Soldier Spotlight: George Fish

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Image: George Fish bringing in the sheaves. The sheaves a piled on a wagon pulled by a team of two horses. ca. 1935 (SPRA 116.09.01.01.0351)

Rank: Cook
Branch: Navy

George Henry Fish, who was born on January 7, 1907 in Lewisham, London, England, immigrated to Canada with his family in 1919. The family settled in Grande Prairie, Alberta where George worked at various jobs until 1926 at which time he filed a homestead application on land that bordered the Smoky River in an area of Bezanson known as Fitzsimmons. As he had learned carpentry skills from his father, he built a small house on his property and assisted his neighbors in the construction of their homes. George eventually cancelled the Fitzsimmons land application and applied for a homestead on NE-26-73-2-W6 in the Goodwin area in May 1932. He built a comfortable log house and worked off his farm during the summer months. In 1938, he purchased a trap-line, traps and cabins; the income from which was used to subsidize and improve the farm. George loved to play his harmonica at social events and was well-known for his cooking and housekeeping skills. On October 23, 1942, George answered the call of duty to Country and enlisted with the Navy at the H.M.C.S. Nosuch, a land-based naval establishment in Edmonton. George received his basic training at various naval bases; H.M.C.S. Discovery at Vancouver, British Columbia; H.M.C.S. Tecumseh at Calgary, Alberta and H.M.C.S. Naden at Esquimalt, British Columbia following which he served with the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve attached to the H.M.C.S. Chebogue as a Cook during the Second World War. The H.M.C.S. Chebogue was assigned to the Mid-Ocean Escort Force. On October 4, 1944, on the ship’s second return trip to Canada, it was hit by a torpedo from the U-1227 submarine of the German Kreigsmarine when it was only 800 miles from the British Isles. Seven men were killed in the explosion of which George was one. Cook George Henry Fish was buried at sea the following day and is commemorated at the Halifax Memorial, Nova Scotia.

Son of Henry Richard Fish and Annie Elizabeth (nee Amner) Fish of Grande Prairie, Alberta; brother of Norah Annie (nee Fish) Paul and Muriel J. (nee Fish) Cobb; he was 37 years old.

Citations: 1939-45 Star, Atlantic Star, War Medal and the Canadian Volunteer Medal with Clasp.

Written by Wanda Zenner
January 2019

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.

Soldier Spotlight: Private John Blonke

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Image: Notes in John’s military service file about his jaw injury (Library & Archives Canada)

Regimental Number: 2382745
Rank: Private
Branch: Canadian Forestry Corps

John was born in Russia on January 26, 1897. He was living in Brown, Manitoba when he was drafted in 1918; having been drafted so late in the war, he served only in England. According to his service file, John’s lower jaw was fractured on May 30, 1919 while fighting a civilian in Scotland (the civilian assaulted him). John came to the Crystal Creek area in 1928 and bought Henry Fortier’s land. In 1942, he married Kathleen Stelfox. John died in 1972 and was buried in the Grande Prairie cemetery.

Sources: Grande Prairie Cemetery; Smoky River to Grande Prairie p. 87

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.

Kay Trelle, Missile Man: Part I

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Above: Kay Trelle and Rex Ford, another first year engineer from Douglas Hall, in front of the Engineering building at Queen’s University in December 1940. (SPRA 193.02.03.42)

Kay Trelle spent most of his career working for the aerospace industry in the United States. It was an interesting time of rapid growth in the aerospace industry, with the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Space Race to land on the moon. For much of that time, he worked in secrecy for Boeing and Lockheed on projects such as the Polaris and Poseidon missiles, and the drone-carrying Boeing 747. While he recognized these accomplishments, his greatest thrill was always the challenge of solving the next problem. He returned to Canada in 1973 and retired to the Lake Saskatoon district in 1990.

Roy Kay Trelle was born at home to Herman and Beatrice Trelle on August 18, 1924, near the hamlet of Lake Saskatoon, Alberta. He started his education in a two-room school at Lake Saskatoon and finished high school in Calgary when his father was stationed there during World War II. When Kay turned 18 in 1942, he enlisted in the Canadian Air Force and trained with the Commonwealth Training Program in Vancouver, British Columbia. After the war, he traveled down to the United States to visit his family who had just moved to California. While he was there, his father was murdered by a disgruntled farm worker. Extending his visit to help his mother and 12 year-old brother during this crisis, Kay overstayed his visa and was drafted into the American Army. He served for two years with the occupation army in Japan. After his military service, he stayed on in California to attend the Cal-Aero Technical Institute. He graduated in 1950 with an Honors B.Sc. in Mechanical/Aeronautical Engineering, and received a special letter of recommendation from the president of the college. He married Dorothy Smith in 1949, and was divorced in the 1950s.

After graduation, Kay worked with Convair, an American aircraft manufacturing company. In 1952, he took a position as Design Group Supervisor with Hiller Helicopters in Palo Alto, California, where he directed engineers and draughtsmen on helicopter basic structures and mechanical design. He later  went on to become a Consulting and Design Engineer for Cook Research Laboratories in Redwood City, California, in 1957.

In 1958 Kay was hired by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, and three weeks later became part of a thirty-three member international team (called the Skunkworks) designing the Polaris Missile. He was working there during the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. The Polaris Missile is still being used today on the Trident Submarine. Kay designed the release mechanism for the missile. He received a special commendation “for demonstrating outstanding imagination and design conception versatility resulting in substantial cost conservation benefits to the Polaris Missile Design Project.” When the Poseidon C3 Task Force was formed in February, 1964, Kay was included as a design specialist and lead engineer. He received his second commendation for his work on the Poseidon “design solutions for re-entry system installations, structures, and separation devices.” The letter states that Kay’s “valuable contribution will result in missile systems of high quality and will extend the success of LMSC in missile system programs.”

In 1966, Kay married his World War II sweetheart, Mae Morton, whom he had first met while in the Canadian Air Force Commonwealth Training Program in Vancouver. The couple had lost contact during the war and Mae assumed that Kay, like too many of his fellow soldiers, had died during the war. Kay re-established contact in 1965 and, after a separation of twenty-three years, they were married in 1966.

That same year, Kay moved from Lockheed to Boeing Aircraft Corporation in Seattle as a design specialist and lead engineer, with his primary responsibility “to develop an entirely new bomb suspension concept for tactical fighters.” The fighter program was being carried out in Germany and Kay took German language classes to facilitate his work. It was all for naught as the program was abandoned in November 1966.

This article was originally featured in the September 2020 issue of Telling Our Stories. Stay tuned for Part II on February 1.

Soldier Spotlight: Lance Corporal Charles Fessler

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Image: Joe Yurkowski is 4th from right in the front row. In the second row the staff members are the four in the center. Charles John (Bud) Fessler is the 4th from the right in the third row. 1943 (SPRA 2005.052.06)

Regimental Number: 106673
Rank: Lance Corporal
Branch: Seaforth Highlanders

Bud was from Ponoka, AB, and enlisted in Edmonton on February 5, 1943. He was sent to TC 132 in Grande Prairie effective February 26, 1943.

Bud was transferred to CITC Calgary (A16) on April 27, 1943. He shipped overseas through Halifax on July 17, 1943 aboard the SS Louis Pasteur, landing in Plymouth, England.

Bud served with the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada in North Africa, Italy, and Europe, seeing action at Ortona, the Liri Valley, the battles for the Gothic Line and was among the troops who liberated Amsterdam in May 1945. He returned to Canada in September 1945 and received an honorable discharge, as Lance Corporal, on November 12, 1945 in Calgary.

Following the war, Bud received a land grant in Ponoka through the VLA and worked briefly for his former comrade-in-arms E ‘Davie’ Fulton (Mjr) who served as Minister of Justice and Attorney General in the Diefenbaker government, before relocating to Crossfield AB, where he remained until his passing in 2004.

Bud was a proud and active member of the Royal Canadian Legion.

Biographical information provided by Bud’s son-in-law, Gary Kiernan.

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.

Soldier Spotlight: Sergeant Frederick Bohn

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Image: Male members of the Sexsmith Legion. One photograph identified as Edgar Henning, Stanley Kulicki, Jock Thomson, Adam Grotkowski, ?, George “Knobby” Clark, Joe Shannon (seated), Fred Bohn, Charlie Stojan, Andy Innes, Danny Rycroft, Gordon Mates, Matt Chrenek. C. 1960. (SPRA 644.01.13)

Regimental Number: 441184
Rank: Sergeant
Branch: 53rd Battalion; 32nd Battalion; 5th Battalion; 15th Canadian Reserve Battalion

Fred was born in Rosehill, Manitoba on October 29, 1886. He joined the Canadian forces in 1915. In May of 1916 a shell exploded near him and he received shrapnel wounds to his face and right eye. At this time it was also discovered that he had deformed toes and ingrown toenails, a painful ailment for a soldier. Fred was back in hospital for trench foot in November 1916, and it is noted on his medical records that he was very pale and suffering from fainting spells. On September 14, 1918, Fred was promoted to the rank of sergeant. Toward the end of the war, he volunteered to go to northern Russia, and it was late summer 1919 before he returned to Canada. At that time Fred came up to the LaGlace area and purchased SW 10-74-8-6. While in England during the war, Fred had met Agnes Gibson, an English girl, and the couple was married in January 1921 in Bridgeport, Connecticut at the home of Agnes’s uncle. They returned to the farm in LaGlace. Fred died in LaGlace in April of 1968.

Sources: Wagon Trails Grown Over p. 1147; LaGlace Yesterday and Today p.65; Buffalo Trails p. 206, 261

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.

Soldier Spotlight: Private James Duncan

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Image: Kleskun Lake, 1911 (SPRA 2014.038.01)

Regiment: 49th Edmonton
Rank: Private
Force: Canadian Army

James Duncan was born in Scotland, and came to Canada with his brother, George, in 1928. Their uncle Donald McPherson had homesteaded near Clairmont AB since 1910, and their brother, Bill, also was there. Arriving in Montreal, they took the train to Clairmont. In fall of 1929 the two young men bought their own homestead on Kleskun Lake, near Sexsmith. (E ½ – 19-73-4-W6). When a hay crop was destroyed in a fire in 1931, they then worked in a lumber mill. After a few years they started mixed farming with cattle. James joined the army in December 1939, leaving George to look after the farming. (George joined the army in 1942, and their brother Bill also served during WWII in BC.) While serving in Holland in 1943, James was wounded, although it was first presumed that he had been killed. He was discharged in July 1945, and returned to Clairmont where he took over his uncle’s farm. Soon he met and married Ella Jantz, and the couple raised 9 children: Norma, Margaret, Kathie, Tom, Patricia, Heather, Donald, Terry, and Bonnie. In 1967 the Duncans built a new house on their farm.

Source:
Smoky River to Grande Prairie p.291 – 292
Wagon Trails Grown Over p. 1149 (name only), pp. 169-171
Grande Prairie Northern Tribune – August 5, 1943 p. 1 c. 2 (killed in action)
August 12, 1943 p. 4 c. 6, ( correction: wounded)

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.

Soldier Spotlight: Private Arthur Barre

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Image: Car stuck on a muddy road, with three men attempting to move it, ca. 1925 (SPRA 2002.54.48)

Regimental Number: 3207612
Rank: Private
Branch: 49th Battalion

Arthur was born in Pipestone, Manitoba on November 10, 1891. He was living in Redcliff, Alberta when he was drafted in March of 1918. Arthur forfeited 21 days’ pay for missing parade on December 14, 1918 at 9:00AM. See pages 29 and 31 of Arthur’s service file for information about his family. In 1920, Arthur came to the South Peace and filed on homesteads at SW 26-72-12-W6, SW 22-72-12-W6, and NE 24-72-12-W6. He married Margaret O’Connel in 1925. Arthur was a mail carrier between Hythe and Goodfare for about eighteen years. His car “was the only car around to have license plates on it, and it was a common practice among those who owned a car to borrow Art’s license plates to make a trip to town.” Arthur continued to farm in the Goodfare area until his retirement in 1952. Arthur was hospitalized in Calgary for some time before his death on January 11, 1955.

Sources: surname file; Pioneer Round Up p. 63

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.

Soldier Spotlight: Arnold Dryer

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Image: Arnold and Violet Dryer with two young children, ca. 1950 (SPRA 553.04)

Regiment: S.A.R. (Southern Alberta Regiment)
Regimental No: M 45567

Arnold Dryer, born on August 24, 1914 in Hanna AB, was one of 9 children of John and Margaret Dryer. In August 1931 he moved with his parents and siblings to the Peace Country by train, and they settled in the Glen Leslie area. For a few years Arnold helped neighboring farmers with threshing and other farm work. Around 1934 for 3 summers, he made the Stampede Circuit in Debolt, Wembley, Beaverlodge, Dawson Creek, Rycroft, Peace River, and Grande Prairie. In 1937 he started work for Pete Donahue, being a “jack of all trades”, until he joined the army in June 1940. He enlisted with the Southern Alberta Regiment in Grande Prairie and served overseas, where he was married to Violet from Farnham, Surrey, England, on August 23, 1945. Violet was in the W.A.A.F. in England. After his discharge in January 1946, Arnold returned to Canada, and his wife sailed to Canada, arriving in Grande Prairie on July 4, 1946. The couple had 3 children: Dale, Mark, and Ann. Arnold died at age 63 on November 28, 1977 in Grande Prairie, and was buried at the Grande Prairie Cemetery. (Arnold’s brothers Robert, William, and Dave also served in WW II, and his brother Jack served in the Korean War.)

Source: Smoky River to Grande Prairie p. 426-427
Herald Tribune July 11, 1946 p. 1 c. 5 (bride arrives)
(Bezanson Legion Hut – Legion Album)

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.

Serving Up Kindness

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Image: I.O.D.E. member, Ann Watson, with Meals on Wheels, 1981 (SPRA 111.04.110)

Scattered throughout the Archives’ collections, we see evidence of communities in the South Peace coming together to feed the hungry. Friends and neighbours have often banded together when times were tough, but as the community has grown, so too has the need for more structured support. In 1919, Captain Gains and Martha Nelson established the Salvation Army in Grande Prairie. They and other local churches and organizations provided meals to those in need at free community dinners.

During the Great Depression, the relative agricultural prosperity of the region brought many debt-ridden homesteaders north in hopes of finding better living conditions. Assistance provided by the Unemployment Relief Act was supplemented by groups such as the Women’s Institutes and the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire (I.O.D.E.). These groups, and others, made hampers and hosted dinners through the Second World War and beyond.

In 1972, Meals on Wheels was introduced to Grande Prairie, delivering hot meals to those who were unable to cook for themselves at home. Many organizations helped administer this program to keep costs low, including the Royal Purple, Kinette Club, and the Welcome Wagon.

In the early 1980s, when Alberta’s economy was particularly hard hit, community groups again stepped in to offer help. The Grande Prairie Friendship Centre began offering Christmas hampers in addition to their regular programming and, in 1997, partnered with a number of community groups on the Canada Pre-Natal Nutrition Program.

The Grande Prairie food bank amalgamated with the Salvation Army Family Services in 1989 and, a few years later, opened a soup kitchen to assist those experiencing homelessness. More recently, in 2019, the Grande Prairie Friendship Centre and the Salvation Army partnered to combine their kitchens in one centralized location to better meet the needs of the community.

Especially during the holidays, these groups remind us of the power of food… and a little kindness.

This article was originally featured in the December 2020 issue of Telling Our Stories.

Soldier Spotlight: Lance Corporal James Barclay

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Image: A diagram of James’s wounds from his military service file (Library & Archives Canada)

Regimental Number: 467403
Rank: Lance Corporal
Branch: 29th Battalion

James was born in Darlingford, Manitoba on April 1, 1887. In 1915, he filed on a homestead at SW 31-70-11-W6; that same year he traveled to Edmonton and enlisted in the Canadian Army. His medical examination prior to enlisting was conducted in Spirit River. In December of 1916, James received a minor wound to his foot. He was also shot in the right forearm in August of 1917, this time quite a serious injury. The bone was fractured and became infected. The arm was operated on to do a nerve suture (see page 24 for a diagram of the wounds). James was invalided to Canada in December of 1918. According to the present address card in his service file, James was living in Edmonton in 1922. James died of a heart attack at the Dreamland Theatre in Edmonton on October 30, 1954.

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.