THE WAY IT WAS
When The Front . . . Came Home By Andrea Grimes
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uoting Sir Robert Borden, “The world has drifted far from its old anchorage and no man can with certainty prophesy what the outcome will be.” The Great War brought Canada into the world stage. Some of our young lads from the farms and factories of Essex County were heard to say “Join up, beats having to marry that girl down the road and besides, it will be over by Christmas.” When going over the top and into the wire, some of our lads became battle-hardened Veterans realizing all too soon that war was indeed hell! Battles lost — victories gained — and those horrific causalities our soldiers experienced were the results of the residual effects of artillery barrage, bayonet wounds and mustard gas burns. Wounds to the extremities were so severe that thousands of soldiers had to have limbs amputated. As traumatic as it was, amputation saved the lives of many men as it often prevented infection caused by gangrene that festered in gunshot and shrapnel wounds. Some of our lads, no longer “combat-ready”, were coming home torn inside out from the stains and strains of war. It took everything they had to adapt to their new reality as amputees, wondering — would dealing with this be worse than dodging bullets or sitting in rat-infested trenches filled with sewage? For some Veterans, reclaiming a sense of purpose was more than just having the right attitude, as some viewed the return to civilian life with trepidation. Men who lost a leg or an arm had to take on a new identity struggling with more than just physical limitations.
They thought to themselves: “How am I going to get through this being reminded that I am half a man of no use to anyone”? As amputees, thousands of men struggled emotionally for the rest of their lives, existing in the public eye as permanent visual reminders of the inhumanities of war. Now it would be the “all hands to the wheel” approach to recover a measure of functionality with self-respect. In laying the foundation for post-war recovery, a group of forward-thinking Canadian war amputees established The War Amps (view: WarAmps.ca) on September 23, 1918. Pictured is the late WWII Veteran, Major Fred Albert (F.A.) Tilston who served with The Essex Scottish Regiment. Photo courtesy of Library and Archives Canada, P3684.
The organization built exclusive resources to provide “duty of care” accommodations for our returning amputee Veterans making the transition from soldiers to civilians. “Our organization has successfully adapted to changing the attitudes of how society perceives amputees,” indicates Rob Larman, Director of The War Amps “PLAYSAFE” and “DRIVESAFE” Programs, based in the Key Tag Service office in Scarborough. “Over the years, our diverse membership (including Veterans) has advocated for one another, helping them to reach their full potential by focusing on the positive.”
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BIZ X M A G A Z IN E • M A R C H 2 0 2 1
The War Amps Key Tag Service celebrated its 75th anniversary January, 2021. Since amputee Veterans started the Key Tag Service in 1946, The War Amps have returned more than 1.5 million set of lost keys to their owners. “One such Veteran was Major F.A. Tilston who, in 1945, established his post-military career in the capacity as a Civilian Liaison Coordinator. He took immense pride in being instrumental in developing our ‘Child Amputee Program’ (CHAMP) and was involved in The War Amps Southwestern Ontario branch located in London, Ontario.” For courage displayed under enemy fire at the “Battle of the Hochwald” (refer to: EKScot. org/history-galleries/concise-history), Tilston was presented the “Victoria Cross”, the highest and most prestigious medal for conspicuous gallantry that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. In 1994, the Major F.A. Tilston Armoury and Windsor Police Training Centre was named in honour of WWII Veteran Major F.A. Tilston, VC, of The Essex Scottish Regiment. In April 1957, Tilston became President and CEO of Sterling Drug Company, 1019 Elliott Street West in Windsor and later directed the company’s move to Aurora, Ontario in 1958. With a keen sense of dedication and pride, Tilston continued his support of The War Amps until his death in 1992. In speaking to a tradition of duty and service, there are opportunities to respect how the values of integrity and courage foster a commitment to defending our Canadian values of democracy. For all the right reasons, our Veterans own this privilege. As a civilian Veterans Advocate, Andrea Grimes was presented with the “Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal” and the “Governor General’s Medal” recognizing her volunteer service to Veterans and the military families of our Canadian Armed Forces, as well as with military family service-support organizations to include, North Wall Riders Association, Windsor Veterans Memorial Service Committee, Military Institute of Windsor, the Royal Canadian Naval Association, the Korean War Veterans Association and the Canadian Historical Aircraft Association.
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