Former WWII spy dies in Charlottetown

A P.E.I. man who was a spy in World War Two has died at the age of 91.

Clifton Stewart was recruited by the British for his radio operating skills. He was one of several hundred allied troops trained at a special covert facility in southern Ontario called Camp X.

Stewart talked to CBC News about some of that training for a documentary in 2009.

"It took quite a bit of training not to jump at a gunshot. We were lined up in groups and the instructor would take a Colt 45, which is a big bullet, and shoot a live round between the rows, as those would go by two people's ears," said Stewart.

"It kept a lot of us alive. As they told us, they might not be shooting at you. As it turned out, in my case, it was always true. They weren't shooting at me, they were shooting at somebody else."

Stewart used the skills learned there to parachute behind enemy lines. He never discussed the details of his missions because of the British oath of secrecy he swore.

After the war, Stewart worked as an electrician and was a volunteer firefighter in Charlottetown. For years he drove the antique pumper in the Santa Claus Parade.

Visitation is Tuesday at the Belvedere Funeral Home, with his funeral Wednesday.