On this day, #RemembranceDay , I remember my grandfather:

William Samuel Bowman was born on 21 January 1924 in Hamilton, Ontario. He completed Grade 10 before leaving to work various unskilled jobs including as labourer on a steel furnace at the Steel Company of Canada.

On 29 April 1941 he enlisted in the @TheArgylls (Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders of Canada) of the Canadian Active Service Force at the age of 17 having lied about his date of birth. After spending three months training in Canada, the Argylls were shipped to Jamaica.

They replaced the Winnipeg Grenadiers who were fated to go to Hong Kong. The 21 months spent in Jamaica were relatively uneventful. They guarded a local internment camp as well as trained and enjoyed the natural beauty of the island...some more than others!

For my grandfather, however, his time in Jamaica changed his life for it was here he met Miss Vivia Tomlinson, my future grandmother. They were married on 15 January 1943 and a little over nine months later my mother was born in Jamaica.

In May 1943 the Argylls returned to Canada via steamer and train. Instead of the leave they all expected, they were subjected to an array of medical, dental and quartermaster inspections in preparation for departure to England.

Upon arrival in England in July 1943 my grandfather served as an instructor on a variety of military courses. He was steadily promoted, from private to lance corporal to acting corporal to corporal. He was sent to an infantry reinforcement unit and shipped to Italy in May 1944

At his own request he reverted to the rank of private and was taken on strength with the 48th Highlanders of Canada. It is likely that he did this so that he could fill an empty slot in the unit and get into action more quickly. #DDayDodger

On 28 Aug he was wounded by a German grenade at a small engagement during the advance to Gothic Line. The fight took place in a small unnamed village on the Arzilla River. He spent the next month in hospital before returning to the 48th Highlanders in October.

I know little about the rest of his war. He stayed with the regiment during the move from Italy to NW Europe. For the last few months of the war, he fought to liberate the Netherlands. He then volunteered to serve in the Pacific, but the war ended before than happened.

Overall, he spent 10 months in Italy as an infantryman and cpl section leader and 5 months in NW Eur as a cpl section leader. He was demobilized in Oct 1945. In civilian life, he had a long and distinguished career in the @HamiltonFireDep finishing as a district chief.

As far as I know, my grandfather was completely unremarkable but effective as a soldier. He wasn't an angel - he was reprimanded for insubordination and being absent without leave for short periods.

He wasn't awarded any medals for bravery or did not rise to a high rank. But to me, that is what makes him so remarkable - an ordinary guy who volunteered for war and selflessly risked everything to give us what we have today. #LestWeForget #WeWillRememberThem #RemembranceDay