Harold Godfrey Lofstrom

Dad was the last born child of Jonas & Maire Lofstrom. Born at home, weighing barely two pounds, he was kept alive by the constant vigil of his family. It was a miracle he survived even by todays standards. Co-incidentally his great nephew, Michael Lofstrom, was born on the same date some fifty years later, weighing almost the same amount. The low birth weight and touch-and-go start did not slow either of them down in life.

... I've always thought Dad went to the Mediteranean Sea with Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry - but I might be wrong. He took part in the invasion of Cicely and was discharged with a raging case of Malaria on Nov 18 1944. I found this on the PPCLI WW2 website. " The summer of 1944 was one of rest and recovery for the PPCLI in Italy. After the fierce battles of Ortona and the Liri Valley that spring the Patricia's were in bad need of a rest as their numbers were thinned out and the troops exhausted. At the beggining of June the 1st Canadian Division was pulled off the front line and sent on a two month break. Most of the summer was spent encamped south of Cassino in sunny Tuscany. It's luxuriant vineyards untouched by war, the cool nights and clear air gave soothing relief. There was now time for the Patricia's to rest, have good food, get steady mail from home, and absorb what new recruits came their way. Most of the replacements coming from Canada were now being sent to Normandy. In late August the Patricia's returned to the Adriatic coast. When they returned to the heat and humidity of the coastal plain the lack of sanitation, the mosquitoes, the bad water, and the sheer heat of the sun began to take a high toll in sick and exhausted men. Once they re-entered combat the lack of re-inforcements meant wounded men returned to combat again and again - increasing the risk of battle exhaustion. However it was necessary to continue the offensive and drive the Germans north through Italy . . .

Quote Alice Lofstrom: "Along The Wapiti"

By todays standards we had a hard life on the farm. Water had to be hauled from the dugout, in the winter we melted snow for the house as well as the livestock. Our house was lit by kerosene lamps an lanterns. We put in long hard hours but compared to our parents before us, we had it easy. In 1947, after returning home from the war, Harold bought a quarter section from Ed Sundin and built a house with help from his brothers. We soon put up a barn and started milking cows and shipping cream. We raised six children, who with the hardships of farm life, grew up with a keen understanding of life. When they all started to reach high school age and one by one had to leave the farm to attend school in the city we left the farm behind. In 1966 we moved to Grande Prairie where Harold spent several years working in the construction and building maintenance industry. In 1978 he retired for health reasons. Recently some of our grown children have jointly purchased the old Kittson place located in the South Wapiti district.