War veteran, community activist.
Born at Winnipeg on 26 April 1918 to Denis Bastable (1882-1968) and Elizabeth McKeon (1889-1962) he worked for Canadian Pacific Express in Winnipeg for 37 years. He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force on 1 May 1942 and was trained as a navigator on the Halifax Bomber. Two of his three brothers, Vernon and Gerald, also served in the military during the Second World War. He was shot down near Paris, France in June 1944 while on a mission to bomb railways around Versailles. Helped by French locals, he evaded detection for a time and even joined the Maquis, an arm of the French Resistance. He was eventually captured by the occupying Germans in Paris and from there taken to the Buchenwald concentration camp. The German Luftwaffe later intervened and had him and 168 other Allied Prisoners of War transferred to Luftwaffe-controlled POW camps. He spent the remainder of the war at Stalag Luft 3.
After the war, he returned to Winnipeg, where he was active in the St. James Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion and served on the executive and provincial boards. He organized outings and social functions for ailing veterans, collected used books for servicemen overseas, eyeglasses for transfer to Third World countries, and raised funds for wheelchairs and sports programs. For his work as a fundraiser he received the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award in 2001 that recognized his outstanding and selfless contribution to his community and Canada. He spoke to various groups over the years about his Second World War experiences, seeing it as his opportunity to pass the torch of Remembrance to younger generations.
In recognition of his community service, he received a Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal (1977) and a Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (2002). In 2006, he became the first recipient of the George Buzz Buerling Appreciation Award for his relentless efforts to educate the Canadian public about the human devastation caused by Nazi concentration camps.
On 3 August 1940, he married Wasylena Minnie Kaban (1913-2008) and they went on to have three children.
He died at Winnipeg on 23 September 2007.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 29 September 2007.
“Harold Dennis Bastable,” Mudrik/Lazen Research, Ancestry.
“Bastable, Harold Denis (Flying Officer),” CASPIR, Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum.
This page was prepared by Lois Braun.
Page revised: 10 August 2024
Memorable Manitobans
This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.
Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text:
Custom SearchBrowse surnames beginning with:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | ZBrowse deaths occurring in:
1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024
Send corrections and additions to this page
to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.caCriteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements
Help us keep
history alive!
