Search Results for: Navy

Bud Norman was born October 29, 1923 in London, Ontario.  He grew up there in his grandparents’ care, attending school and doing all the other things teenagers of the day were doing – school, sports, work, and so on.  Bud was able to complete high school at an early age, and he went to work

Don Mitchell was born December 19, 1924 in the Tower Hamlet of Poplar, in London, England.  He was an only child, as his parents had lost an older child in the aftermath of the Great War, when conditions were still poor.  Don’s father was a veteran in that conflict, having served with the artillery, though

Burton Lieberman was born February 8, 1926 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Burton’s parents made their way to Pittsburgh from elsewhere:  his mother was born into a large Jewish family in New York City, while his father escaped the pogroms in Russia at the turn-of-the-century, arriving in Baltimore at the age of 14.  They met and married

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

Clyde Cassidy was born January 31, 1925 in Barton, Vermont, not too far from where he lives today.  He grew up against the backdrop of the Depression, but as his father had steady work with the railroad conditions were not too bad for the family.  Clyde was in high school when the attack on Pearl

Bill Gunter was born February 27, 1925  in South Hull, Quebec.  He grew up there in the 1930s, alongside his older brother.  When the war came, both brothers joined up, but Bill’s older brother was killed in a horrible elevator accident at the naval headquarters in Ottawa.  Bill joined several army reserve units while he

Cliff Davies was born September 3, 1927 in Portsmouth, England.  By a strange twist of fate his 12th birthday happened to be the day that WW2 was declared in Great Britain, and it was a birthday that came to be characterized by gas masks and evacuation.  Cliff’s father worked at the Portsmouth shipyards, as did

Don Pennell was born October 16, 1937 in Grimsby, Ontario.  He grew up there and in Oakville, first against the backdrop of the Second World War, and the “Fabulous 50s”.  Don was young during the war, but he recalls an uncle who served, and he remembers the rationing from the time.  His father became a

Art Morrow was born May 5, 1923 in Butler, Pennsylvania.  He and his younger brother Jack (whose story can also be found in the Crestwood OHP) grew up there against the backdrop of the Great Depression and the emerging war.  Art graduated high school, and as he was a strong student he went to Penn

John Colleran was born March 21, 1924 in Saintfield, Ontario.  He grew up in the Ontario countryside near Port Perry, attending a one room schoolhouse on nearby Scugog Island.  The family was hard hit by the Great Depression and John left high school in Grade 9 because the books were too expensive.  By then the

Henri Saint-Laurent was born February 5, 1926 in Ottawa.  His father was a veteran of the First World War, later a civil engineer who worked for the federal government.  Because of his father’s work, the family was sheltered from the worst impacts of the Great Depression, and Henri grew up in relative comfort, and at

Bob Miller was born December 7, 1923 in New York state.  He grew up in Bellmore, Long Island, not too far from Jones Beach, an area that Bob remembers fondly.  The Great Depression impacted Bob and his three older sisters, but the family managed to get by, with everybody pitching in.  The family moved a

Jeff Littell was born February 8, 1922 in Hundred, West Virginia.  He grew up on a farm in a large farm family – 12 children in total, where Jeff was the oldest.  Times were difficult for them, as the Great Depression began to intensify.  Jeff left school after Grade 8, and he worked to support

Fred Kendall was born in Woodstock, Ontario on March 7, 1927.  His father was a Great War veteran who ran a cartage company, so even against the backdrop of the Great Depression, the large family (Fred had eight siblings) did well.  Fred joined up when he was in Grade 10 – and only 16.  Three

William (Bill) Norberg was born November 13, 1922 in Lemington, Wisconsin.  The circumstances in Bill’s early life were difficult; his mother was diagnosed with tuberculosis when he was quite young, and when she was sent to a sanitarium Bill’s father was forced to break up the large family.  Bill and a brother were sent to

Willard McBride was born on January 23, 1924 in west Texas.  He grew up against the backdrop of the Great Depression, and was forced to leave school in 5th Grade so he could help support the family.  Willard worked on farms, fought forest fires, picked cotton, dug ditches…in short he did what he had to

Brenda Reid (nee Cruikshank) was born August 24, 1924 in Beirut, Lebanon.  Her father was a doctor at the American University in Beirut, and Brenda attended the community school there; the family – including her mother and two younger sisters –  lived there in relative peace until the war.  In 1940 France came under the

Gwen Settle was born August 16, 1944 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  She was born into a military family; her father had served aboard a corvette during World War Two, and her mother had been a nurse, and her aunt was a WD.  The family relocated several times in early years, but upon completion of high

Art Cassot hails from New Jersey, where he grew up in the northern part of the Garden State.  Art came of age in the Vietnam era, and wondered what his future might hold.  He considered the navy or the air force, but had long waiting lists at the time, so Art opted for the army,

Paul Atherton was born July 15, 1921 in Hanover, New Hampshire.  The family moved around a bit when he was young, navigating the realities of the Great Depression.  Paul attended a one-room school for a time, but as his family moved to larger communities he grew accustomed to larger schools and different amenities.  Life in

Mark Gleeson was born May 11, 1927 in Kokomo, Indiana, though he grew up largely in the Pittsburgh area, where his father worked for PPG after his return from the Great War.  Mark grew up in the 30s, against the backdrop of the Great Depression, but still enjoyed the typical American adolescence of the time. 

John Carmichael was born March 29, 1948, and he grew up in southwestern Ontario, living in the London and Chatham areas.  John was a student-athlete in high school, with a keen interest in math and physics.  Wanting to attend MIT, he made the decision to first go to Canada’s Royal Military College.  He was there

Wallace Johnson was born in Taft, California on April 18, 1925.  His father worked for the Standard Oil Company, and he worked in Havana, Cuba, where Wallace spent his early years.  Political instability fell over Cuba in the early 30s though, and the family relocated to Houston, where they found themselves in the midst of

Richard Dodds was born November 22, 1925 in Toronto, Ontario.  He grew up in the city’s west end, where he attended Humber Park Public School and later Humberside Collegiate, where he played sports in all seasons.  His father raised horses – racing was popular in interwar Toronto – so the family was insulated from the

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

Joseph Peterburs was born November, 25, 1924 in St. Paul, Minnesota, though he grew up mainly in Wisconsin, against the backdrop of the Great Depression.  He comes from a family with a military tradition; his father emigrated to the United States from Germany in 1906, and joined the army that same year, completing overseas service

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