Lanark and Renfrew Scottish Regiment, R.C.I.C.

Frederick Joseph Tokar was born on February 14, 1924, in Pembroke, Ontario. He grew up in South Porcupine, a small town in NORTHERN Ontario, where he lived with his parents, Frederick and Mabel Tokar, and his sister, Marie. A Roman Catholic by faith, Frederick came from a modest background and showed early promise as a diligent and hardworking young man.

Frederick completed Grade 8 before leaving school to enter the workforce. Over the years, he gained varied experience working as a floor contractor’s helper, an apprentice mechanic at the South Porcupine Airport, and a clerk at the Canadian National Railway (C.N.R.) Express Office, where he checked parcels and wrote statements. Despite the challenges of the Great Depression, he demonstrated responsibility and perseverance, earning a steady living in difficult times. The C.N.R. promised him employment after the war, and he had expressed a personal interest in pursuing work as a mechanic, though this dream would never come to fruition.

Frederick was a small but resilient man, standing 5’5” and weighing 121 pounds. He had a cooperative, alert nature, and was described as being above-average intelligence with a stable emotional disposition. While not particularly inclined toward aggressive physical pursuits, he did enjoy sports, including hockey, softball, skating, pool, and bowling, which provided him with a balance of recreation alongside his work life. He smoked occasionally, enjoyed a social drink, and maintained a typical set of interests for someone of his age and background.

On March 23, 1943, at the age of 19, Frederick enlisted in the army in Timmins, Ontario. Before his formal enlistment, he had already spent 11 months training with the Algonquin Regiment, attending sessions twice a week and completing two weeks at Niagara Camp. When he enlisted officially, he was assigned to the Royal Canadian Artillery (R.C.A.), in an anti-aircraft unit. Although he preferred to serve in this branch of the military due to his interest in mechanics, fate would eventually see him reassigned to the infantry, where his bravery would be tested on the front lines.

Frederick’s military service took him to various theaters of World War II. He served in Canada until August 27, 1943, before being deployed to the United Kingdom. After several months of training in the UK, he was sent to Italy on February 20, 1944, as part of the Allied forces fighting in the Italian Campaign. By October 26, 1944, Frederick had been transferred to the Lanark and Renfrew Scottish Regiment, where he joined the efforts to push the Axis forces back in a series of grueling battles. On September 27, 1944, he was wounded but refused to be sidelined and continued to fight.

Frederick’s final days were spent on the battlefields of Italy, where he fought with quiet determination. Despite being classified as B-1, a lower fitness category due to his slight build, he proved his courage and dedication in combat. His time in Italy was marked by some of the most intense fighting of the campaign, and it was during this period that he lost his life in the service of his country. On December 13, 1944, at just 20 years old, Private Frederick Joseph Tokar was killed in action.

Frederick’s sacrifice is commemorated at the Villanova War Cemetery in Italy, where he rests among his fellow soldiers. His story is a testament to the quiet resolve and sense of duty that characterized so many young Canadians who left their homes to fight in a distant war. Though he did not return to fulfill his ambitions of working as a mechanic or continuing his career with the C.N.R., his legacy endures in the memory of his family and comrades, and in the service he rendered to his country during one of its darkest hours.

This is information is provided by Tina Bagordo Pecore, Fred’s niece. She visited the Cemetery on May 10th, 2013

In September 1944, Fred was wounded but chose to remain on active duty with his unit instead of coming home. He was killed in action on December 13, 1944. His mother, my Granny, was informed on December 22, 1944. She was told that Freddie was a courier (dispatch rider) and he was on his motorcycle on his way to the front with information when he was killed by a German sniper. Frederick Joseph Tokar was only 20 years old. On behalf of my brothers and sisters, Freddie Tokar’s family, I would like to thank everyone here for this heartwarming ceremony. Thank you. Angela, this is what I think I said in Villanova. Below is some additional information about my Uncle Freddie that might interest you. He was always called Freddie because his father was also named Fred. I have a few letters that he wrote during the war to his sister and his cousin. At first he signed his letters Freddie but later on he started to use Rick (as he said, “As you can see I’ve shortened my name to Rick and dropped the Fred part.) He never said why he did that but on the last picture he sent to his mother he wrote on the back To Mom, Love Rick Oct. 15, 1944 Italy. You have a copy of this picture in the ones I left with you. The two pictures of him taken in Italy in August and October were pictures that his mother carried in her wallet all her life. The Oct. 15 picture was enlarged and framed and sat on my Mother’s dresser in her bedroom. When I sent the write-up to Donna Maxwell, I sent two pictures, the one with him wearing his beret (Aug. 1944) and his official Canadian Army picture in the dark brown dress uniform. That picture is the one that was enlarged, framed and hung in my Granny’s dining room. Freddie had only one sibling, my Mother, Marie. The remaining five were born after the war. One of his nephews and one of his great nephews were named after him. The Tokar Family was a very close-knit, devout Catholic family. Both Freddie and Marie were born in Pembroke, Ontario but during the Depression the family moved to South Porcupine, Ontario (about 500 miles northwest of Pembroke) in 1938-39. South Porcupine was a gold mining town and my grandfather found work there. After we received Donna Maxwell’s letter when I asked my Mom about Freddie she said that he was a good brother and she missed him her whole life. Even though Freddie was 3 years younger than Marie, he always looked out for her. When Marie was 4 or 5 years old she contracted rheumatic fever which damaged her heart. Several times during the course of this illness she came close to dying but she rallied and lived until two weeks short of her 90th birthday. However, the damaged heart left her with some physical limitations and she could not over exert herself (play running games and strenuous sports etc.) Freddie always included her in all the kids’ stuff that was going on when they were growing up and if there was something she couldn’t do he would adapt the game so she could participate. Freddie loved music. He played the sticks (as they were called in his day) and whistled. The sticks were made from hardwood and held between the fingers on one hand and then beat against the palm of the other hand in time to the music. He loved to dance and was a good dancer who liked to jitterbug.