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Message 1 - First canadian with MM

Posted on: 19 May 2005 by Trooper Tom Canning - WW2 Site Helper

Fraser -
I don't know if I can help too much but we can try to eliminate various options which might help as your posting indicates a measure of some confusion.
First off have you tried the Veterans Dept at www.vac-acc.com ?they might be able to help.
So to eliminate --
to be the first Canadian to win the MM would indicate that he landed at Dieppe with the second Div. in August '42 as this was their first trip into battle.
Many were captured in that raid and so it is possible that he was first to escape prison at Brest although many were shipped into the Interior of Germany prior to camps in Poland.
To be first to capture an Italian would indicate that he landed with 1st Inf. Div in Sicily on 10th July '43 ...or later in November when the 5th Armed div landed - in Italy below Ortona which was their first battle - long after many Italians had been captured.

My records - which are by no means complete - would indicate that this unit you quote did not serve in either the 1st Inf or the 5th Armed Divs plus the unit name looks odd as 88 Battery Engineers - Battery would indicate - in most cases - an Artillery unit whereas most Engineers were called Field Co's.
Try the Engineers base depot at Edmonton for details of this units service, as he died at Vancouver I would assume that he was in the Western District which was at Chilliwack but moved a few years ago to Edmonton, Alberta.
Since we seem to have eliminated 1st - 2nd and 5th Divs - there is only the 3rd and 4th to worry about, and they only served in NW Europe !
Good luck
tomcan