Private Harry Dzeoba
Harry Dzeoba was born in Dryden, Ontario on May 26th, 1925 to his parents Peter and Ann Dzeoba. Peter and Ann emigrated from Ukraine to Canada in search of greater opportunities. He was raised in a very busy home with 5 siblings – 3 sisters, and 2 brothers. Harry attended Rice Lake School and then Dryden High School before joining the workforce.
World War II was in full swing when Harry enlisted in the army at the age of 18. After he completed his basic training, he applied for a transfer to become a paratrooper. Even though he was a small-town boy, he always had big dreams of flying and adventure. He completed the testing required for parachute training. He graduated from his parachute course at Shilo, Manitoba on April 2nd, 1944 and became a proud member of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion. He was then sent to England to begin training with the 6th Airborne Division in preparation for the next mission. Dzeoba was assigned to Headquarters Coy and travelled with the reinforcements to Germany by sea to join the rest of the Battalion in battle.
He survived the war and returned to civilian life. He spent the majority of his working years with the local Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) as a store manager. Harry married the love of his life Elma Richardson. They had four daughters – Sandra, Diane, Julie, and Nancy. Harry's family of girls was a source of great pride. He and Elma encouraged and supported their girls in education and saw them all go off to university, creating a houseful of teachers.
Over the years, he and Elma attended many military reunions in Canada and Europe. Harry was also an active member of the Legion, Dryden Flying Club and the Ukrainian Literary Society. After getting his pilot's license, he enjoyed taking friends around NWO on flights in his own airplanes, first an Aeronka Champ and later a Maule Rocket, often with fishing as the destination. His enjoyment of the outdoors took him fishing, hunting, travelling, and gardening and to the blueberry patch. Weekends were spent at "the cabin" on Blue Lake with his family building a lifetime of memories. Harry passed away on January 24th, 2014.
If you have taken the time to read the biography of Harry Dzeoba, then you have kept his memory alive. We thank you for that.
M36 Mills Bomb
Below is an M36 Mills Bomb. These hand grenades were standard issued to the ground troops, Pte. Dzeoba would have used these hand grenades during his training and while deployed overseas in Europe. You can read more about the M36 Mills Bomb in the equipment section of this website.
