Frank Drew Trist was born to Richard and Maggie Trist in Dryden. Raised in Dryden, he attended both elementary and high school. He enlisted at Port Arthur in 1941 and went overseas in 1942. He was killed in active duty in Italy in the spring of 1944.
Along with Frank was his older brother Barney who also saw active duty as an airplane mechanic with the R.C.A.F.
Frank's father, Richard Trist, owned and operated a livery stable (a feed and water station for horses) near the present day theater on Queen Street. Lloyd O'Doud (a long time Dryden resident and World War II veteran) meet Frank when his father would leave their horses for the day at the Trist Livery stable.
Frank and Lloyd became good friends. Lloyd describes Frank as a wonderful person, someone who was fun to be with and very affable.
One particular anecdote that Lloyd remembers well was the time they traded their belongings. Lloyd owned a fur coat that Frank liked. Frank had a 22 rifle that Lloyd had a fondness for. So they traded their belongings, and both parties came away very satisfied!
Like many young people, music was an important aspect of his life. He owned and played competently a harmonica. He also played the guitar, banjo and violin.
One of his part time jobs was with the Bicknell brothers' sawmill and lumber operations. The Bicknell family was well known at the time for their music abilities, and Frank enjoyed many "jam sessions" with the Bicknell family in his spare time. These were some of the happy moments in Frank's short life.
George Trist, Frank's younger brother, remembers the day that Frank was packing his Barracks box
(a box a soldier used to pack their personal belongings) to go overseas. George was only 8 years of age at the time.
As Frank was packing his belongings he came across a watch that he gave to George.
George admired the watch and when Frank was finished packing he gave the watch back to his older brother.
Frank told George to keep the watch as a gift. Unfortunately, the watch went missing a few years later.
Lloyd recalls the day that Frank was killed in Italy. Frank drove his Brengun carrier to the top of a hill where he was overlooking German military movements. Frank would radio a set of coordinates to the artillery units who would then direct their guns to fire on the enemy. Soon however, the Germans located Frank's position and fired upon him and he was killed.
At the time of Frank's death, Lloyd considered him much more than just a friend who came from the same small town in rural Ontario. "We (all the enlisted men) were like brothers" Lloyd adds.
George also remembers the day his father learned of Frank's death. George was at home with his father when a knock came at the door. It was late in the evening and it was not common for someone to come knocking at such an hour. Richard went to the door and young George followed right at his footsteps. During the war years, families learned of their son's or husband's death by the telegraph operator who delivered the message directly to the family involved. When Richard Trist opened the door he immediately recognized the uniformed telegraph operator and spoke first asking "Which one of my boys is it, Frank or Barney?" The operator replied, "I'm sorry Mr. Trist, it was Frank" and handed Richard Trist the telegraph. In silence Frank's father, took the message and sat down in his favorite chair. His father then commented to young George, "time that you were in bed" and the young child went to his room.
Over the next few days, and out of respect for his father, young George kept his distance from his father. There was an unwritten rule that children were "better off seen and not heard".
Grace Trist added that Richard Trist was a quiet man who grieved his son's death in his own quiet way.
