This story is a part of Branch 25’s on-going National Legion Week campaign.

Joan Para
Ordinary (Veteran) Member since 2000

Joan is Branch 25’s last remaining World War II veteran.  She was born in 1924 in Lowestoft, England.  Following aptitude testing in Honiton, Devon to determine to which jobs they would be best suited, Joan was assigned to Army Communications during World War II.  She then went on Bradford, near Leeds, for training and was eventually stationed in London, near Buckingham Palace.  Joan served from from 1942 to 1946.

Joan joined Branch 25 of the Royal Canadian Legion around 2000 as an Ordinary (Veteran) member.  She was originally a member of the Women’s section of the San Francisco post of the Royal British Legion (a post which was founded in spite of the fact that there was already a branch of the Royal Canadian Legion).  When that section closed due to a lack of membership, Joan joined the Royal Canadian Legion to get involved with the social aspects of the branch.  Joan will be 100 years old in January.

Ordinary (Veteran) membership is open to any Canadian citizen or Commonwealth subject who is of federal voting age and whose service was terminated under conditions other than dishonourable or for reasons of misconduct and who served or is serving in:

• the Canadian Forces or His Majesty’s Forces, including Regular or Reserve Forces under class “C” service;
• the Forces or Underground Forces of any of His majesty’s allies in any war, conflict or police action in which Canada was involved (Provincial or Dominion Command approval is required for underground service);
• an actual theatre of war in any of the non-military services, during any war in which Canada was involved (i.e. Merchant Navy);
• His Majesty’s Reserve Forces including Cadet Instructors on Cadet Cadre, for not less than one year;
• The Royal Canadian Mounted Police or The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, for not less than one year;
• the Forces of a country while that country was a member of NATO or NORAD in alliance with Canada;
• the Forces of the United States;
• the Vietnam War in the Forces of the United States, Australia, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea or South Vietnam and who was a Canadian citizen or Commonwealth subject at time of service;
• the Canadian Coast Guard as an officer or crew member, and who has two or more years of active service on the high seas or inland waterways; or
• a city, municipal or provincial police force, as a police officer, for not less than one year.