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Alfred John Ramsay. 1915.

Margaret Sangster. C1907.

He enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force on 24 October 1914 at the age of 28 and was promoted to the rank of sergeant in the 27th Infantry Battalion, City of Winnipeg.

The Battalion was posted to England in May 1915 and after further training was sent to France in September.
After the battle of Vimy Ridge where he was gassed in April 1917 Alfred Ramsay was sent on medical leave due to amblyopia (loss of sight in his left eye). He requested to be returned to action and survived to return to Canada in May 1919.

The family spent several years on a farm in south west Manitoba before returning to Winnipeg where Alfred qualified as a stationary engineer. He spent the rest of his working life maintaining the heating and ventilation machinery of office buildings in downtown Winnipeg.

She emigrated to Canada in 1905 with her brother David and, with him and their brothers William and John, was running a boarding house at 60 Hallet Street, Winnipeg when she met Alfred John Ramsay.

Alfred and Margaret were married on 2 October 1907 in a double ceremony with Margaret's brother William and his bride Blanche Robertson.

Obituary of DAVID RAMSAY
(From www.cropo.com )

CAPTAIN DAVID SANGSTER RAMSAY (RETIRED)

On Wednesday, June 4, 2014, David Ramsay quietly passed away at Seven Oaks Hospital, surrounded by loved ones. David was a devoted husband to Helen Ramsay, loving father to David and Jane Ramsay, proud grandfather to Rebecca and Jon Kaukinen, Josh Ramsay and Theressa Logan, Jena and Nicholas Schenk, great grandfather to Carter and Mattea Kaukinen, Ramsay and Henry Schenk.

David was born in Glenwood, Manitoba on February 1, 1922, to Alfred and Margaret Ramsay. He was predeceased by his twin brother Alexander and Alf, his sisters, Lillian, Kathleen and Peggy.

In 1940, David joined the Navy at the age of 18 and was sent to Quebec to train as a signalman. He was then shipped to Esquimalt, British Columbia where he served on a fishing boat patrolling the waters off the coast. From there, he was drafted to a mine sweeper, “The Lethbridge” for one year and then to Halifax serving on the HMCS Sudbury which ran convoy duty from Newfoundland to Londonderry, Northern Ireland. David returned home to Winnipeg where he worked at Burns Meat Packing Plant for one year and then Midwest Storage for two years. On November 30, 1946 David married Helen Crosky and on March 17, 1948, their son David Grant was born.

David joined the City of Winnipeg Fire Department in December 1949 attaining the ranks of Lieutenant in 1974, and Captain in September 1979. He retired September 14, 1986 after 36 years 9 months of service. For part of that time he served on the rescue unit. David loved his job and said he would do it all over again.

David, beside his wife Helen, generously volunteered their time at St. Joseph’s Residence for 31 years and enjoyed travelling in Canada and abroad with their family. David felt no regrets. We will miss him.

David will be cremated according to his wishes. If friends so desire, donations can be made to the Firefighters Burn Fund of Manitoba. The family would like to thank the following for their loving care and support: friends, Dr. David Haligowski, the homecare and nursing staff of Seven Oaks Health and Social Services, staff of Seven Oaks hospital, managers and residents of Amber Meadows.

Friends and family are invited to celebrate his contribution to our lives on Saturday, June 28th at 1:30pm at Cropo Funeral Chapel at 1442 Main Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

I am not just this physical body.
Because my life and energy are without boundaries,
I will continue in another manifestation.
I have never been born, I never die.
Before the beginning of time, I was.
Birth and Death are merely doors through which I pass in and out.
So smile with me and take my hand.
We shall meet again tomorrow, or even before.
We shall meet again on the myriad paths of life.
We shall meet again at the true source of life.
Thich Nhat Hanh