Slater, John

John Slater was born in Toronto in 1922. He grew up during the Great Depression, and his father had to take care of the family. Mr. Slater didn’t enlist in the war at first; he was asked to join. When he was in Europe he made some friends in Scotland and Britain. Mr. Slater and

Slook, George

George Slook was born August 14, 1946, and he grew up in Darby, Pennsylvania.  From a military family, George attended college and consequently had several draft deferments, but the army caught up with him after he graduated in 1968, and he was inducted.  He went to Fort Bragg and Fort Benning and soon after was

Small, Larry

Larry Small was born in Toronto in 1920.  He grew up in the neighbourhoods of the city’s downtown core, against the backdrop of the Great Depression.  The son of Jewish immigrants, Larry had to leave school when he was 14, when he went to work to help support his family.  He worked as a newsboy,

Smith, Doug

Doug Smith  served in the Canadian Forces during the Cold War era, and as such he participated in a number of peacekeeping missions from the period. Most notably Doug was deployed in the Suez in the late 50s, during the period of Nasser’s presidency. As such Doug followed the actions of the initial UN peacekeeping force,

Smith, Gordon B.

Gordon B. Smith was born in the east end of Toronto, not far from the Don Jail. He lost one brother when he was growing up in that neighbourhood, to a household accident. Gord attended Eastern Commerce, but he didn’t graduate, instead entering the work force. When the war came, Gord’s remaining older brother enlisted

Smith, Gordon E.

Gordon E. Smith was born in Humber Bay, Toronto, on March 19, 1925.  He grew up in Depression-era Toronto, and left school, working on the family farm and a machine shop.  In 1944, Gord joined up, knowing that he was soon to be called by the military.  Initially he joined the Artillery, and completed his

Smith, Mike

Mike Smith was born in the USSR, in the former republic of Belarus.  He grew up near Pinsk, in a traditional Jewish family.  When the war came to the USSR in 1941, he joined the Soviet Red Army, where he became a member of the Scouts’ Brigade.  Doing some of the most dangerous work behind

Smith, Percy

Percy Smith was born May 10, 1923 in Ceylon.  His father worked in the British civil service there, and that is where Percy spent his early years.  The family returned to England in the late 1930s, as the clouds of war were closing in on Europe, and the world.  Percy was 16 at the start

Smith, Russell

Russell Smith was born in 1919 in Toronto, and he grew up in Toronto during the interwar years.  Russell remembers well the difficulties of those Great Depression years, especially as he grew up in a family of eleven children, and his single mother needed all the help she could get.  The third eldest, Russell left

Smith, Ted

Crestwood has been fortunate to visit the Sunnybrook Veterans Wing many times since we started our partnershipin 2008. Many Sunnybrook veterans have shared their impressions of the war and of the surrounding period. None has been able to do more effectively than Ted Smith, who we met in May 2012. Ted was a pilot in

Smith, Tyler

Tyler Smith was born in Calgary, Alberta, a city that had a very deep tradition for the navy, in spite of its inland location.  One of the first steps he took in order to achieve his goal of joining the military was to join the sea cadets, a program that the navy sets up in

Snider, Charlie

Charlie Snider was born August 26, 1919, in Woodbridge, Ontario.   He was one of nine siblings, growing up on a farm amidst the realities of the Great Depression. Charlie remembers working very hard, doing all sorts of chores on the farm, and going to school too. The family had food in the dark days

Snider, Chris

Chris Snider was born March 19, 1932 in Sunbury, Pennsylvania.  His parents were Canadian but were living in the U.S. at the time, and as the 1930s unfolded they moved a few more times, eventually landing in Oakville, Ontario.  The realities of the Great Depression had kept them on the move, as Chris’s father looked

Snyder, Ben

Ben Snyder was a bombardier on a B-24 in the USAF during World War Two. When the war broke out, Ben was in school, but like most of his classmates he quickly found himself in uniform in the days after Pearl Harbour. Ben ended up in the air force, and training took him all over

Speedie, Bob

Bob Speedie was born in 1926 in Crieff, Scotland. Bob’s father was a building contractor and due to his job, Bob’s family moved to London, England on May 2, 1926; he was 3 months old at that time. He grew up in London as a Cockney and attended the London Public School. Bob was in

Spiridigliozzi, Marc

Marc Spiridigliozzi was born May 11, 1948 in Altoona, Pennsylvania.  He grew up in a large family, in a largely rural area, and he remembers well the idyllic days of his boyhood, which he experienced against the backdrop of the 1950s-60s postwar boom.  His father was a member of the WW2 US Army National Guard;

Squigna, Victor

Victor Squigna hails from the west end of Toronto, where he grew up in the interwar years.  Victor recalls that conditions in the Great Depression were not too bad for his family; he in fact had a car, and worked at the local gas station.  When his 18th birthday came in 1942, Victor made his

Stachevich, Ron

Ron Stachevich was born September 5, 1936 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  He grew up against the backdrop of World War Two and the emerging Cold War, and when he finished high school he resolved to join and do his part.  Ron dreamed of becoming a pilot so he chose the air force, and headed off to

Stafford, Ed

Ed Stafford was born in Toronto on January 31, 1921.  He grew up in the city’s west end, during the Great Depression.  Ed attended school until Grade 10, when he decided to apprentice as a tool and die maker at GE.  When the war came along, one of Ed’s friends joined the Governor General’s Horse

Standing, Gord

Gord Standing was born June 23, 1921 in Ottawa.  His father was a city fireman, so Gord remembers that the Great Depression was not as difficult for his family as it was for so many others.  He had a typical childhood from the time; Gord played ball and went swimming and cycling and fishing with

Stephen, John

John Stephen was 22 when the war broke out. He had just became a carpenter after 5 years of training. He was in the Merchant Navy doing Trans-Atlantic runs from Halifax to England. John did 31 Trans-Atlantic runs through the whole war. He was never in a ship that was attacked. John Stevens served in

Stevens, Larry

Larry Stevens was born July 10, 1924 in Alhambra, CA. He attended school up to the 8th grade, leaving early because of the reality of the Great Depression. The family needed to make ends meet, and saving spare change – even a nickel – was a lot of money.  When Pearl Harbor was attacked December

Stewart, Donald

Donald Stewart was born in Vancouver B.C. He served with the Royal Canadian Navy Merchant fleet. Growing up Donald had been a sea cadet and he always admired sailors.  As it was wartime and all of his friends had signed up, he wanted to do his part. So Donald had to go through basic training

Stewart, Harry

Harry Stewart was born July 4, 1924 in Newport News, Virginia.  When he was 2 years old his parents relocated to Queens, N.Y.C., not too far from North Beach airport.  Harry grew up in that neighborhood, attending school and having a good time, all against the backdrop of the Great Depression.  Harry understood that the

Stohn, John

John Stohn originally came from the U.S., but he moved to Canada at a young age, when his father’s work led the family to Granby, Quebec.  The family did well there, and they were largely insulated from the devastating impacts of the Great Depression.  John remembers his youth with some fondness, and that it prepared

Stohn, Suzie

Suzie Stohn was born in Toronto, growing up in the “Village”, not too far from Russell Hill Road in the city’s north end.  Her family was well off, fortunately insulated from the effects of the Depression.  Suzie lived a good life, enjoying school at BSS and in a boarding school in Quebec’s Eastern Townships.   From

Summersides, Jim

Jim Summersides was born in Welland, Ontario, and grew up with his mother, father and siblings. When the war broke out, Jim decided to join his classmates and enlist in the infantry. He became a part of the Canadian 48th Highlanders and was then shipped overseas to England. Having arrived in England, he was then

Sutton, Gerald

Gerald Sutton was born in Uckfield, Sussex, England on July 23, 1925, and he attended grammar school on a scholarship in the historic county town of Lewes.  While there he watched the Battle of Britain fought overhead in 1940.  With that in mind – and despite the danger of U-boat attacks, his mother brought him

Swirski, Walter

Walter Swirski was born in Poland on May 7, 1922.  His family lived in a small village, where they were prosperous farmers; Walter’s father owned a share in a flour mill, and had been an officer in the Soviet-Polish war.  Walter had one brother and was going to school when the Second World War broke

Switzer, Bill

Bill Switzer was born in 1923 in Midland, Ontario.  He grew up in a “nice town to have a family” where he played, had fun and worked after he was done school.  He came from a large family with 5 brothers and 5 sisters.  His father was a mailman throughout most of his life,and most importantly during the depression.  When the war came, Bill chose

Talbot, Bill

Bill Talbot grew up against the backdrop of 1930s Toronto.  When his father, a World War One veteran, passed away, Bill dropped out of school to help his mother make ends meet.  When the war came along, Bill enlisted, eventually finding his way into the First Canadian Parachute Regiment.  Training took place in both the

Taylor, Donald

Donald Taylor was born in Montreal, Quebec on September 8, 1918.  There were three siblings in the family.  During the Great Depression, his parents did not lose their jobs, but they still did not have the money to pay for extras, such as college tuition.  Before the war, Donald liked sports very much, especially hockey. As a junior,

Taylor, Heber

Heber Taylor was born in Carbonear, Newfoundland and Labrador.  When the war came along, Heber began working for Bell.  In 1941 he decided to enlist.  Heber volunteered so that he would be able to choose where he would serve. With the decision in his hands, he chose to fight as part of the Royal Canadian

Tinsley, Brenda

LCol. Brenda Tinsley  was born in Hamilton, Ontario. She grew up in a military family and as a teen was a member of the Sea Cadets. After high school she attended the Royal Military College of Canada where she obtained a degree in Military and Strategic Studies. She began working in the NORAD Operations Centre

Tipple, Graham

Graham Tipple was born March 1, 1924 in Burin, Newfoundland.  His father was a fish merchant in that small town, but his mother longed to get away from the area, having lost multiple male relatives to the sea.  The family – with their young son Graham – resettled in Toronto in 1925, and Graham grew

Tomter, Reynolds

Reynolds Tomter was born April 26, 1917 in western Wisconsin, not far from Pigeon Falls, where he lives now.  He grew up on a farm in a rural valley, where neighbors worked together to combat isolation, and then the realities of the Great Depression.  Reynolds remembers the tough economic times, but he also remembers the

Trull, Madge

Madge Trull was born July 22, 1922.  Madge is a Londoner, though she was born in Chile; her father was involved in the import-export trade.  He brought his young family back to England as his children were growing up, as he wanted them to be raised and educated in the proper English tradition.  Madge attended

Tymchuk, Bill

Bill Tymchuk was born in Ukraine, when it was under Polish control; he went to school there  for 2 years and immigrated to Canada in 1930 (his father had settled down in Canada in 1928). His family was on the farm, and he started school and learned English quickly. Later his family went to Stayner, Ontario and

van Taack, Emma

Emma van Taack lived in Holland when the war broke out. She witnessed the German assault on Rotterdam and lived through the occupation. Becoming a teenager during the war, Emma joined a Dutch resistance cell, where she actively fought against the German forces. She assisted Allied soldiers, acted as a messenger, and risked her life

Van Tine, Joshua

Major Joshua Van Tine is a currently serving member of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).  He hails from Burns Lake, B.C., where he remembers that an outdoors lifestyle where he was a scout and a Sea Cadet led him to the CAF.  He has been involved in numerous deployments, including in Afghanistan as part of

Van Wart, Jean

Jean Van Wart presently lives at Sunnybrook, where she was interviewed by Charlie Nogas, Gabe Hirson, and Jacob Hanning, in her room in the Veterans’ Wing in February 2017.  Jean was born in Quebec, and when the war came around she was attending Carleton University in Ottawa.  Like many women in her day, she enlisted

Vassair, John

John Vassair  served in the Canadian Forces during the Cold War era, and as such he participated in a number of peacekeeping missions from the period. Most notably John was deployed in Korea and the Suez in the 50s, during and after the conflicts in both of those nations. As such John followed the actions of the

Vencel, Mike

Mike Vencel served in the Canadian Navy during the Cold War era.  He joined up in the 1950s, fresh out of high school in southern Ontario, with the goal of pursuing a trade.  Mike set his sights on becoming an electrician’s mate, and he served in this capacity on several ships, notably the HMCS Assiniboine

Villiger, Ken

Ken Villiger was born October 19, 1930 in Montreal, Quebec.  He joined the Canadian Forces right out of high school, just as the Cold War was heating up.  Ken would see service in Korea, and during his long military career he played on just about every sports team the army had.  Ken was a paratrooper

Voitinsky, Evgeny

Evgeny Voitinsky served in the  Red Army in the Great Patriotic War.  Evgeny grew up in Leningrad before the war, but after the German invasion of June 1941, Evgeny and his mother relocated to Kazakstan, where the teenaged Evgeny adapted to the new realities of wartime life. He worked at this time in a factory,

Waddell, John

John Waddell served in the RCN as WW2 came to a close. His overseas duty came late in the war, so John was fortunate to avoid combat and the dangerous convoys that made up so much RCN duty. He was able to see many places though, literally going around the world and visiting the ports

Waddingham, Harry

Harry Waddingham was born on October 16, 1916 in London, England.  Harry’s father was a Great War veteran who had been living in Montreal when the war broke out, so he and Harry’s uncle enlisted in the Canadian Artillery in that conflict.  When he went overseas he was deployed briefly in Northern Ireland, and that

Wagar, Karl

Karl Wagar served in the Canadian Forces during the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. Karl hails from the town of Deseronto, in Prince Edward County; he enlisted at the suggestion of a veteran he met at the local Legion, recalling that the decision set him on a better life path. He boarded that jet airplane

Wallace, Al

 Al Wallace was born in Toronto in1920 on Brock Avenue (which was off Bloor Street).  Al and his family lived on Gladstone Avenue.  He went to Dovercourt  Public School, which was on Hallam Street,  and he graduated in 1938.  After this, he went to Central Tech for one year.  However, Al was unable to go

Warford, Jim

Jim Warford was in the Canadian army during World War Two. Born in England in 1922, Jim grew up in Hamilton, Ontario, against the backdrop of the Great Depression, attending school and very active in sports. Jim and a friend joined the militia before the war, knowing that war was on the way. When his

Warner, Joe

Joe Warner is a Canadian who joined the fighting in Israel in 1948 because he felt “it won’t be worth being a Jew elsewhere if Israel did not survive.” Joe had graduated high school in Toronto in the midst of WW2, and he had enlisted in the RCAF, and began training in different parts of

Washabaugh, Brad

Brad Washabaugh was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on June 15, 1954.  The son of a Marine, Brad too chose to enlist, giving himself a goal in the wake of a serious motorcycle accident.  He became an officer, commanding a platoon and then a company, and visiting crisis spots around the world.  Brad learned the cost

Watson, Earl

Earl Watson was born April 15, 1930 in Brantford, Ontario.  The family relocated to Owen Sound during the Depression, as Earl’s father found work as a welder.  Earl’s childhood was typical; he went to school and more importantly enjoyed his time with friends, playing baseball and whatever else.  Earl was too young for the Second

Watson, Jack

Jack Watson was born March 9, 1924 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  His mother died when Jack was only 10, and family circumstances saw Jack and his siblings put into an orphanage.  The times were difficult for the family, but Jack worked hard there and at the monastery school he attended during most of his teen years,

Watt, Janet

Janet Watt was one of so many women who entered the armed forces during the Second World War.  Janet chose to go in the navy, and she became one of the WRENs.  As Janet entered the services at the end of the war, her time in the military was limited, though her experiences are very

Webb, Betty

Betty Webb was born May 13, 1923, near the town of Ludlow in Shropshire, England.  She grew up in the countryside, where she remembers long walks picking wildflowers, and she was home-schooled – so she also remembers cataloguing those same flowers!  Betty’s mother had had German housekeepers in the 1930s, so Betty learned to speak

Weber, Rick

Rick Weber was born July 8, 1946, and he grew up in 1950s Pittsburgh, the son of a WW2 veteran.  His childhood was typical of the time, enjoying the abundance of the “Fabulous 50s”.  He played football in high school, where he injured himself, something he aggravated in university.  He consequently failed the army medical

Weiss, Arthur

Arthur Weiss was born in Philadelphia in 1925.  Growing up against the backdrop of war, Arthur was singled out by the military for his mathematical prowess.  The military was grooming him for a role in the Manhattan Project, but as Arthur recalls, there was a surfeit of physicists by 1945, and with the war winding

Wentzell, Tyler

Major Tyler Wentzell is a currently serving member of the Canadian Forces, one who hails from Nova Scotia.  He comes from a family with a military and especially a policing tradition, and as a teenager he worked on an oral history project that involved interviewing some of the same veterans that we have met here

White, Don

Don White was born in Oshawa, Ontario on August 9, 1924.  He grew up against the backdrop of the Great Depression, attending school in Oshawa and then enlisting after Grade 12.  He had joined the militia at the age of 16, and at 18 he joined the regular forces, and was quickly sent out to

White, Rod

Rod White was born in Trenton, Ontario in 1925. Rod’s father died when he was only four, and some of his early memories are of his mother struggling to raise her seven children in difficult economic times. Rod was a sickly child, suffering from bouts of tuberculosis and jaundice; combined with wearing glasses from an

White, Tom

Born in 1926, Tom White grew up in Toronto against the backdrop of the Great Depression.  He remembers his mother’s recipes from that time period, and the afternoons spent at Saturday matinees.  He also remembers his schooling, and the lessons from an Oakwood Collegiate geography teacher that were imparted to students who thought they’d soon

Wildman, Yvonne

Yvonne Wildman was born August 1, 1923 in Portland, Oregon.  Her parents were from Canada, and the family returned to Saskatchewan when Yvonne was 4.  She grew up there against the backdrop of the Great Depression.  When the war came, Yvonne and four of her brothers joined up.  Yvonne and a friend chose the RCAF

Willard, Garry

Garry Willard was born June 24, 1939 in Cornwall, Ontario.  He grew up largely in the town of Winchester, not too far from Ottawa.  As a young boy, Garry remembers the soldiers coming home after the Second World War; he also remembers the cadets and drum and bugle corps from the time, and summers spent

Willcocks, Jim

Jim Willcocks celebrated his 100th birthday not too long ago, and an article in his local Orillia newspaper notes, he still likes to go out dancing. We met Jim courtesy of the Royal Canadian Legion in Orillia, and Scott Masters interviewed Jim in July 2018. Jim Second World War service took place in Canada, as

Willett, Dallas

Dallas Willett was born August 3, 1930 in Rouge Hill, Ontario.  Third child in a family of 12, he grew up there against the backdrop of the Great Depression, working the family farm and delivering newspapers when he wasn’t at school or playing soccer or hockey.  They would also go into the nearby town of

Williams, Don

Don Williams served in the Canadian army during the Korean War.  He grew up against the backdrop of the Second World War, experiencing the ups-and-downs alongside fellow Canadians during that changing time.  As the Cold War escalated, he enlisted for his own war, and with basic training he was assigned to the PPCLI, designated as

Williams, Durwood

Durwood Williams was born November 24, 1921 in Godwin, North Carolina.  He grew up in that state, playing on the banks of the Cape Fear River, and looking for lost Confederate treasures.  The Great Depression impacted Durwood’s family; his father went to Fayetteville to work, and Durwood had to work his way through college.  He

Wilson, Bill

Bill Wilson was born in Winnipeg on November 5, 1924 to Scottish parents Thomas and Marion Wilson. Bill was 14 when the Second World War began and he planned to follow in his father‘s footsteps as he had served in the First World War. When Bill couldn’t get  a place with the Highlanders cadet corps

Winer, Lorne

Lorne Winer was born November 7, 1917; he passed away in May 2023, at the age of 105. Lorne first visited Crestwood in February 2012, at the age of 95. He sat down with Canadian History 10 students Maxime Bernier and Nathan George, and told them about his life both before and after the war.

Wood, Anne

Anne Wood was born in Langford, Ireland; she married John Wood, aCanadian bomber pilot and together they had four children. Anne voluntarily entered the war, not to fight, but to be of help and to defend her country. She entered with one of her best friends, who became a nurse. Anne wanted to be more

Woods, Larry

Larry Woods was born December 17, 1947 in Pittsburgh.  Larry grew up there against the backdrop of the 1950s, which he remembers as an idyllic time.  His father worked in a steel mill, supporting Larry and his many siblings as best he could.  Life in the 50s was good, and Larry recalls games with his

Wortley, Colin

Colin Wortley was born January 18, 1945 in Toronto, Ontario.  His father was a decorated World War two veteran, having been awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal for RAF service in North Africa.  When he returned to Canada Colin’s father left the air force, but he decided to re-enlist in 1950, as the Cold War was

Wozniak, Stanley

Stanley Wozniak was born January 9, 1928 in Warsaw, Poland.  He was born into a large family of 11 children, and they grew up in a positive environment in the 1930s, though the coming of war in 1940 impacted the family dramatically.  They had been living in western Poland, but the aftermath of the German

Wright, Ben

Ben Wright was born on July 25, 1946, and he was raised in Texas’s Big Bend country, where he and his siblings grew up in 1950s America.  Ben graduated high school in 1964, as American involvement in Vietnam was beginning to escalate.  Knowing the draft board would soon be after him, Ben opted for the

Yaphe, Wilf

Mr. Wilf Yaphe was born in Toronto Canada in 1920. He went to school in Toronto and Montreal. He worked in a drug store and he later went to enlist in the war effort but he didn’t have the university credit to be a pilot in the air force, so they sent him to a

Yatabe, Minoru

Mr. Minoru Yatabe served in Canada’s armed forces during WW2, while his family and other Japanese-Canadians were battling racism and internment on Canada’s home front. Mr. Yatabe originally was from British Columbia, but he was sent to Ontario for the early part of the war, where he worked on a farm. When he turned 18,

Young, Bob

Bob Young was born on October 29, 1924, on Pittsburgh’s south side.  He grew up against the backdrop of the Great Depression, and he remembers that it was a difficult time, and that the family made do with hunting game, as well as occasional scraps Bob’s father would bring home from work.  Bob attended school

Zarembo, Michael

Michael Zarembo is a Lithuanian Jew, one of so many overwhelmed with the terrible events that befell his people and region during the war.  1941 saw the initiation of that horror…Germany initiated Operation Barbarossa, and within days Michael’s family was under the heel of the Nazi regime.  Life became increasingly difficult in the ghettos that were

Zavitz, Jack

Jack Zavitz was born June 18, 1924 in Windsor, Ontario.  He grew up against the backdrop of the Great Depression and the early part of the war, and when he finished high school he found himself in the RCAF, where he was pegged as a mechanic and trained for ground crew duty.  Jack spent time

Zipperer, Carl

Carl Zipperer was born on May 4, 1950 in Savannah.  He grew up in that part of Georgia, and most of his early years were spent in the country on the family farm.  Carl learned to be self-reliant there, a character trait that would serve him well in future years.  Coming out of high school,

Zuber, Pieter

Pieter Zuber  served in the Canadian Forces during the Cold War era, and as such he participated in a number of peacekeeping missions from the period. Most notably Pieter was deployed in the Suez in the late 50s, during the period of Nasser’s presidency. As such he followed the actions of the initial UN peacekeeping force,

Zwaagstra, George

George Zwaagstra was born August 9, 1933, in Friesland, a northern and low-lying province in the Netherlands.  George grew up in this largely agricultural area, and when the Second World War was about to begin, George was just starting school.  When the Germans did invade, the Dutch surrendered after five days of fighting, and the