Bill Stubbings is a familiar face at the Legion. The well liked veteran, with an easy smile and a mischievous sense of humour, is, you could say, a local legend.
Working with General Motors in the golden period of cars, both before and after the Second World War, he is one of Yorkton鈥檚 last WWII veterans.
It is only fitting, then, that with his larger than life personality, plenty of adventures abounded in his remarkable life.
Serving in the Canadian Army during the Second World War, cars always just seemed to be around the family.
鈥淢y dad was a janitor for General Motors. He worked in the GM Garage, and I guess I sort of steered that way. While I was still going to school, on my several holidays, I went down there. I worked at delivering parts around town.鈥�
Bill learned firsthand what it took to get a sale at General Motors in those days, even if it meant having to collar someone who was leaning in on your turf.
鈥淔irst time I ever saw two salesmen fight,鈥� Bill chuckles.
It seems that the two distinguished gentlemen had a bit of a dispute over who was to get the sale. One of them broke a gentleman鈥檚 agreement, and an unspoken code of honour had been violated. Vehicle options were, apparently, to customize his face. That correction, as legend would have it, was a battle royale in front of the customers in the stately early 1940s serenity of the sales floor.
鈥淚 was at the counter and all of a sudden I heard sort of a ruckus in the front showroom. Anyway, there were these two old car salesmen. They鈥檇 been there for years; they were in their 50s or 60s. Well established as salesmen, you know.
Had their customers, Cadillacs and all that. I guess they got into a tussle over a guy, some customer that came in, and the other guy sold him the vehicle.鈥�
It got physical quickly, turning into a little bit of a donnybrook over this sale.
鈥淭hey were actually fighting [over this car]! A little bit of a scuffle. Didn鈥檛 last very long...I guess they realized they were making fools of themselves quickly. Over the sale of the vehicle!
鈥淚 never noticed before. They seemed like kind old fellas! But there is a certain rule, you know? If some stranger comes in off the street, and he鈥檚 talking to you about a vehicle, then you鈥檙e coming around and then he goes out, comes back two days later, and buys a car off me. You know he walks up the door, I go to him, say, 鈥楥an I help you?鈥� and I sell the vehicle. Well, there鈥檚 a little bit of discussion there,鈥� he says with a chuckle.
The Second World War, however, was at that point in full force 鈥� with the efforts of millions of brave Canadians doing their part. It wasn鈥檛 long before young Bill was also called up to serve his country, not long after his birthday.
鈥淚 turned 18 in 鈥�44, and then I was called up [to the military]. I鈥檓 the youngest WWII veteran here in town, and I鈥檒l be the last one. There鈥檚 only about five or six of us left.
鈥淎nyway. I got called up, and the interviewing officer was a Grade 10 school teacher. But first, before that, I tried to get into the [Royal Canadian] Air Force, because I鈥檇 been in Air Cadets, and they rejected me because of my hearing. So then I thought, oh, ok. I鈥檒l try the Navy then. So I went down to the Navy and all they were taking was cooks! Well, I didn鈥檛 want to be a cook! Finally I went to the Army where I interviewed with that Grade 10 school teacher, but all the Army was taking then was infantry. But he says 鈥楤ill, I think I can find a place for you in the Royal Engineers. So I got into the Royal Canadian Engineers and got sent out to Chilliwack, BC.
鈥淚t was interesting out there, working with explosives,鈥� he says.
鈥淏lowing up trees! We put together a Bailey bridge. Anyway, the airforce was having an air show over in Seattle, and I think there was only one main bridge there. So they had us bring up all our bridge equipment, and trucked it up to Seattle. Never built one before, you know. They lined us all up, according to size, and they had the big guys carry these heavy transoms for the big side panels, and when they got down to me, I was 鈥榩in boy鈥� 鈥� 鈥楶ut the pins here!鈥�
One particular story he recalls with a snicker.
鈥淲e were building a road, out in the sticks somewhere, and there was a little creek. They needed a temporary bridge built so that the machinery could get across, and that sort of thing.
鈥淪o they put us in trucks and we went a certain distance, by truck, because we couldn鈥檛 get any further. We got off the box, the rest of the way. They gave us little mess cans. First time I鈥檇 ever eaten out of a mess can.
鈥淎nyway, we get out there in the middle of nowhere, and we started by cutting down some big trees. And then, big long trees to form the bridge itself, and planks across the logs. So that was a temporary bridge. In the process of building this bridge, we ran out of food.
鈥淭he Sargeant came to us one day, and we say, 鈥榃e鈥檙e a little short on food!鈥� [He says] 鈥榃ell, OK. We鈥檝e got some rice and tomato soup. So that was our meal. Well, we kind of went on strike after that,鈥� he laughed.
鈥淵ou know, we鈥檝e gotta eat; we鈥檝e gotta work. Guy kept coming in by horseback. So anyway he comes up to the tent and we all gathered around the tent, looking at this horse. Well that Sargeant comes out and goes, 鈥楩ellas, leave that horse alone. That鈥檚 what culls us from civilization!鈥�
鈥淲ell, we slept in the open, branches over us and that sort of thing. Finally, a convoy came in and dropped some food on this road, had some boxes of food.
鈥淗ere we were, soldiers, and didn鈥檛 have a gun with us, but the Sargeant had a gun. Not a rifle, but he had a gun.
鈥淗e asked everybody if anyone had any hunting experience. I just put my hand up. So he gives me the gun and says, 鈥� See if you can find anything to shoot.鈥� Well, I came back empty handed.鈥�
After the war, Bill ended up working with GM for many years, active in the Legion.
While he may have come back without any deer meat, he did come back with plenty of stories to tell, his engineering leanings never far behind.
