Behagg, Colin

Colin Behagg was born May 2, 1938 in Shirebrook, England, in the county of Derbyshire.  He grew up during the wartime years and remembers the rationing and other restrictions of the era; he attended school up to age 16, when he became an apprentice in the auto mechanic trade, and along the way he registered for National Service when he was 18.  As he had an apprenticeship, that was deferred until he was 21, and Colin entered the forces in December 1959.  After initial training Colin was attached to the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry, and with his mechanical background he was selected for the REME (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers). After a year in England  – when he received a special dispensation to get married – he was transferred to Germany, where he was based at Munster.  This was the time of the Mau Mau Rebellion in east Africa, so the unit was on alert in case they were needed.  When his National Service was complete, Colin returned to the UK, and he and his young wife decided to emigrate, and they decided upon Canada.  They sailed to Quebec and made their way to Toronto, where they found an apartment in the city’s west end.  Colin found work, and he and his wife moved to Scarborough, where they raised their family.  Later Colin relocated to Ajax, and that is where he was interviewed by Scott Masters – at Legion Branch 322 – in August 2025.