BILL McRAE

B10 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, November 9, 1994

City Freeman survived Juno landing ©

By YVONNE MOEN

BESIDES BEING a Freeman of
the city and the chairman of the
Legion’s 1994 poppy campaign
here, Bill McRae is also among
Terrace’s Second World War
veterans,

Bill was born in Smithers on
January 7, 1924 and spent most
of his youth in the Hazelton area.

In the fall of 1942 Bill left his
home in Hazelton and travelled
by train to Prince Rupert where
he began working at the dry
docks.

After spending a short time in
Prince Rupert Bill, along with a
group of men from the area,
travelled to Vancouver by boat to
join the army.

Bill, at 18, enlisted into the Ca-
nadian infantry care and was first
sent to a training camp in Cam-
rose, Alberta.

He later spent several months at
other training camps in Canada
(Alberta and Nova Scotia) before
he was shipped overseas.

He sailed across on the Louls
Pasteur with 8,000 other enlisted
men going to war,

They arrived in Liverpool on
Christmas Day 1943.

From there they were shipped
to Aldershot, a large army centre,
and then to various other training
camps in England.

Prior to D-Day Bill was posted
to the Canadian Scottish Battalion
third division of the seventh
brigade.

Here the troops, the Canadian
Scottish Battalion, the Regina
rifles and the Winnipeg Rifles,
were preparing to embark on the
ships at Mulberry Port,

They assembled there for the

invasion of France on June 6,
1944.

The Canadian Battalion went to
shore at Juno Beach where Bill
successfully swam to shore, while
others did not make it,

From here he moved on to vari-
ous fighting areas in France.

The ‘troops were constantly on
the move until they reached Nij-
megen, Holland.

With the army stopping here
during a lull in the fighting of the
winter of 1944.

Here many of the men became
seriously ill during a very
miserable winter.

In the early months of 1945, the
troops were again put on the
move, pressing on to Germany.

In the March of 1945, Bill was
moved to the army headquarters
where he did a variety of jobs

such as trading for fresh food for
the men.

When the war ended in
Germany, the battalion was al
Aldenberg, a large air base which
had been very active during the
bombing of England.

The last shots fired by the bat-
talion were on May 4, 1945,

They then moved on to an area
north-west of Utrecht in Holland
— Brockland.

When they arrived there the Ca-
nadian Scottish Battalion quickly
found that it was free of Germany
but certainly not free of Germans.

The brigade’s task was to take
care of about 8,000 German
troops. The Canadian Scottish
was assigned aboul 2,700 of these
people who were encamped in the
ground of a castle, The Huis de
Nyenrode,

Within a few days, the Germans
were prepared to begin their long
trek back to Germany, marching
from camp to camp guarded all
the way by Canadian and other
Allied soldiers.

The Canadians moved from
there back to England where they
sailed back to Canada aboard the
New Amsterdam in July 1945,

They arrived in Halifax to find
about 7,000 other men returming
back home,

While in Halifax, Bill met
Walter Yeo and Bilf Gord, all
who later settled in Terrace.

Bill travelled to Edmonton on
the ‘train and then returned home
to Hazelton where he went to
work for a drilling company.

In 1949 Bill moved to Usk and
later into Terrace.

Bill married his wife Helene
August 11,1951 in Usk.

They raised their five children
here in Terrace.

Both Bill and Helene are very
involved in the community, most
recently in the REM Lee Founda-
tions —

In 1989, Bill McRae became a4
Freeman of the ‘Terrace, an
honour bestowed to a_ dis-
tinguished person and voted upon
by the council. :

As you read about both Bill
McRae and Bill Bennett, it tells a
litte of their time spent at war,
their hardships and the hell that
men like them experienced,

They were fortunate ones to
return safe but left behind many
comrades,

So remember on November 11
to take time and share with others
like them who risked and gave
their lives for Canat‘a,

DAUNNAAAANEARRIIEEEREANIAIAAIAARAAAAAAAAAAAIAIAAEIAAAPEERAEEPDEEEDAADDAA>bPL PM MM AMAA MAMA aoe eg ez
ha ON NE NN NN ON NN NN PO A A i i A A A A

ROA AA A AA AAA A A A A

ON PN Ol EN EN TU AM A A

"PIZZA dn
635-2401

THE GREAT PIZZA MAKER

“Group Travel Dilemma.

ee -“
| New Group and Special
' Events Fares Available.

| CALL OUR TRAINED PROFESSIONALS TODAY:

Book with UNIGLOBE! Travel. Because time well planned is time well
. . Spent. Call 638-8522 (24 Hour Service}

Locally Owned Canadian Company

| LRIELO

COURTESY TRAVEL

‘ |

oe - “We don't just issue tickets. We plan trips.™“

our premises.

635-1166

2. _SCOTTIES
<(@ U-BREW

Great Products - Great Price
Chemical Free, Brewed on

4720-A Lazelle Avenue

LPP PPP LALLA LAPD A PSAP LL APA LAP LP PAPA APPL LDA A AAPA PDA AA LDA ALASCTDAAA APPA CPAP L DD

»
WJ
b
b,
i)
>
»,
ry
D
1)
»
>
b
b.
b,
b
>
5
>
y
1)
b,
?
>
»
b.
b
>.
y
>
a)
¥
»
»
b
i?
b,
¥
>
»
1?
>
?
>
ry
1)
be
k
>
>
>
3,
t)
b
b
¥
¥
)
?
>
>
¥
>:
»
b,
bv,
b
+B
>
>
>
1)
?
>
¢
D
>
r
;
i
'

101-4716 LAZELLE AVE.
Terrace, BG

635-5920

AA A A Ay

On Dec. 18th in Vancouver

"ev ae er ey ePew ewe
I

i]
rm

Pa ae es

CENTRAL Gr

102-4716 Lazelle Ave,

Terrace, B.C.

Fr

Compliments of:

COURTESY TRAVEL

and et pating businesses

TERRACE. |

| STANDARD

re a a ae ae at a a A a a a Oa LE ee

NNN NNN NNN NN NOP PO OP PS PP OP PPP PO ON rrr
A 7

Answer these questions correctly and

bring this form to any participating
business to enter.
1. How many pizzas can you buy for the price
of one at Panopoulos?
2. Name two products you can make at
Scotties

Ine.

.Merlin ~*~
Solutions

103-4716 Lazelle Ave.

ts pleased to announce the Nou. 12 opening
of tts subsidiary...

635-3362

$9

Who has the toll free travel help line?

>

Who can send fresh flowers across the
country - overnight?

=

a

Gifts?

Which BG artist painted the Kermodei Bear.
collectors plate that’s available at Central

b.
b,
b
b
b
¥
»
b
>”
>
b,
>
>
k
»
a
>.
?
)
>
i?
1?
i>
>
b
¥
Me
>
,
1)
ȴ
¥
)
b
1)
b
1)
»
+
)
},
4
%
D)
>
¥
iy

q
4
~ | Pendragon Computers Inc.
q
4
;
4
+.

YES!

_| would like to see the
Rolling Stones in concert. Here -
are my answers.

Name

Address

‘Phone.

- *Must be 18 years of age to enter.

AAT AAT ATA AAT AT AV ETAT ATAV AV AV AV AV AT AV EVE AAV ETE TEV EVE AT AV AVA Ar Ve ee ee ee eee eee EO ee ew ee OE ATA AV EV AV ET EV ET AVerTV EV AV EV eT eve eV ATA Tere
ha hha ah ted wate hen ed aha ah a i hh a, hala hand daha hhh ahah hhh kell kk el he hed a NNN NN OE aha ah a eaten alte hn aha alla ahah akah ated ek nk klk)

a te TP I Te

w,

~,

PNA A A AA A AA AAA AAA AAA A AAA AAA AA AAA AA AA ALAA AAA