YES, THERE WAS AN ARGUMENT!
Speaker: Bonnie Bell
Godfrey Addison Argument, known as Ed, was born in Toronto, August 28, 1921, and died in Belgium on September 17th, 1944 at the age of 23 after the plane he was flying was shot down.
As a commemoration of this brave young man, this talk will explore three periods of his short life. It will start with a look at his early years in Toronto, from birth until he enlisted in the RCAF in 1940. The second part will cover his pilot’s training in Canada, his transfer to the RAF in England, and his brief time as a WWII pilot. The third part will discuss his death and burial, and the visits to his grave and those of other fallen pilots, in Belgium, June 2017, by past and present members of the 33 Squadron (RAF). The talk will include mention of the various documents found for Ed and conclude with recognition of the people overseas who provided material and assistance. Regarding the importance of remembering Ed, there was no ARGUMENT.
Bonnie Bell has been a member of Toronto Branch of OGS since the 1990s. She has previously spoken at branch meetings, primarily on the role of photographs in family history research. In addition to the many years she worked on the St. James Cemetery Transcription Project, Bonnie served on the Executive Committee for both Conference 2010 and Conference 2016. Her interest in family history began at age 11 when she received a Bible with a family tree complete as far back as her great-grandparents. Intrigued by the stories about these people, she began to explore the available genealogical records, visiting archives in Scotland and England and cranking the microfilms at the Family History Centres. Now retired from her job as a company Controller, she continues work on her Scottish and English ancestors both abroad and in Canada. In order not to become too self-focused, she sometimes undertakes research into unrelated families of interest.
AIRCRAFT OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE, 1939-1945: SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE. (ATP 12235D) Copyright: © IWM.
Mini-Presentation:: Janice Nickerson, Great Grandma’s Social Media – 100 year-old postcards.
BATTLE OF THE HUMBER:
CANADIAN CYCLISTS AND BASIC TRAINING IN TORONTO, 1914–1916
Speaker Ted Glenn will draw on his forthcoming book on Canada’s Great War Cyclists when he presents the eighth annual Toronto History Lecture.
The story of Canadian Cyclists in the Great War is largely unknown. Drafted between 1914 and 1916, these troops spent most of the war digging trenches, patrolling roads, and delivering dispatches. Based on personal diaries, memoirs, and newspaper accounts, the lecture addresses the Cyclists’ early war experience as they learned and applied their unique skill sets for the first time in manoeuvres in and around Toronto, long before their historic contributions to the Hundred Days campaign at the end of the War.
Admission is free, but reservation is required.
For details about the Toronto History Lecture and to reserve your place, click here.
No 9 Platoon, Cyclist Corps, Exhibition Camp (Reproduced with the permission of Library and Archives Canada)
