Image: A portion of the newly built Alaska Highway at Ft. St. John, 1942 (SPRA 2000.31.6)
Regiment: Royal Canadian Electric Mechanics
Born in Saskatchewan, to parents Charles and Alma Carpentier, Glen was one of 9 siblings. His family moved in 1930 to Little Smoky AB area, and later they moved to New Fish Creek (Valleyview area). From 1935 to 1942 Glen worked on Highway 34 as a road grader with four mules, and was known as “Mule Man.” He married Chrissie Cunningham from Little Smoky in June 1940 in Grande Prairie. Coming home from their honeymoon, they found their log cabin (on Glen’s homestead called “Sleepy Hollow”) on fire. With help of wonderful neighbours, a new house was constructed in 4 days. After two years they moved to Vancouver Island. There Glen joined the army with the RCEM, and he was posted in England. In 1946, after his discharge, the Carpentiers returned to New Fish Creek, and Glen obtained more land through Veterans’ Land Act (VLA). In their new house they had 3 children: Kathy, Gary, and Susan. Chrissie died in 1956 from cancer, and Glen remarried in 1957 to Katherine, a widow with 5 children. Glen worked for the town of High Prairie, then for the Alberta government maintenance department. In 1960, he began a job on the Alaska Highway as maintenance equipment operator for the Canadian Army. Fourteen years later, when Glen was disabled, he and his wife retired in Sicamous BC.
Source: Where the Red Willow Grew pp. 420-422 Photo pp. 420 and 421
Grande Prairie Herald Tribune – June 13, 1940 p. 6 c. 4 (marries)
Grande Prairie Herald Tribune – June 23, 1956 p. 3 c. 5 (wife dies)
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.