Randolph Cottreau was born in Green Harbour, Nova Scotia, 1918. He served asa Private in the army during WWII, and was sent to England. His unit was stationed in Worthing, where he met and married Eileen Crouch in 1942. He fought in Sicily, Africa, and other parts of Europe. He was the soldier operating the telephone that would receive instructions from command, and relay them to the other troop commanders while at the front. After surviving the war, he came back to Canada and joined the Royal Canadian Airforce, as a Corporal. He retired from a long military career, and became the Fire Chief of Weymouth, Nova Scotia, whose service he remained in until he passed in 1982 from multiple myeloma, and prostate cancer.