Beecroft, Corporal Charles Edward “Ed”

Service highlights

  • Born: 14 November 1918, Dunwich Township, Ontario
  • Joined the militia: 1940, then the
  • Canadian Army: 1941
  • Overseas: shipped August 1942 to Britain, then on to Europe
  • Post war service: volunteered to remain and assist in Holland after the fighting ended
  • Discharged: 1946
  • Honoured by family through Branch 236’s Veteran Banner Program

A Life and Service Remembered

Charles Edward Beecroft, known to most simply as Ed, was born on November 14, 1918 in Dunwich Township, right at the tail end of the First World War. He grew up farming at home, and by 1940, as another war tightened its grip on the world, he joined the militia and then entered the Canadian Army the following year.

After training, Ed shipped out in August 1942, first to Britain and then onward into the European theatre, where he saw heavy action. When the war ended, he did something that says a lot about his character. He volunteered to stay behind and help the people of Holland during the difficult aftermath, remaining there until his discharge in 1946.

Back in Canada, Ed stepped into the rhythm of post war life and work. He entered London, Ontario’s booming housing industry and helped build the communities returning soldiers were coming home to. On May 14, 1948, he married Annie Patricia “Pat” Cowan at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in West Lorne. Pat had trained as a nurse in Hamilton and spent her working life caring for others, both as a private duty nurse and later at Marian Villa Nursing Home in London.

They built their life in chapters, London first, then a move in 1956 that brought them to a farm near Thorndale, and finally, in 1967, to St. Marys, where they settled on Wellington Street. Ed worked as a shipping manager for Dritz Scovill and kept at it for years, until he took an early retirement.

Ed and Pat were devoted to Holy Name of Mary Parish, and they were the kind of couple whose love showed up in the small things, tending a home, working in the garden, welcoming people, staying close to family, and taking pride in a life built carefully and honestly. Ed passed away on September 22, 2005 and was laid to rest in St. Marys Cemetery. Pat followed two years later on June 17, 2007, and they were buried together.

Major battles and operations

  • Northwest Europe campaign (specific unit and operations not identified )
  • Post war relief support in Holland (1945 to 1946)

Learn More