W. John Merrick, Private, B-164765

William John Merrick was born on January 17, 1926, in Reach Township in the white house on the corner of Lakeridge Road and Line 12 of Scugog. He completed primary school and was working as a stable hand in Cochrane, Ontario, when he decided to enlist in the Canadian Army. He travelled to Timmins to enlist on September 2, 1944. Assigned to the Infantry with the Sixth Division, he went to Camp Borden for basic training. 

He fell ill with the mumps and was unable to join his fellow soldiers when they were deployed to Europe. Instead, he remained in Canada recovering. After VE Day he joined the Pacific forces, travelling to Vernon BC. The war ended before he was deployed in the Pacific theatre. He was awarded the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and the George VI Medal, and was discharged from service on September 27, 1945. 

He returned to Ontario and worked at General Motors in Oshawa for 32 years. He married Joan Hibberd on March 5, 1954, and they had six children: Patricia, Guy, Dean, Melody, Travis, and Scot. He’s a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and enjoys gardening, jigsaw puzzles, playing poker, and boxing. 

We thank him for his service.