LEST WE FORGET 59 ASTIN, Harold WWI Harold was born in Todmorden, County of York, England in 1899. He joined the Navy, serving on HMS Valiant and HMS Sturgeon in the Grand Fleet Battle of Jutland on May 31, 1916. He received the World War I Service Medal. Harold passed away in 1967 and was a member of The Royal Canadian Legion Bethune Branch 304. BAERR, August WWII August Baerr, son of John and Wilhelmina Baerr, was born on August 24, 1916, in Canora, Saskatchewan, the fourth child of eleven siblings. He was employed in Fort William, Ontario but voluntarily enlisted for military service in the Army in Winnipeg, Manitoba on May 21, 1942 with the Calgary Regiment RCAC 14th Army Regiment. Trooper August Baerr was killed in action on October 2, 1943, and buried in Bari War Cemetery in Italy. On November 27, 1968, the Province of Ontario honoured the memory of Trooper August Baerr by naming a lake “Baerr Lake” in Edith Township District of Sudbury, Ontario. His mother, Wilhelmina Baerr, was given the honour of being selected “Silver Cross Mother” to represent all Canadian Motherhood at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on November 11, 1984. Mrs. Baerr also had the honour of serving as Yorkton’s “Silver Cross Mother” for many years. BACK (BARKWELL), Elizabeth “Betty” WWII Betty was born inYellow Grass, Saskatchewan on January 26, 1924. She joined the Royal Canadian Air Force (Women’s Division) in May 1944 and served in Canada. She trained to be a meteorological observer and plotted weather maps in the Royal Canadian Air Force control towers at various stations of the British Commonwealth air training plan. After her discharge in October 1945, she taught high school before marrying Ron Back of Chelan, Saskatchewan, becoming a homemaker and mother of two. She was a very good piano player, playing for dances and many social functions. Betty passed away on October 26, 2009, and had been a member of The Royal Canadian Legion Chelan Branch 276 for fifteen years.
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