Honour Bound

At age 94, Sheridan “Pat” Patterson enjoys a relatively quiet, simple life these days at Perley Health. He loves to paint, sculpt and work in wood in the studio. Every Friday, son Kevin takes him out to lunch—”he always enjoys a Guinness,” says Kevin—and takes him home for Sunday dinner. Older son Mike reads to his father over the phone for an hour or more every evening. All are fitting honours for a man who devoted his life to his country and his family.

Born in 1929 on a farm near Burke’s Falls, Ontario, Pat grew up poor. His mother died when he was just a child. Soon after this tragedy, the family’s barn burned to the ground and the farm went bankrupt. His father’s blacksmithing skills landed him a job at a remote lumber camp, but it was no place for a boy. Pat moved in with an aunt in Toronto, but struggled to fit in. After grade 10, he worked a year in the lumber camp that employed his father. One winter of sawing down trees made him recognize that his future lay elsewhere. In 1946, Pat enlisted and began a long, distinguished career in the Canadian Armed Forces.

When the Korean War broke out, Pat was posted to Camp Petawawa (later Canadian Forces Base Petawawa). Eager to see action, Pat volunteered for the 25th Canadian Infantry Brigade and was sent for intensive training to Fort Lewis, a United States Army base. In his testimony for The Memory Project, Pat spoke highly of the experience.

“Our squadron commander was a decorated soldier from the Second World War. It’s to these guys—our training there—that I give credit to, that held our casualties to a very low level during the war.”

The Korean War pitted the communist north—supported by the Soviet Union and China—against the capitalist south—supported by 21 countries, including the United States and Canada. The war raged for three years before an armistice ended active fighting in 1953. Of the more than 8,000 Canadians who saw action during the fighting, more than 500 died.

Pat served 18 months in Korea, mostly in a tank as a radio operator and gunner, and saw action at several important battles, including The Hook, and Hills 187, 159 and 355. During his second tour, Pat contracted malaria and was sent back to Canada, where he quickly learned that the Korean War was little known outside of military families.

“Nobody came to meet the train on the way home, even in Calgary,” Pat told The Memory Project. “It seemed that nobody knew there was a bloody war on.”

Over time, the Korean War became known as “the forgotten war,” largely because it occurred soon after the Second World War and was considered part of the larger Cold War. Yet during his 18 months of active service, Pat saw far more action than most Canadian soldiers did during the Second World War. For years afterwards, Pat did his utmost to promote remembrance of the sacrifices made and served as national president of the Korea Veterans’ Association.

Back in Canada, Pat hoped to settle down and soon landed a job with Canadian National Railway near North Bay, Ontario. The Canadian Forces had other plans for him, though, and posted him to Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) based in Calgary. As luck would have it, though, the posting led him to settle down both professionally and personally.

Pat’s uncle and aunt lived in Calgary, and provided room and board to working women. When Pat needed a date for a regimental function one evening, his aunt suggested one of their boarders. Gwen Towriss had also grown up on a farm and had come to Calgary to work for the federal government. The two hit it off and married in 1955. Together, they raised two sons: Mike and Kevin. Together, they experienced the peripatetic lifestyle common to military families; during Pat’s 31-year military career, they moved 19 times, including two stints in Europe.

“My parents were determined to give us the childhood they never had,” says Kevin. “Growing up on farms during the Depression, they both had hardscrabble lives. And neither of them really knew their mother; my mother’s mother died giving birth to her.”

The family enjoyed countless camping trips. During the years Pat was posted to Germany, the family camped all across Europe.

“I recall travelling nearly every weekend,” recalls Kevin, “lots of wonderful, warm memories. After I grew up and recognized how little my dad earned, I wondered how they afforded it all. Our trips were never fancy, though; it was more about exploring new places as a family.”

Both sons followed their father’s footsteps and enjoyed lengthy careers in the Canadian Forces. Kevin was only 17 when he decided to enlist, although his father initially refused to grant the required permission.

“He relented when I told him that I’d sign up on my 18th birthday anyway,” says Kevin. “So he signed the form and wished me good luck.”
Mike enlisted at age 19. Between the three of them, they amassed more than 100 years of service. All three were named Members of the Order of Military Merit, established in 1972 to recognize conspicuous merit and exceptional service.

Once the boys were grown, Gwen returned to the workforce in a series of clerical jobs. After retiring from the Canadian Forces, Pat worked more than a decade for the Royal Canadian Army Cadets. With roots stretching back to the drill associations established in the 1860s, the Cadets program predates Canada. Pat had to re-classify as a reservist, but loved sharing his passion for military service with young people.

When the time came to retire for good, Gwen and Pat settled in Nanaimo, British Columbia. Long-time friends lived nearby and the couple had had enough of the harsh winters they’d experienced elsewhere in Canada. Advanced age eventually caught up with them, however. Pat began to experience dementia and Gwen spent more and more time caring for him. Mike and Kevin encouraged them to move into a retirement home, where life would be a little easier, but they refused. In 2020, Gwen died suddenly at home and Pat split his time between Mike’s family in Chilliwack, BC and Kevin’s family in Ottawa until Pat found a new home that met his needs.

I had known about Perley Health for a long time, but had never visited,” says Kevin. “During the years I was posted to Petawawa, we would send soldiers to the Perley for Remembrance Day ceremonies. We knew it would be the best place for dad.”

Pat moved into Perley Health during the pandemic, which made the transition particularly difficult.

“He’s discovered a passion for arts and crafts,” says Kevin, “and he also benefits from the excellent Veteran presence at Perley Health. Every year, the Korean Embassy hosts a dinner for residents who served during the war and sends presents at Christmas. I know that these honours mean a lot to Dad.”