Bark, Chad

Chad Bark was born July 16, 1924 in Toronto, Ontario.  He grew up against the backdrop of the 1930s, attending Oriole Park Public School and the University of Toronto Schools and playing and excelling at many sports.  When the war came, Chad joined the army hoping to get into the action:  he began in the armoured corps, where he was pegged as a wireless gunner on a Sherman tank.  He went overseas, arriving in England and biding his time.  Hoping to join a draft to Italy, he was instead kept behind, and informed that he would be transferred to the signals corps.  He went into specialized training in the Yorkshire area, and in the waning months of the war he crossed the Channel, all the while sending ciphers that guided the Canadian army’s movements in Italy.  Chad found himself in the Netherlands as the war came to a close, and he and the other Canadians were able to enjoy the peace, though Chad injured himself playing postwar hockey and football in the there.  He returned home to rehabilitation, family and work, and by 1947 he was married and soon to have his own family, all the while finding his way in the rhythms of postwar Canadian life.  Chad Bark was interviewed by Scott Masters in August 2022, at his home in Alliston.