Military
       
         
  collishaw   Ray Collishaw
was born in Nanaimo in 1893. Transferring from the Fisheries Protection Service to the Royal Navy in 1915, Colishaw learned to fly at Curtis Aviation School in Toronto. In 1917, Collishaw was posted to No. 3 (Naval Squadron) of the Royal Navy to fight in the air on the Allies side for the duration of World War I. Victorious in 47 intensive air battles in Europe, shot down, imprisoned and escaped, Collishaw’s autobiography Air Command: A Fighter Pilot’s Story is a riveting read. Collishaw’s later experiences in the Russian Civil War and in Egypt during World War II preceded a quiet retirement to West Vancouver in 1943. He died over forty years later, in 1976, and a full military funeral was held at Hollyburn Funeral home. A gun salute and fly past of four Voodoo jets from RCAF Comox indicated the tribute due to this significant Canadian war hero.		  
         
   

Bert Hoffmeister
was born in Vancouver in 1907. He joined the Seaforth Highlander Militia in 1926. As a Major and then as a Major General of the Seaforth's he broke through line after line of German defences in Italy in World War II. After his success in Italy, Hoffmeister and the 5th Canadian Armoured Division participated in the liberation of the Netherlands. Major General Bert Hoffmeister retired to West Vancouver and died in 1999 at the age of 92.