Now for my biography
I was born on a farm in southern Saskatchewan, 13th Sept. 1921. Assisting my mother in my birth was a midwife, either Mary Atkinson or a Mrs. Bakrud [ I was too young to remember which]. The doctor got stuck in a snowdrift at our farm gate so I was there before he arrived [this was a heavy early snowfall].
My parents were Margaret and George Bannerman. They were both born in Scotland - Dad in 11 July 1885, Mum 6th July 1893. Dad came to Canada at the age of 20, worked on farms and ranches, homesteaded, living in a sod house and using oxen to plow the prairie grass. He worked hard and was quite successful. By 1916 he had a share in a Livery stable, a half section of land and a small store in Calgary prior to enlisting. Joining the First Canadian field Ambulance First Division, then proceeding overseas and into action. While on leave 17th December, he married my Mum who he had known as a young girl on her father's farm when he had worked there before coming to Canada.
The war over, Dad spent some time in the army of occupation in Germany. This is the time when the dreaded Spanish flu killed millions of people, Dad and my mother did not get this terrible disease. So we children have good immune systems from good genes.
Mum and Dad arrived back at Neville Sask 24th May1919. They were met by friends of my Dad. One friend was driving a horse and buggy to pick them up. The horse was Dad's, left with this friend before the war. When Dad and Mum came around the corner of the railway station, the horse named Fleet turned his head and nickered in recognition of my Dad's return home after all those years away.
That was his best welcome as a so called friend using power of attorney cleaned out all my Dad's holdings and here he was back from a terrible war, new bride and pregnant, with everything gone. All taken by a real crook. My Dad never saw this man again. No trace was ever found until Dad saw his death notice in a Vancouver Paper in the fifties.
This period of my folk's life I will leave at the moment. My brother George was the first born to my folks, 30 Nov 1919. I was next 13 Sept 1921. A still born son Robert 1924, Marjorie 17th Jan 1926, Donald 16th June 1930, Arnold 18th Oct 1935.
So that is our family. Next I will send my pre-war biography and the days of the twenty and thirties on the prairie and up to my enlistment.
CIAO Gordie ,,,
