Image: Spirit River, 1917 (SPRA 2001.01.173)
Regiment: Sherbrooke Fusiliers – Tank Corps
Charles (Jr.) Davidson, the youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Davidson, was born around 1916 in Baldyquash Cottage Parish, County of Aberdeen, Scotland. On May 7, 1928, the Davidsons arrived in Canada. They lived for a year in Spirit River, and then moved to White Mountain where Charles Jr. and his 2 older brothers, William and Norman, attended school. The boys also took turns being janitor for White Mountain School in the 1930s. In 1938 the family had their own homestead in the Willowvale district. All 3 sons served for four years overseas in WW II. Charles, who enlisted in the Tank Corps in 1942, was active in Normandy on the D-Day (June 6, 1944) Invasion. He also battled in Caen and Falaise in France, losing three tanks within 3 months. Discharged in 1946, Charles married Elsie Jean Burton in January 1947 in Edmonton. Obtaining land in White Mountain area from Veteran’s Land Act, they farmed until 1979, and then retired to Spirit River. They had 5 children: Phyllis and Donna (twins), Marlene, Edith, and Ronald. Charles died in December 1991 at age 75 in Grande Prairie, and Elsie died in December 1998.
Source: Memories and Moments of White Mountain, Willowvale, Bridgeview pp. 85-86 (story); p. 276 (photo)
Chepi Sepe – Spirit River p. 184 (photo); p. 341 (story)
AGS – Obituary Index
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.