Volume 6 - Legion BC/Yukon Command Website

British ColumBia / Yukon CommandEngensperger, Peter M.Peter was born in Vernon, British Columbia. He enlisted in the CanadianArmy (Regular Force) in December, 1985 and served with the Supply Unitin Canada and Germany. He also served as a Corporal with the UnitedNations in Haiti until his honourable discharge in September, 2000. Peterhas retired and lives in Prince George, British Columbia and is an activemember of the local Peacekeepers group and Legion Branch #43 in PrinceGeorge.English, John ColstonJohn was born in 1919 in Glen Village, Falkirk, Scotland and in 1936, his familyjoined their coal miner father in Nanaimo, BC. John apprenticed at the Machine Shopof Western Fuel Corp. and Canadian Collieries (Dunsmuir) Ltd. in Union Bay. Hethen joined the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve as an engineer, serving asChief Petty Officer, ERA, on HMCS Prescott from 1940 to 1943 and on HMCSPrince Rupert from 1943 until 1945. The Ministry of Defence credited HMCSPrescott with the destruction of the German U-Boat U-163 on March 23, 1943 whileit was escorting a convoy in the Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of Spain. Johnsaid they met two U-Boats, “one on the surface and one underneath. Strangelyenough, we spotted the one underneath first and planted ten depth charges on her. Weopened fire with our guns when we spotted the second one and when she dived, weput ten more depth charges on her. They never bothered us again.” John was amember of Legion Branch #10 in Nanaimo for more than fifty years. He died in 2002.Ewen, Thomas Alexander (Alex)Alex was born in Estevan, Saskatchewan on October 29, 1914. Hevolunteered for the RCAF and served first as an aircraft mechanic and then,after obtaining his pilot’s license and with the rank of Warrant Officer II, hetrained Canadian, US, and British fighter and bomber pilots. In April 1945,Alex was redeployed as an aircraft and engine mechanic and inspector forthe US Army Air Force based in Edmonton for six months. He was releasedin September 1945 and moved to Brooks, AB where he flew as a Bush andCrop Dusting Pilot. Alex’s next move was to Burnaby, BC where heoperated a Gas and Repair Service Station with his brother. When theStation was sold, Alex worked as a millwright and school custodian until heretired at sixty-three. To keep busy, he bought a small apartment block, rana blueberry farm, and was active in the community. Alex lived on a farm insouth Port Coquitlam until his death on March10, 2010.www.legionbcyukon.ca111