Albert Bert Murray was born Friday, October 2, 1925 to Evelyn (Murray) and Lloyd Steinhoff in Southampton, Ontario. He was the third eldest of seven children: Marg, Donna, Bert, Betty, Ken, Bill and Allan. At the young age of seven, Bert and the Steinhoff family moved to a farm on the outskirts of Chesley in Elderslie Township. Shortly after, they moved into town where Bert and his siblings attended school. Bert did not attend high school as he enlisted at the age of seventeen, having to lie about his age in order to do so. He joined the army on September 13, 1943 in London, Ontario, and after his basic training in Windsor and Chatham, went to advanced training at Ipperwash and Debert, Nova Scotia. He was a member of the 4th Princess Louise Dragoon Guards.
Aboard the ship, Louis Pasteur, Bert set sail from Halifax for Liverpool, England on April 4, 1944, arriving six days later. Bert wrote, “A couple of weeks after arriving in England, I got Rubella (German measles). I was sent to the hospital in Sheffield for 10 days, returning to camp to find the unit had left and all comrades/buddies had been sent to Italy.”
Bert was given a train ticket and told, “when you get to London, catch the under-ground at King Crossing, go to Victoria Station, then to Waterloo Station, then to a Holding Depot a few miles outside of London. Yeah, a young country boy who had no travelling experience, had no idea what the underground was, in one of the largest cities in the world, London. Well, what do you do?” Bert could not remember where the money came from for the taxi ride.
On June 9, 1944 he left England and arrived in Italy 13 days later. Life then changed forever, for Bert, on December 15, 1944 when he stepped on a mine and his right foot was severely injured. After three operations in Italy, Bert’s right leg was amputated to below the knee. He remembers receiving 180 needles in 25 days as well as taking three or four Sulfa tablets at a time. Meanwhile, most of his platoon were later killed in action. Losing a leg probably saved Bert’s life!
Bert left Italy February 17, 1945 and arrived in Glasgow, Scotland February 26th. He was back in Canada by April of that same year. “I was all grown up and ready to get a job,” he wrote, “and wondering who would hire a 20-year-old person with a public school education and an artificial leg?” Bert actually wanted to farm but figured he could not with only one leg. The army responded, Sure you can there are lots of farmers with one leg.” Upon arrival in Chesley there was a large crowd in front of the Post Office. Speeches were made and then a banquet followed at St. John United Church.
At the Christie Street Hospital in Toronto, Bert was fitted with an artificial limb carved out of willow, Bert seemed to recall, and on July 9, 1945 after 22 months in the army, he was discharged and returned to civilian life.
He purchased the same home where his parents were living, a brick home on the top of a hill, overlooking McClure’s Mill. Bert was able to do this through the DVA (Department of Veteran Affairs). He went to work with his father at Krug Bros. Furniture Factory. Harold Knapp then hired him to apprentice as a projectionist at the Roxy Theatre (now the Bijou) in town. Six evenings a week and Saturday afternoons were then spent at the theatre. Bert was trained in Toronto and licensed by the National Film Board. He was rolling in the dough, so to speak. $20.00 a month from Veteran’s Affair and $20.00 a month as a disability pension!
Bert and Allan Mink bought a car and started up a taxi business. Allan drove as Bert worked at the theatre. In time, Bert gave his share to Allan and it was eventually sold to another party. As if all that wasn’t enough, over the years Bert also delivered mail with Allan, delivered milk, owned a laundry and dry-cleaning business and worked as an operator at the local Fina Service Station. Bert’s final position was at the Chesley Post Office. He began at the bottom of the ranks and 27 years later retired as Postmaster in 1989.
One night while eating at Jim Chan’s restaurant Bert noticed a blonde waitress and… the rest is history as they say! Marj actually worked in Kitchener for the Wartime Price & Trade Board. Marjorie Irene Knapp and Bert were married January 25, 1947 in Chesley by Rev A.E. Pletch. Allan Mink and Donelda Steinhoff were their witnesses. Carol was born later that year and Lynn joined the family in 1955. Bert and Marj celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary just this past January. Two of his grandchildren even chose to honour Bert and Marj by being married on their wedding anniversary.
As the girls grew, Bert coached and managed Minor Hockey, Minor Baseball and broomball just to name a few. He loved sports and had seen it as another opportunity to mentor others, something he was great at. When he was no longer active in local sports he often turned to the television for his sports fix. Hockey and baseball were his favourites to watch but if it was a sport, Bert was usually watching it!
Bert also taught Sunday School, served on the board of St. John’s United, spent 63 years as a member of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 144 in Chesley, served 2 terms as a town councillor, and worked with the mentally challenged for several years. Perhaps the work that Bert was most known for was his involvement with War Amps Canada for more than 58 years (even serving as the president of the Waterloo-Wellington Branch).
It was his 19 year bond with CHAMP Jenna Nixon that perhaps gave him the greatest amount of satisfaction. In fact, War Amps Legacy, a 30-second public service announcement, first aired on television just prior to Remembrance Day one November. This along with a 2 minute profile on Bert and Jenna won a Gold Remi Award in the charitable/non-profit category and Platinum in the Series/Campaign category at the 47th annual WorldFest-Houston International Film and Video Festival in 2014.
In 2012, Bert was awarded the Queen’s Jubilee Medal. He was one of 60,000 Canadians to receive the medal in honour of the Queen’s 60th anniversary of her accession to the throne, an occasion marked only once before, by her great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, in 1897. He was nominated for the medal by The War Amps of Canada “for his years of dedicated service to The War Amps, which have not gone unnoticed, as well as his contributions to the veterans and community as a whole.”
In 2014 Bert was also honoured with the Bob Hutchinson – Chesley Honour Roll Award as well as receiving the Limited Edition commemorative pin and personalized certificate of recognition from the federal government in honour of the 75th anniversary of Canada’s involvement in WWII.
Bert was a practical man who was also a real jokester. One really funny family story was told of when Bert and family (they shall remain nameless to protect the guilty) lit a bunch of fireworks out by the old Krug Factory. Because of the brick building, the noise was even louder than usual and the police were called. What were Bert famous last words? You guessed it, “Holy @#$%, Run!” He was flirtatious and very social, able and willing to talk with anyone. If you were angry he was always willing to offer up his body, or more particularly his leg for punishment. Apparently many people did not know of his prosthetic, but they came to! SmileBert knew there was a silver lining in everything and chose to see the cup half full rather than half empty. His best piece of advice was similar, “Always be positive.” For as much as Bert was humourous and engaging he was also very humble. His daughter Lynn remembered a recent conversation with her dad whereby Bert said, “I don’t understand why they are thanking me… I should be thanking them!” Wow, what an amazing man! Bert’s love and care for his wife and his family were like no other.
Sadly, after a brief illness, Bert passed away peacefully at South Bruce Grey Health Centre, Chesley on Wednesday, September 27, 2017 in his 92nd year.
Beloved husband of Marjorie. Loving father of Lynn and her husband Jay Jackson of Halton Hills. Cherished grandfather of Jason (Tina) Brooker of Mildmay, Todd Brooker (Angela Hopper) of Thamesville, Candon Jackson-Stickles (Mathew) of Tiny and Matthew Jackson (Jonith Aydona) of Hamilton. Bert will live on in the hearts and minds of his great-grandchildren Paige, Peyton, Skyelynn, Chantel, Colton and Ethan, brothers Bill and Allan (Sheila), all of Hanover. He was predeceased by his daughter and son-in-law Carol and Paul Brooker, brother Ken and sisters Donna Mink, Betty Wark, Margaret Raymer.
Visitation will be held at Rhody Family Funeral Home, Chesley on Sunday from 2 – 4 and 7 – 9 p.m., with a Royal Canadian Legion Branch #144 service to be held at 6:30 p.m. A funeral service celebrating Bert’s life and 92nd birthday will be held at the funeral home on Monday, October 2, 2017 at 1 p.m. Interment in Chesley Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to The War Amps “Champ Program” would be appreciated as expressions of sympathy.
