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HomeMy WebLinkAboutGoderich Signal Star, 2017-06-07, Page 7Wednesday, June 7, 2017 • Signal Star 7 Royal Canadian Legion Branch #109 The Canadian Legion of the British Empire Ser- vice League was estab- lished in Winnipeg, Manitoba in November 1925. Field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig intended the legion to he a patriotic society dedicated to rekindling the spirit of comrade- ship found in the Great War. Aside from its social function, the legion was formed to lobby the government for pensions for widows, orphans and disa- bled veterans. Then, as now, the legion's principal aim was to render assistance to those who have served Canada in uniform in war and peace. In Goderich, a branch of the Great War Veterans' Associa- tion had been established in January 1919.but, by 1925, it seems to have disbanded. In October 1926 the `Huron Signal,' announced that Mr. I1. Brooke, the field manager of the Canadian Legion, was at the British Exchange Hotel can- vassing veterans about the pos- sibility of organizing a Goder- ich legion branch. Under the slogan "union is strength; Brooke declared that the legion national was "now the chief organization of ex -ser- vicemen" and advised ex -ser- vicemen to join. Goderich Branch #109 was officially granted its charter by Dominion President General Sir Percy Lake on November 8, 1927. Fifteen local Great War veter- ans signed the charter among whom were Colonel H. C. Dun- lop, commander of the I luron Regiment; famed artist and songwriter, Tom Pritchard and A. F. Sturdy who served as the branch's first president from 1927-1930. On November 3, 1927, legion Secretary, W. Peachy, in the 'Signal' announced its first Poppy Campaign as the branch had 1,000 poppies to sell. Made by disabled veterans, the poppies were sold for .10 each. That first Goderich Poppy Campaign raised the considerable sum of $65 to go into Christmas presents for vet- erans' children. Huron History David Yates Peachy urged veterans to join the legion because they had a duty to `take care' of "our unfor- tunate comrades friends who are in distress as a result of their war service." The Goderich legion branch of the Canadian Legion paraded for the first time at the November 1927 Armistice Day ceremony. Afterwards 55 of the estimated 130 veterans in Goderich attended a legion recruitment meeting in the Masonic Hall on November 11, 1927. By Febru- ary 1928, when the charter was formally presented to "Post 109, Canadian Legion" the branch claimed the membership of 100 Great War survivors. The legion quickly estab- lished itself as an important part of the community. In the July 1 Dominion Day parade, the legion won first prize for a float depicting the armies of the allied nations. During the Second World War, the local legion branch played a significant role in supporting Canada's fighting forces overseas by holding blood donor clinics and fundraising campaigns. Welcoming British Common- wealth service personnel from Huron County airbases was also a duty that Branch #109 enthusiastically carried out. The legion sponsored the Empire Service Club at the McKay Centre, dances at the pavilion and card parties for Commonwealth personnel far from home. The legion originally met in rented rooms at the Colborne Hotel on the corner of Newgate and I lamilton streets. Sometime between 1937 and 1945, they appear to have met in the Newgate Street Armoury. In 1945, the town purchased the Oddfellows' Hall on King- ston Street and donated the large building to the Goderich legion in anticipation of a membership surge as veterans returned horse from the Sec- ond World War. In 1947, the Goderich Ladies Auxiliary was formed to help their returned relatives re- adjust to civilian life by fighting for job retraining, free educa- tion and housing subsidies. With veterans from two world wars, and, later, the Korean War, the legion enjoyed its greatest era of prosperity in the decades after World War II. In 1960, Queen Elizabeth granted the title `Royal' to the Canadian Legion. In the mid -1970's, legion membership swelled to almost 600 members and 125 Ladies Auxiliary members. The legion building was expanded and overhauled in 1975-76 to accommodate the activities of its growing membership. The legion has been at the forefront of commemorating Goderich's military history. According to the branch's 75th anniversary booklet, in 1964, the local legion branch purchased the Lancaster bomber mounted on a pedestal at Goderich's Sky Harbour Airport. In 1979 a Canadian Forces helicopter hauled the plane away to be restored. Today,. the `Mynarski' bomber from Goderich is only one of two fly- ing Lancasters in existence. In 1974, the Sherman `Firefly' tank was donated by the legion to the Huron County Museum to honour the exploits of Major David Currie who won the Vic- toria Cross in the 1944 Nor- mandy campaign for destroy- ing seven tanks, 40 other enemy vehicles and several other artillery pieces. Most recently, the local legion purchased and donated a Light Armoured Vehicle. The LAV was dedicated in October 2016 to honour veterans of the Afghan War, in particular, Cor- poral Matt Dinning of Wing- ham who was killed in 2006 while serving in Afghanistan. In addition to annual Remembrance Day parades, the expanded building contin- ued to hold such legion Oldest known photo of Goderich Legion, with Colborne Hotel in background, 1930. traditions as the Vimy Dinner, Trafalgar Day Dances and Bat- tle of Atlantic Services. It was also host to wide array of community events such as wedding receptions, dance les- sons, card parties, and snooker tournaments among others. The legion was truly at the cen- tre of the town's social life. Yet, with changing times and a dwindling number of world war veterans, the legion's mem- bership is adapting to chal- lenges of the modern age. In 1999, Shirley Erb, was the first woman elected branch #109 president. Ed Pyette was the last Second World War veteran to serve as branch #109 president from 2005 to 2007. His wife, June Pyette who succeeded Ed as branch president from 2007-11 said that despite the dwindling number of war veterans, the legion still works "for the good of veterans and the community." June Pyette says the legion is 'like a family' and 'loves the comradeship.' President' June's quiet persistence was rewarded with the naming of the stretch of King's Highway #21 from Owen Sound to the 402 `Veter- ans Bluewater Highway' in 2009. Past President, Dennis Schmidt, said that the legion has sponsored several Goder- ich minor sports leagues; donated money to the hospital foundation and continues to award thousands of dollars each year to deserving scholars. Schmidt and his wife, Shirley, have been legion members for over 20 years. They, too, enjoy the camaraderie of legion membership and the organiza- tion's focus on supporting vet- erans and youth. However, Schmidt sees the legion's role as "the keeper of the cenotaph" as a sacred trust. Retired RCMP Superinten- dent Paul Thorne joined Branch # 109 in 2007 and was elected President four years later. Thorne joined the legion because "the legion was like the RCMP:' In fact, Thorne related that the legion's Dominion Com- mand in 2014 conferred veteran status on RCMP personnel. Military service runs deep in Thorne's family. His father was an artilleryman in the Second World War; his son, Andrew, is currently serving in the RCAF; and his wife, Diane, was in the Canadian Armed Forces in the 1970's. Paul and Diane view legion service as an excellent way to support veterans and their families. This year marks the 90th anniversary of the Goderich branch of the Royal Canadian Legion. It is the town's largest and most active patriotic soci- ety dedicated to improving both country and community. 'Ihe local legion branch has woven itself into the fabric of the town's history and civic life. The Goderich branch contin- ues to support those who have served Canada's military forces. Yet, its primary mission, as the legion's motto proudly pro- claims is to keep the torch of Remembrance burning 'Memoriam Eorum Retinebi- mus-We Will Remember them'