James Doig

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Bio

Jim Doig was born on July 11, 1925, in Saint John, New Brunswick.

In 1943, at the age of 18, he enlisted in the Canadian Army as a private soldier. Jim qualified as a parachutist and was commissioned in 1945. He remained in the post-war regular army, serving in Korea with the 3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment. Following the 1953 ceasefire, he continued to work in Korea as a member of the UN Military Armistice Commission, which operated in the Demilitarized Zone. With the Commission, he attempted to resolve outstanding issues from the war, such as the repatriation of prisoners of war and negotiations to resolve other outstanding matters.

During his time in Korea and Japan, Jim compiled a scrapbook documenting his experiences. You can find some of his images and artifacts from his time in Korea on the Royal Canadian Regiment Museum website at Wolseley Barracks .

Following his experiences in Korea, Jim returned to civilian life. Jim chose a career as a land surveyor, and in 1958, he and Madeline Ellen West married and made their home in Lawrencetown, Annapolis County, where they raised their daughter, Mary. During this time, he commanded the West Nova Scotia Regiment (1960’s), retired with the rank of Colonel, and later served as Militia Advisor for mainland Nova Scotia. After 10 years as a survey instructor at the Nova Scotia Land Survey Institute (now the Center for Geographic Sciences, NSCC), Jim became principal in 1968 and retired in 1986. Jim was also a longtime member of Lawrencetown Branch No. 112 of The Royal Canadian Legion.