F/O. William Michael Anglin
Royal Canadian Air Force 77 Sduadron
from:Ingersoll, Canada
A little bit about my Dad - William Anglin.
My Dad was born on September 15, 1921 in the town of Biggar, in the western Canadian Province of Saskatchewan. His parents, William Patrick Anglin and Rose Clara Anglin (Keating) had moved their young family from Southwestern Ontario earlier in 1920 and had settled on a 1/4 section (approximately 160 acres) of farmland near Springwater, Saskatchewan. My Dad was the second of three children, with his older sister being Loretto Anglin (Comiskey) and his younger sister being Patricia Anglin. In the midst of the Great Depression and the dust bowl that existed on the prairies in the Thirties, my Grandparents moved back to Ontario in search of work and a better life. They moved initially to Windsor and then Brantford prior to eventually settling in Ingersoll. My Grandfather was employed at a variety of jobs during this time, and eventually worked for Massey-Harris (a well established farm machinery company) after choosing that seemingly blue chip option over that of being a franchisee of the Coca-Cola Company. Dad spent most of his elementary school years living in Ingersoll, but attended H.B. Beal Technical High School in London prior to working as a draftsman for a wartime industrial design and manufacturing company.
After enlisting and being commissioned into the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), Dad served his entire period of Operational service flying on Halifax bombers with 77 Squadron of the Royal Air Force based at RAF Full Sutton, in Yorkshire, UK.
Upon completion of his military service, Dad returned to Canada and attended mining school in Haileybury, Ontario before working in the mining industry of Northern Ontario for a number of years. Upon the death of my Grandather in 1947, Dad moved back to South Western Ontario to be closer to his Mother and Sisters. In 1952, Dad joined the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and served over the next 35 years in the Atikokan, London, Ingersoll and Lucan Detachments prior to assuming the Detachment Commander's role at the Strathroy Detachment. In 1954, Dad married my mom, Ann Rose Marrinan from the Lucan area and together they started a family that eventually numbered five children: Debra, Brenda, Teresa, Bill and Mike. After his retirement from the OPP in 1984, Mom and Dad moved the family to London, Ontario where Dad continued his involvement with the OPP Veterans Association, the Royal Canadian Legion and the Royal London Military Institute. Sadly, in 2012, my Mom - and the love of my Dad's life, passed away. They had been married for 58 years. Surprising a few of us, Dad adapted to his new "bachelor" lifestyle quite well and continued to live independently and drive his own car until September of 2015. In his 95th year at this point, he continued adjusting to life on his own until March of 2016 when it became evident that he was unable to live independently any longer. He moved into the Parkwood Institute's, Western Counties Veteran's Wing and was thrilled to find that one of his room mates was a navigator on Halifax bombers as well. Dad passed away on in his 96th year with his family at his side. In his own words, and with a smile on his face, he said on many an occasion, "I've lived a good life... what more can I do"?
