William Remington Warwick was born on Sept. 25, 1926 at Turtle Grove near the town of Turtleford. He was raised on a farm near Midnight Lake. He received his grades one through eight at Midnight Lake School (seven miles north of Glaslyn) and his high school at the North Battleford Collegiate Institute. He subsequently joined the Battleford Light Infantry as a boy soldier and later enrolled in the Royal Canadian Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War where he served as a sailor in both the Atlantic and Pacific theatres of conflict.
After the war, Bill joined the local militia - the Prince Albert and Battleford Volunteers (later renamed the North Saskatchewan Regiment) as a rifleman. Shortly thereafter, he earned a Queen's Commission. He soon rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel and commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, North Saskatchewan Regiment which was based in both Prince Albert and North Battleford. After Bill's retirement, he was named honorary lieutenant colonel of the regiment, a post he held for 15 years. In addition, he served as aide-de-camp to three Saskatchewan lieutenant governors. Finally, Bill was also the honorary colonel of Steele's Scouts.
In addition to his distinguished military service, Bill was highly successful in business. He began his career in printing while he was still in high school. He began as an apprentice typesetter for the North Battleford News (later the News-Optimist), and later became a journeyman linotype operator, a trade he perfected and taught to hundreds of people both in his own company and around the world. Sometime later, Bill entered into a partnership with Ralph Turner. Shortly thereafter, he became the sole owner of Turner-Warwick Printers, with satellite offices in Maidstone, Saskatoon and Regina. Bill also invested a great deal of time mentoring young people as they prepared for a career in journalism. The Warwick family sold their interests in Battlefords Publishing in 1994. In addition to printing a newspaper, printing 27 other newspapers for companies across the west The Battleford Telegraph, Turner-Warwick had published more than 25 books and hundreds of community history books.
During his tenure with Turner-Warwick, it is likely that Bill is best remembered for his column, "Eyeballs and Eardrums." This interesting and provocative column was published in the Advertiser Post and the Maidstone Mirror, both of which were owned by his company.
Bill Warwick enjoyed great success in the military, and in business. His record in community service was equally remarkable. He served on countless committees and spearheaded many local and provincial projects. He was an honorary member of the North Battleford Rotary Club and a member of the North Battleford Kinsmen Club. He was also a member of the Battlefords North West Historical Society. In addition, he was a member of the Board of Governors Corps of Commissionaires. Bill was also the president of the St. John Ambulance Association. His exemplary record of service earned him recognition as an officer of the Order of St. John. Finally, Bill was a strong supporter of agriculture and tourism.
Bill's record of community volunteerism was impressive. But there was another dimension to Bill's willingness to help his fellow man. He was a charter member of the North American Free Trade Corridor. In addition, through the Canadian Executive Services Organization, he helped businesses in developing countries travelling to Â鶹´«Ã½AV America, the Caribbean and China.
Bill was a faithful member and supporter of St. Paul's Anglican Church. He served as a committee member on the vestry.
Despite Bill's involvement in business and many charitable organizations, his family was the centre of his life. He and his wife, Irene Olive Brooks of Livelong, enjoyed a wonderful marriage. They were blessed with four children, David, Susan, Bobbi Joan and Janie, all of whom worked at one time or another with their father in the printing business. All of the children relocated to Calgary except for David who operates a printing company in Lethbridge.
After Bill retired, Bill and Irene moved to Calgary to be closer to their children. Sadly, William Warwick passed away on Dec. 13, 2007 at the age of 81. He was buried in the Glaslyn cemetery with military honours befitting his rank.
Throughout his life, Bill wore two hats - one as a distinguished sailor, soldier and reserve infantry officer, and the other as a successful businessman. On the occasion of our city's centennial, we are indebted to an outstanding and selfless citizen, William Remington Warwick.
