Farmer, war veteran.
Born at Clearwater on 25 December 1915, son of James Johnstone and Marion Paterson, he farmed with his father until the outbreak of the Second World War and then enlisted with the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada. In 1942, during the raid on Dieppe, he was wounded and taken prisoner for 32 months. At the end of the war, he returned home and, on 10 October 1945, married Muriel Marguerite MacLennan (1912-2007) of Mather with whom he had two children. He worked for a time as a grain buyer at Delia, Alberta and at Silverton and, in 1950, he moved to Decker, where he and his wife operated a general store until 1960. In 1956, he achieved a life-long dream of owning a farm, and it was during these early years of his life that he enjoyed showing six-horse teams at country fairs. He was forced to give up farming in 1967 for health reasons.
He and his wife moved to Winnipeg where he was employed as building superintendent of an apartment block complex for the next 15 years. After retirement, he made three trips to France to observe the anniversaries of the Dieppe raid. During the pilgrimage on the 60th anniversary, he and his fellow veterans received the first Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medals issued. The people of Pourville, France made him an honorary citizen of their village. However, he considered his highest honour to be laying the wreath at the Cameron Memorial in memory of his fallen comrades. He was a 60-year member of the Royal Canadian Legion, served in various positions there, including Zone Commander, and was awarded the Legion Order of Merit. Besides being a fan of various sports and the bagpipes, he was actively involved in the United Church and the Masonic Order of the Eastern Star.
He died at Winnipeg on 5 June 2004 and was buried in the Brookside Cemetery.
Birth registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 10 June 2004.
This page was prepared by Lois Braun.
Page revised: 11 September 2020
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