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Retired lieutenant-colonel brings Dufferin County’s fallen soldiers’ stories to life

November 5, 2026   ·   0 Comments

By Joshua Drakes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Retired Lt.-Col. Ron Alkema spent more than four decades in the Canadian Armed Forces, serving overseas and commanding the 48th Highlanders of Canada.

Since retiring in 2022, he has turned his attention to another kind of service: uncovering the lives and stories behind the names engraved on the Dufferin County War Memorial in Orangeville.

Alkema enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces in 1980. He served in the regular army with the First and Third Battalions of the Royal Canadian Regiment, and in the Army Reserve with the 48th Highlanders of Canada. His military career included deployments to Germany, Cyprus, Sierra Leone and Afghanistan, as well as domestic operations in the Northwest Territories and Northern Ontario. He received the Chief of the Defence Staff Commendation for his work as a military adviser to the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces.

“I had gone to enough Remembrance Day ceremonies in Orangeville, heard the names, and wondered what was the story of the guys whose names they were reading,” Alkema said. “So I thought I’d just start looking into it.”

His research became the focus of a presentation at the Shelburne Public Library on Oct. 29, where Alkema explored the history of the memorial and shared stories of five local soldiers who died during the First World War: George Chester Crozier, Robert James Gallagher, Wilfred O’Reilly, William Thomas Osborne and Melville John Henry Silk.

Alkema selected these men because their stories are local, and they are listed among the fallen on the memorial in Orangeville’s Alexandra Park. More personally, they are all buried locally, and had lives, stories and connections to the region that are often overlooked.

Crozier was born in Mono and worked as a farmer before joining the Royal Flying Corps, where he trained to become a pilot. He was killed at 19 when his aircraft suffered a mechanical failure and crashed during a solo training flight in July 1918.

Gallagher, known as “Burt” to family and friends, grew up near Kilgorie and enlisted in the 26th New Brunswick Battalion. He fought in major battles in 1916 but was exposed to poison gas. After returning to Canada, he died in November 1917 from complications related to his exposure, one month short of his 26th birthday.

O’Reilly was born in Amaranth Township and raised on a farm near Jessopville. He enlisted in the 164th Battalion in Shelburne at 17. During grenade training in Hamilton, he was handling what was supposed to be dummy ammunition when a live grenade exploded, killing him at 18 and injuring nine other soldiers.

Osborne was born in Orangeville, and eventually settled in Waldemar and worked as a tractor mechanic before being conscripted into the Canadian Forestry Corps. While serving in England, he developed respiratory problems and was diagnosed with tuberculosis. He returned to Canada but died at age 22, during January of 1920, from an illness attributed to his wartime service.

Silk was born in Shelburne and worked as a clerk and helped support his widowed mother and siblings before enlisting in the 164th Battalion at 21. He served as a machine gunner before health problems forced his return to Canada. He died in October 1920, aged 26, from an illness attributed to his service.

Alkema explained that these men are just five of a larger number inscribed on the memorial, and that it remains important to not remember just names, but who they were, what they did, and what they sacrificed.

“Each one of these guys that we talked about, and all the others inscribed on the memorial, have a story, they had a life, and they were real people,” Alkema said. “Remembrance is a verb. It’s an action word. So we need to remember them not just as being guys who did stuff, but it’s really important to say what did these guys do? What were they willing to give their all for? To give their today for?”

Alkema also shared some history about the memorial that bears their names.

The memorial, located in Alexandra Park, was established following the First World War to honour those from across Dufferin County who died during their military service. Originally bearing 144 names, it has since been expanded to include casualties from later conflicts, including the Second World War, Korea and Afghanistan.

Alkema explained how the memorial was designed, including its granite construction, inscriptions and the eight major First World War battles commemorated on its base. He also discussed how the memorial’s original county-wide purpose has changed over time, with later names largely representing Orangeville.

His research has uncovered errors and omissions, including names that may have been added based on incomplete wartime newspaper reports. He has identified about 80 additional First World War soldiers and roughly 30 from the Second World War with connections to Dufferin County whose names are not currently inscribed.

For Alkema, the research is about more than correcting a historical record. It is about ensuring the people behind the names are not forgotten, the true meaning of remembrance for Alkema. He believes the values of service, helping others and putting the needs of the community before oneself remain relevant more than a century later.

“It’s not just remembering these guys because they died,” he said. “Remember what they died for, and how does that shape the decisions that we make and how we live our lives today? That to me is what remembrance is really all about.”

Alkema is now working on a book documenting the memorial and the soldiers connected to it. He plans to provide copies to local municipalities, libraries, churches and schools. Each name, he said, represents a person who had a life and a story worth remembering.

The event was a poignant way for the community to connect with and learn about those who came before them, fighting across the world, and how they are more than names carved into stone — they were neighbours, relatives, friends and young men who called this community home.

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