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Lest We Forget

Halloween is behind us and it is important to take the next little while to reflect on what comes next. No, not Christmas.

November 11th, 2018 marks 100 years since the end of World War I. We would like to take a moment to remember those who have and still serve our country with some stories. Before that, take note of the local memorial services taking place at both Memorial Gardens and the Callander Legion.


The gardens will open their doors at 10 a.m. and ask that everyone be seated by 10:45 so that the ceremony can start on time.


The Callander Legion (345 Lansdowne St) welcomes the public from 9:30 a.m. to noon for their service.


On a more personal note...

Arthur Stanley Allison enlisted in the 20th Battalion Kings (Liverpool) Regt (4th Liverpool Pals) on 4/2/15. At the time of his enlistment he was living with his mother, Elizabeth Allison, at 66 Hamilton Rd, Liverpool. He crossed to France with his Battalion on 7/11/15. Arthur was probably wounded or was ill in early 1918 as on 6/2/18 he was posted to 'A' Company 17 KLR (1st Liverpool Pals). On 20/3/18 he was transferred to 30 Battalion Machine Gun Corps (MGC) with the number 142168. The reason for the transfer is listed as 'for the benefit of the service' - it is likely that he was a machine gunner with the Pals, skills which would have been of use in the MGC. Stan was captured at Battle of St Quentin Canal which was a pivotal battle in WWI (Sep 29-Oct 10) where he was left as a “suicide gunner” – he was held as a Prisoner of War in Giessen, Germany on a farm until his release at the end of the war. Immediately after his release he left for Canada in 1919. When WWII broke out Stan enlisted again and it is my understanding that he was an instructor in Southern Ontario for troops heading overseas.

From the North Bay Nugget article 1956: “Mr. Allison was a veteran of the First and Second World Wars. During the First World War he served four years with the King’s Liverpool Reg’t. He was wounded twice and later taken prisoner at St. Quentin. During the Second World War, he enlisted in 1940 with the Veteran’s Guard and later acted as an instructor at Newmarket.”

Arthur Stanley (Stan) Allison was born April 28th, 1893 and died December 2nd, 1956.



Our CFO, Scott Van Der Waal chose to enlist and went to each faction of the US Military enlistment agencies and was basically told only by the army that he would have the best chance of not ending up in Vietnam if he enlisted with the Army on his own and not via the draft. He did just that and went through bootcamp where they had started training the “young men” on Gorilla warfare which humbled the 19 year old Scott during his training period. Scott went on to be stationed in Giessen, Germany where he moved through the ranks as a missile tech. He wasn’t in Germany long before being sent to the Yom Kippur War in Turkey – he would end up there on his birthday in 1973. During his time he would lose the soldier next to him on the frontlines, and be shot himself with the shot just barely missing major arteries. Scott would be given the summer off in lieu of a purple heart for his time in Turkey. Given the US was not supposed to be in Turkey this was classified information till he believes the 90s. When Scott was at the end of his 4 years in the military he was opting to re-enlist if the army would have let him fly but they were not accepting candidates for that faction and so he left the military instead of making it a career.



We at Allison the Bookman would like to make special mention of some of our own families who have served or are currently serving:


Manley Fraleigh, Seneca Day, Tom Morris, William Peace Sr, Francis Morris, William Morris, Eugene Morris, Gord Allison, Frederick Peace and all the mothers, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers, uncles, brothers and sisters and people who serve.

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