Memorable Manitobans: William John Charne (1894-1971)

Police officer, interpreter.

Born in Romania on 12 March 1894, he came to Winnipeg with his father in 1907 and attended Norquay School. During the First World War, he enlisted with the 183th Grenadiers and served overseas for three years. After his military discharge, he worked for a short time with the Canadian National Railway then joined the Manitoba Provincial Police, being stationed at Winnipeg and Minnedosa. In 1932, he transferred into the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and served at Minnedosa, Winnipeg, and Edmonton (Alberta), retiring in 1948 with a Good Conduct Medal. After retirement, he worked as an interpreter in the Provincial Police Court for more than 15 years until retiring a second time in 1968. In 1970, he was given a Manitoba Centennial Medal by the Manitoba Historical Society for his “many years in law enforcement in Manitoba.” He died at the Misericordia Hospital on 6 June 1971 and was buried in the St. Mary’s Cemetery.

Father of Thaddeus Lawrence “Ted” Charne.

Sources:

Attestation papers, Canadian Expeditionary Force, Library and Archives Canada.

Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 7 June 1971, page 12.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 27 March 2020

Memorable Manitobans

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 Search

Browse 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 | Z

Browse deaths occurring in:
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.ca

Criteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements

Help us keep
history alive!