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Peter Alexander McPhail
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Farmer, community activist.
Born on the family farm near Forrest on 11 July 1897, eldest son of Archibald C. “Archie” McPhail (1863-1941) and Mary McDougall (1884-1933), he was a pilot during the First World War, achieving the rank of Flight Lieutenant. After his military discharge, he returned to the farm where he raised prize-winning livestock. On 29 March 1923 he married Effie Irene Weir at Transcona and they subsequently had a daughter and three sons. He was a well-known judge of cattle and swine, and served at local fairs, the Pacific National Exhibition, and the Canadian National Exhibition. In 1950, the family moved to Brandon but he retained an interest in farming.
Active in the community, he served as President of the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba (1949-1952) and Secretary-Manager of the Manitoba Winter Fair (1954-1965). He was also President of the Canadian Association of Exhibitions. He served on the boards of the Brandon General Hospital, Brandon College, Kiwanis Club, and Brandon and District Shrine Club, and on the executives of the Greys Baseball Club and Wheat Kings Hockey Club. He was a member of Forrest United Church and the Masons.
He died at Brandon on 28 June 1989 and was buried in the Humesville Cemetery.
Birth registration [Peter Alexander McPhail], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
“McPhail tireless in farm, city circles,” Brandon Sun, 29 June 1989, page 14.
Obituary, Brandon Sun, 30 June 1989, page 90.
“McPhail remembered as extraordinary man,” Brandon Sun, 20 July 1989, page 27.
Pride of the Land, An Affectionate History of Brandon's Agricultural Exhibitions by Ken Coates and Fred McGuinness, Winnipeg: Peguis Publishers, 1985.
Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 22 April 2026
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