Navy Veteran Clarence McCallum marks 100 years and a lifetime of dedication

Clarence McCallum, a longtime legion member and veteran, stands beside one of his own scenic landscape paintings. Painting was one of McCallum's hobbies.

At 100 years old, Clarence McCallum still remembers the sound of waves pounding the hull of his ship and the steady hum of the electrical systems he once maintained aboard the HMCS Inch Arran, a ship ordered in 1943, where McCallum worked for the entirety of his service in the Canadian Navy.

The Stratford veteran was recently honoured at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 8, where he received three certificates of recognition of his 100 years from His Majesty the King, the Governor General, and the Prime Minister of Canada. Perth-Wellington MP John Nater and MPP Matthew Rae presented the awards during a special ceremony marking both his milestone birthday and his extraordinary service.

“It is an absolute honour and privilege to present certificates of congratulations to Clarence, on behalf of His Majesty the King and Her Excellency the Governor General, on a remarkable life and a remarkable life of service to someone who has literally served king and country,” said Nater.

McCallum served in the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR) during the Second World War, working as an electrical technician aboard the newly built frigate launched in 1943.

“I was doing dockyard work on ships that came in to be repaired,” he said. “We were working out of Bedford Basin, near Halifax. The day I got moved out to go to the engineering department, there was an explosion there. If I’d stayed, I probably wouldn’t be here today.”

Originally from Listowel, McCallum joined the Navy at just 18 years old. His training began at HMCS Nonsuch in Edmonton – “the farthest place from both shores,” he said with a laugh – where he studied electrical theory at the University of Alberta before being posted to the east coast.

Most of his service involved patrolling the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the Strait of Belle Isle, and around Newfoundland. He remembers the day the war ended, when his ship escorted a surrendered German submarine – “a very black-looking sub,” he said – into Shelburne Harbour. “I wish I’d had a camera then,” he added.

After returning home, McCallum joined the Royal Canadian Legion in 1946 and built a long career with Canada Post, eventually becoming a supervisory postmaster overseeing more than 40 offices across southwestern Ontario. He married his wife, Barbara Pierce, in 1956, and together they raised four sons. Barbara, a secondary school teacher, passed away in 2019 at the age of 90.

McCallum moved to Stratford in the 1980s and has been a dedicated member of Legion Branch 8 ever since. Though he no longer plays the bagpipes with the band, he still takes part in Remembrance Day ceremonies each year, laying wreaths for the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve. “I hope to be there again this year,” he joked.

These days, McCallum enjoys quiet time at home with family, including his son Richard, who lives with him, and visits from grandchildren and great-grandchildren. “So far, they all come home for Christmas,” he said proudly. “They bring the food – I just have to show up.”

As he reflected on a century of life, McCallum’s modesty shone through. “I don’t drive at night much anymore,” he said. “But I still have my license – that’s something.” Also on the topic of reflection, when asked what he likes to do these days, McCallum told the Times he “really likes to sleep in.”