Canada’s last known First World War veteran, John Babcock, died in 2010, at the age of 109.
We’re now a decade on, in 2020, and the ranks of Second World War veterans are also dwindling, taking their first-hand experience of a defining moment in world history with them.
The largest Legion in this region, Royal Canadian Legion Branch 76 in Minnow Lake, says it has lost around 25 Second World War veterans over the past year, bringing its numbers down to about 50.
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 564 (Lockerby Legion) in the South End says it started off 2020 with five members who are Second World War veterans, and is now down to just three.
One of the Lockerby Legion members who passed away this year was Vic Larsen, a retired Inco employee and avid curler and golfer who died Sept. 9 at the age of 95.
A memorial service was held for Larsen at the Legion, attended by local dignitaries, including Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas.
His son, Peter Larsen, said his father served as a young man in Europe with the Canadian armed forces for a few years toward the end of the war. “He was running communication lines,” said Peter. “He was sort of ahead of the front.”
While Vic never talked too much about his war service, he read every book he could on the Second World War, and was a life-long Legion member.
“He was at the Legion right up until a few weeks before he passed away,” Peter said. “He called it ‘the oasis,’ and he would go and have a beer with his friends.”
With the passing of Second World War veterans such as his father, it’s the end of an era, said Peter.
“Pretty soon there isn’t going to be anybody around that will be able to recount anything from the experience,” he said. “It’s going to be from a book or a writing.”
According to statistics provided by Veterans Affairs Canada, there were an estimated total of 39,700 Canadian “war service veterans” — defined as those who served in the Second World War (1939-45) or Korean War (1950-53) — left as of March 2019.
Veterans Affairs Canada also said it estimated it would serve 13,300 war service veterans in 2019-20, 10,500 in 2020-21, 8,200 in 2021-22, 6,300 in 2022-23, and just 4,700 in 2023-24.
The average age of Second World War veterans in March 2019 was 94. Assuming they were at least 18 years old when they went to war, the youngest Second World War veterans would be 93 years old this year.
Jennifer Huard, president of the Lockerby Legion, said the numbers of branch members who are Second World War veterans have been steadily declining over the past 15 years as they age and pass away.
“From the point of view of Second World War vets, my grandfather was a Second World War veteran, Denis Thompson,” she said.
“He is one of the founders of the Lockerby Legion. I think it’s sad to see them go. They were such an important part of our history. It’s important we fight for remembrance and make sure that we never forget the sacrifices that were made for the freedoms that we continue to enjoy in our country today.”
The Lockerby Legion recently launched a fundraiser to expand its cenotaph, inscribing the names of recently-deceased members. Many of those members would have been First World War or Second World War veterans, Huard said.
In order to offset the cost of the project, the Legion has launched its paver stone fundraiser. The stones will be sold to veterans (serving, retired or deceased) and their family members, as well as legion members.
It’s the Legion’s duty to make sure people never forget about the wars, Huard said. Unfortunately, the Legion’s youth education programs are somewhat on hold due to the pandemic, but normally members are active in schools.
“It’s part of our mandate, as a Legion, to promote remembrance, and in doing that, it starts with our youth,” Huard said.
While Second World War veterans are dwindling in numbers, Huard points out there is a whole new generation of Canadian veterans, such as those who served in the Afghanistan conflict this century.
Gisele Pharand, public relations officer for Zone H3, and a member of the Minnow Lake Legion Branch 76, said the passing of Second World War veterans is “tragic.”
“In my case, my grandchildren, who are little, will never have a chance to know these people,” she said.
“My children, who are now 50 years old, had a chance to participate in Remembrance Day (and hear from Second World War veterans), but their children, especially the ones who are little, they won’t see it. And to me that’s tragic, it really is.”
