This gentleman, my grandfather Matthew, sailed from Liverpool England on May of 1913 on the SS Arabic. He landed in New York, and proceeded by train to Western Canada where he settled in the new little community of Strathcona. In fact, only a short train ride from our facility, since Edmonton had one of the world's best light rail transit systems at that time...

With the great unpleasantness of World War I (at that time just "the world war", since there were no plans for a second) he signed up. He fought at Vimy Ridge and survived. He was later gassed and sent home at which time he signed back up and went right back. He tried to sign up for WWII as well but since he was in his late 40s and had 6 children (by that time - there were more to follow) he was refused.

No matter, he had a brass band made up of some of his buddies who then played for the troops whenever they could, continuting after the war until almost the time of his passing. Imagine a man who had been gassed in WWI and would later die of Lung Cancer leading his own brass band and playing Tuba and Sousaphone.

His career outside of the army included Edmonton's Sicks Brewery, Edmontons's Molson Brewing and, eventually, the Alberta Liquor Control Board (as the AGLC was known then).

All English - Well a Yorkshire man, really.