LEST WE FORGET 305 ROENSPIESS, Leverne “Bud” WWII Bud was born on September 25, 1920, to August and Beulah (Williams) Roenspiess. He was the eldest of eleven children. He grew up on the farm in the Annaheim District doing all the manual labour that was necessary in those days of farming. He attended Hat Creek School until Grade 8 and then worked out to earn some money and help out his parents. In 1940, instead of waiting to be conscripted into the Canadian Armed Forces, Bud and his good friend from Annaheim hitched a ride to Regina and enlisted in the Air Force. He began his training in Moose Jaw, and continued training at St. Thomas Academy in Ontario. Later, he was posted to Dartmouth where his squadron participated in submarine patrol duties. Throughout his training, Bud played a lot of baseball, a welcome diversion from the rigors of training. In 1941, Bud was posted to Britain where he served with the 76th Heavy Bomber Squadron. As a member of the RAF, he served with fellow Commonwealth soldiers from Australia and New Zealand. They flew Lancaster Planes. At times, Bud was recruited as a spare gunner, at other times as a navigator although he trained as a mechanic. He participated in many bombing forays during his postings in Britain. In the last year of the war, Bud’s squadron were issued new, faster, lighter planes called Mosquitoes that were able to fly to Berlin and back without running out of fuel like the heavy bombers did. This Heavy Bomber Squadron later became the 434 Bluenose Squadron whose base was located at Cold Lake, Alberta. In 1945, as the war was ending, this squadron was set to go to Japan via Nova Scotia. However, when the Japanese surrendered, the men were sent on indefinite leave. Bud went home to Annaheim for approximately one year before being summoned to Toronto in 1946 where he was officially discharged from the Air Force. Bud had six younger brothers all who served Canada in some capacity during their lifetimes. Jim, Ross, and Harold served overseas in the Canadian Armed Forces. Joe served Canada as a member of the RCMP; Walter worked in a meat packing plant for the Canadian Military during World War II and Ken served as a teletype operator. As a war veteran, Bud was eligible for a Land Grant. In 1947, he attained Section 29 near his parent’s home. In 1948, Bud married Aurea Desjardins. Together, they raised seven children on that section of land and in 1969, only 22 years after attaining unbroke land, they won the Master Farm Family Award in Saskatchewan, a testament to their hard work and determination. Bud was an active member of the Royal Canadian Legion. He continued to ump and coach baseball for most of his adult life. He died in 2004 at the age of 84. ROENSPIESS, Ross Ross was born on February 4, 1932, to August and Beulah (Williams) Roenspiess, and resided in Annaheim, Saskatchewan. Ross joined the Armed Forces in 1955. He served with the PPCLI and received his wings as a paratrooper. He remustered to the RCEME Corp where he took several courses on heavy equipment, diesel and all track vehicles. Throughout his career, Ross was attached to several units, Queen’s Own Rifles, 1 Svc Battalion, RCD, IRCHA, 4 Field Squadron and Base Maintenance. Ross’s tour of duty took him to Egypt, Cyprus, Yukon, and three tours to Germany. In Germany, he worked and trained with the German Army on the Leopard tank. He received the Canadian Declaration, the Chief of Defence Staff Commendation, and the MMM. Ross was active in hockey and all sports with the units he served. Ross retired in 1987 after 32 years of service to reside in Calgary, Alberta with his wife, Audrey. Ross passed away on January 12, 2020.
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