Farquarson, Bob

Bob Farquarson hails from the Canadian Prairies; he was born on March 1, 1923, on a reservation in Alberta, where his father was the government stockman.  Bob’s early years were spent on the Prairies, right in the middle of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl.  He recalls the conditions drove his father to bankruptcy and an early death.  The family ended up relocating to British Columbia, where things were a bit easier.  It was at that time that the war came, and as an 18 year old, Bob put his militia training to the test, and joined the regular forces, going overseas with the early contingents of Canadian troops, given the task of defending Britain from a German invasion.  While there, he transferred to the RCAF, becoming a pilot.  He was trained in the BCATP, and dispatched to southeast Asia, where he was attached to an RCAF Transport Squadron on the Burma front.  It was his job to keep the soldiers on the front lines supplied, making sure that the imperial forces were ready for the Japanese in monumental battles such as Kohima Imphal.  Bob and his crew faced many dangers:  hostile enemy fighters, tropical disease, and the weather – monsoons were a threat on the ground and especially in the air.  He completed his duty in both the Asian and European theatres with honour, returning to Toronto and settling into the rhythms of postwar Canadian life.

Bob came to Crestwood courtesy of the Memory Project, where he spoke to students in Mr. Masters’ History 10 class in May 2019.