John Colleran was born March 21, 1924 in Saintfield, Ontario. He grew up in the Ontario countryside near Port Perry, attending a one room schoolhouse on nearby Scugog Island. The family was hard hit by the Great Depression and John left high school in Grade 9 because the books were too expensive. By then the
Lorne McConnell was born February 9, 1924 in Central Butte, Saskatchewan. He grew up in that small community, helping his father to run the town’s water and telephone systems. He also did very well in school, which Lorne credits to early lessons from his sister, and he developed as an athlete too, even being offered
Gwen Settle was born August 16, 1944 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She was born into a military family; her father had served aboard a corvette during World War Two, and her mother had been a nurse, and her aunt was a WD. The family relocated several times in early years, but upon completion of high
Alex Polowin’s official birthday is April 15, 1924 – but it was really May 15, 1925. That’s because like many young Canadian men he was anxious to go to war, and since he was born in Europe the official records had been lost. So with the help of a lawyer, Alex filed his new birthdate,
Fraser McKee was born on Feb. 22, 1925 in Toronto, a city where he has lived most of his life. He grew up in the city’s north end, attending UCC and living a fairly good life, even against the backdrop of the Great Depression. Fraser’s father had a significant military pedigree; he was a major
Carl was born in 1925 in Brighton, Ontario. He grew up on a farm during the Depression, and some of his earliest memories include seeing classmates in tattered clothing. His family relocated to Belleville when it was time for Carl to attend high school, and it was after graduation that he made the decision to
