Image: The original Gimle School, built west of Albright in 1919, with students in the yard. 1930 (SPRA 2008.079.06)
Allan Eastman was the eldest of 5 children born to Ken Eastman and Elizabeth Hogg. His parents first lived in Arrow Lakes and Ladner BC, and Allan was born in 1915. In 1927 Allan and his parents and siblings Marguerite, Jim, and Jean, moved to Albright district AB. A little brother, Douglas, was born in 1930. Allan married Vera Chandler in 1937. He farmed in the summers and worked in lumber camps in the winters. They had 2 sons: Richard Arling, and Martin Allan. In 1941 Allan enlisted with the Calgary Highlanders and served overseas. On July 27, 1944 he was mentioned in dispatches for bravery under enemy fire. It was at the Battle of Falaise, south of Caen, France, on August 8, 1944 that an 88 millimetre shell exploded while he was leading his platoon. Allan was killed in action. He is buried at Brettville – Sur -Laize Canadian Military Cemetery in France. Vera lived in White Rock BC for many years after Allan’s death. Arling had a career with the Air Force, while Martin served with the Navy for a time.
Source: Beaverlodge to the Rockies pp. 15 – 16
Grande Prairie Herald – Sept. 14, 1944 p. 1 c. 1 (killed in action)
Soldier Spotlight highlights veterans from the Archives’ online Soldiers’ Memorial. Each week, our volunteers select a remarkable individual to showcase in this blog series. The Soldiers’ Memorial commemorates more than 1,100 WWI veterans and 2,300 WWII veterans from our region. Three dedicated volunteers have contributed over 1,200 hours to this project by researching and writing biographies. Our goal is to have all South Peace soldiers acknowledged for their service. If you know of someone who lived in the South Peace and should be listed on the Memorial, or would like to get involved by researching a local veteran, please contact the Archives.