William (Bill) Toussaint was born February 8, 1947 in Sydney, Nova Scotia. His father had emigrated from Grenada before the Second World War, looking for work in the region’s steel plants. Bill grew up in that multiracial community, in a family that had developed a military reputation (one of his uncles was in the First Special Services Force, or Devil’s Brigade). Bill finished school after Grade 11, and after working for a time he made the decision to join the Canadian Forces. After basic training, he went to Kingston, where he was trained at the REME school, where he developed his technician skills. His first posting would be Gagetown, New Brunswick, where he would take courses and tests to move up through the ranks. Bill was posted at a variety of bases all across Canada, and as his career unfolded during the Cold War he was posted overseas on a number of occasions too. Along the way Bill had to confront the reality of racism that was ever-present in the Canadian Forces: he mentioned that his first fight took place when he was in basic training, and it would be an unfortunate recurring point in his time in the forces. He also had to confront the frustrating bureaucracy that is part of military life: he was for example sent to Germany attached to the Van Doos – a French-speaking regiment – and he did not speak French. His time in Germany came as part of a NATO deployment, and Bill recalls he was not fully trained when he went; vehicle maintenance and other tasks had to be learned on the job, and from training manuals. On his return to Canada, he was stationed in London, Ontario, where he caught up on his education and changed trades to become a refrigeration technician. With that new skill Bill was stationed on a number of radar bases in Canada, keeping those Pine Tree and DEW line installations in working order. His skills were also called upon in the 1970s on UN missions, and on two occasions Bill served as a peacekeeper in Egypt during that difficult decade. Bill eventually made the decision to leave the military, but he has remained an active member of the Legion, where he has served as a branch president and service officer. Bill Toussaint was interviewed by Scott Masters at his home in Stratford, P.E.I. in July 2024.
