Overview: This page focuses on the life of the teenagers of Mission, B.C., after World War Two and the endeavours they participated in. The page also outlines Robert “Pop” Grinsted effort to memorialize the soldiers.
An important figure during the wartime efforts was āRobertā Pop Grinsted. He was the school janitor at Mission High School at the time and created a memorial for the fallen soldiers of Mission. He noted that 212 former students joined the Canadian and American Active forces.[1]
Below (Figure 1) is a photo of Robert “Pop” Grinsted.
Figure 1: Robert “Pop” Grinsted retrieved from Mission Community archives online repository.
He created a memorial of all the fallen soldiers:
Donald Moody: Pilot officer killed over Dusseldorf, Germany, September 16, 1942
Ted McIntyre: F/Sgt. funeral March 26, 1944
Bill White: Flying Officer: Missing over Malta, May 9th, 1942
Jack Kettley: W.0.2. Wireless Air Gunner, Brought down over Essen, Buried in Holland
Richard John Weatherhead: F.O. attached to Coastal Command Brought down March 23, 1943 In Bay of Biscay
John Fletcher: Flight Sergeant, Navigator on Lancaster Bomber Brought down over Germany on January 21, 1944
John Wardrop: Sgt. Air Gunner, R.C.A.F. Killed on operations September 2nd, 1942. Buried in Cottesmore Cemetery, Rutlandshire, England.
Alex Wardrop: Pilot Officer, R.C.A.F. Killed on operations October 13, 1942. Buried in Ripon Cemetery, Yorkshire, England
George Jeffrares: Lt. Westminster Regiment Killed on Manouevers in England
Garnett Johnston: Pte First Class, H.Q.Co. 2nd Bn. I29Th Infantry. U.S.A. army. Killed in South Pacific. March 20, 1944.
E. Catherwood: Major, Westminster Rgt., Died of wounds, Italy, September 14th, 1944
Gilbert Terris: F/O, R.C.A.F., Killed November 6th 1944, buried in Heerde Cemetery, Zwolle, Holland.
Jim Davidson: 27 Tank Regt Wounded in France, August 14, 1944
Harold Hills: Pte, Seaforth Highlanders, Prisoner of War in Germany, May 23rd, 1944.
Harvey Fraser: Flt. Lieut. Prisoner of War. Shot Down over Germany, Dec, 1941.
John James: Tpr. Prisoner of War in Germany
Wilfred Plumridge: Sgt. Wounded in Belgium
Robbie Brown: F.O., R.C.A.F., Missing over Prague , Czecho-Slovakia, April 13th, 1945. Officially presumed killed in air collision over Gerolstein, Germany, April 16th, 1945.
Eric Pearson: Pte. Killed in Czecho-Slovakia, September, 1945.
Jack Shulberg: Lieut., Air medal and Oak Leaf cluster, U.S.A. Air force, Missing over Germany, Officially Presumed killed by U.S.A. War Department
Norton Reid: Sgt. Westminster Regiment, wounded in Italy during bomb instruction
Fred Mackay: Lieut. Saskatchewan Regt. Severly wounded in France
Mc McIntyre: Lieut. Wm. Westminster Regt. Wounded in Italy. Dec. 1941.
Gordon Carrington: Pte. Seaforth Highlanders, seriously wounded in Italy, Dec. 1944.
Frank Right: Lce/Sgt. Westminster Rgt. Seriously wounded in Italy. Nov. 1944.
Bryan Ferguson: “D Coy” Saskastoon Light Infrantry (M.G.), injured in Italy.
Norman Dicer: Pte, RCASC, wounded in France
Percy Kettley: Pte, Armored Division, wounded in Italy
Lloyd Bush: Pte, Westminter Regiment, wounded in Italy
Godfrey Catherwood: Lt. Westminster Regiment wounded on manouevers in England.
Alex Stuart: Cpl. Westminster Regiment wounded in Italy
Bob Eacrett: Lieut. Westminster. Rgt. Attached to U.S. Army, wounded in Italy
Angus Kreiger: Sgt. C. Coy. Westminster Rgt. wounded in battle of Melfa Ridge, Italy, May 24th, 1944.
Cecil Grinsted: C.S.M. C Coy. Westminster Rgt. wounded in action, Italy, September, 24, 1944
The pictures down below are from the Mission High School 1946 year
Pop Grinstedās work did not go unnoticed by the teenagers in Mission High School in the year after World War Two. They thanked him by saying
From this town of ours, by means of our paper and through the untiring efforts of a man who was interested enough in his ākids,ā we learned of events that were probably left out of our letters from home-possibly that we were to return to a more impressive main street, on which a few new stores had been added, or that one of the local Womenās Societies had sent more badly-needed clothes to the Red Cross. As we all now know, these so called āsmallā items of interest, bound together, constituted one of our most powerful weapons, a high morale. So may we, who benefitted by this outstanding contribution from home, once again thank you āPop,ā for a service well renderedā [3].
sTUDENTS OF mIssion High sCHOOL 1945-1946 yEARBOOK
The quote from the student underlines the importance of community, as noted on the club page. There was a club dedicated to clothing making, and we can see the importance of it. The students understood that it was time to unify and help the World War Two efforts. It is important to the students that they knew that even their little donation helped out. We also notice the thankfullness of the students in wanting to show their support to Pop Grinsted.
The Mission High School teenagers noted that they should be proud of their war efforts. They said,
āWith the smoke of battle cleared away, and the final count taken, records show that Mission High School may well be proud of its war effort, and stands, āNulli Secundusā -second to none- in its contribution to the preservation of peace and liberty, Our boys and girls responded nobly to the call of duty in every branch of the service. Recorded in our Roll of Honor are the names of fourteen students who paid the supreme sacrifice; eleven more who were wounded; three more prisoners of war; one missing with the United States Army Air Corps; two D.F.C.āS; one Military Medalist; one Purple Heart winner, U.S.A. Forces, two mentioned in Despatches and one British Empire Medalist. A total of 240 studentsā names are shown on the Roll, and we are proud to know them as our friends and school chums. As a rural High School, we feel safe in saying this is open to competition…. A record and pictures are kept in our Album of remembrance in the main corridor of the school, but these are incidental to the place of honor they hold in our hearts, and the gratitude with which we will forever hallow their memory.ā [4]
sTUDENTS OF mIssion High sCHOOL 1945-1946 yEARBOOK
The students understood that even after the war was over that they should commemorate their efforts.
The list of graduate students from Mission High School in the Service shows that both female and male students were helping in the war efforts. Although the women did not directly fight in the war their role, according to the Greenwood Military Aviation Museum, was noted: that the women were not allowed to fight but they were alowed to help in other ways. There were permitted to accept jobs in wartime industry, and tens of thousands joined the Armed foces. When they were at home and overseeas they took the roles of welders, pilots, nurses and clerks. They also looked after their families and were responsible for the home. [5]
As stated on the club’s page, there were home nursing clubs, and we can see that after the students graduated, they could use their skills to help the country’s World War Two efforts. The nursing and sewing, and knitting clubs helped the students who joined the World War Two initiative as nurses or stayed home and watched the kids while their husbands fought overseas.
To complement their female schoolmates, the male graduates of Mission High School were to serve in the armed forces. The school focuses primarily on male school sports to prepare the students to remain physically vital to fight in the war. There was also the presence of the cadet club, which helped organize the students for the Canadian military.
Sources
[1] Peter Albee fonds Newsletters, News and Views, Volume 7, No. 1. accessed March 16, 2023. Mission Community Archives.
[2] āIn Memorium Albumā MCA-0249-S06-ALB1001, accessed March 16, 2023.Mission Community Archives. https://searcharchives.missionarchives.com/uploads/r/null/a/f/b/afb3d5e33a3b486fa806bacc3c9ae5dd4b6b1fb632686d8ed3ac7f87257f611e/0249-S06-ALB1-001.pdf
[3] James Musgraves fonds, 1945-1946 Mission High School Yearbook, accessed March 16, 2023. Mission Community Archives.
[4] James Musgraves fonds, 1945-1946 Mission High School Yearbook, accessed March 16, 2023. Mission Community Archives.
[5] āCanadian Women in WWII,ā Greenwood Military Aviation Museum, Amanda Huddleston, accessed March 16, 2023. http://www.gmam.ca/canadian-women-in-wwii.html#:~:text=Canadian%20women%20were%20not%20allowed,and%20pilots%2C%20nurses%20and%20clerks.