Saugeen Shores Men’s PROBUS held its monthly meeting on November 2nd (2026) at Port Elgin Legion Branch 340 and, as is the tradition, it was also the Club’s annual Remembrance Day service.
The meeting began with the singing of O’Canada followed by the Last Post played by Dave Spaetzel on the French horn, two minutes of silence, and Reveille again by Spaetzel, with Gord Eagles’ reading of ‘In Flanders Fields’ by John McCrae.
Receiving a donation from PROBUS to the Branch, President Matt Paterson thanked the organization. “We very much appreciate this partnership and what this donation will mean to our veterans who are in more need than ever before.”
A similar donation was also set aside for Southampton Legion Branch 155.
Then, it was time for the keynote speaker, local historian, Bill Streeter. Few are as passionate as Streeter when it comes to documenting the history of local Canadian men and women, and those from Bruce County in particular, who went to war.
Streeter received the Saugeen Shores Municipal Heritage Conservation Award for his contribution to local heritage and preservation and, recently, was inducted into the Saugeen Shores Hall of Fame for his volunteerism (Builders Award).
This year, he spoke of three local nurses who enlisted and worked on the front lines caring for the wounded in England, France and Greece during WWI – Mabel Stauch, Elizabeth Nora Campell and Bessie Taylor, each with a story of dedication and heroism.
“In Bruce County, there was a population at the time when war was declared of some 5,000 people and 500 enlisted. That’s one in ten,” said Streeter. “When it came to medical care, it was usually teams of nurses and doctors who had worked together in various hospitals. The nurses were automatically given the rank of Lieutenant which ensured receiving respect from all ranks and they were paid accordingly. In WWI, 2,800 Canadian nurses enlisted to care for some 66,000 Canadian soldiers.”
Streeter then went on to tell the stores of 10 of the most decorated soldiers in WWI who received the Victoria Cross or the Canadian Distinguished Conduct (DC) medal.
“Out of one million Canadian men who served in World War I and II, only 81 ever received the Victoria Cross medal, and John Pearson was one of them,” said Streeter. “Today, he lies in North Bruce Eastnor Cemetery.”
He went on to explain that the DCM is rare and next only to the Victoria Cross. Instituted in 1854, the Distinguished Conduct Medal was awarded to Warrant Officers, non-commissioned officers, and men, serving in any of the sovereign’s military forces, for distinguished conduct in the field.
“Of the more than 600,000 who served in WWI and WWII, only 2,132 received the DCM and only seven to 10 in Bruce County. One of those was John Henry Yahba of Saugeen First Nation, who lies today in Southampton Cemetery along with his son.”
Saugeen Shores Men’s PROBUS Club meets on the first Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. of each month at Port Elgin Legion and invites new members. The Club is an opportunity to meet socially with like-minded colleagues who are retired, enjoy a speaker who is expert in his or her field and, on occasion, go on an excursion to a local historic site or business. For more information regarding membership, contact Vic Armstrong at lkv.arm@bmts.com.
