Notes:

From Author's FB page Cobden of the Past, Nov 11, 2020
?Cobden of the Past
Lieut. George A Wallace (1916-2011), son of Albert Wallace and Pearl Pollock, was born on the Wallace farm, Queensline, Renfrew County, Ontario, and died in Renfrew 16 March 2011 at almost 95 years old. He is buried in the Cobden Cemetery.
Their daughter Lynda (1959-) has her mother?s diary from 1939-1942, and also her father?s letter from the year 2000, in which he relates their story. The following is a combination of some of their writings:
June 17, 1941: Engagement on my mother?s 25 birthday. Because my father was working at an essential industry (mining) his call to the army had been delayed.
March 17, 1942: The government declared that gold mining was no longer an essential industry, so George was called to the Army.
June 17, 1942: George married Bertha Saari (1916-1993) on 27 June 1942 in the United Church in Kirkland Lake where they met at Young People?s in 1938. George had left the family farm to work in the gold mines, and Bertha was a teacher in Northern Ontario.
May 11 1943: George got a telegram to report for the Army Officers Training Course. He had been to University for a year, and while there had taken a COTC (Canadian Officer?s Training Course). This, along with several tests and interviews in Trois-Rivières; Noranda Quebec and in Toronto (May 14 1943), allowed him to be recommended for Officer training. In 1943 training was complete at Trois-Rivières. The training course was so rigorous, that the times George and Bertha were able to be together for visits, he often fell asleep. My mother spent their first wedding anniversary ?alone? with her parents.
July 2 1943: George was to be taken by a military train to Gordon Head, Victoria. My mother took the train behind his, as she was on summer break from teaching. When the trains took a rest stop in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and the Conductor found out that her husband was in the ?Troop Train? he said ?well what are you doing here?? and allowed her to ride with him in his train. When they got to Victoria, George could only see Bertha occasionally in Victoria. My mother went back to Kirkland Lake to teach for September, and my father stayed on at Gordon Head until the end of Oct. He travelled back to Ontario to complete his training at Camp Borden, and was full Lieutenant by November.
February 1945: George was moved to Debert, Nova Scotia, and was a Training Officer there. After Easter, he was moved to England. After the war ended, he returned to Canada and resumed mining.
Very much wanting to get back to the Cobden area, he and my mother moved back in 1948, and spent their lives there, raising their 3 children, Robert; Donald and Lynda.
In 1951 George joined the supervisory staff at Dominion Magnesium Mine and remained there until her retired in 1976.
George was active in a number of community organizations and projects. He was a well-respected historian, documenting the history of mining in Ross Twp.; publishing two editions of Cobden Then and Now; and contributing articles to the Cobden Sun about historical information gleaned from research and old Cobden Sun newspapers. He was also a charter member of Ross Township Historical Society (now Whitewater Historical Society) and served as President. He was given an Award of Merit in 1998 from the Historical Society. A number of George?s WWII memorabilia are housed at Ross Museum.
George served as Reeve of Cobden 1962-1965 and was very involved with politics throughout the years. He was an avid curler in his senior years and was active with a number of other community organizations and Grace United Church.
Many would remember Bertha as long-time Librarian at Cobden Library.
George was a life member of the Cobden Branch 550, Royal Canadian Legion.
Information and Photos contributed by his dau Lynda.

George married Bertha SAARI in Jun 1942 in Kirkland Lake, Temiskaming, Ontario, Canada. Bertha was born in 1916 in Toronto, York, Ontario, Canada; died on 28 Sep 1993 in Cobden, Renfrew, Ontario, Canada; was buried in Cobden, Renfrew, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]