Eric Stanley William Andrews

Eric grew up in Dovercourt, England with his three sisters. He enjoyed attending scouts and singing in a boy’s choir which led to a love for classical music that would last all of his life. After Dunkirk, the second wave of evacuation of the vulnerable from English coastal towns occurred. In 1940, a few months before his 16th birthday, Eric was evacuated to Wotten-under-Edge, Gloucester. When they arrived on the bus, the square was filled with local villagers who would accept children to stay with them. Girls were favoured over boys, and Eric reported that three other boys and himself were chosen “last or awfully close to being last”. They were fortunately accepted to stay at the country manor of Ellerncroft House with Sir Stanley and Lady Tubbs. The boys attended school in the village, went to church on Sunday with Lady Tubbs sitting in the first row, slept in a dormitory setting in the house, and studied and ate their meals in a stable attic that had been transformed into a retreat. Eric expressed fond memories of sitting in the garden to study, playing tennis with Lady Tubbs, and being introduced to new food, and new surroundings.

On December 1, 1942, at eighteen years of age, Eric volunteered to serve in the British Royal Marines. He completed six weeks of training at RM Reserve Depot, Exton. On February 23, 1943 Eric was assigned to the HBL, RM, Division, which contributed to the development of amphibious warfare techniques. This division was disbanded in August of 1943 to provide specialist troops for the Normandy landing. As a result, Eric was assigned to the Royal Marines Armoured Support Group Regiment (RMASG). On June 6, 1944 (D-Day), Eric’s Special Service Regiment #1, D Troop landed on Gold Beach in Normandy to provide heavy artillery support. His role as a gunner in a Sherman tank included calculating bearings for gun to target. The RMASG was disbanded two weeks after D-Day, and on October 20, 1944 Eric was assigned to the 1st Royal Marines Survey Unit. Part of his service was in Chatham, Kent, one of the long-range coastal artillery batteries for cross-Channel firing. Eric was released from service on July 13, 1946.

During the war Eric’s officers noted his skills in mathematics and encouraged him to pursue surveying. Eric initiated his career in England, and was sent to Vancouver by his London employer. He fell in love with BC and Betty. They came to the Island to live in 1953, built a beautiful home and have lived there since. Eric became a BC Land Surveyor and had a successful career with the provincial Department of Surveys and Mapping.

As a father, Dad wanted us to be successful. He worked hard to support our individual interests: Lorraine - violin, Cherrill - ballet, Dianne - horseback riding and Elaine - piano. We were encouraged to pursue these endeavours with discipline and to strive for excellence. Dad was a stickler for pronunciation and manners. As you can imagine, this elicited considerable push back! He fostered in us a love of the outdoors and a curiosity about the natural world through camping trips and regular weekend hikes. Dad’s office was situated behind the parliament buildings and every day at lunch he would walk down to Dallas Road and along the breakwater. One day he saw a large bird that resembled a penguin and he reported it as such. Further research at home in his extensive reference library revealed that the penguin was actually a common murre. To his chagrin and delight, the family never let him forget it and teased him at every opportunity. He amassed a signature collection of penguin paraphernalia. Over the years he built many things for us from all of our bedroom furniture when we were young to custom carpentry when we were adults. Though not someone prone to effusive personal praise, he was clearly delighted with our success.

As grandchildren, we’d heard tales of strictness and sternness from our parents, but for us—perhaps the side-effect of two open-heart surgeries—Grandpa radiated caring and kindness. He was accepting of our life choices and proud of who we were. He welcomed our straight and LGBTQ partners into the family without judgement. Part of this openness came from his unending appetite for learning, which manifested in a MacGyver-like quality building or fixing things, embracing new technology or tasting rare delicacies. Any project we brought to him, from wooden desks and display boxes to the construction of a chicken coup, were welcomed and tackled with exquisite detail and precision. Attention he also brought to his golf-course-quality lawn—its green perfection rivalled only by Grandpa’s perfectly bronzed and fit physique. Grandpa brought us a connection to England and the war. While sitting in his armchair (usually sipping a good scotch or stiff gin and tonic) we’d listen to stories about his life growing-up in Dovercourt and his almost unbelievable experiences in the war. These ties to England were his, but they became part of us too. Grandpa’s almost giddy response to treats (sweet and savoury) made giving him presents a joyful experience; even when, or perhaps especially when, he wasn’t supposed to have them. We were always on the lookout for new decadent flavours … or penguins.

As a long time member, President and Life Governor of the British Columbia Rifle Association and Dominion of Canada Rifle Association, Eric enjoyed a distinguished career as a fullbore shooter in provincial, national and international levels. A skilled, master marksman, Eric made his mark at the BCRA Meet with a number of impressive trophy wins, including the coveted Lt. Governors Match. He also won the BC TR championship and Grand Aggregate. At the National matches in Ottawa Eric won 2 Grand Aggregate Bronze Crosses and qualified to shoot in the Governor General’s Final on 7 occasions. Eric was also a member of Canada's winning shoulder-to-shoulder teams against other international teams that included the UK, Australia, NZ, USA, South Africa and West Indies. It was in Ottawa that Eric also qualified for several Bisley teams over the years. As a valued Bisley shooter, expert coach and team commandant in 1982, Eric’s time at the Imperial Meeting was one of outstanding success, including notable wins in the Kolapore and McKinnon Team matches. Over time, Eric’s shooting talents and experience helped launch him to become one of Canada’s greatest coaches in competitions at both national and international levels. Eric also represented Canada on the 1969 and 1976 Palma Team, which is the prestigious competition that now hosts the World Championships. Eric will be missed not only for his remarkable skills as a rifle shooter, team leader and coach but also for his grace and friendly nature. He was a true gentleman and great friend to the shooting fraternity.

Eric enjoyed carpentry, camping, fishing, hunting and hiking with the family and later with his grandkids in his meticulously customized, camper van. He was a voracious reader. After his first heart surgery, he disciplined himself to walk the golf course five days a week. Dad’s sense of humour persisted until his last day when he quipped to the doctor, “I’ve had a good run.”

Eric is survived by his wife Betty, his four daughters Lorraine (Bob) Messer in Sooke, Cherrill (Andrew Yarmie) in Kamloops, Dianne in Cedar, and Elaine (Ron Beier) on Whidbey Island; his grandchildren Christine (Tyler Schwartz) in Vernon, Karen (Mark Slutsky) in Montreal, Arran Yarmie (Hitomi) in Vancouver, Lindsey Cocking (Dwane) in Victoria, and Adrian Cocking in Toronto; and his great-grandchildren David, Emily, Charlie and Haru.