Well Known Veteran Suffered Tragedy At Home

By Richard Dowson Local Historian

The most familiar television Face of Hockey Night in Canada in the old days was Veteran, Lieutenant (N) Murray Westgate.

Murray was born April 16, 1918 in Regina and died in Toronto August 27, 2018 at age 100. His Dad was Robert James Westgate, a Regina city commissioner, and his Mom was Christie Mercedes (Sneath) Westgate.

He joined the Royal Canadian Navy in WW II and served for six years in the Navy as communications staff officer on several ships including HMCS Restigouche and the Frigate HMCS Dunver. They worked on escort duty protecting ships crossing the North Atlantic.

After the War became an actor working in various productions on television. He was the ESSO man on Hockey Night in Canada for almost 20 years doing the Saturday night “Happy Motoring” presentation for ESSO.

Westgate as the Esso Man - Photo Courtesy Imperial Oil Media Handout

His destiny in the public eye was probably set when a story about him appeared in the old Moose Jaw Times Herald on Saturday (what else?) August 21, 1943. The Canadian Press story originated in London, England. The story was as follows:

“War canoe tactics of North American Indian come in handy sometimes in the battle of the Atlantic, especially if seamen have to put out on rough waters in a whaler.

“Sub-Lieutenant Murray (Dusty) Westgate, of Regina, said that men aboard the Canadian destroyer Restigouche had found it “much more practicable” to use canoe-paddling techniques in whalers than oars.

“He said this was proved during a recent Atlantic crossing when the Restigouche’s whaler was ordered over the side to pick up an injured engineer in a British merchant ship. Westgate, Surgeon-Lieutenant Harry Farish of Vancouver and a crew of six went in the boat.”

“The men stood up in the whaler with their paddles and dug in,” Westgate recalled. “It was the only way to deal with the rough seas.”

The doctor, Surgeon-Lieutenant Harry Farish, also survived the war and settle in Ottawa. He died there in 2010.

A Westgate Wartime Saskatchewan Tragedy

Only two months after the CP story about Murray appeared in the Moose Jaw Times Herald, it reported on October 27, 1943 that Murray’s older sister, Pilot Officer (Nursing Sister) C/24609, Marion Mercedes Westgate was killed in a flying accident at # 15 Elementary Flying Training School, Regina. She was just 26, years of age.

She is buried in the Regina Cemetery in Block C. Plot 1. Grave 32. P/O Westgate graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in 1937 with a BA and then attended Royal Victoria hospital, Montréal where she received her nurse’s training. She was a passenger in a Cornell training aircraft when it crashed killing both occupants.

The pilot of the Cornell was Pilot Officer Dennis Clive Bishop of Winnipeg, son of Detective Inspector John (Jack) and Molly Bishop of Winnipeg.

The following news report appeared in the Moose Jaw Times Herald, Thursday, October 28, 1943

Regina Plane Crashes Take Four Lives, Regina October 28, 1943 – (CP) –

“Plane crashes on Regina’s outskirts Wednesday night and Thursday morning took the lives of four persons, including an R.C.A.F. nursing sister, Marion Westgate, daughter of Regina City Commissioner R. J. Westgate and Mrs. Westgate.

“Killed when the plane in which he and Miss Westgate were flying crashed at 11 o’clock Wednesday night was Pilot Officer Dennis Clive Bishop, 27, a former employee of the Winnipeg Free Press, whose wife and daughter live in Regina.

“Son of ‘Peg Detective Killed, Winnipeg, October 28, 1943 – (CP) –

“Pilot Officer Dennis Clive Bishop, R.C.A.F. killed in a plane crash at Regina last night was the son of Detective Inspector John Bishop of Winnipeg police force. “He joined the air force in Winnipeg nearly two years ago, prior to which he was employed by the Winnipeg Free Press as a linotype mechanic. He was a member of the Free Press composing room staff for five years.

“A brother, Leonard, is an officer in the R.C.A.F. at present visiting Regina.”

Pilot Officer Denis Clive Bishop, J/25805, was the son of Jack and Molly Bishop, of Winnipeg. He was also the husband of Bernice N. Bishop, of Winnipeg.

P/O Bishop is buried in the Winnipeg (St. John’s) Cemetery, Grave Reference, Lot 30, Row X.

Summary

Why Bishop and Westgate were up flying late at night is left to speculation. Had his brother, Leonard, missed a ride in the Cornell that Marion Westgate took?

We will never know.