Lloyd Gates, one of P.E.I.’s last surviving Second World War veterans, dies at 101

One of Prince Edward Island’s last surviving Second World War veterans has died.

Lloyd Gates was 101 years old when he died Saturday, Dec. 13 in Charlottetown. He joined the military at age 18 and served for three years with the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War.

His stepson, Paul Robinson, said that while those three years may seem like a small portion of Gates’s long life, it was a time in which he took great pride.

“He did see himself as a military man right to the end and took a lot of pride in being a Legion member,” Robinson told CBC’s Island Morning on Wednesday, ahead of Gates’s funeral later that day.

“Every Remembrance Day he was out in his finery... to represent. So I think his military time really defined him as who he was.”

Gates leaves behind his wife, Mary, as well as many children, stepchildren and grandchildren.

Robinson said he got to know Gates when Gates married his mother, Mary. The two had known each other through church and came together later in life after their respective spouses had died.

A farm boy fascinated by flight

Gates grew up on a farm in West Royalty near the former Upton Airport, northwest of Charlottetown.

Gates recalled in a previous interview with CBC News that as a boy, he and his brother Bob became fascinated with airplanes, often watching them land and take off from the nearby airfield.

When the Second World War broke out, both brothers wanted to join the Royal Canadian Air Force. At age 17, Lloyd tried to enlist alongside his 18-year-old brother, but was turned away.

“He had a desire to go. All of his buddies were signing up,” Robinson said. “Much of it was a desire to get away from the farm and see some of the world. Many people left, you know, looking for adventure in their lives.”

Service overseas

After officially joining the air force when he turned 18, Gates was posted to an air base in Eindhoven, Holland, where he tested airplane radios. He served as a radio telegraph operator in the RCAF from 1943 to 1945.

Bob, who was also serving in the air force, died in a plane crash over Italy.

“That affected Lloyd a lot,” Robinson said, adding that Gates’s close bond with his brother came up often over the years through stories and memories he shared.

Robinson said Gates never spoke about his service as a way of “glorifying the war,” but instead treated it as a record of what he experienced.

One story that stood out to Robinson involved Gates’s role around the time of the D-Day invasion.

“He may not have been hitting Juno Beach. He was part of the support crew that was painting stripes on the wings of Typhoon and Spitfires, and these were painted different colours so that they wouldn't be mistaken for German aircraft and shot down accidentally,” Robinson said.

“Lloyd was busy doing all this stuff in preparation for his landing, which I think was about two weeks afterwards.”

After the war, Gates remained in Europe for 10 months to carry out occupation duties, including gathering surrendered German arms for disposal.

‘Nightmares right to the end’

After returning to Canada, Gates joined the military reserves for another 12 years.

Robinson said that later in life Gates became more open about discussing his wartime experiences.

“I think he came to believe that maybe talking about it was a good way to kind of self-medicate,” Robinson said. “Maybe by talking about them, it might have normalized them a bit for him.”

Robinson believes Gates, like many veterans returning from the war, was never formally diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

“My mother would say, ‘I think he had nightmares right to the end,’” Robinson said.

‘He was a beautiful engraver’

After coming home from overseas, Gates returned to the family farm and sought help from Veterans Affairs, Robinson said.

Gates was placed in a sign-painting program, but had to leave the trade after developing an allergy to the white lead used in the paint.

Veterans Affairs later helped him find work as an engraver.

“He was a beautiful engraver and made a career of it. He actually had a company in Halifax," Robinson said. "He was quite accomplished that way.”

After his engraving career, Gates became the jewelry manager at the Kmart in Charlottetown when it first opened at the corner of Belvedere and University avenues, where Atlantic Superstore now stands.

Robinson said some Islanders may still own pieces engraved by Gates during his time there.