Tingle Lake is named for Aubry M. Tingle, the 3rd son of Mr. and Mrs.C.N. Tingle of Chilliwack. Tingle Creek is named for Cyril N. Tingle, born August 4, 1909.
In 1933, the Tingle family came to Chilliwack from Hanna, Alberta. Aubrey’s father, later the district court registrar, purchased a store at Vedder Crossing that Aubrey ran. Aubrey joined the R.C.A.F. in May 1940 and received his pilot wings at Carberry, Manitoba. Initially he served on the West Coast at Patricia Bay, Vancouver Island. He was then stationed on the East Coast, and flew out of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, where he was engaged in flying patrols for over a year. During this time Aubrey returned to the West Coast to fly the first bomber made by Boeing in Vancouver to the East Coast. On January 1, 1943 he was mentioned in despatches for distinguished service with 162 Squadron. Six days later, January 7, while flying a Canso on an outward bound anti‑submarine patrol; the aircraft crashed three miles south of Gander Lake, Newfoundland. Five members of the seven-man crew were killed. His brother, C.N. Tingle, was also killed on active service with the R.C.A.F. in November 1944. A cousin, L.J. Tingle, was killed in a flying accident in Iceland (Ferguson, 2009).
Cyril Nisbit Tingle was born at Stettler, Alberta and educated at both public and high schools in Hanna, Alberta. At the University or Alberta he obtained his B.A. and L.L.B. prior to his 21st birthday. A brilliant student, Cyril was the university’s Chief Justice’s gold medallist in law, and won the Governor‑General’s medal and the Carswall prize. As the recipient of the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire scholarship, the fund entitled Cyril to attend London University in England for one year, where he specialized in political economy. On his return to Canada in 1935 he articled with a law firm in Edmonton and then bought a practice at St. Paul, Alberta. He enlisted in the R.C.A.F. after the outbreak of war and following basic training was posted to the Estates Branch in Ottawa. He attended Kingston Military College to study allied military governments of occupied territories. Two years later he joined the Civil Affairs branch in Kingston, Ontario. In August, 1944 he was posted overseas and was attached to the British Second Army as a civil affairs officer. On November 27, 1944, in Belgium, Cyril was a passenger in a car when the driver, having been blinded by oncoming headlights, crashed into the rear end of a parked truck. Following the accident Cyril was taken to 101 British General Hospital where he died. Cyril Tingle was married to Margaret H. Tingle (nee Fraser of St. Paul, Alberta) and had one daughter and two sons. Margaret Tingle lived with their three children on Bole Avenue. On December 3, 1944 a memorial service, for Cyril, was held at St. Thomas Anglican Church conducted by Reverend Canon H.P. Barrett. A brother, A.M. Tingle, was killed on active service with the RC.A.F. in January 1943. His cousin, L.J. Tingle, was killed in a flying accident at Iceland in March 1944 (Ferguson, 2009).
In 1947, geographical features were named by an agency of the federal government, the Canadian Permanent Committee on Geographical names after receiving a list of names of Canadian servicemen from Chilliwack who were killed during the Second World War From Canada’s Department of National Defence. The names were divided by province and were to be assigned to geographical features close to the place of enlistment (Grainger, 1998, p.82).
Tingle Lake and Tingle Creek are located northwest of Stave Lake, about 48 km north of Mission.
References:
- Grainger, N. (1998). The Mountain Project.Chilliwack, B.C.: Neil Grainger
- Ferguson, P. (2009). Chilliwack War Memorial. Online exhibit retrieved from http://www.chilliwackmuseum.ca/war-memorial/WW2_t_names.html
Photograph caption: Flying Officer Aubrey Maxwell Tingle. [Chilliwack Museum and Archives photograph]