On the Move
Paul Gaudet [email protected]
Fort Folly Veterans
In keeping with the theme
of this issue of Prime Time I
would like to introduce you
to two veterans who live on
the Fort Folly Reserve in
Dorchester N.B. Bob and
Irene LeClair were both in the
Canadian armed forces in the
air force branch. Their lives as
veterans are probably typical
in most ways and maybe not so
typical in others.
Irene Knockwood is a
Mi’Kmaq woman who joined
the air force in Moncton in
1957 after graduating from
business college. She said
that there were only two other
native women in the air force
at that time, one was another
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PrimeTime FALL/AUTOMNE 2019
Route 114, Hopewell Cape
Albert County/Comté d’Albert
Mi’Kmaq woman and one was
a Cree woman. She went off
to Aylmer Ontario for basic
training and then to Lachine
Quebec where she met Bob
LeClair, who would later
become her husband.
Irene stayed in Lachine from
1958 to 1959 and then moved
to Trenton where she married
Bob and where they lived until
1968 and had a family of four
there. Bob, who is Caucasian
was an air tech in the air force.
They then moved to Ottawa
to the Uplands Airforce base
until 1976. Irene got out of the
military in 1960 because she
wanted to raise her family and
there was no pregnancy leave
at that time.
Irene worked in the banking
business for various banks for
20 years. In 1979 to 1984 they
lived in Chatham N.B. at the
base there, then in North Bay
for two years to 1986. They
really exemplified the amazing
amount of moving that armed
forces personnel are required
to do when they finally settled
in Moncton at the No. 5
depot in 1986 where Bob
retired in 1988.
The LeClair’s had a lovely
life with their two boys and
two girls until tragedy struck
when one of their girls died
of cancer. On another note I
asked Irene if she had ever
endured racism while in the