Southwest Sask. war veterans will be honoured by banners
“My job was basically checking all of the instrumentation in an aircraft and all the electrical wires,” he said afterwards. “That was basically all the electrical equipment, alternators, and generators on the engines that ran the aircraft.”
His role was a critical part of the ground crew activity for military aircraft and he also accompanied airplanes to different locations.
“Depending on where the aircraft was going, we would go with and we would set up there so that we could monitor it,” he said. “Before the pilot could take off, we had to verify that the aircraft was good to go.”
He was born in August 1950 at Rosetown and his family lived in three different Saskatchewan communities before he graduated at Maple Creek High School in 1968. He decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and joined the RCAF, starting at the recruitment centre in Swift Current and thereafter entering the service in Regina on Dec. 2, 1968.
He completed his basic training at Canadian Forces base (CFB) Cornwallis in Nova Scotia, where the photo on his banner was taken. Thereafter he completed his trades training in Ontario at CFB Clinton and CFB Borden.
His first posting was to CFB Moose Jaw, which was a pilot training base at the time.
He worked on the Canadair CT114 Tutor, which was the standard jet trainer for Canadian fighter pilots.
His next posting was to CFB Shearwater in Nova Scotia to work on the twin-engine Grumman CP-121 Tracker aircraft.
“This was during the Cold War era and their main job was monitoring ships and looking for submarines,” he said. “They dropped some equipment in the water and tracked them.
They were able to fit camera equipment on this aircraft’s wing, which made it possible to photograph ships along the Canadian coast.
“We did some work with the American military,” he recalled. “Quite often we were down in Puerto Rico and Bermuda at different times working with them.”
His next posting was to CFB Edmonton, where he remained until the end of his service in 1977. He worked on single and twin-engine Otter aircraft used for search and rescue missions in western Canada and Northwest Territories.
He sometimes worked under challenging conditions, for example during a trip to Resolute Bay the ground crew had to change an engine on a twin-engine Otter in a tent while the outside temperature was below minus 50 degrees Celsius.
One of the most dangerous moments during his service actually occurred during an unplanned night-time landing at
the Swift Current airport. They were flying from Edmonton to Moose Jaw in a single-engine Otter, when freezing rain and a lack of anti-ice protection on the aircraft forced them to land.
They were unable to get hold of anyone to switch on the runway lights before they had to land. The pilot put the plane down in darkness with only a faint outline of the runway visible.
“We landed and skidded off the end of the runway, and actually didn’t damage the aircraft,” he recalled.
“We got the airplane turned around and got it pushed back onto the runway and up to where the hangars were. … I thought that was interesting, because in nine years I did a lot of flying to different places and this is the only place we ever almost crashed.”
David’s father Kenneth Mccuaig was an important inspiration, both in his decision to join the service and in relation to his feelings about the importance of Remembrance Day.
Kenneth joined the RCAF during the Second World War and served as a tail gunner on Lancaster bombers during dangerous bombing missions over Europe.
“The only time my dad ever talked about that was Nov. 11,” David said. “When he was a member of the Legion and when they get together, they all talked about what happened in the past. Other than that, he talked with me a little bit as I got older. But he never really talked about what he did.”
Below are details about the service of the other nine veterans honoured by the new banners (information provided by the Swift Current Museum).
George Akister, First World War: He was born on Sept. 11, 1888 in Ontario and served with the Canadian infantry, Saskatchewan Regiment in the 28th Battalion. He was killed in the Battle of Somme on Sept. 15, 1916, only four days after his 28th birthday. He is buried in Contay British Cemetery in Somme, France.
Daniel Lawrence Geissler, Second World War:
He was born on Dec. 27, 1918 in Shackleton, Saskatchewan and served
in the Canadian Army with the Regina Rifles. He was a member of the Regina Band of the 1st Battalion King’s Own Rifles of Canada. He was a resident of the Palliser Regional Care Centre in Swift Current in his later years and passed away on Oct. 26, 1995.
David George Gloeckler, Second World War:
He was born and raised in Swift Current. He joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1939 and went overseas on June 3, 1940. He served for five-and-ahalf years in the United Kingdom, the Mediterranean and Europe. He was a signalman and his unit was the first to be on locations to set up camp. He was awarded five medals for his service during the war and was discharged on Oct. 6, 1944 as part of demobilization. He worked for many years at the City of Swift Current with the Light and Power department and was a Legion member. He passed away in Swift Current on May 9, 1996.
Albert Douglas James, Second World War:
He was born on Oct. 28, 1920 in Nesbitt, Manitoba. He grew up on the family farm and attended Fox Valley and Waldeck schools. He joined the RCAF at age 19 and became an aircraft mechanic. He was a flight engineer on patrol bombers searching for Japanese submarines and incendiary balloons in the Pacific Ocean. He assisted with escorting American ships to Alaska. He decided to become a pilot and received his training in Alberta. He was stationed at Portage la Prairie and Edmonton. He went into the reserves in 1945, but rejoined the RCAF in 1952 and became a test pilot in Edmonton. He took early retirement with the rank of flight lieutenant and then worked as an airways accident investigator with the federal transport department. He passed away in Ottawa on March 3, 2006.
Cyril John James, Second World War: He was born on Sept. 6, 1916 in the Highfield district and attended Fox Valley and Waldeck schools. He joined the Canadian Active Service Force in Montreal in June 1940 and received training with the Royal Canadian Artillery at
Petawawa in Ontario. He left with the 14th Field Regiment for England in July 1941. He landed on Bay De Sur in France during the Allied invasion of Europe. He was a qualified signaller and laid telephone lines. He was taken prisoner for a day by German soldiers and later wrote an account of his capture for the history book of the 14th Field Regiment. He received the Canadian Volunteer Service medal and clasp. He became a chartered accountant in Calgary and Edmonton after the war and died on April 7, 1989 at the age of 72.
Ralph Liewellyn James, Second World War:
He was born on Sept. 21, 1922 and attended Fox Valley School. He joined the Army in 1940 at age 18 and trained in Maple Creek and Regina. He went to England with the Fort Gary Horse Regiment from Winnipeg. He was in the tank corps and saw action in Holland and Germany. He was among the troops that remained in Europe after the war to assist with rebuilding efforts. He arrived back in Canada via New York harbour in January 1946 on the Queen Elizabeth, which transported thousands of returning soldiers. He farmed in the Waldeck area and returned to Holland for the 50th anniversary of the Second World War. He passed away on Jan. 6, 2011.
Charles Low, Second World War: He was born on Sept. 12, 1922 in the Ruthilda district in Saskatchewan. He enlisted in the Army at age 18 and did basic training in Prince Albert. He was assigned to the Regina Rifles and served in the Netherlands during the war. He initially lived in Moose Jaw after the war, but moved to Swift Current in 1959. He worked in sales and owned his own business, Swift Sewing Centre. He was a proud Legion member until his passing in 1993.
Albert James Piercey, Second World War:
He was born on Sept. 16, 1918 in Swift Current. He enlisted at the age of 22 and completed basic training in Ontario. He was shipped overseas with the Canadian Artillery Regiment. He fought in France, Italy, Holland and Germany. He was one of the Canadian soldiers at the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp at Bergen-belsen. He found a barely alive little girl underneath a dead woman and carried her to the Red Cross truck. He always wondered what became of her. He only spoke about a few of his war memories, because he always said he just wanted to forget what he saw and went through.
Alex Wilkie, First World War:
He was born on June 22, 1986 in Scotland. He was called to war in January 1918 and he reported to Regina. He joined the Army and he was in active service in France by March 1918.
He returned after the war to work on the family farm. He died on March 19, 1978.