Albert Stanley Middleton, the oldest living man in Canada, passed away in Victoria, British Columbia on 12 February, at the age of 109 years, 338 days, according to the McCall Gardens Funeral and Cremation Service.
Middleton was born in London, England, on 11 March 1915, to parents James Middleton and Florence Probert. He immigrated to Canada in 1929 at age 14 as part of the National Children’s Orphanage, arriving in Halifax aboard the Cedric. To repay his passage from England, he worked as a child laborer on farms for three years.
During World War II, he served in the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1943 to 1946, receiving an honorable discharge at age 31. He returned to Canada on the Aquitania and later purchased a 65-acre farm in Brantford, Ontario, through the Veteran’s Land Act in 1952. While farming pigs and cattle, he also worked in factories and attended night school, retiring from Massey Ferguson in 1980. After retirement, Albert spent 20 years in London, England, traveling and enjoying life. At age 90, he returned to Canada, settling in Victoria. A decade later, at 101, he moved into Broadmead Veterans Lodge, where he spent his later years.
Middleton was widowed twice, and had three children in total: Blair Middleton (died in 2018); Wayne Middleton, and Darlene Van Raay. He was survived by two of his children, as well as six grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren.
Following the passing of 111-year-old Reuben Sinclair on 27 August 2023, he became the oldest living WWII veteran in Canada and the nation’s oldest known living man.
Upon his passing, it is believed that the title of Canada’s oldest living man now belongs to 109-year-old Burdett Sisler of Fort Erie, Ontario, born on 14 April 1915.
The featured image was sourced from CBC.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of Albert Middleton during this difficult time.
