Personal Details | |
Date of Birth | September 12, 1896 |
Place of Birth | Tännäs |
Country | Sweden |
Marital Status | Single |
Next of Kin | John Green, father, Ostersund, Ontario |
Trade / Calling | Labourer |
Religion | Lutheran |
Service Details | |
Regimental Number | 913317 |
Service Record | Link to Service Record |
Battalion | 197th Battalion |
Force | Canadian Expeditionary Force |
Branch | Canadian Infantry |
Enlisted / Conscripted | Enlisted |
Address at Enlistment | Ostersund, Ontario |
Date of Enlistment | April 13, 1916 |
Age at Enlistment | 19 |
Theatre of Service | Canada |
Prisoner of War | No |
Survived War | Yes |
Death Details | |
Date of Death | November 3, 1973 |
Age at Death | 77 |
Buried At | Lake of the Woods Cemetery, Kenora, Ontario |
Plot | EC 39E |
Oscar John Green was born in Tännäs, Sweden on September 12, 1896. He was the son of John Green and Gertrude (Olson) Green. Gertrude was previously married and she had a daughter, Kristina Ronsberg. With John she had seven more children: Olaf/Ole, Axel, Gustave/Gustaf, Oscar, Magnus, Edward and Mary. The family immigrated to Canada in 1905-1906. They settled in Ostersund, Pellatt township near Keewatin, Ontario where John took up farming. Many of their neighbours were of Scandinavian heritage and attended the Lutheran church.
By 1911 the three oldest boys were all working at a local saw mill and helping on the farm. When Oscar enlisted on April 13, 1916 he was 19 years old and gave his occupation as labourer. His brother Gustave signed up with the same battalion on the same day and they were given consecutive regimental numbers. Oscar was discharged on November 19, 1916 as a deserter. Gustave served overseas with the Canadian Foresty Corps and returned to Canada in February 1919. Their brother Axel was called up in February 1918 and he served in France with the 52nd Battalion.
Oscar married Mary Elizabeth Savard, the daughter of Garry and Elizabeth (Fraser) Savard, in Kenora on September 15, 1923. They had three children: Oscar (Jr), Harry and Roy. They made their home at 41 Kay Street in Norman which is the west section of the town of Kenora. Many of the families in Norman were Scandinavian or French. Although Mary was born in Port Arthur her father was born in France, so it was likely that she could understand and speak the French language. Oscar worked as an elevator man at the Lake of the Woods Flour Mill in Keewatin, a neighbouring town. He was an adherent of Bethesda Lutheran Church and a lifetime member of Keewatin Legion Branch #13. His son Harry served with the Canadian forces during the Second World War.
Oscar died suddenly at the Lake of the Woods Hospital in Kenora on November 3, 1973, at age 77. He was predeceased by his son J. Oscar Jr. (1924-1968). Surviving him were his wife Mary and his sons Harry and Roy. One brother, Magnus of Kenora, and one sister, Mary (Mrs. William Potts) in Vancouver, British Columbia, also survived. Oscar left 13 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren to cherish his memory.
Oscar was laid to rest in Elmwood Circle Block at Lake of the Woods Cemetery in Kenora. Mary was interred beside her husband in 1992. Oscar’s mother Gertrude died of tuberculosis in October 1912, at the young age of 48, and his father John died in August 1936, at age 70. Both are buried in the Lake of the Woods Cemetery.