A Senior's Story: Alf Newton, "Victory came at a tremendous cost"
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- Published on Wednesday, May 10, 2017
Photo courtesy of Alf Newton.Alf Newton training at the Bombing and Gunnery Air Force Training Centre in Macdonald, Manitoba, 1943.
By Wayne Hildebrand
The Neepawa Press
In 1878, Thomas Newton was lured from Ontario to Manitoba by the promise of free land. He took the train to Winnipeg and made his way west on a prairie wagon trail. In the County of Beautiful Plains, he found his new homestead on the unbroken grasslands four miles east of Neepawa. At the Land Titles Office, he looked at the “free land for homesteaders” poster on the wall, with the promising picture of bounteous golden wheat blowing in the wind and the description of Manitoba’s climate as, “bracing and salubrious, undoubtedly the finest climate on earth for constitutionally healthy people.”
Thomas’s son, Arthur Newton, was born on the farm in 1889. He received a grade four education from Union School. Arthur took over the family farm from his father. He married Ella Ford in Neepawa in 1917. Together, they had six children; Bob, Alfred (Alf), Ivadel, Betty, Russell, and Grace. The promise of bounteous wheat harvests turned out to be government deception. The Newtons struggled to make a living.
The second son, Alf Newton, was born in 1920. There was only 18 months between Alf and his older brother Bob, so they were very close. Alf took grade one at Union School, but in 1928 Arthur and Ella Newton had to move to the Eden area and rent land due to financial problems. Unfortunately, life did not get easier. The Great Depression arrived in 1929. Alf recalls, “The Depression years were difficult. I saw my parents struggle with poverty and the 1930s experience definitely influenced my character. That said, my schooling at Eden Consolidated School from grades two to eight were happy days. We played a lot of baseball at school. If we didn’t have a bat, we went to the bush and got a stick. All our neighbors had large families and we had a lot of fun.”
In 1938, Arthur and Ella moved their family to a new farm near Kelwood. Alf was 18 years old. Both he and his older brother Bob helped their dad with the farm. At this time, a major world event was unfolding in Europe.
On September 10, 1939, Canada entered World War II. In 1942, Arthur Newton passed away, only 53 years old. Around this time, oldest son Bob was “called up” by the Canadian government to train for military service. Bob and Alf discussed how the family was going to continue operating the farm. They travelled together to Winnipeg and the Commanding Officer agreed to allow Bob to maintain the home farm and Alf to volunteer for overseas service. In 1943 at 23 years of age, Alf Newton enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force.
Alf took his training as an air gunner at the Bombing and Gunnery Training Centre in Macdonald, Manitoba. After training, he was posted at Jessore, India, about 60 miles east of Calcutta. With Squadron 357, Alf flew in Liberator Bombers and Dakota Transports to fight against the Japanese and drop men and supplies behind enemy lines. From India, they crossed the Bay of Bengal to Burma and Siam (now Thailand). Alf made 33 flights over enemy territory.
I asked Alf why he volunteered and what he thought about the war. “I felt a responsibility to serve Canada and I am proud that I served when my country needed me,” Alf said. “We were very happy when the Germans and Japanese surrendered, but we should always remember that victory came at a tremendous cost.”
Alf returned to Kelwood after the war and starting farming at the home farm. He married Daisy McIntyre from Ochre River in 1952. They had one daughter, Katherine, who today is a medical doctor in Muskegon, Michigan. Alf’s wife Daisy passed away three years ago.
Alf was active in his community. He was on the local school board and acted as President of the Kelwood Pool Elevators for 23 years.
Today, at 97 years of age, Alf lives in his own home in Neepawa. “I live alone, but I am not lonely,” says Alf. “I enjoy watching the news and curling on TV, and I look forward to ‘meals on wheels’ every day.”
At the end of our conversation, I asked Alf if he had any sage advice for younger folks. He reflected for a minute and said, “Not really. I have lived a good life, including the hard times that helped shape my character. I had a wonderful marriage and I am very proud of my daughter and family. I enjoyed being part of and contributing to my community and country. And my Christian faith has helped lead me through life.”
Alf’s great nephew, Scott Newton, is early in his career as the fifth generation of the Newton family to farm near Neepawa (Thomas, Arthur, Bob, Murray, Scott). Scott’s grandfather, Bob Newton (Alf’s older brother), originally bought the farm west of Neepawa. Bob Newton’s sons, Weldon and Murray (Scott’s father) took over the farm, expanded it, and are transitioning it to Scott, who is also adding land.
Scott Newton harvested his first crop as a full time farmer in 2013. It was an exceptional bumper crop of golden wheat. In fact, it looked just like the picture portrayed on the “free homesteaders land” poster that lured his great-great grandfather to the Beautiful Plains of Manitoba 140 years ago.
Wayne Hildebrand is a Neepawa area resident documenting the stories of local seniors.
