59 www.on.legion.ca ONTARIO COMMAND BIGRAS, Joseph William Fernand “Bill” Joseph was born in Carleton Place, Ontario on May 29, 1931. He enlisted in 1950 and served as a Peacekeeper in Cyprus and the Gaza Strip. On the last plane leaving the strip, raised the first flag on Parliament Hill in 1964. He was a long-time member of The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 192 Carleton Place. Joseph passed away on March 24, 2004. BLATCHFORD, Ewart Arthur Ewart was born in Lambeth, Ontario on May 17, 1893, to Reverend Thomas Blatchford of Brownsville. Ewart was a School Teacher in Brownsville, Ontario before he enlisted in World War I on May 31, 1916, with the Canadian Expeditionary Force 182nd Battalion. OnAugust 27, 1918, Private Ewart Blatchford was killed in action near Vis-en-Artois, France, during “Canada’s Hundred Days”, two years after his older brother, Thomas, had also been killed in action. BLASZYNKSI, Walter Victor Walter was born in Koniowka, Poland on March 12, 1923. At the age of nineteen, in June 1942, he enlisted in the Canadian Army. He was assigned to 3rd Canadian Division and served in Royal Canadian Electrical Mechanical and Engineering Unit. Half of his pension of 1.50 a day went to his mother, a widow of seven children, as Walter was the main provider for her family and his family. His division saw action in Great Britain, France, Belgium and Germany and was always grateful that he was one of the lucky one to come back alive to his family in Fenwick. He is the recipient of Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with Clasp and other decorations. Since returning home, after getting married to Wanda, Walter’s passion was his community and he was involved and volunteered in many organizations – president of Polish Veterans Branch 418 of The Royal Canadian Legion, Canadian Polish Society, Knights of Columbus, United Way, Grimsby Chamber of Commerce, building of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, building a Polonia Park, instrumental in building Children’s Discovery Center, and received many volunteer awards including Niagara Regional Police Force Citation for saving the life of a child. He is survived by three children, Donna, Eddie and Lorraine and their families. Walter passed away on July 19, 2018.
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