Image: Swans at Robertsons’ farm, 1969 (SPRA 002.03.01.015)
Walter Robertson was born June 20, 1906 in Forfar, Scotland. Poor wages and lack of opportunity brought Walter to Canada. He arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick on March 17, 1924 and travelled to Windsor, Ontario. He worked in the Windsor-Detroit area until the onset of the Great Depression in 1929. He then moved to the Clairmont district where he worked on various farms.
With the outbreak of war, Walter enlisted in the Canadian army. He served with the Royal Canadian Engineers, 13th Field Company in England, Sicily, Italy, France, Belgium and Holland. While stationed in England in 1941, Walter met Amy Elsie Hardock, a nurse at the Richmond Hospital in Surrey, England. They were married on October 10, 1945, in Putney in London, England.
Walter returned to Canada in December, 1945 to be discharged and bought land in the Clairmont area. Elsie sailed on the Queen Mary and landed in Canada May, 1946. She arrived at Clairmont by train June 4, 1946. They farmed until 1959 when Walter joined the Corps of Commissionaires and worked as a by-law officer in Grande Prairie. They moved to Grande Prairie in 1970 and Walter retired in 1972.
Elsie passed away in 1979 and Walter on June 18, 1987. They are buried at the Glen Leslie Cemetery in Bezanson.
Sources: Wagon Trails Grown Over (p. 128
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.