Image: The Aspen Ridge school house (district #4348) was built in 1928 at northwest corner of SW 24-70-9 W6, ca. 1950 (SPRA 063.02.007.1)
Regimental Number: 18259
Rank: Corporal
Branch: 3rd Battalion; 9th Battalion
Roland was born in Nottingham, England on June 20, 1895. It is unknown when he came to Canada, but he enlisted in the Canadian Army at Valcartier in September of 1914. Roland received gunshot wounds to his thigh in April of 1915, and slight wounds to his arm in July of 1916. In August of 1916, Roland was awarded the Military Medal for bravery in the field. In 1918, he received gunshot wounds to his right shoulder. According to his service file, Roland married Sarah Inwood ca. November 1918. After the war, they came to the South Peace and filed on the southern half of 22-70-9-W6. Roland and Sarah welcomed a daughter on June 2, 1920. It is unknown whether Roland and Sarah divorced, or Sarah died, but on July 5, 1933, Roland married Winona Howell, a school teacher at Aspen Ridge. He once again served in the Canadian Army during World War II. This left Roland with significant health problems, forcing them to sell the farm and move to Grande Prairie. While visiting family in London, Roland suffered from a heart attack and died on October 29, 1961.
Sources: Beaverlodge to the Rockies p. 479; Along the Wapiti p. 35, 411; a number of clippings
- Attestation Paper
- Lives of the First World War
- Canadian Great War Project
- Memories of the War (April 30, 1936)
Soldier Spotlight highlights veterans from the Archives’ online Soldiers’ Memorial. Each week, our volunteers select a remarkable individual to showcase in this blog series. The Soldiers’ Memorial commemorates more than 1,100 WWI veterans and 2,300 WWII veterans from our region. Three dedicated volunteers have contributed over 1,200 hours to this project by researching and writing biographies. Our goal is to have all South Peace soldiers acknowledged for their service. If you know of someone who lived in the South Peace and should be listed on the Memorial, or would like to get involved by researching a local veteran, please contact the Archives.