Volume 6 - Legion BC/Yukon Command Website

British ColumBia / Yukon CommandWhite, Ernest SternsErnest was born in Souris, PEI on November 22, 1896. He enlisted in theCanadian Expeditionary Force in January 1917 and trained in England with theCanadian Siege Battery – 2 nd Brigade in Whitley. He served with the RoyalCanadian Infantry Regiment for a short time before returning to his formerartillery unit and being deployed to France in March 1918. Ernest first saw actionon the Arras Sector and then took part in the Canadian breakthrough of theHindenburg Line at Drocourt-Quéant in September 1918. He was wounded in theeye near Cagnicourt but stayed with his artillery unit to attack Valenciennes andMt. Houey, finishing the war outside Mons. Following the Armistice, Ernest wasstationed in Bonn and then Cologne in Germany with the Allied OccupationalForce. He returned to England in March 1919 and came back to Canada in May1919 to receive his discharge. Ernest was a member of Legion Branch #60 WestVancouver for more than fifty years. He died on September 29, 1988.White, Harry L.Harry was born in Wolverhampton, England in 1907 and came to Canadawhen he was twelve. He joined the Canadian Militia and in 1940 didGarrison Duty in Jamaica. After returning to Canada, he was shippedoverseas to Hong Kong in November 1941 with the Winnipeg Grenadiers,Company “C”, known as the Hong Kong Vets. They were bombed in HongKong on the same day Pearl Harbour was attacked. Although vastlyoutnumbered by seasoned Japanese troops, Harry and his comrades foughtfor three weeks in the Battle of Hong Kong until the Governor of HongKong and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill agreed to surrender onDecember 25, 1941. Harry was a POW for three years and nine months. Hewas a member of Legion Branch #227 in Okanagan Falls. Harry died onOctober 28, 2004 at the age of ninety-seven.White, Joseph JamesJoseph was born in Oldham, Lancashire, England on March 3, 1895. Hisfamily moved to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where Joseph was employed asa bricklayer. On March 27, 1916, when he was 21, he enlisted in theCanadian Expeditionary Force in Saskatoon and joined No. 8 (Overseas)Stationary Hospital. He was transferred as an Acting Sergeant to Hastings,England on March 27, 1916 and was then sent to Witley, England, Camiers,France on December 10, 1917, and eventually to Dunkirk where he servedin one of the six Stationary Hospitals in France, caring for thousands ofwounded soldiers. Joseph returned to Saskatoon after the War. Joseph’sBritish War Medal and Allied Victory Medal are on display in PrinceEdward Legion Branch #91 in Langford, BC.www.legionbcyukon.ca289