Editor’s Note: This is an updated version of an article published by BarrieToday ahead of Remembrance Day 2023. It includes new details about the Innisfil Veterans Book and upcoming services. Souvenirs that will take place in town.​

Oh Innisfil, you have served Canada so well.

As Remembrance Day approaches and we move further away from the atrocities of the great conflicts that shaped the early and mid-20th century, it becomes increasingly difficult to remember and tell the stories of courage, service and sacrifice made by local residents. dedication to their country during this time.

But with the help of Innisfil Historical SocietyIt’s Donna Wice, InnisfilToday has compiled four stories about some of the city’s bravest heroes.

“There are so many veterans to remember and honor,” she said. “So many people who never returned to their homes and families. So many people who survived and then moved on with their lives…just ordinary people of Innisfil called upon to do extraordinary tasks.”

Here are their stories:

Percy Spring

Percy was born in 1894 on the stone farmhouse located just behind the current Innisfil Community Church. He received his basic First World War training at Camp Borden and transferred to the 75th Battalion as a machine gunner. He participated in the battles of Passchendaele, Somme, Aries, Ypres and Vimy Ridge.

It was during the Vimy conflict that Percy earned his Medal of Honor by dragging a soldier seriously injured in the leg off the battlefield. He met this same man in an insurance office several years later and they exchanged names, stories and gratitude.

During the Second World War, Percy enlisted again, this time becoming a recruiting officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Percy’s two sons, Doug and Gerry, also served during the conflict.

After the war, Percy worked in the Department of Veterans Affairs Canada as an experienced officer assisting those returning from the many fields of conflict.

Douglas and Gordon Dawson

These brothers, who served as pilot officers in the RCAF during the Second World War, died within two months of each other in 1944.

Raised in Cookstown by drugstore owner Jimmy Dawson and his wife Isobel, Gordon and Douglas were two of four children in the household.

According to the book Glimpses of Cookstown 1825-1991 According to Joan McLean, “The townspeople were overcome with sadness when they learned of the deaths of the two Dawson brothers. Two boys from a well-known family were quite difficult to take. »

Douglas initially went missing, but his death was confirmed on September 17. He is buried in a private cemetery in Stein, Netherlands. Dutch residents found him among the crew of two colliding planes. His brother Alan and his wife Marj traveled to the Netherlands, found the grave and were warmly welcomed during their stay.

Gordon went overseas in 1940; he was shot down over Dortmund, Germany on November 15 at the age of 22. He is buried in a military cemetery in the Black Forest region.

Harry Boyer

Harry was a long, thin man. When Wice met him years ago, he had already lived in Sandycove Acres for 30 years. In Harry’s words, “If there were to be a war, I’m glad I served.” Through the training I received in the (Royal Canadian) Navy, my future unfolded and I lived to enjoy this life to the fullest. The navy needed technical personnel and I had experience with pumps and boilers.

Six feet five inches tall, Harry concisely described to Wice his life aboard the HMCS Summersidetelling him about his four-hour shift in the driver’s room, where the temperature exceeded 54°C and he had to work with hot steam and oil.

“Harry talked about ships being bombed open and bodies floating nearby,” Wice said. “He visibly shuddered as he recounted the incident in which an acoustic bomb slipped just 200 meters away.”

But he lived a productive life after the war with a loving wife and family. During her time in Innisfil, Harry contributed to the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity, serving people as selflessly in her 90s as she did in her early years, she said.

Harry died in 2017 at the age of 97.

Shirlie Toro Fralick

Shirlie was born with a considerable love for music and adventure.

At 18, she joined the Canadian Women’s Army Corps. His first assignment was at the Ottawa post office.

This was certainly not the position she expected to be in during World War II. But with a little maneuvering, Shirlie became part of a troupe of musical artists who traveled to northern France, Belgium and occupied Germany, visiting the military and air bases of war-torn Europe .

Once again, it’s not the glamorous, carefree experience she dreamed of. Shirlie remembers being shot while riding in a canvas truck, but what really resonated were the sad faces of men far from home who still had months of peacekeeping to endure before ‘be fired.

Shirlie has played for many years in bands that have performed at some impressive venues including the Royal York Hotel in Toronto. At 97 years old, she still lives in her beloved Bear Creek home.

Observe Remembrance during upcoming ceremonies at Royal Canadian Legion Branch 547 in Lefroy and Belle Ewart (1017 Robinson Street) On November 10 at 10:30 a.m., the Cookstown Cenotaph (20, rue de l’Église.) November 10 at 10:45 a.m., Sandycove Acres Veterans Association War Memorial (43, Promenade du Saule weeping.) November 10 at 2 p.m. or at Innisfil Town Hall (2101 Innisfil Beach Road.) November 11 at 10:45 a.m.

The historical society published the Innisfil Veterans book, which contains hundreds of stories about locals who served. Order a copy via (email protected) before November 11 and benefit from special rates.

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