Tom Eskdale was born in 1920 in Dumfrieshire, Scotland. At age 6, in 1926, he moved with his parents, Robert A. (Dick) and Helen (Nellie) Eskdale, and his older cousin, Allan, from Scotland to the Grande Prairie area. His baby sister, Jean, was born that September. (Allan and Tom’s grandfather Eskdale was also living in the area). They moved to a half section of land south west of Grande Prairie (Flying Shot Lake area). When WW II was declared, Tom joined the Army and served for five years overseas in Italy, North Africa, Holland and Germany. He married Betty, who was from Portsmouth, England, near the end of the war. The couple moved to Grande Prairie in July 1946, and they raised a family of 7 children: Jim, Sandra, Elaine, Audrey, David, Vicky, and Mike. Tom worked in coal mines, lumber camps, and on farms. Finally he worked at North Canadian Forest Industries for over 24 years. Tom died in October 1999 at age 80, and Betty died in December 2018, at age 91, both in Grande Prairie.
Source: Along the Wapiti p. 412 – name listed in WWII Veterans, p. 419 Photo
pp. 145 – 146 family story and photos
AGS Obituary Index