We regret to advise of the death of Warrant Officer Second Class Joseph Nathan "Guiseppe" Slyth (Retd) on 21 February 2008 at Mount Edwards Court, Victoria, BC.
Joe was born in 1914 in London, England. He was the youngest of four children and, at the age of eight, he was enrolled at the Central London District School, Hanwell. He was extremely fortunate to be taught the trade of music and he left the school at the age of 16 to join the British Army as a Boy Bandsman in the Gloucestershire Regiment. His WW II experiences included being wounded and captured near Dunkirk and the subsequent three and one-half years as a prisoner of war in Stalag VIIIB and Blechammer. After the war he spent 10 years with the Welsh Guards, where he played his clarinet at the Trooping of the Colour, the Queen's Coronation, and the Festival of Britain.
In 1954 Joe joined the Canadian Army when the military bands were being formed across Canada and he brought his family to Chilliwack, BC where he was posted to the Royal Canadian Engineers Band. He was much involved in the Chilliwack arts community and hosted a classical music radio program there. After retiring from the military in 1966 at the rank of W0 II, Joe and family moved to Victoria where he embarked on a series of careers. These included a brief stint as a Commissionaire, furniture refinishing, owner of "Reliable Used Furniture," and relief lighthouse keeper with the Canadian Coast Guard on Race Rocks and Trial Island, among others. In the 1970s he embraced ham radio and was proud of getting his morse code ticket and his ham radio call sign:"VE7 DVE." Joe was a member of the Monarchist League of Canada, the Monterey Centre, Westcoast Amateur Radio Assn., Victoria Shortwave Club and the Retired Guardsmen Club. He was a volunteer at Glendale Lodge, the CNIB, and the Provincial Emergency Program.
There will be no service. A celebration of Joe's life will be held on 23 April 2008, at the Esquimalt Legion, 622 Admirals Rd. Victoria, from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. All family and friends are welcome to attend. In lieu of flowers, donations to Foster Parents Plan Canada, 95 St. Clair Ave. W., Toronto, ON, or the Westcoast Amateur Radio Assn. Tower Fund, P.O. Box 48047, Victoria, BC, would be appreciated.