LEST WE FORGET 301 REID, George Wellington BOERWAR George Wellington Reid was born in Davenport, Ontario in June (it is not conclusive whether on the 10th or 15th), 1878. The 1891 Census shows that he was 13 and living with his parents John Henry and Maria Jane (Milligan) Reid. On July 1, 1901, he married Annie Bell in Newmarket, Ontario. They had four children: Rita May (1902), George Leslie (1903), Annie Irene (1905) and Thelma Eunice (1910). George Wellington Reid began his service in the South African war on January 3, 1900, with the Royal Canadian Dragoons. The battalion was formed by the Canadian Government and sailed from Canada on February 21, 1900, with 18 officers, 352 men and 268 horses. The Dragoons saw their first action on April 22-24, 1900, at Leliefontein in a rearguard manoeuvre. Three members of the Dragoons were awarded the Victoria Cross. Under the Volunteer Bounty Act of 1908, veterans of the South African War were entitled to 320 acres of Dominion land. This is the reason George and Annie moved west to land west of Conquest. George Wellington Reid died from an accidental gunshot wound in 1913 at the age of 35. He is buried in the Fertile Valley Cemetery near Conquest. George was awarded the Queen’s Medal with four clasps: Diamond Hill, Johannesburg, Orange Free State and Cape Colony. ROENSPIESS, Harold Harold was born on September 24, 1938, to August and Beulah (Williams) Roenspiess, and resided in Annaheim, Saskatchewan. He enlisted in 1961 with the Royal Canadian Air Force and trained as a vehicle mechanic. Harold served at several locations in Canada. He was subsequently posted to Europe and located to Marville, France until the air base was closed. From Canada, he transferred to Cairo, Egypt, serving there for several months as a liaison to a Peruvian Battalion as a Canadian Mechanical Instructor. After completing this duty, he returned home to be honourably discharged in 1976. Harold passed away in 1995. ROENSPIES, Joseph RCMP Joseph was born on October 2, 1934, to August and Beulah (Williams) Roenspies in Annaheim, Saskatchewan. He was raised on the farm and as a teenager went on to attend school at St. Peters College in Muenster, Saskatchewan. In April 1956, Joe joined the RCMP and after training was sent to Victoria, BC, then a short posting to Prince Rupert before being posted to the Queen Charlotte Islands. In 1959, he went to Burns Lake. In 1960, Joe was posted to Whitehorse, Yukon Territories. From there, he served briefly in Dawson Creek and Mayo, in the Yukon. While in Whitehorse, Joe married Terry, the love of his life. In November 1965, he moved with his young family to Coppermine, NWT until June 1966. They moved again to the Arctic Red River, NWT. At this location, he, including RCMP duties, was responsible for several other Government Offices, such as Fire Chief. Joe’s patrolling was done by dog team, and he dearly loved his dogs. In 1968, he moved to Fort Providence, NWT until August 1969 then moved to Ottawa Headquarters where he served in several offices and retired as a S Sgt after 35 years of service. Joseph passed away on March 24, 2020, at the age of 85.
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