Curt, Rose and Clarence

Born 1st Jan. 1923, in Russell, Manitoba, Clarence was the first of six children (Curt, Rose, Lorn, Tim, and Joan).

His father, Ture M. Soderstrom, Immigrated to Canada in 1906, from Sweden, and married Agnes L. Anderson of Minnesota, U.S.A. in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, April 4th, 1922.

Clarence did not finish school, and in 1938 found employment in Manitoba, working on a dairy farm in Winnipeg, laborer at a boat livery, a pulp cutter in Rennie, and finally a Manitoba forest ranger at Fort Frances, Ontario. This was ideal as he loved fishing and was a stone's throw away from a lake, in Oct 1942 the season ended and he was laid off.

On the 19th Nov. 1942 Clarence enlisted in the RCAF, he completed Air-Gunnery school training in Canada 1st Oct. 1943, and arrived in England on 17th Oct. 1943. Curt his next youngest brother enlisted in the Royal Canadian Navy the same year.

In early 1943, Clarence’s father; Ture moved out to the coast of British Columbia and was employed as a carpenter at Port Edwards located 12 miles from Prince Rupert. In late summer of 1943, the rest of the family moved out to Lulu Island (Queensborough) New Westminster B.C. Ture was now building the fish ladders on the Fraser River at "Hell's Gate".