Linde, Walter

Walter Linde was born April 28, 1928 in Wiesbaden, Germany.  Like all young boys in his day, he went into the Hitler Youth. . Walter elected to go with the bicycle brigades – he remembered that the emphasis on propaganda and singing was downplayed, and Walter was happy to do without that.  The family left its home in Cologne early in the war, as the bombing raids were ramped up. As a teenager, Walter helped to put out the fires those raids created. He was also recruited to serve on the anti-aircraft crews that defended German cities against Allied bombing raids, something he especially did in Munish when the family moved to the south of Germany.  His grandfather had a place near Berchtesgaten, and Walter spent time there at war’s end, where he and his family experienced some interesting connections to the government of the 3rd Reich, including Martin Bormann. With the end of the war, Walter and his family returned to Cologne, and he finished school. A few years later he decided it was time for a new direction, and he emigrated to Canada, taking advantage of opportunities that came his way, working in a number of fields where his technical expertise was put to use.  With each new job, Walter experienced great success, allowing him to do more than his share in Canada’s postwar economic growth. Walter’s family grew too, and each of his children went on to their own successes, finding their stake in the Canadian dream. Walter was interviewed by Scott Masters at his home in Toronto in August 2019.