Portage Legion - Branch #65

Portage Legion - Branch #65 The Legion is Canada’s largest Veteran support and community service organization. Branch #65 is located in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba.

Our Cedar Lounge, found in the basement, features a snooker table, shuffleboard tables, steel tip & electronic dart boards and VLT machines for your entertainment. Upstairs, we have a hall available for rental and also offer catering services. We hold Bingo, Chase the Ace and Meat Draw events weekly!

09/15/2026

GENERAL MEETING FOR THE PORTAGE LEGION BRANCH #65 IS BEING HELD ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22ND AT 7PM. MEMBERSHIP CARD IS NEEDED EITHER DIGITAL OR PHYSICAL. SEE YOU THERE.

09/15/2026

On a quiet farm in New Brunswick, a young woman sat with headphones pressed to her ears.

No tanks. No aircraft overhead. Just static — and beneath it, faint Morse code drifting in from the North Atlantic, sent by German submarines hunting Allied convoys.

One of those women was Elsa Lessard.

What was she listening for?

Born in Ottawa in 1922 into a Navy family, Elsa already knew Morse code. Her older brother had taught her when she was young.

In 1943, she enlisted in the Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service — the Wrens — and received specialized training for a job that very few Canadians even knew existed.

She became one of roughly 700 Canadian women known as “listeners.”

Their mission was to sit for hours, listening to and transcribing enemy radio traffic, letter by letter.

Elsa served at two secret stations: Leitrim, just south of Ottawa, and HMCS Coverdale, on farmland near Gunningsville, New Brunswick.

From the outside, Coverdale looked like an ordinary farm.

Inside, Canadian women were listening for an enemy thousands of kilometres away.

German U-boats used radio communications to report convoy sightings and coordinate their operations. The listeners had to pull those signals from the static, identify them, record them and help determine where the transmissions were coming from.

The information was then sent onward to Britain, where it could be combined with intelligence from other listening stations and fed into the wider effort to track German submarines.

Elsa did not break Enigma.

She caught the signals that made the rest possible.

The work was exhausting.

Eight-hour shifts. Day and night. Around the clock.

Elsa later remembered that the worst shift was the graveyard shift, around four in the morning.

And there was another burden: secrecy.

The Wrens were sworn to silence. They couldn't simply go home and tell their families what they had been doing all day.

Their families knew they were serving.

They didn't know that, behind closed doors, their daughters were listening to German communications connected to a deadly war being fought across the Atlantic.

After the war, Elsa spent years making sure Canadians remembered the women who had served.

In 2008, she received the Minister of Veterans Affairs Commendation.

She died in Ottawa on July 22, 2025, at the age of 103.

For years, Canadians knew almost nothing about the women behind those headphones.

But while German U-boats hunted Allied ships in the Atlantic, Elsa Lessard and hundreds of other Canadian women were quietly listening.

No battlefield.

No headlines.

Just headphones, static and the faint signals of an enemy.

Had you ever heard of Canada's wartime “listeners”?

Get your tickets for the second event of Legion Week.
09/11/2026

Get your tickets for the second event of Legion Week.

Get your tickets for first event of Legion Week.
09/11/2026

Get your tickets for first event of Legion Week.

09/11/2026

Today, we pause to remember the tragic events of September 11, 2001, and honour the innocent lives lost, including Canadian citizens. We also reflect on the bravery of the first responders who intervened that day and in the days to come.

09/10/2026

Save the date! 🗓️
We are holding our Information Night September 16th at the Hilly Brown Building in Southport.

09/09/2026

Beginning in 2026, The Royal Canadian Legion’s National Poppy Campaign will take place annually from October 24 to November 11.

The standardized campaign period will give more Canadians the opportunity to wear a Poppy, provide more time to raise funds in support of Veterans and their families, and make it easier for businesses, schools and community organizations to plan their participation.

Our campaign is powered by volunteers—and every contribution matters.

Legion members: Please consider volunteering. Whether you can fill a short shift, deliver or collect Poppy boxes, or help at a campaign location, your time will make a meaningful difference. Contact your branch to learn more https://legion.ca/contact-us/find-a-branch

Not yet a member? Join your local Legion Branch and help carry forward one of Canada’s most important traditions. www.legion.ca/join-us

Businesses and community organizations: If you would like to participate in this year’s campaign, please contact your local Legion Branch to learn how you can help. https://legion.ca/contact-us/find-a-branch

Please mark October 24 to November 11 on your calendar. Together, we can honour Canada’s Veterans, support their families and ensure the Poppy remains a powerful symbol of Remembrance.

CALLING ALL PORTAGE LEGION PUB CRAWLERS! WE ARE NOW DOWN TO ONLY 1 TICKETS LEFTfor Pub Crawl on Saturday, October 3rd. ...
09/08/2026

CALLING ALL PORTAGE LEGION PUB CRAWLERS! WE ARE NOW DOWN TO ONLY 1 TICKETS LEFTfor Pub Crawl on Saturday, October 3rd. Do not miss out on a great time. Get your tickets from Bob or Margaret Oldford. Legions, we will be visiting are Stonewall, Gimli, Winnipeg Beach, and Selkirk. The cost is $80 which includes lunch, supper and transportation. Bus leaves at 10am.

09/07/2026

Today, we remember Sgt. Prescott Shipway, a dedicated Canadian soldier, father, and friend who served with courage and professionalism.

In 2006, Sgt. Shipway helped save the life of a fellow soldier during an attack in Afghanistan by securing the area and providing aid under fire. Those who served with him remembered him for his honesty, leadership, and quick sense of humour.

On September 7, 2008, Sgt. Shipway was killed by an improvised explosive device while on patrol in Panjwayi District, Afghanistan.

As we reflect on his service and sacrifice, we honour his legacy and remember the impact he had on those around him.

Visit his online memorial and leave him a virtual poppy: https://ow.ly/LR0x50ZIMzU

09/04/2026

Tonight, the Portage Legion Branch #65 starts selling their 50/50 tickets every Friday night at Meat Draw. 3 tickets for $5.00.

First 50/50 winner has Jo-ann Barnes. It will be drawn every Friday night.

Address

275 Duke Avenue
Portage La Prairie, MB
R1N0S5

Opening Hours

Monday 2pm - 10pm
Tuesday 2pm - 6pm
Wednesday 2pm - 6pm
Thursday 2pm - 10pm
Friday 2pm - 10pm
Saturday 1pm - 12am

Telephone

+12048575558

Website

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