b' WWII VETERAN FRED ILEY W WII veteran Fred IleyIf yeTwo Lucky Escapes For WWII Veteran Fred Ileysayshewaslucky. Twice!There he was, enjoying breakfastbreak at the counter in a diner in Winnipeg, when the announcement came over theradiothatthewarwasover.faithItwasafunnysensation,Fred described. Everyone just looked at each other, astounded, he recalled. Everyonewaswondering,WhatTo you, from failing hand,are we going to do now?Fred says he was lucky because hewe throwwas supposed to be sent overseas for therst time when D-Day came. HeFred at home at West Shore Village. The torch; be yours to was in transit at the time. I happily escaped all that, he commented. in Port Perry Legion events such as the annual veteranshold it highBorn in England in 1924, the sondinner. ofacoalminer,Fredalsoescaped Fred was 18years old when he enlisted, and nowIf ye break faith that life. His family moved to Torontohes going strong at 95. A lucky guy indeed.whenhewasseven-years-old.NoBy Lynn Campbell, Focus on Scugog with us who die,way did he want to go down intoWe shall not sleep, the mines for a living.Hespentallofhismilitaryser- though poppies grow viceinCanada,inCalgaryand Lethbridge. His job as a Leader AirIn Flanderselds.Craftman (LAC) consisted of doing maintenanceontheframesofthe airplanes. We had to keep the training air-planes in the air so that the other boysER FORcould do heroic things, he quipped.NEV GE TI blew up a lot of tires. Fred in the early 40s. Following the war, Fred went backtoUniversity.Hegraduatedasanway from the Danforth/Coxwell areain Port Perry to be near his son Kevin electrical engineer from the engineer- in the east end of Toronto to the DeIley.ingscienceprogram.ComparingitHavilland airstrip, then lay on theirYou looked after me for 20 years, to aircraft maintenance, Fred said hisbacksonthegrasstolookupandFred says Kevin tells him. So its my preference was to have a desk jobwatch the spectacle of the airplanesturn to look after you. Kevin is his rather than using a screwdriver and go-to guy for whatever he needs.ying overhead. His fascination with a wrench. aircraft lead to his decision to join theFredhasfourchildren(theother As a young man, the idea ofyingair force, as opposed to joining thethree living farther away) and nine an airplane thrilled him. But when hearmy or the navy. grandchildren to enjoy visiting with.Thank you all who served, sacrificed enlisted, the recruitment ocer saidFredhadtheopportunitytoen- They all spoil me, Fred says with aand changed our world.he had to stay on the ground becausejoy air travel as an adult. He visitedsmile.he had a serious eye infection. He didEngland and looked up all of his rela- Fred jokes that he had two wives,293 Perry Street, Port Perryget the opportunity to be a passengertives. Better to go there after the warbut not at the same time! TAYLOR FORD905-985-8660onthetest forthemilitaryas a tourist than during the LondonLife is wonderful at West Shore,1565 Hwy. 7A, Port Perry ights planes quite frequently, however, andblitz, he pointed out. says Fred. Theres great food here. I905-985-3655(Beside Walmart) 1-800-248-0848he didnt mind it. Mostofhislifewasspentincan still put my knees under the tablewww.taylorfordsales.com www.westshorevillage.comAt age 14, Fred and his buddies inToronto, but a couple of years ago,and theres three squares a day. HeSeasonal Hours:Mon - Fri: 8-6; Sat: 8-4Toronto would ride their bikes a longFred moved into West Shore Villagealways looks forward to participating 34 FO FOFOCUCSUS S NEOPVTEEMMBBEERR2200116935FOCCUUSS NSOEVPETMEMBEBRER 2 0210916'