69 www.on.legion.ca ONTARIO COMMAND BARTON, John Colin John was born in Wallasey, England in 1940. He was accepted in military college in 1958 and graduated from RMC in 1963 as a Sub-Lieutenant in the RCN and posted to the west coast where he served on HMCS Margaree and HMCS Antigonish. He served as Senior Watchkeeper and Operations Officer on the latter when they traversed the Panama Canal and joined the East Coast fleet on exercises off the coast of South America. He was promoted to Lieutenant and retired on May 31, 1966. He moved to Port Perry and taught Mathematics at PPHS for over thirty years. He joined Branch 419 shortly after moving to Port Perry and was quite active in various capacities for many years. John is a Life Member of the Legion. BATES, Fred C. Fred was born in Hamilton, Ontario on April 10, 1925 and was raised and educated in Fonthill, Ontario. He enlisted in the RCAF on August 26, 1943, training in Centralia and Guelph. He went overseas during World War II from 1943 to 1946 and was stationed in Topcliffe, North Yorkshire and Odinham in Hampshire, England as a Chef in the RCAF. His journey overseas on the MS Oranje took two weeks and his return to Canada on the SS Ile de France took only four days. L.A.C. Fred Bates was discharged on July 17, 1946. He received the CVSM and the Defense Medal. Fred was a founding member of RCL Branch 613 in Fonthill and was a Life Member. In 1951, Fred and his wife Helen owned and operated the Fenwick Bakery for many years – then to the Rainbow Dairy in Niagara Falls and finally the Fonthill Lumber Company for 28 years. Fred retired in 1999. Helen and Fred raised four children in Fenwick, Ontario. Fred passed away on January 1, 2006. BASARKE, Surjit S. Surjit was born in Amritsar, India on April 10, 1941. He was an Army Cadet from 1954 to 1958, then he joined the Royal Regiment of Canada as a private in 1958. After reaching the rank of Sergeant he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1962. Surjit was part of the original team of officers forming the new 2736 Royal Regiment of Canada Cadet Corps. He went on to serve as a Platoon Commander during that Regiment’s 100th Anniversary Celebration and later was a Company Commander with the Royals and commanding that Regiment’s top Company three years in a row. After serving as a Senior Staff Officer (Major) at the Toronto District Headquarters, Major Basarke was transferred to the 32 Combat Engineer Regiment in 1979 as a squadron Commander. After serving in a variety of positions in the 32 Combat Engineer Regiment he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and he took command of the Regiment in 1992 and retired in 1995. He was awarded the Cadet Service Medal with 2 Bars, the Volunteer Medal, Army Service Medal (CD Bar) and Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. Surjit has been a member of the Markham District Veterans Association.
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