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J Xk AY a ARYA SRSTIARE TE! NAY FIVE Ey ARE CE 2 Klutho ca EAN ATR DAA Rei aA RNR OY \ " 1 . . oT ¥ "riya ) N V4 ~~ 22 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Wed., April 1, 1981 a | | A tribute to the Old Bills 'by Tony Stacey -- - ER tie --~ nnel. Again our Bills and Billies rose to of the garden that the gremlins pushed over each service perso - A, An : : (Guest speaker) Comrade Chairman: May I thank the offi- cers and members of Port Perry Branch 419 for in- viting my wife and me to attend your 'Old Bill's Night". It is indeed an honour and a privilege. This evening is dedi- cated to those grand Com- rades of World War I known to you as "Old Bills; "" they are also known as "Old Sweats," 'Old Contemptibles,"" 'Old Tars," and many other nam reflecting with affection the regiments or ships they = = ~~ : - served in. TONY STACEY These are a special breed of men and women who have moulded the course of history during this twentieth century, so let us for a few moments examine who they are. Most of these "Old Bills" and for the distaff side I shall refer to them as (and I hesitate to __use the word) -"'Old-Billies"--were -born-in-the-last-- decade of the nineteenth century in the reign of Her' Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria, a time when the British Empire was atgis glorious peak. The sun never set on the Union Jack for it flew in every.corner___.- of the world. Canada was just thirty-three years old at the turp of the century, and little more than a colony. The population was about 5% million, most were farmers or lived in small communities. All of the Militia Units were commanded by British officers and armed by Britain. Canada did not have a navy; she could not sign any treaties, nor did she have any foreign ambassadors. Sounds incredible only eighty years ago, but true. Most of our old Bills gnd Billies in "the early 1900s were between five and ten years old, attending a one or two room school: no buses, just a long cold walk on a winter's day, not forgetting the chores that had to be done before and after school. They must chuckle when they see the return to the use of wood for fuel and the fancy woodstoves of today, when for them it was either: cut wood or freeze to - death; every home had its supply of wood stacked outside or in the wood-sheds Some were lucky, their -parents-could-afford to buy coal, but thé bd the coal scuttle and take out the ashes. While the Bills were doing this, the Billies were busy helping mother, melting snow for the wash water To fill™ Hallowe'en. By 1910 most of our Bills and Billies were well into their teens and early twenties; the average wage in industry was about $400.00 a year, but things like bacon sold for about 27 cents per pound, and sugar was $6.00 a hundred weight. The motor car had been around for some time but only the rich could afford one, so our Bills and Billies did their courting on a bicycle built for two, ira horse and carriage or the cutter in winter. No warm back seats of the modern car, parked in some secluded spot, but I would bet if the truth were known, more than just holding hands went on beneath those buffalo robes as Dobbin plodded home. Life was, although somewhat hard, peaceful until ~ 1914. Our Bills and Billies answered the Motherland's call to war; more than 600,000 served and more than half saw action on the bloodied Fields of France and Flanders, and of these, nearly 60,000 were killed in action and 138,000 wounded. Those who served came from all walks of life: "clerks, farmers, bankers, - fishermen, engineers; and the stress and strain of their service was greater than anyone could have imagined. Men were killed in body and spirit; bodies were torn by steel and minds warped; boys became men overnight, and the awful carnage and the sights would be stamped into' their minds to the end of their days. Men lived under conditions, they, or you and I, could never imagine, and those who suryive will never forget. Canada attained her nationhood because of the "efforts of our Bills at the Battle of Vimy Ridge, April, 1917, - an incredible feat of courage and detérmination. Before the battle, the Prime Minister of Canada, Sir Robert Borden, addressed the troops, and I quote a portion of his message. ee a *"You are men actually facing the enemy day and night. You are suffering greatly from fatique' over-strain, and lack of rest. The marvel of it is that men could undergo such strain without breaking but you have never broken and history will appreciate than in days to come. } "You men are about to enter one of the most serious engagements that ever faced the Canadian Corps. I cannot at this moment give any information as to where this attack will be staged, whether it will be successful or not, but it is to be borne in mind it will not be an easy success. We feel confident that you will succeed where others have failed, for you have never failed in anything you have set your hands to as a Canadian Corps." End of Quote. 1 was most fortunate and honoured to be chosen by ....the Dominion-Comifitind to spend the Remembrance Period last fall at Vimy. Ridge. I walked on that- hallowed land, toured the tunnels deep in French soil, and laid a wreath of behalf of the Royal Canadian Legion at that most impressive and glorious monu- 'Foster Hewitt's "He shoots - he scores!" was begin- -©v the Crash, the terror of war struck again, sending this =. sure that when the new young veterans came back, the - on, so that our Comrades continued to receive the best fight - this time to fight their fellow comrades to assure adequate pension and benefits for the disabled and their dependents: so the Royal Canadian Legion was born. By the late 1920's most of our heroes and heroines had married and were raising their own families, doing the "Black Bottom," the Charleston, and using such awful slang expressions as 'I love my wife, but Oh, you kid!" Movies had become part of the social life, Caruso and Valentino had passed on, Al Jolson was singing "Mammy," and the talking picture had become a reality. The wireless or radio was coming into its own from a beginning in the early Twenties - it became a household entertainment unit, and our Bills and Billies had their ears glued to the speaker trying to listen to the short wave broadcast from overseas, and ning to become an institution in most families. Another exciting pastime was to rush out to watch an aeroplane fly over; it appeared that in most cases life was normal and prosperous until 1929 when the bottom fell out. Once again they were faced with a situation as devastating in its way as the war: The Great Depression! Jobs were lost, families not knowing where to turn to make ends meet, and the proud people who had faced the countless terrors of 1914-1918 had ta face the indignity, in many cases, of asking for "relief" to feed and clothe their children. I would imagine the years between 1930 and 1938 were the most trying times in all their lives, living almost from day to day, trying to eke out a living. Ten years after. that fatal year of time their sons and daughters to the very places that ~they had left only twenty years before. Many returned |} to the service of their country and stood side by side with their son or daughter. During this conflict, our Bills and Billies who had formed the Royal Canadian Legion after World War I continued their fight to make gratuities and benefits were the best in the world. Through their efforts the Veterans Charter is the finest in the world. We, the World War II veterans, are most - grateful for their efforts when we were overseas, and for their continuing fight until we were able to carry pensions and benefits possible. i In summing up, I do not believe that at any time in history has a generation of people lived through such turbulent times, two World Wars and a disastrous Depression, from a time when the horse or bicycle was the major means of travel to the spanning of the globe in hours, and the most unbelievable feat of all - a man walking on the moon. ; 'They are a proud lot, and in their twilight years deserve to live with peace of mind, comfortable and ER tS A AS SN The boys got their looks when the catalogue wound up The had been touched by the war, but the Government soon in a more practical place - the little building at the end May God bless and keep you, our beloved Bills and forgot or did not know how to deal with. the returned : Billies, formany years to come. or priming thé pump, learning, to cook and sew, beat ment with its countless ndémes of those Canadians wlio free from the fear of poverty or loneliness: to ensure - of, sion. he pump. the clothes with a wash board. fell at Vimy and have no known grave. I visited other this, we, the Royal Canadian Legion, have pledged (§ Showers were unheard of in most cases, but the weekly Commonwealth Cemeteries in France, and I. was filled ourselves to fight with a loud voice that no e's 4 + bath in the tin tub behind the curtain strung up in the with feelings of humility as I stood on that part of and no dependent, or in fact, no senior citizen would kitchen was not very dignified for a young teen age girl Canada so far from home.. I shall carry the memory subject to poverty or live with any indignity not of their or boy. Their social life centred around their parish: forever. - own doing. Ihave said in the past and I repeat, if the 7h church, family gatherings, and of course, on a winter's The World War ended in 1918, our Bills and Billies Governments of Canada could find the funds for us to H |; evening letting titer firigers do the walking through the returned to a grateful nation. They had given their, all fight and defend our country and the free countries of _ 0 newly-arrived "Eaton's Catalogue," making sure the and returned to a thankful people and Government. the world, then without any doubt they must find the a -- young boys did not get a glimpse of those pages ~The people of Canada were most grateful that the funds to make sure no Veteran'or dependent is poverty | 4 con the ladjes modeling their unmentionables. conflict was over, for alnfost every family in the land stricken. 15 1: iJ 3 Old Age Security increase in April Increases in the Old Age Security pension, Guaran- teed Income Supplement and Spouse's Allowance, which gre to take effect in April 1981, were announced last week by the Minister of National Health = and Welfare, Monique Begin. The basic Old Age Sécurity pension will be increased to $208.20 monthly from the PORT CLEANERS 255 QUEEN STREET - 985-7105 DRY CLEANING ON THE PREMISES AER BL Sid The = maximum Guaran- ted Income Supplement for a pension and the maximum CC GIS at the married rate and married couple, both of it-ispaid to persons between whom are pensioners, will 60 and 65 years of age who increase to $161.16 each from are married to OAS i $156.47. Added to the basic pensioners and meet - pension this will give each residence requirements. married pensioner receiving Entitlement to a Spouse's the maximum GIS a total of Allowance, and the amount $369.36, or $738.72 for the paid, is based on yearly couple. income. The Guaranteed Income ---- -------- ---- ---- -- -------- -- ---- a ---- - J-- A A es . t Where the pensioner / 8 * Invisible Mending present $202.14. Supplement is paid to spouse dies, the surviving 2) | * . . The maximum pensioners whose income, spouse may be eligible for i Shirt Service Guaranteed Income Supple- apart from the Old Age the continuation of the i ment' for an individual or a Security pension, is limited. married person whose The spouse is receiving neither a pension nor a Spouse's Allowance, will increase to $209.03 from its current $202.94. Added to the basic pension, this will give a person receiving both the OAS and the maximum GIS a monthly total of $147.23. *Suedes - Leathers REPAIRS - ALTERATIONS ZIPPERS - HEMS TAKEIN - LET OUT | "We Also Repair Suedes & Leathers" amount -of- the remarriage if the person has supplement varies in no income or a limited relation to income. amount of income, The maximum Spouse's Increases in Old Age a Allowance will increase to Security pension and + $369.36 from $358.61. The Guaranteed Income Supple maximum Spouse's ment. payments are Allowance is made up of an calculated quarterly based amount equivalent to the on the cost of living. basic Old Age«8€curity ) y allowance to age 65 or until [ WS --------_-- -- Ne ee ew ed ™ we wd SYA S Ie . a a vin