Nov. 11 a Time of Remembrance and Gratitude for Aldergrove Veteran
Credit: Abby News
Fran and John Whelan, at Bellevue Park Senior Living in Aldergrove. John, a Canadian Army veteran, will be reciting John McCrae's poem In Flanders Field as part of the residences Remembrance Day ceremonies. Courtesy Bellevue Park Senior Living.
‘Some of these people went through hell to help keep us free…I hope we never forget.’
When Aldergrove resident John Whelan recites John McCrae’s In Flanders Field for his neighbours and their families this Remembrance Day, it will be a time to remember both his own service and the sacrifices made by so many before, and since.
“I have been to Flanders Field – a beautiful spot, very small, with a little chapel in the middle, but it was impressive,” says John, who lives at Bellevue Park Senior Living with Frances, his wife of 67 years.
Born in Banff and raised in Calgary, John’s passion for military service was sparked by his father, who served first in the First World War after enlisting in the merchant navy at just 14. “He was not long out on his first cruise when they were captured by a German raider. The raider took the people off Dad’s freighter as prisoners, then took whatever supplies they needed for their own ship, then they sunk the ship.”
His father wasn’t freed until the German vessel docked in New Jersey – though the U.S. hadn’t entered the war at this point, they ensured the prisoners were freed.
When war was again declared in 1939, John’s father, an Englishman by birth, immediately joined, serving away from home for six years.
“That’s where I got my interest in the military, and I joined the reserve army when I was old enough,” says John, who after several years in the Reserves, joined the Canadian Army in what was then the Royal Canadian Signal Corps on May 3, 1949.
Bellevue Park resident John Whelan charts his travels with the Canadian Army.
After training in Kingston, John was first sent to Edmonton – the first of many postings and deployments that would take him across Canada and almost around the world over his 31-year career. His first overseas posting took him to Hanover, Germany and then to Antwerp, Belgium, as those communities worked to recover from the devastation of the Second World War.
“Germany was in the process of tearing down wreckage and rebuilding. I actually saw them tear down the remains of a shopping area in downtown Hanover, and a month later the four-storey building was rebuilt and in use. They worked 24 hours a day,” John recalls. Later, in the early 1950s, he’d travel to what is now Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos as part of an international supervisory commission to monitor train travel – freight trains, in particular – from China into north Vietnam. As conflict simmered across the region, “they wanted to make sure they weren’t carrying arms and ammunition and things like that,” he explains. “I was stationed in Hanoi, and we weren’t really restricted, but we knew we were being followed all the time, wherever we went and whatever we were doing.” John later volunteered for the Korean War, but wasn’t permitted to go because of his specific trade. Returning to Army headquarters in Ottawa, it was here John met his future wife, Fran, and the two welcomed their three daughters, ensuring his next European posting became a family affair. Final postings in Montreal and Vancouver rounded out his service in 1980.
31 Years of Service
John Whelan enjoyed his 31-year career with the Canadian military, with deployments and postings that took him almost around the world. Courtesy Bellevue Park Senior Living
“I had a good career in the military. I was a sergeant and quite happy with the military everywhere I went. It was interesting and educational to travel to the places I’ve been to – almost around the world,” he says. Proud of his service medals – “they represent where I’ve been and what I was doing at the time” – John makes a point of observing each Remembrance Day, watching the televised ceremonies in both England and Ottawa. This year, he’ll play a key role in Bellevue Park’s service with a reading of McRae’s poignant poem. “I’m very proud of that time and when they play Taps and stuff like that, I end up with tears in my eyes,” he says. “I just hope everybody is as proud of what our troops did as I am. Some of these people went through hell to help keep us free. I think it should be kept alive for many many years. I hope we never forget.”
Bellevue Park currently has one- and two-bedroom suites available. To book a tour, call 604-329-3664 or register online today. Follow Bellevue Park on Facebook and Instagram for updates on availability, monthly events and a behind-the-scenes look at community life.