The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
George Hillier was born in Point-aux-gaul Lamaline, Newfoundland but moved to Saskatchewan to a town called Mervin in the Battlefords district as a young boy, learning how to farm. In the fall of 1939 he decided to come up to Flin Flon, for a weekend, and put his name in at HBM&S. He met Cliff Campbell who owned a concession at Rotary Park. George went to work in the bush for a couple of months, coming back to Flin Flon to be hired on at HBM&S at Christmas of 1939. In 1942 George joined the Army and in 1943 went overseas on the Queen Elizabeth, and he was stationed at Brighton, England. He, along with 10 other men were given the job of manning anti-aircraft guns. George said: "We were lined up along the coast, Canadian, American and British trying to protect Britain's coastline, shooting at the Germans as they flew over on their bombing raids. "On July the 4th, 1944, we were sent into France landing at Leharve. Everything was in ruins. See 'Cover' P.# Con't from P.# "On August the 8th, we saw airplanes and recognized them as Americans dropping anti-personal bombs and coming in our direction. Looking for cover, I dove under the truck but my left leg got hit. It was bad, my foot was hanging on by just some skin and muscle. Most of the other guys in the squadron were killed." George went on to say: "I was taken to the Dakota's and back to England where the casualties were being taken care of at Lady Ester's estate which she had turned over to the veterans. I was there about three months and then sent back on a casualty ship called the Lady Nelson. Upon arriving in Halifax everyone was put in railcars according to the province in which we were going. "I arrived in Winnipeg and spent some time at Deer Lodge Hospital but was then moved to Brandon because of the overflow at Deer Lodge. Brandon had opened up an Army Hospital with about 65 beds. I was there for about six months. "It was there that I met Hannah Marshall who was a psychiatric nurse. I have often been kidded about that! 'Yeah, George just what YOU needed!' "From there I was sent to Portage to a convalescence home. In total, I was in the hospital two years minus eleven days." George then went to Fort Osborne in Winnipeg to receive his discharge in 1946. He came back to Flin Flon to return to his job at HBM&S and once he got settled he returned to Brandon to marry Hannah, in the fall of 1946. They made their first home at 1 Grandview Street, then at 46 Adams Street. Then in 1958 they bought the house at 65 Boam Street and have lived there ever since. George said: "This is the best place in Canada, the wages and the working conditions were good." George and Hannah were married six years before they had children and during that time Hannah worked at P.K. (Plummer and Kies) Hardware that later became W.B. (Weirer Brothers) Hardware. She also worked at the Mary Jayne Store. George and Hannah bought their first car in 1949, a Chev which was torpedo shaped (four door deluxe). The roads in those days were gravel. Hannah relates going to their cabin at Beaver Lake and said: "There were about 200 curves in that road. You would arrive at the lake and your eyebrows were white from the dust." George has always followed hockey. "That began when Walter Cunningham, Fred Bowman and those guys were playing. North Battleford, Saskatoon and the Smoke Eaters used to play against each other, many years ago," smiles George. Then as their son Allan ('Allie') grew up and started to play hockey around the age of nine, in about 1963, George got more active in the transportation side of things Ð not the coaching. Allie went through all the ranks of pee wee, bantams, midgets and the juniors. Allie played with the Bombers for five years starting at age 15 when Paddy Ginnell called him up. "In his first game Allie scored three goals and had an assist against Swift Current," the proud father relates. Allie went on to Columbus, Ohio, which was the Pittsburgh farm team. He really didn't like it there so he returned to Canada and played for the Trail, B.C. team where he played for several years and where he earned a scholarship. He became an accountant. The Hillier's daughter, Donelda, also took to the ice Ð in curling that is Ð and she was also talented. Her team of Brenda Maranchuk, Peggy Anderson and Noreen Rawles made it to the Provincial School Girls Championships in 1967. Donelda later became a Registered Nurse. George worked at the Company for 37.5 years including time spent in the service. He worked in the Power House as a stationary engineer. George and Hannah love to dance and enjoy the O.B. social events where they can still "cut a rug". Hannah still enjoys her bridge and they have the occasional dinner party. They have been married for 57 years and both their kids are married and they have five grandchildren. Hannah and George used to travel a lot. George said: "It started with our honeymoon when we went to the World Series." They have been to Hawaii, Spain and many other places. In the past couple of years they have slowed down a bit. As Hannah laughingly says: "I am Ninety! I don't get around like I used too!" Thanks so much George and Hannah for giving us a peek into your personal lives. What great memories you both have!
