Oral History Project

Donald Taylor was born in Montreal, Quebec on September 8, 1918.  There were three siblings in the family.  During the Great Depression, his parents did not lose their jobs, but they still did not have the money to pay for extras, such as college tuition.  Before the war, Donald liked sports very much, especially hockey. As a junior,

Heber Taylor was born in Carbonear, Newfoundland and Labrador.  When the war came along, Heber began working for Bell.  In 1941 he decided to enlist.  Heber volunteered so that he would be able to choose where he would serve. With the decision in his hands, he chose to fight as part of the Royal Canadian

LCol. Brenda Tinsley  was born in Hamilton, Ontario. She grew up in a military family and as a teen was a member of the Sea Cadets. After high school she attended the Royal Military College of Canada where she obtained a degree in Military and Strategic Studies. She began working in the NORAD Operations Centre

Reynolds Tomter was born April 26, 1917 in western Wisconsin, not far from Pigeon Falls, where he lives now.  He grew up on a farm in a rural valley, where neighbors worked together to combat isolation, and then the realities of the Great Depression.  Reynolds remembers the tough economic times, but he also remembers the

Madge Trull was born July 22, 1922.  Madge is a Londoner, though she was born in Chile; her father was involved in the import-export trade.  He brought his young family back to England as his children were growing up, as he wanted them to be raised and educated in the proper English tradition.  Madge attended

Bill Tymchuk was born in Ukraine, when it was under Polish control; he went to school there  for 2 years and immigrated to Canada in 1930 (his father had settled down in Canada in 1928). His family was on the farm, and he started school and learned English quickly. Later his family went to Stayner, Ontario and

Emma van Taack lived in Holland when the war broke out. She witnessed the German assault on Rotterdam and lived through the occupation. Becoming a teenager during the war, Emma joined a Dutch resistance cell, where she actively fought against the German forces. She assisted Allied soldiers, acted as a messenger, and risked her life

Major Joshua Van Tine is a currently serving member of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).  He hails from Burns Lake, B.C., where he remembers that an outdoors lifestyle where he was a scout and a Sea Cadet led him to the CAF.  He has been involved in numerous deployments, including in Afghanistan as part of

Jean Van Wart presently lives at Sunnybrook, where she was interviewed by Charlie Nogas, Gabe Hirson, and Jacob Hanning, in her room in the Veterans’ Wing in February 2017.  Jean was born in Quebec, and when the war came around she was attending Carleton University in Ottawa.  Like many women in her day, she enlisted

John Vassair  served in the Canadian Forces during the Cold War era, and as such he participated in a number of peacekeeping missions from the period. Most notably John was deployed in Korea and the Suez in the 50s, during and after the conflicts in both of those nations. As such John followed the actions of the

Mike Vencel served in the Canadian Navy during the Cold War era.  He joined up in the 1950s, fresh out of high school in southern Ontario, with the goal of pursuing a trade.  Mike set his sights on becoming an electrician’s mate, and he served in this capacity on several ships, notably the HMCS Assiniboine

Ken Villiger was born October 19, 1930 in Montreal, Quebec.  He joined the Canadian Forces right out of high school, just as the Cold War was heating up.  Ken would see service in Korea, and during his long military career he played on just about every sports team the army had.  Ken was a paratrooper

Evgeny Voitinsky served in the  Red Army in the Great Patriotic War.  Evgeny grew up in Leningrad before the war, but after the German invasion of June 1941, Evgeny and his mother relocated to Kazakstan, where the teenaged Evgeny adapted to the new realities of wartime life. He worked at this time in a factory,

John Waddell served in the RCN as WW2 came to a close. His overseas duty came late in the war, so John was fortunate to avoid combat and the dangerous convoys that made up so much RCN duty. He was able to see many places though, literally going around the world and visiting the ports

Karl Wagar served in the Canadian Forces during the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. Karl hails from the town of Deseronto, in Prince Edward County; he enlisted at the suggestion of a veteran he met at the local Legion, recalling that the decision set him on a better life path. He boarded that jet airplane

 Al Wallace was born in Toronto in1920 on Brock Avenue (which was off Bloor Street).  Al and his family lived on Gladstone Avenue.  He went to Dovercourt  Public School, which was on Hallam Street,  and he graduated in 1938.  After this, he went to Central Tech for one year.  However, Al was unable to go

Jim Warford was in the Canadian army during World War Two. Born in England in 1922, Jim grew up in Hamilton, Ontario, against the backdrop of the Great Depression, attending school and very active in sports. Jim and a friend joined the militia before the war, knowing that war was on the way. When his

Joe Warner is a Canadian who joined the fighting in Israel in 1948 because he felt “it won’t be worth being a Jew elsewhere if Israel did not survive.” Joe had graduated high school in Toronto in the midst of WW2, and he had enlisted in the RCAF, and began training in different parts of

Brad Washabaugh was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on June 15, 1954.  The son of a Marine, Brad too chose to enlist, giving himself a goal in the wake of a serious motorcycle accident.  He became an officer, commanding a platoon and then a company, and visiting crisis spots around the world.  Brad learned the cost

Earl Watson was born April 15, 1930 in Brantford, Ontario.  The family relocated to Owen Sound during the Depression, as Earl’s father found work as a welder.  Earl’s childhood was typical; he went to school and more importantly enjoyed his time with friends, playing baseball and whatever else.  Earl was too young for the Second

Jack Watson was born March 9, 1924 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  His mother died when Jack was only 10, and family circumstances saw Jack and his siblings put into an orphanage.  The times were difficult for the family, but Jack worked hard there and at the monastery school he attended during most of his teen years,

Janet Watt was one of so many women who entered the armed forces during the Second World War.  Janet chose to go in the navy, and she became one of the WRENs.  As Janet entered the services at the end of the war, her time in the military was limited, though her experiences are very

Betty Webb was born May 13, 1923, near the town of Ludlow in Shropshire, England.  She grew up in the countryside, where she remembers long walks picking wildflowers, and she was home-schooled – so she also remembers cataloguing those same flowers!  Betty’s mother had had German housekeepers in the 1930s, so Betty learned to speak

Rick Weber was born July 8, 1946, and he grew up in 1950s Pittsburgh, the son of a WW2 veteran.  His childhood was typical of the time, enjoying the abundance of the “Fabulous 50s”.  He played football in high school, where he injured himself, something he aggravated in university.  He consequently failed the army medical

Arthur Weiss was born in Philadelphia in 1925.  Growing up against the backdrop of war, Arthur was singled out by the military for his mathematical prowess.  The military was grooming him for a role in the Manhattan Project, but as Arthur recalls, there was a surfeit of physicists by 1945, and with the war winding

Major Tyler Wentzell is a currently serving member of the Canadian Forces, one who hails from Nova Scotia.  He comes from a family with a military and especially a policing tradition, and as a teenager he worked on an oral history project that involved interviewing some of the same veterans that we have met here

Don White was born in Oshawa, Ontario on August 9, 1924.  He grew up against the backdrop of the Great Depression, attending school in Oshawa and then enlisting after Grade 12.  He had joined the militia at the age of 16, and at 18 he joined the regular forces, and was quickly sent out to

Rod White was born in Trenton, Ontario in 1925. Rod’s father died when he was only four, and some of his early memories are of his mother struggling to raise her seven children in difficult economic times. Rod was a sickly child, suffering from bouts of tuberculosis and jaundice; combined with wearing glasses from an

Born in 1926, Tom White grew up in Toronto against the backdrop of the Great Depression.  He remembers his mother’s recipes from that time period, and the afternoons spent at Saturday matinees.  He also remembers his schooling, and the lessons from an Oakwood Collegiate geography teacher that were imparted to students who thought they’d soon

Jim Willcocks celebrated his 100th birthday not too long ago, and an article in his local Orillia newspaper notes, he still likes to go out dancing. We met Jim courtesy of the Royal Canadian Legion in Orillia, and Scott Masters interviewed Jim in July 2018. Jim Second World War service took place in Canada, as

Dallas Willett was born August 3, 1930 in Rouge Hill, Ontario.  Third child in a family of 12, he grew up there against the backdrop of the Great Depression, working the family farm and delivering newspapers when he wasn’t at school or playing soccer or hockey.  They would also go into the nearby town of

Don Williams served in the Canadian army during the Korean War.  He grew up against the backdrop of the Second World War, experiencing the ups-and-downs alongside fellow Canadians during that changing time.  As the Cold War escalated, he enlisted for his own war, and with basic training he was assigned to the PPCLI, designated as

Durwood Williams was born November 24, 1921 in Godwin, North Carolina.  He grew up in that state, playing on the banks of the Cape Fear River, and looking for lost Confederate treasures.  The Great Depression impacted Durwood’s family; his father went to Fayetteville to work, and Durwood had to work his way through college.  He

Bill Wilson was born in Winnipeg on November 5, 1924 to Scottish parents Thomas and Marion Wilson. Bill was 14 when the Second World War began and he planned to follow in his father‘s footsteps as he had served in the First World War. When Bill couldn’t get  a place with the Highlanders cadet corps

Lorne Winer was born November 7, 1917; he passed away in May 2023, at the age of 105. Lorne first visited Crestwood in February 2012, at the age of 95. He sat down with Canadian History 10 students Maxime Bernier and Nathan George, and told them about his life both before and after the war.

Anne Wood was born in Langford, Ireland; she married John Wood, aCanadian bomber pilot and together they had four children. Anne voluntarily entered the war, not to fight, but to be of help and to defend her country. She entered with one of her best friends, who became a nurse. Anne wanted to be more

Larry Woods was born December 17, 1947 in Pittsburgh.  Larry grew up there against the backdrop of the 1950s, which he remembers as an idyllic time.  His father worked in a steel mill, supporting Larry and his many siblings as best he could.  Life in the 50s was good, and Larry recalls games with his

Colin Wortley was born January 18, 1945 in Toronto, Ontario.  His father was a decorated World War two veteran, having been awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal for RAF service in North Africa.  When he returned to Canada Colin’s father left the air force, but he decided to re-enlist in 1950, as the Cold War was

Stanley Wozniak was born January 9, 1928 in Warsaw, Poland.  He was born into a large family of 11 children, and they grew up in a positive environment in the 1930s, though the coming of war in 1940 impacted the family dramatically.  They had been living in western Poland, but the aftermath of the German

Ben Wright was born on July 25, 1946, and he was raised in Texas’s Big Bend country, where he and his siblings grew up in 1950s America.  Ben graduated high school in 1964, as American involvement in Vietnam was beginning to escalate.  Knowing the draft board would soon be after him, Ben opted for the

Mr. Wilf Yaphe was born in Toronto Canada in 1920. He went to school in Toronto and Montreal. He worked in a drug store and he later went to enlist in the war effort but he didn’t have the university credit to be a pilot in the air force, so they sent him to a

Mr. Minoru Yatabe served in Canada’s armed forces during WW2, while his family and other Japanese-Canadians were battling racism and internment on Canada’s home front. Mr. Yatabe originally was from British Columbia, but he was sent to Ontario for the early part of the war, where he worked on a farm. When he turned 18,

Bob Young was born on October 29, 1924, on Pittsburgh’s south side.  He grew up against the backdrop of the Great Depression, and he remembers that it was a difficult time, and that the family made do with hunting game, as well as occasional scraps Bob’s father would bring home from work.  Bob attended school

Michael Zarembo is a Lithuanian Jew, one of so many overwhelmed with the terrible events that befell his people and region during the war.  1941 saw the initiation of that horror…Germany initiated Operation Barbarossa, and within days Michael’s family was under the heel of the Nazi regime.  Life became increasingly difficult in the ghettos that were

Jack Zavitz was born June 18, 1924 in Windsor, Ontario.  He grew up against the backdrop of the Great Depression and the early part of the war, and when he finished high school he found himself in the RCAF, where he was pegged as a mechanic and trained for ground crew duty.  Jack spent time

Carl Zipperer was born on May 4, 1950 in Savannah.  He grew up in that part of Georgia, and most of his early years were spent in the country on the family farm.  Carl learned to be self-reliant there, a character trait that would serve him well in future years.  Coming out of high school,

Pieter Zuber  served in the Canadian Forces during the Cold War era, and as such he participated in a number of peacekeeping missions from the period. Most notably Pieter was deployed in the Suez in the late 50s, during the period of Nasser’s presidency. As such he followed the actions of the initial UN peacekeeping force,

George Zwaagstra was born August 9, 1933, in Friesland, a northern and low-lying province in the Netherlands.  George grew up in this largely agricultural area, and when the Second World War was about to begin, George was just starting school.  When the Germans did invade, the Dutch surrendered after five days of fighting, and the