The Prince Albert Royal Canadian Legion’s last Second World War veteran has passed away.
Ed Laird was 18-years-old when he joined the Canadian Army, going on to serve in Italy and the Netherlands before the war ended just days after his 22nd birthday. On Saturday, he died at the age of 101.
“I looked up to Ed a lot for what he had done, and my parents did too,” said Prince Albert Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 2 president Rick Hodgson. “They knew him well…. Ed kept nothing (back). He shared all his knowledge and helped everybody out that he could to keep the Legion memory going.”
Laird was born on May 5, 1923 in Verwood, a small village southeast of Assiniboia, but moved with his family to the Mayview area northwest of Prince Albert at age 11. He was 16 when Canada declared war on Germany. He joined the army two years later in 1941 and served as a bren gunner and signalman with the Saskatoon Light Infantry and Second Field Artillery Regiment.
Following the war, Laird became a mechanic at Prince Albert’s local Case dealer. He later moved on to Lonestar Motors, where he worked as the service manager for 45 years.
Laird became an active member of the legion serving as the Prince Albert branch’s president for seven years, and later as a zone and district commander. He returned to the Netherlands several times, including one trip as a representative for the Saskatoon Light Infantry when the country celebrated the 70th anniversary of its liberation.
“There were little five, six, and seven-year-old kids who’d come and grab you by the leg and hug you and say, ‘I love you Canada,’ that type of thing,” Laird recalled during a 2015 interview with the Daily Herald.
Laird also assisted in educational programs like the creation of a tulip garden planted at St. Mary High School. He spoke at local schools for Remembrance Day, and donated his medals and jacket to the Prince Albert Historical Museum in 2023 for his 100th birthday.
“They are much better than hanging on the dresser at home,” he said in an interview at the time. “I’m proud of them. I have got a lot.”
In 2023, the City of Prince Albert honoured his contributions by naming the Muzzy Drive Park as Ed Laird Park.
Hodgson said it’s difficult to know how many Second World War veterans are still alive since not all of them are Legion members. However, he said Laird was the last Second World War vet who was a member of the Prince Albert Legion.
Hodgson credited Laird and his wife Geraldine, who passed away in 2018, for playing a big role in keeping the Prince Albert Legion strong.
“He was always full of knowledge and he’d help you out doing anything you were doing,” Hodgson said. “He’s going to be a missed fellow.”
The Daily Herald could not confirm a date for Laird’s funeral by press time.
–with files from Michael Oleksyn/Daily Herald
