on her own. Charles is buried at the St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery (old) in the New Finland district. His wife passed away in 1955.
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