War buddies had surprise reunion

It’s seldom that there has been a “feel good” story that originated from the First World War.

My late father and one of his late wartime buddies had such an experience.

The two soldiers served with the 52nd Port Arthur Battalion in France. They were both in the signal corps — Jim Johnston was a lineman and my dad, Bill Elson, was a Morse code operator.

They were a short distance apart when Johnston lost his left arm due to an enemy machine-gun. They were separated six weeks before the armistice, when Johnston was sent home. They never saw each other for 66 years.

Elson and his wife retired in 1960 and settled in Central Park Lodge in Winnipeg. Johnston’s wife died in 1960, and guess where Jim settled?

Unknown to each other, and 66 years older, Elson played a hunch, mainly because of the loss of Jim’s left arm. They were finally reunited and took great pleasure in talking about old friends. Bob and Dianne Elson, Calgary