Image: Representatives of Beaverlodge Anglican Church. Front row: Rev., Les Harris, Sam Martin. Back row: __ Walker?, Leslie Emes, ca. 1950 (SPRA 032.08.08.0056)
Leslie Emes was born in 1903 in Kearney (north of Orillia) ON to English parents. His father was Thomas Roland Emes. Leslie and his family moved to Medicine Hat AB in 1913. After finishing school, Leslie was second miller at Lake of the Woods mill. Then he operated a lumberyard for Revelstoke Sawmill Co. In 1928, he and his new bride, Olive Hawthorne (from Medicine Hat), moved to the new town of Beaverlodge and opened the first business, a “gents furnishings store”. Their first home was a haven for the single folks in that community because Olive was a wonderful cook. In WW II Leslie served in the Air Force for five years. His last posting was in Calgary where he did internal auditing. After the war, Leslie worked in the business office at the Experimental Farm in Beaverlodge, and soon he built a very fine house adjacent to it. Leslie and Olive had 4 boys: Donald, who died in infancy, and Kenneth, Courtice, and Edward (“Ted”). After Leslie retired from the Experimental Farm, he was a towerman for seven years with the Alberta Forestry Service. Throughout his life, he was an ardent Anglican, a philatelist, and an avid model railroader. He was also a member of the Royal Canadian Legion. A tragic car accident in 1972 took Olive’s life, and left Leslie hospitalized for a long time. Then he moved to a Senior Citizen’s apartment in Beaverlodge, and he did some travelling. In 1982 he remarried to Alma, who also died before him. Leslie passed away on April 29, 1987, at 84 years in Beaverlodge.
Source: Beaverlodge to the Rockies pp. 106-107 (Photos p.106)
SPRA Surname File – Obituary
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.