Military Service Recognition Book

93 www.on.legion.ca ONTARIO COMMAND BULL, William “Bill” Bill was born in Orillia, Ontario on March 5, 1934. He joined the Navy in 1951 when he was seventeen. He circumvented the world and NorthAmerica on thirteen different ships, most notably the HMCS Haida, on which he served during the Korean War. He served on the HMCS Labrador when it made its historic crossing of the Northwest Passage. He served as well on Canada’s last aircraft carrier, the HMCS Bonaventure. Bill was commissioned from the ranks in 1970 and as an officer, influenced and introduced the Primary Leadership Qualifying course to the West Coast. He served as the divisional officer at the Bos’n division at CFB Esquimalt and Regular Force Staff Officer in charge of administration and training at three reserve units. Bill passed away on February 27, 2016. BURKE, John George “Jack” Jack was born in Massey, Ontario on July 18, 1921. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1942. Upon completing his training he was stationed with 420 Squadron “Snowy Owl” in Tholthorpe, England where he assumed his duties with the ground crew as Air Frame Mechanic. At war’s end he had been promoted to Corporal where he returned to Massey, Ontario. He got married and started to raise a family. A short time later, he started his own business as a General Insurance Agency. In 1962 he moved his family and business to Elliot Lake, Ontario. He was a Royal Canadian Legion member of Branch 432 in Massey, Ontario and Branch 561 in Elliot Lake, Ontario. Sadly Jack passed away after a brief illness on April 6, 1981. BURGE, Robert Frederick Robert was born on June 17, 1917 in Cobourg, Ontario. Along with his three brothers, he left from Cobourg by train to sail from Halifax on the troopship Louis Pasteur in 1941, landing in Scotland. They remained in England until 1943 with the 3rd 47th Battery then sailing to Naples, Italy and proceeding onto France and Belgium by motor vehicles. He was a gunner operating a BOFORS. He lost many friends in his unit from Cobourg. They are buried in France, Italy and Belgium. He never spoke of the horrors they encountered but stood every Remembrance Day at the cenotaph honouring his fallen comrades. Thankfully all four Burge brothers returned home. Upon his return to civilian life he was a truck driver. Robert was a member of The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 133 for sixty years in Cobourg. He passed away on February 9, 2005.

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