A Sundre veteran whose career with the Canadian Armed Forces spanned nearly three decades was originally inspired to enlist to serve his country following in his father’s footsteps.
“My dad was overseas in World War II,” said Bill Edwards, adding his father’s tour lasted the better part of six years, starting with a deployment in England to begin training for the eventual life-or-death struggle to liberate Nazi-occupied Europe.
By June 6, 1944 — commonly known as D-Day — his father Alfred, a sergeant, had already been involved in the campaign taking the fight to the Third Reich on the front lines in Italy.
“He was infantry, with the West Nova Scotia Regiment,” said Edwards.
Although Alfred returned home following the end of the costly conflict, Edwards said the experience left his dad scarred not only physically but also psychologically as well.
Wounded twice, including by machine gun fire, Alfred spent quite some time being treated in hospital and was no longer the same upon his arrival back in Canada, said Edwards.
“He didn’t talk much about his experiences. He talked to me more than most, but he still didn’t talk about it very much.”
Nevertheless, Edwards said his father’s service inspired him to consider a military career, and without an abundance of alternate options, he decided to enlist on June 13, 1967 in Halifax.
“There wasn’t much going on in those days. It was a job.”
But the job became more of a passion. Although demanding and a constant challenge on family life, Edwards enjoyed the range of opportunities granted by life in the Armed Forces.
Upon completing his training at CFB Borden, Ont., he began his lengthy career that included a posting in Gagetown, N.B. and a short stint in Petawawa, Ont. He was deployed to Cyprus in 1979-80 as a warehouse master corporal who was part of the behind-the-lines logistical effort, participated in a major training exercise in Germany in 1987 and was posted to Edmonton as well as Calgary.
Edwards was also deployed for six weeks during the October 1970 Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) crisis, when the Canadian government initiated the first and only War Measures Act ever declared during peacetime.
“We didn’t have any incidents, but it was quite the exercise,” he said, adding his detail primarily involved guard duty along the Saguenay River to protect power lines that the government feared could be targeted for sabotage.
After returning from Cyprus, Edwards was also part of the 1981 rendezvous when 10,000 soldiers gathered in Gagetown for a major military exercise that lasted 10 weeks. Afterwards, he signed on for a senior non-commissioned officer-training course, and was subsequently promoted to sergeant.
“I enjoyed my service,” he said, adding his trade with the armoured corps — also known as the tank corps — included many different types of duties.
Retiring in 1993 as a sergeant, he dedicated 26 years to the military handling a variety of duties, and given the chance, said he would have more than likely continued much longer.
However, a government scale back in the military — also known as a forced reduction plan — combined with health complications resulting from a heart problem that created a blockage in his aorta requiring angioplasty, would spell a premature end to his career.
“They released me because of the medical” condition, he said. “I would have liked to have stayed in another 10 years.”
His career nearly met an untimely and unlucky end much earlier after barely even getting off the ground. In 1969, he suffered an injury that cost him the ability to see from one eye after a piece of steel from a military vehicle flew into his eye. The metal fragment had to be removed using an electromagnet, he said.
At the time still a trooper in an armoured corps — the equivalent rank of private — Edwards said his career was effectively put on hold for many months while he recovered, but that he eventually was promoted to corporal less than two years after enlisting.
At the time of his retirement, Edwards was a curator for the Strathcona Museum, which is part of the former Museum of the Regiments that is now known as the Military Museums of Calgary.
The biggest challenge during his military career was not being able to spend as much time with family as he would have liked, he said.
“You’re away a lot,” he said.
The bonds built between comrades created a sort of second family, but being away from home for extended durations was tough, he said.
Originally from Annapolis Royal, N.S., Canada’s oldest settlement, Bill exchanged wedding vows on Nov. 11, 1967 with his wife Ruby, whose brother was serving with the Canadian Air Force in North Bay at the time.
“I hitchhiked to North Bay, and we got married there,” he said, adding with a chuckle that tying the knot on Remembrance Day made recalling their anniversary much easier.
Over the years, the couple had two daughters, Lynda, who lives in Sundre, and Kelly, who lives in Calgary. Lynda in turn had two daughters while Kelly had a son, and Edwards and Ruby now have six great-grandchildren.
The couple remained in Calgary for several years following Edwards' retirement from the military, after which he worked as a commissionaire at the Calgary airport, where he also completed a communications course.
“I fit in good there,” he said.
“I’d used the radio for 26 years.”
When the turn of the new millennium led to concerns there would be computer crashes resulting in widespread chaos — at the time dubbed Y2K — the family decided to relocate to the country and settled in Sundre, where Ruby’s sister and brother-in-law bought properties to build a couple of homes.
They never looked back and remained ever since. Edwards decided to join the Sundre Royal Canadian Legion Branch 223 this summer and because of his prior curator experience, has been considering getting involved at the Sundre Pioneer Village Museum as well.
