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PAGE 20, WHFI'BY FREE PRES, WENESDAY, NOVEMBER 7o1M9 Legion10looksafter itsown ROBERT GIBSON, a member of the Royal Canadian Dragoons during World War Il, was in ful ilitary dress last'week as he sold poppies outeide Canadea'n Tire, Whitby. deBepht By Trudie Zavadovlcs Kida play at it, xnovies'glori1fr it, but or those who have lived through its devastation, there is no play, no glory, jufit the painful realitytat war is heli. For those lucky enough, to return home, They had to put together the remnants of their lives, their families and their futures. A number of veterans' organi- zations were developed through- out Canada, and one of the lar- gest and beat known such organizations la the Royal Cana- dian Legion whose xnembership numbers about 600,000. >Prior to World War 1, the armed services in Canada were represented by regimental asso- ciations, scattered units of vari- ous types and one national organization. Army and navy representation was even more scarce. Between 1917 and 1925, some 15 national veterans' groupa sprung up. Stili, they had. no unie voice and their various efforts produced- no national results. Inl1925 the Legon was born largely due to trh vision .-ana influence of Field Marshall Earl Haig, commander-in-chief of the British army, and GeneralSi Richard Turner. From the onset, and stili today, acquiring adequate pen- sions anclother well-earned benefits for veterans and their dependents were top priority for the legions. Ini 1930 the War Veteran'a Allowance Act was introduced, groviding assistance ta veterans prematurely aged» by their war- time experiences yet not eligible for war disability pensions. World War Il gave new life ta the Legon. With new life, came new demande. Ample recreation as well as educational services such as correspendence courses and retraining for re-entiy into civilian life became a focus. The Canadian Legion, a regils- tered, non-profit organization Remember that dream you had last night? nH i! It's me, your conscience. Living here in your dreams is like having passes ta the warld's most exciting movies.. .with yau and me in the starring raies! Sometimes yau're'the manster that swalawed the Universe. ..aor the last of the great ramantics.. and samne- times yau're a her - daing extraordinary things and making people's lives better. My very favourite movie is the one where you reach deep within us and change the worid, simpiy by giving time and money ta help the people around us. And like ail great stars, yau make helping causes you care about look easy. Couid we watch that ane tonight? Imagine is a national program ta encourage giving and volunteering. The ]Royal Cainadian Legioei- Whitby Brndi #112 Location: 117 Byron St. S. Whitby Purpose. > acquire adequate pensions and other. benefits for veterans and their dependents; -support groupa; - a support for veterans. commumity organization Membershipx 1,050 Fundrsn. - seil Nevada tickets - run elimination draw - profits fiom bar - poppy campaign (only for veterans) Contact: Margaret Kennelly 668-.0j3 with 1,800 branches in Canada, deals directly with the -federal' governient to. ensure veteran pensioners are treated fairly, and acts as an advocacy agency for the veterans and their.families. As well, they play a vital part in the communities day-to-day life, especially in the area of com- munity service. Margaret Kennelly is pre- aident of Branch 112, the Whitby le *on branch, with a member- ship of 1,050. Kennelly first joined the Legion in 1947. ,During the war, she served ini Canadai the Royal Canadian Naval Service, sorting mail i the feed mail offices of Halifax, Montreal and Ottawa.' "I didn't want to go to work i a municians factory,» says Ken- nelly of her choice to loin the service. "I enjoyed meeting new peple and made friendships that have lasted throughout the yekrs. I thoroughly enjoyed the comradeship.» It was grecisly that sense of comradeshi hat motivated Kennelly to join the Legion. «Yoiu get tosSàd frienda, make new friends, and be ivol- ved i community activities and assist in the care of veterans and their dependenta." The Whitby Legion and the women's auxili'ary of tue Logion, are deeply involved i com- munity. "I don't.think there a sprt group we don't. assist fman- cially,» says Kennelly. We also support thie sea cadets, give bur- saries to each hi h school sup- port Fairview aoge. We'vie :p1edged $25,000 to Whitby eneéral Hospital. Their major fundraising cam- paign is the 'Poppy Campaign.' Bac yerap romrnatel-y three W .1,thecsm- paign gets underway. Funds raised are placed. in trust accounts and used throughout, the year to. assist needy Cana- dian ex-service personnel and their dependents. The pop y is symbolie of those who serve i war. It serves as a special memoiy of those who did not return - 'Lest we forget.' Ida Dexter of Whitby will neyer forget.- She. can't forget Ma 3,19. ha ec'okeryog o the hairdresser to, get a victory hairdo. We, knew- 'the war was almost over. I had hrivited eévery- body backtopla-ce>tohave a oelebration paity. 1 Was reading.. an anniversary letter' from mMy husband George. I noticed people talking and looking a t me. A friend from work came, over to ~ me and said we would go homo by cab. We never took a cab.>î «I said, "1a something wrong? la it Bb l er friend'a son)? la Bob alrightT' She said, "Itfs not Bob, it's George. He's been kil-' led.»" Ida's husband Geir Wakelyý was killed by sniper ire as he stood up i a boat behind'his commander on April 28, 1945 - one year, to the day, 'after he enlisted in the infantry.4 twas the last battle of the war on the Rhine River. The war ended May 8. «neyer gave it a thought," says Ida. «With the war so near the end.» Ida was paralyzed for two weeks. Doctors ý,thouglit she might neyer recover. But Bhe did, picked up the pieces, and with her 13-year-old son Harold, went on with her, life. Later aIe remarried. 1George Sidney Wakely recai- ved four medals during rhis year of service, medals now kept by his son. Ida received* a silver medal as did all war widows. Ida lias a great outlook on life and seems to have a great his- tory of war. "WhenlI was born it was 1914 when the firat world war started. It'a been war ever smnce. «You are born for what's ahead of vou. Fina very strong person gataapy person. 1 have a Harry Inkpen of Whitby remembers theivasion of Nor- mandy. He was there. «My role was to prepare the patî for ivading troopa,» says nkpen. "It was known as Ope- ration Neptune. We Ieft 'from Southampton. Eisenhower 'was the supreme commander. 1I stayed on the beach five weeks, taking staff i,» says In.- kpen. "Our second trip was with fully armed troopa.w Inikpen remembers one Cana- dian soldier died instantly as he stepped from the boat onto a beach mine. «Thé invasion of Normandy was very secret,» says Inkpen. "Ini spite of the numbe of people that hýà to know what was gomng On, the enemy didn't thmnk the ivasion was going ta, be in Normand. We fooleéd the Ger- mana souiewliat. , "We had a job to, do which we did very well. E-ýrmove was important We just had a job to do. You Iad to doÎit.» In 1984 Inkpen returned to France for the 4Oth axiniversary of the invasion.. qI stood on the exact spot we> had landed.» He was interviewed by the% BBIC. Theinterview uwas.