WW II

James Sherman Mann was born in Peterborough, Ontario, the third son of Sherman Aaron and Ada Mary Mann. In all, there were three boys and six girls in his family. His oldest brother, Percy Sherman Mann, was killed at Vimy Ridge during the First World War. James served in the Prince of Wales Rangers, a local militia unit from 1926 until 1935 and attained the rank of corporal. He enrolled in the Canadian Army Active Force on 17 August 1940.

Gabriel John Turcotte was born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan to Leonidas and Wilhelmina Turcotte. His father died when Gabriel was only three years old. He left school after Grade VII so he and his brother could support their mother and three sisters. Despite having left school early, he was able to read and write well in both French and English. Gabriel had worked five years as a farm labourer in McKague, Saskatchewan and another year with the Canadian National Railway when he enlisted in the Canadian Army in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on 22 July 1941 at Number 12A District Depot.

Ronald Philip Hudson was born in 1913 in Sidcup, Kent, England to Thoman and Elsie Hudson.  He married Barbara Scott Nelson on Amherst, Nova Scotia in 1942.

Ronald’s family was living in Nova Scotia when he enlisted in Halifax on 11 November 1942. He has a very good education with one Batchelor of Science degree in Chemistry & Physics and another in Mining Engineering from Nova Scotia Technical College. He had been working in Copper Cliff, Ontario for the International Nickle Company (Inco) for the past four years.

Ernest Wilfred Gibbons was born in Yiewsley, Middlesex, England. He came to Canada as a teenager with his father, Edward William L. Gibbons, in 1920 and took up farm work. He married Olive Myrtle Gibbons of Dauphin, Manitoba in 1931­­­ and had a farm in Ashville, Manitoba.  They had a son born in and in 1935, owing to the health of the child, they were advised to take the family back to England. At the time, they planned to return to Canada in 1940.  A daughter was born in England in 1939.

Sapper Ovide Joseph LeBlanc was born in Domremy, Saskatchewan, the son of Pierre and Rosa LeBlanc, the oldest in a family of two boys and three girls. The family operated a farm and when help was needed, Ovide left school after Grade 6 and worked with his father. Later, the family left the farm Ovide worked for a while as a labourer in a sawmill in Matteford, Saskatchewan. He was bilingual, but was nly able to read English.

Henry Ashley was born and raised on the Driftpile First Nation in northern Alberta. He enlisted in the Canadian Army on 3 July 1941 in Slave Lake, Alberta. Henry was fluent in Cree and had only limited English at the time despite having attended the local mission school for seven years. He had three brothers and three sisters. Both of his parents had died when he was still a child. After leaving school, he worked as a lumberjack in the Peace River District and on the family farm.

Joseph Charles Whillier was the son of Ernest and Leo Whillier of Brandon, Manitoba where he was born. He completed Grade 8 in Brandon and Grade 10 in Windsor, Ontario when his mother re-located after his father’s death. He later moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba and found work as a labourer. He was married with an infant son when he enlisted in the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry on 6 April 1940 in Winnipeg and had an infant son. On enlistment, he mentioned he wanted to be an electrician.

Harry James Tolfree was the son of Harry and Nellie Peters Tolfree of Toronto, Ontario.  He was the second child of five in the family of three boys and two girls. He was married to Eleanor and working as a carpenter when he enlisted in the 8^th Field Company, Royal Canadian Engineers at Camp Borden on 12 August 1940.

Walter John Gale was born in Lucky Lake, Saskatchewan to Harry and Elizabeth Gale. He was brought up and worked on the family farm and had completed most of Grade 10 when he left school. He worked learning carpentry skills with his English born father who was the local maintenance supervisor for the Federal Grain Company. He learned his trade repairing grain elevators and heavy scales in and around his hometown of Ridgedale. Walter enlisted in Saskatoon on 29 August 1941. Walter had three sisters and two, who were old enough, served in the Royal Canadian Air Force.