‘A lot of memories’: 100th birthday party for Alberta Second World War veteran [Video]

A 100th birthday celebration in Calgary honours a Second World War veteran.

Bill Wilson looks back fondly but shows no signs of stopping as he wraps up a century.

“One hundred is a long time. A lot of memories,” says Wilson, who was a gunner in HMCS Ottawa.

Born in 1924 in Winnipeg, Wilson joined the Navy at the age of 13.

When he was 19, he was a gunner at D-Day.

“All those kids died. They were kids,” he says from his High River home.

Wilson says his biggest influences have been his parents, his love of reading and the Navy.

“You either worked together or, if it ended up crap, you’d end up swimming together,” he says.

That ability to work with others led him to several roles.

“I’ve worked in every city in Canada. I’ve lived in four provinces,” he says.

Wilson was a longtime CPR employee, …