November 5, 2025-Remember

99-year-old veteran recalls unfinished business of WWII

BRENT RICHTER brichter@nsnews.com

At age 17, Orville Singer enlisted with the Royal Canadian Air Force at the very first available opportunity.

The Second World War had been raging since he was barley a teenager, but the young man was already rising through the ranks of the Air Cadets in Toronto where his father was a pilot officer

“The training I was getting in the Air Cadets stimulated me to get into the forces as quickly as possible. And I enjoyed it,” he said.

He reached the cadets’ rank of sergeant where he played in a military band and helped train the younger recruits, but flight training was limited at the time.

In 1943, Singer became of age and was assigned by the RCAF to train as a gunner aboard a twin engine Bristol Fairchild Bolingbroke bomber, a plane the air force was deploying for submarine-hunting squadrons over the Atlantic and Pacific.

Singer had dreams of becoming a pilot, so it was something of a letdown to be told he would be a gunner, but “you just do as you’re told,” he says, and he transferred to an air base in St. Thomas, Ont.

Singer said he no longer remembers the sensation of firing the .303 in Browning machine gun from the tail of the plane, but the feeling of trying to hit targets while his own pilots were taking evasive manoeuvres was something he’ll never forget.

“All of a sudden the elevation changed tremendously, just to avoid other attacks. That was a bit of a toughy, you know You’ve got to have a stomach for it,” he said. “It was trying to be keen and steady. It wasn’t easy to do.”

By the time he’d completed his training, the tide had already turned for the war in

Europe. RCAF losses to the enemy were tailing off and there wasn’t a need for new pilots and gunners.

“It was winding down,” he said. “At the time, I was a bit disappointed.”

The army was, however, still recruiting. Singer was called in for an examination but it never went further than that. For him, the Second World War was over

A civilian career

The training I was getting in the Air Cadets stimulated me to get into the forces as quickly as possible. And I enjoyed it.

ORVILLE SINGER

Before he was released, a discharge officer advised Singer to seek out a career in plastics. Singer had an entrepreneurial spirit, though, and wasn’t interested in more schooling He took over his neighbour’s business, peeling and delivering potatoes to hospitality businesses. At the time, they had just two clients, but Singer saw potential. He invested machinery and expanded to hospitals, restaurants and institutions.

It was around that time that Singer met his wife-to-be Pat. She was out walking the family’s dog through the newly built subdivision their families had both moved into, and he took a break from cutting the grass to introduce himself. They talked until dark. The dog never got his walk and the grass didn’t get cut, but the couple marked 75 years of marriage together in September.

Eventually they grew the business to a

OURCOUNTRY’SHEROES

Few Second World War vets left

warehouse and 11 trucks delivering to buyers all over Ontario.

During their annual visits to a food and beverage business conference in Vancouver each year, the Singers fell in love with the West Coast and the North Shore specifically When McCain Foods bought them out in the 1970s, they chose to settle here and start a new business.

“Whenever we had free time and we could rent a car, we’d come over to the North Shore,” Pat said “We used to drive around the properties and think, ‘Oh, wouldn’t it be wonderful to live here? Look at the sea. Wouldn’t it be wonderful?’”

In Remembrance

Although Singer’s service was a “brief stint” in his 99-years-and-counting life, he has always thought of himself as a veteran. He attends West Vancouver’s Memorial Park each year for Remembrance Day, though it’s only in more recent years he’s take up the offer of free seating next to the cenotaph reserved for vets.

The annual ceremony brings back both memories and closure, he said. It’s the military flyover that tends to make him emotional, because it’s a reminder of some unfinished business.

“He gets through it beautifully,” Pat says. “He gets a lovely ovation.” Continued from

It has been heartening, Singer said, to see how Canada has kept the spirit of remembrance alive even as the wars it came from drift further into the fog of history. He doesn’t personally know any other fellow Second World War veterans who are still with us.

“No new veterans are being created, not that I object to that,” he said.

And there are other ways Singer continues to honour those who fought and those who sacrificed Today, he and Pat are members of a local choir called The Londoners. Around this time of year, they perform at seniors’ residences, often doing renditions of songs that were made popular in the Second World War.

“It’s always been, do the best you could do. You know, I would have liked to have done more,” he said “But that was not to be in that stage of the war, so I feel OK. I did what I could do. I went as far as I could go.”

In recent years, the choir has made a point of introducing Singer “our very own veteran,” and Singer reads In Flanders Fields.

Edward Ange WW II Vet. Motorcycle Dispatcher Killed in Action.

Sgt. William (Bill) Cathcart

Born Winnipeg 1900; died in North Vancouver 1973. Served as a Bugle Boy 1915-1917 and with Regina Rifles Regiment 1939-1945 (England & Europe) Enlisted with 7 brothers and 1 sister (aka the Fighting Cathcarts).

James Mackenzie Bird 1921-2018 “Mack”

Philip F Blades

March 24th 1924-December 16th 2006 Served in the Canadian Army World War II, 2nd Field Regiment, 10th Battery First Canadian Division 1942-1946 front line service as a Dispatcher in Sicily and then in occupied Germany.

Spr. HV Chisamore Served May 1941 – Dec 1945 5 CCC RCE, C. H. of O (M.G.) 33rd Fld Co, RCE UK, Holland, Germany

Private Edward Greenwood Christensen Served in the C.E.F Battalion 54 in World War I. He was born in Greenwood, BC in 1896 and was killed on August 13, 1917 at the Vimy Salient.

Pascal Cortez Joined the Canadian Army at age 27 in 1942 and was discharged in 1945.

Pte. John Vernon Darney WW1- Royal Army RASC/England. L/Cpl. John Vernon Darney WW2 - Canadian Army/RCCS Died: 1977 Forever missed, forever loved. Rest In Peace, Dear Dad.

SUPPORTING VETERANS

West Vancouver Legion kicks off annual poppy campaign

ABBY LUCIANO aluciano@nsnews.com Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Royal Canadian Legion, West Vancouver Branch #60, kicked off its 12-day poppy campaign Friday to raise funds supporting veterans and their families.

“That’s what Remembrance is about for the legion, is to remember the sacrifice that people made to give us the ability to live in a free society,” said Ron Beesley, chairperson for the poppy campaign at the West Vancouver branch.

About 40 businesses and 17 schools across West Vancouver have poppy boxes this year

Funds donated to the poppy campaign go directly into initiatives that support Canadian veterans and their families. Some local initiatives include medical equipment at Lions Gate Hospital, the Honour House Society, the legion’s foundation for veterans transition and even bursaries for West Vancouver students.

There will also be “taggers” from the West Van legion collecting donations for poppies. If people don’t have cash on hand, that’s not a problem, as boxes have a tap option to donate with a bank or credit card. Donations can also be made through QR codes that connect to the legion’s website

“The poppy campaign is the most important thing that the legion does all year,” Beesley said. “That’s why I’m here at the legion, because my father served in World War II, wounded a few times, and I think it’s very important that we remember what these people did for us.”

Individuals, families and businesses can also purchase wreaths, which are laid at the West Vancouver Memorial Arch at the Remembrance Day ceremony. So far, 120

wreaths have been sold.

Every year, the West Vancouver Legion raises about $100,000 a year during the campaign, said president Bill Woods.

He said this year the legion is “already ahead of the game,” thanks in part to a

$5,000 donation from a local family

“We just encourage everybody to donate what they can when they can,” Woods said. “And if you don’t have any money, you’re not going to leave without a poppy.”

Donations can also be made through legionbcyukon.ca. Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.

“Honouring the sacrifices of ourmen and women in the spirit of peace andfreedom.”

Trip to Denmark reveals secrets of B.C. man killed in WWII

GEORGINA VESTERGAARD

Contributing writer

My father’s best friend, RCAF Flight Sgt. George Noile Fullerton, was a casualty of the Second World War. My dad, devastated by the loss of his friend, named me Georgina after George.

What I knew about George’s life was that he was the only son of his widowed mother, but I knew nothing about where and how he died. I discovered, however, remarkable coincidences between my husband Erik’s birth and George’s death while on vacation in Denmark in 2015, which led me to write two fictional novels.

We visited the Ringkøbing Museum’s exhibit Airwar Over Denmark on the West Coast, where I discovered the incredible fact that George died 14 kilometres from Erik’s hometown in Denmark, eight days after Erik was born. Another astonishing fact is that the exhibit began in February 2015, 100 years after George’s birth!

At the Ringkøbing Museum, Erik and I stood before the display, overwhelmed by the connection between Canada and Denmark in this shared history. Behind the glass, fragments of the aircraft that carried George and his crew to their death lay in silent testimony

The film began with the image of a Lockheed Hudson Bomber, followed by a picture of George in his RCAF pilot’s uniform. Then came a scene of German soldiers

examining the debris scattered across the railway tracks, with a farmhouse in the distance.

Staring at the remnants of George’s plane, I envisioned the villagers enjoying a peaceful Sunday afternoon before the fatal plane crash. I pictured my father-in-law, a blacksmith shoeing horses, and my motherin-law holding her infant son, who would one day be my husband. Suddenly, my namesake’s fatal plane crash brought an unwanted war to their tight-knit farming community.

The screen faded to white print on a black background My

eyes misted as I read the names of the four Canadian soldiers killed: Flt. Sgt. G. N. Fullerton, Flt. Sgt. R. MacMillan, Sgt. F. G. Simmonds, Sgt. J. Short.

According to eyewitnesses, the plane suddenly dipped low and then followed the railroad from Tarm to Skjern, Denmark. The AM 715 struck a telephone pole at 2:41 p.m. on Nov 23, 1941, the first of the 19 plane crashes during the war in the small farming communities and surrounding villages of Ringkøbing, Denmark.

The next scene was Nazi soldiers standing at attention behind four white coffins beside freshly

dug graves It was ironic that the only ones attending the funeral were German soldiers. Yet, they treated their fallen enemies with dignity and respect. The image reminded me that war, despite its brutality, is fought by real people with empathy and remorse toward their adversaries.

The following day, we stood at George’s grave marker in the Commonwealth grave site in Frederikshavn, Denmark. I placed my bouquet, said a prayer, and told him I was proud to be given the name Georgina in his honour.

Having learned about the tragedy of my namesake’s death,

and knowing nothing of his short life, my thoughts and emotions swirled with love, friendship, and adventure, reflecting what I hoped his life was like. These thoughts grew into story ideas, inspiring me to write One Pilot Two Sisters and Sisters Daughters and Secrets in honour of my namesake, George.

I’m thankful to the Ringkøbing Museum for its display, where George Noile Fullerton became my hero, not just the man my father named me after Georgina Vestergaard is an 80-year-old lifelong Lower Mainland resident.

Lest

604-988-2612 1550 Philip Avenue, North Vancouver www.tomahawkrestaurant.com

Remembrance Day ceremonies taking place across North Shore

ABBY LUCIANO

aluciano@nsnews.com

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Remembrance Day ceremonies take place across Canada every year honouring those who have served and died at war.

In the days leading up to Nov 11, people wear red poppies to pay respects and donate to legions and charities to help veterans and their families.

Here is the full list of ceremonies taking place across both North Vancouver and West Van.

District of West Vancouver

The Royal Canadian Legion, West Vancouver Branch 60, will be hosting their annual Remembrance Day cemetery service at Capilano View Cemetery (1490 Third St.) on Nov 9 starting at 2 p.m The service includes the laying of wreaths followed by a ceremony of remembrance.

Leading up to the service, students from West Vancouver Secondary and members of the West Vancouver Legion will place

commemorative crosses on veterans’ graves in honour of their service and sacrifice.

West Van’s legion is also holding a ceremony on Remembrance Day at Memorial Arch in Memorial Park. The parade starts at 10:45 a.m. from 18th Street moving along Marine Drive to the Memorial Arch (across the street from West Vancouver Memorial Library).

The ceremony will begin at 10:50 a.m. at the Memorial Arch starting with a welcome Continued

REMEMBRANCE DAY HOURS | 11:15AM - 7:00PM PLEASE SUPPORT THE

OnNovember11,wewillrememberthem

Parade to Victoria Park Cenotaph

from Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) Elder Sempúlyan StewartGonzales, followedbythe singing of thenational anthem and amoment of silence.

Sentinel Secondarystudents will perform In Flanders Fields, followed by a wreath laying. After the service, there will be open housesatthe West Vancouver Legion and thelibrary, both offering light refreshments.

City ofNorth Vancouver

North ShoreVeterans’ Council Canada is organizing the annual Remembrance Day serviceand parade in partnership with the city on Nov.11.

The parade will begin at the Armoury on ForbesAvenue at 9:15 a.m., led by the JP Fell Pipe Band, marching towards the Victoria Park Cenotaph. The Remembrance Day service will commence at 10:45 a.m.

Following the service, the parade will return, marching up Lonsdale Avenue towards 15th Street, turn westand proceeding back to the Armourybynoon.

Driverswill seefull road closures from 9 a.m. to 2p.m. along West 15th Street, East14th Street, Lonsdale Avenuetowards

Victoria Parkand the 100 block of East Keith Road. Local traffic will only be allowed to exit the 100 block of West Keith Road during thattimeframe,the city said in astatement.

The city said to expect trafficdelays and planahead of time while the parade andceremony are taking place. The public is asked to gather at the Victoria Park Cenotaph by 10 a.m.

Forthose unable to attend in person, therewill be alivestream available at nsvcc.ca.

District of North Vancouver

Thedistrict and Burrard Yacht Club will beholdingtheir annual Remembrance Day Ceremony at Whey-ah-Wichen/Cates Park from10:30 to 11:30 a.m.onNov.11.

The Lynn Valley Legion will also be holdinga ceremony at the branch’sparking lot. People areasked to arrive between10:30 and11a.m. After the short ceremony,the branch invitesthe public in foranafternoon of entertainment and refreshments. Abby Luciano is theIndigenous and civic affairs reporter forthe North Shore News. This reporting beat is madepossiblebythe Local Journalism Initiative

REMEMBRANCEDAY

INFLANDERSFIELDS

BYJOHNMCCRAE

InFlandersfieldsthepoppiesblow Betweenthecrosses,rowonrow, Thatmarkourplace;andinthesky Thelarks,stillbravelysinging,fly Scarceheardamidthegunsbelow. WearetheDead.Shortdaysago Welived,feltdawn,sawsunsetglow, Lovedandwereloved,andnowwelie, InFlandersfields.

Takeupourquarrelwiththefoe: Toyoufromfailinghandswethrow Thetorch;beyourstoholdithigh. Ifyebreakfaithwithuswhodie Weshallnotsleep,thoughpoppiesgrow InFlandersfields.

OURCOUNTRY’SHEROES

Sgt. August Andrew Fredrickson "Andy"

July 25, 2022 - March 3, 1992

Enlisted with the RCAF in 1942, trained as an air gunner, and joined the RAF’s 218 Gold Coast Squadron. Shot down over the Rhineland in 1943, captured, and held at Luftstalag 6 until war’s end.

Lieutenant Daniel Frost / Keetley

He served in the Canadian Navy for seven years in communications and counter intelligence tirelessly He is in our thoughts every day Daniel passed away at the age of 31.

Harry Pascoe Duplissie 1885-1917

Harry Pascal Duplissie 1885-1917

Killed in action in WWI and buried in France He said, unless he offered his services to his country he could not occupy the same place in his community With Love and Respect, Norm Duplissie

Killed in action in WWI and buried in France He said, unless he offered his services to his country he could not occupy the same place in his community With Love and Respect, Norm Duplissie.

Peter Garcia Canadian Army

Edward (Mike) Hart 1924-2021

Joined the Royal Canadian Navy at 18, in WWII. Served on three ships including HMCS Nabob, Canada's first aircraft carrier.

F/O Lloyd J. Harder RCAF pilot 1943 – 1946. Flew 31 combat missions with 88 Sqdn. RAF while stationed at Vitry-en-Artois. Passed in 2006 after a satisfying life

OURCOUNTRY’SHEROES

Served

Roy Jones Joined the RCAF in WW2, later serving in the tank corps Born & lived in North Vancouver; he left us July 21, 2003

William Lymer

After serving in the Prime Minister’s Office in Ottawa, William deployed to Panjwai District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan in 2010 as an army platoon commander on Operation Athena

Charles Newman

WWI Vet. 37th Battalion C.E.F Born: 1866. Died: April 3, 1929.

F.O. L. Earl Smith

R.C.A.F.,Squadron 434. Served in WW II. Was shot down over Germany, was aP.O.W 1943-1945.

Anchil “Ducky” Mack

Volunteered at age 40 on Dec. 6, 1941. He was trained in small arms and demolitions, but served with the Canadian Forestry Corps in Glasgow. The C.F.C. produced railway ties.

George Newman

George Newman

Volunteered at age 17 in 1914. He became a Machine Gunner Served in France & Germany for four years.

Volunteered at age 17 in 1914. He became a Machine Gunner Served in France & Germany for four years.

Gerald Smith

Served in the Royal Canadian Navy 963-1965. Weapons Underwater on the HMCS Skeena, Qu’Appelle and New Glasgow.

Nadine Joseph

After leaving St. Paul’s Residential School she volunteered at age 18 in 1941 to serve with the Canadian Women’s Corps. She trained in Vermillion, Alberta. She was stationed in Victoria until 1945.

Lawrence McGrath Served in the Royal Canadian Army in WWII as a Tank Gunner in the 28th Armoured Regiment. Fought in the invasion of Normandy to liberate France Always remembered, always missed.

Flight Sgt. Fred Rannard Sr

Enlisted in Lethbridge AB Flew with the RCAF during World War II, over the Pacific, as a wireless air gunner Passed away September 9, 2015 at the age of 92.

Sgt Rochford Underhill

Served in the RAF as a Link Trainer during World War II, 1940 to 1946. Lived to the ripe old age of 95. What a life!

Roman Clark Joseph Late Master Corporal 'Jo-Jo' 'Roboy' 'Romes'. August 25, 1968-October 11, 2018.

RCAF Sgt. George McKhool

From Ottawa, the son of Lebanese immigrants. His bomber was lost over the Mediterranean in 1941. His body was never found. He was 22.

Howard Victor Ross 1917 - 2014 Enlisted 03/09/39. Embarked for Britain in 42, transferred to No.1 Special Air Services in 44, becoming one of only two Canadians serving in SAS.

SQDN-LDR G. Peter Vickers, DFC RCAF no 107 SQDN Reported missing Aug 13, 1944 on 3rd tour of operations. Survived by sisters Babe Wild & Joan Elliott and their families.

Albert Kelly 1888-1945

Joined the Princess Patricia Light Infantry in 1916 and served at Vimy Ridge, Ypres and during the last hundred days of World War 1. He was awarded the Military Cross and Bar by King George V in 1919. Albert was the uncle of the late Jack McMahon of North Vancouver

Milton Miranda Volunteered at age 18 in 1941. He served with the Sea Forth Highlanders in Italy and France Milton drove a supply truck in the convoys and was also an ambulance driver He was wounded when his truck went over a land mine

Private Catherine N. Schaff

Served in the Canadian Army during WWII. Bomb Girl in Ajax Ont., Motor Pool Halifax and Vancouver. Honoured by her 8 children.

Private Albert Walker WW1- Canadian Expeditionary Force Canadian Railway Troops Served in France Died: 1972 Forever Missed, Forever Loved Rest In Peace, Dear Grandad

Carole Newman Joined Canadian Navy in January ’57. Basic training, CFB Cornwallis NS, then Esquimalt for medical training for nursing Worked at military hosp in Esquimalt, then transferred to HMS Stadacona military hosp., Halifax. Served in the military for 2 years.

Carole Newman Joined Canadian Navy in January ’57. Basic training, CFB Cornwallis NS, then Esquimalt for medical training for nursing Worked at military hosp in Esquimalt, then transferred to HMS Stadacona military hosp., Halifax. Served in the military for 2 years.

16th L.A.A. Battery, RCA. Beloved father, remembered by his 8 children and wife of 59 years.