John Martin Hassard

Martin was born in Acton on March 14, 1921…the middle of three sons of Edward and Margaret, all of whom served in WW2… his brothers being James Harvey and Kenneth Edward.

The 1921 Census shows the family living on Knox St., the 1931 Census shows the family of five living on Mill St., and is known that at some point that the family lived on the Church Street side of the home currently located on the property at 30 Eastern Ave., Acton (southwest corner of Eastern and Church).

Martin left the University of Toronto to work at REL Enterprises (electronics and optical instruments manufacturing) and joined the Army as a radar specialist. He was promoted to Lieutenant at Brockville and was a radar instructor to U.S. servicemen in Boston and Texas. John was later assigned to the East Coast to hunt submarines in the St. Lawrence River. After the war, he was a teacher and a Cadet Instructor. He was promoted to Captain Cadet Corps. John was married to Mildred Ross and the couple had two children Mark and Murray.

John passed away on July 10, 1982 and was buried at Fairview Cemetery, Acton.

Truly a Canadian Hero. His story lives on. Information taken from the Royal Canadian Legion Military Service Recognition Book, Ancestry.ca and personal interview with Ray Arbic.

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