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    Geoff Reeves

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    Everything posted by Geoff Reeves

    1. Good news! I know my luggage will be slightly heavier on the way home from Jacksonville now...
    2. This is a decision I'm having to face right now. My Grandfather served in the British Army from 1906-38, his full group is DCM, 1914 Star trio, and LSGC. He volunteered, at the age of 52, for active service in September of 1939. His health wasn't good (he'd been a POW in the first war for over 4 years - Oct '14-Nov '18) but he was accepted anyway. He was posted to Margate as the RSM of an RASC training depot but died, on active service, in mid-January 1940. My Grandmother remarried a Canadian soldier during the war and came to Canada so my Grandfather's medal entitlement was not checked. I decided to look into it and wrote away to the proper authorities and this past February his WW2 entitlement - a single War Medal, arrived in the post (68 years after he qualified for it)! Now the dilemma I'm facing is whether or not to mount it with his original medals. Had he survived the war this is what he would have done, of course, so I'm leaning towards doing that now. Haven't decided either way yet as there are good arguments on both sides of the issue.
    3. That's an interesting point, Leigh. I'll have to check his service file at home. It does state, however, his medal entitlement, and the 39-45 Star is not listed so someone didn't think he was entitled. If the transit time from Canada to the UK and the UK to Italy did count, it might not have amounted to 20 days (probably didn't) but it would make the story more interesting, in that he missed qualifying for the medal by an even smaller margin.
    4. I have one such "quirky" group. Lyle Orval DUVAL enlisted into the RCAF in early 1943. He was training as flight crew when, for some unknown reason, he remustered into the infantry in late 1944 (volunteered or volun-told?). Duval arrived in England on 9 December 1944 and, after a period of training, was appointed Lance-Corporal and posted to the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment in Italy. He arrived in Italy on 7 Feb 1945, thus qualifying for the Italy Star and "starting the clock" on his 39-45 Star. At this time the H&PER, along with the rest of the 1st Brigade of the 1st Canadian Division, were readying themselves for the move to Northwest Europe. In fact, the bulk of the regiment left Italy in late February, but Duval remained until the 10th of March, probably as a member of the rear-party. Duval arrived in France on 12 March 1945, qualifying him for the France and Germany Star and he, along with the rest of his regiment, began the long tough fight to liberate Holland. With the war over, Duval was struck of strength of the H&PER in the field on 16 July 1945. He left England on 6 August 45 and arrived back in Canada on the 7th of September. He was discharged from the Army in May 1946. He rejoined in August 1950 and was posted to the 2nd Battalion of The Royal Canadian Regiment. He went over to Korea with them in May 1951, was wounded by gunshot in July - returning to duty after a period of convalesance (2 RCR saw quite a bit of action during their tour, particularly at Chail-li and the Songguk Spur). Duval returned to Canada in May 1952, with the rest of the Battalion, and received his final discharge in August of the that year. Back to the question of his 39-45 Star: Duval arrived in the area of operations on 7 Feb 1945 and left it on 16 July 1945 - a total of 160 days - 20 days short of qualifying!
    5. My Great-Uncle, Lt. Alexander Cunningham STARMER has nearly an identical group. He went over to Africa as a Corporal with the 2/15th Infantry Battalion (9th Division) and was a Sergeant during the siege of Tobruk and an A/WOII at El Alamein. Shortly before the 2/15th returned to Australia to train for New Guinea he was commissioned and won the MC near Finschafen, New Guinea in September of 1943. His medal group comprises the following: Military Cross, 1939/45 Star, Africa Star with 8th Army Clasp, Pacific Star, Defence Medal, War Medal, Australian Service Medal Citation for his Military Cross, from the London Gazette of 2 March 1944: Unfortunately I don't have a photo of the group yet but it is still with his daughter in Queensland. Here's a photo of him shortly after the war:
    6. A very nice medal, indeed, Enzo! While terms such as "rare" and "scarce" are used all too often in our hobby, I think it is safe to say that your MGS with "Egypt" clasp to the Malta Pioneers falls into that category. The latest (7th) edition of British Battles and Medals lists only 6 medals claimed (all with the Egypt clasp as Leigh mentioned earlier). Remember, also, that not all medals from that era have survived through to today - you, potentially, have a unique piece there.
    7. Great bar, CR! I remember when you pulled that one out of your bag at the convention. I'd say, between that and the screwback Wound Badge - you did pretty well for yourself in Houston! Great meeting you too... Geoff
    8. Hi Kevin: Major Thomas' MSC citation can be found here: http://www.gg.ca/honours/search-recherche/...msd&id=3662 In fact, all recipients (both military and civilian) of Canadian Orders and Decorations can be searched from this page. Most listings include the citation. http://www.gg.ca/honours/search-recherche/index_e.asp
    9. Just a note on the Defence Medal - West African service actually DID count towards it. "British Battles and Medals" by Major L.L. Gordon (if you only ever own one book on British campaign medals - this should be the one) states that:"Service in the United Kingdom Forces in West Africa, Palestine, and India would count for the award of this medal...". I'll I'm trying to confirm at the moment is if the RWAFF were considered "United Kingdom Forces" and if so then he certainly qualifies for it. If not then you're right, it was not an are subject to enemy attack.
    10. Some more information we glean from this card (from a source more enlightened on these matters than myself). Under Theatre of War first served in - it says Africa (fairly self-explanatory) and the code 4C. 4 was the code for Africa, but I didn't know that C was the code for Cameroon. So Winward first came to Cameroon on 8 May 1915. Now, Rick, I'm sure you know more about this campaign then I (from the German side anyway ) but I'm told, that at this time, there were still several months of campaigning before this area was secured. Also: it would appear that Winward initially appeared in a Colonial Medal Roll but then was removed from there and entered into the RAOC medal roll (AOC became Royal after the Great War). You can see where it says "deleted from Col/4/4 Correct Entry BW and V roll RAOC 4126" (4126 probably referring to the entry number). See Rick, almost as confusing as those Ranglisten of yours with out the hard-to-read font (just hard-to-read handwriting!).
    11. Rick, here's a copy of Winward's Medal Index Card. The basics of it are fairly self-explanatory. It shows Winward qualifying for the 14-15 Star, BWM, and Victory medals - and it shows where to find his entries on the appropriate medal rolls (and I'm really terrible and decyphring the roll references so I've asked someone to give me a hand with them, I'll post more once I get my answer) As to his medal entitlement, I think we're just about there. Here are the definites in order of precedence: CBE (civil), MBE (military) [worn together because different divisions], 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal, War Medal (for WW2). Here are the maybe's: Defence Medal (WW2 - would be worn between the Victory Medal and War Medal (WW2) and 1937 Coronation Medal (he was invited so you never know - I'll see if there's a way to find out). The definitely nots: Africa General Service Medal and Africa Star. So, we're getting there...you'll have your (accurate) ribbon bar soon enough!
    12. Rick: I couldn't help myself - I just had to know. So, I've downloaded Winward's Medal Index Card and it indicates to me that he was entitled to the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, and the Victory Medal. I believe all 3 will be named to Winward and showing AOC as his unit, but am doing some more checking to be sure. I will post the image of the MIC when I get home from work tonight. At least now, we have a fairly complete view of his medal entitlement. His WW2 entitlement is, at least the War Medal - I will see if he's entitled to the Defence Medal as well - I don't believe he's eligible for the Africa Star, but will double-check that to be sure. Check this space later in the evening...
    13. Hi Rick: Winward would not have qualified as he was a commissioned officer. All of his "acting" ranks were as an officer but he was commissioned to substantive rank (Lt and QM). His time spent as an NCO, I believe, was on attachment so had he served the requisite time, as a ranker, for an LSGC he would have received the British Army LSGC. Hope that makes some sense...
    14. No need to be embarrassed, Chris. The thing of it is - this campaign, while difficult and nasty - did not have an Isandlwana or Rorke's Drift to etch it into the public imagination. There was the Birkenhead disaster, of course, but not many people associate it with the campaign itself.
    15. The story behind the medal from the previous posts. This particular medal is named to 2652 Pte. Absalom Hale. The research is not quite as complete as I would like it to be, but I've hit a few walls so this will have to do for now. Absalom Hale enlisted in the 2nd Regiment of Foot at Cirencester, Gloucestershire, on 8 April 1851. He was 20 years old and stood 5'7 3/8" tall. He was paid a bounty of 3 pounds/10 shillings for joining up. What I find curious about this is that the 2nd of Foot was the county regiment of West Surrey, whose main town is Guildford. Cirencester is known as the "capital of the Cotswolds" and is found in the south (I think) of Gloucester - home of the 61st Regiment of Foot. The 61st, after amalgamating with the 28th in 1881, would become the famous Gloucestershire Regiment - the Glorious Glosters. But I digress, the main question is: why did a man, presumably from Gloucestershire, enlist in Gloucestershire in a Surrey regiment? There was one other man from Cirencester who joined the 2nd that same day - so perhaps a wandering recruiting party? The mystery of his enlistment nothwithstanding, Hale did not remain in England long. In June 1851 the 2nd Queen's embarked at Queenstown, Ireland, in 3 contingents, for the Cape Colony. The smallest group had an uneventful trip aboard HMS Cyclops, those aboard the Sumner had to fight a fire that broke out at one point, and the largest contingent - of which Pte Hale was a member - suffered "a series of mishaps" but still made it to Simon's Bay by August 8th. I can find no details as to what these "mishaps" were - but it is a bit eerie that Hale went to South Africa in the same ship, that only 6 months later was involved in one of the great maritime disasters of the 19th Century. HMS Birkenhead, which sank while rounding the Cape of Good Hope on a return journey to South Africa in February 1852. Of the 650 people on board, only 193 would survive. (The story of HMS Birkenhead's sinking is an epic tale of gallantry - a google search for "Birkenhead" brings up a number of good sites). Once arrived in the Cape - Hale and his mates were immediately marched to King William's Town and they were in action soon after that. On September 1st, at Committy's Hill, the 2nd was confronted by a large body of Kaffirs concealed in trees. The Queen's men endured a heavy fusilade and took their first casualties. Among these were several bandsmen who were still wearing their distinctive white regimental jackets - and were singled out because the Kaffirs assumed they were of superior rank. During the Fish River operations in mid-September, the 2nd, in desperate fighting alongside the Grenadier Guards, would lose 30 killed and 17 wounded. Later on in the campaign, Hale and his fellow Queen's men would take part in mountain operations in the Kroome and Waterkloof ranges - Hale would also endure the rigours of several long forced marches. Although by the end of 1853 the campaign was over - Hale would remain - along with the rest of his regiment - in the Cape Colony for an additional 8 years. During this period, Abasalom Hale would experience more action during the troubles on the Cape Frontier in 1856-7 and he participated in an expedition across the Orange River. At the end of this time there was no return to England - instead, Hale would be fighting again - this time in China. Getting to China would not be much fun for Hale and his pals. They were encamped briefly in East London - in early March of 1860 - before boarding their troopships - and during this encampment a flash flood tore through the bivouacs. No casualties were sustained but every soldier suffered a heavy loss of personal possessions. There is a strong chance that Hale embarked for Hong Kong aboard HMS Vulcan, and if he did, he would have arrived safely in Hong Kong on May 7th, but not before experiencing a severe storm that drove the Vulcan far off her course. The battalion was sent to the North of China and were present at the capture of the Taku Forts. One would think, naturally, that Hale would be eligible for this bar on the China War medal of 1860. He is, however, not. He is one of only 30 men from the 2nd of Foot who were eligible only for the bar Pekin 1860. The rest of the regiment was entitled to a 2-bar medal: Pekin 1860 and Taku Forts 1860. It is surmised that he missed the action at the forts because he was either sick or on attachment to a labour party of some sort. After the Chinese were all sorted out, the 2nd (Queen's) Regiment of Foot embarked for India for an extended stay. 2652 Pte Absalom Hale would not be joining his friends, however. Instead, he sailed from Hong Kong on HMS Indomitable and arrived in Portsmouth on 6 May 1861 - 9 years and 11 months after setting sail for Africa. On 31 May 1861, having served the Colours for 10 years and 53 days, and in receipt of 2 Good Conduct badges (thus eligible for an extra 2 pennies' pay per day), Absalom Hale was discharged from The Queen's as a time-expired soldier. I cannot find any listing for Absalom Hale in the 1901 Census - so he was either dead (he would be 70) or had left England to find his fortune elsewhere - perhaps one of the Colonies...maybe even Canada. Who knows. One unfortunate note. As many of you know there was a break-in at the regimental museum of The Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment and over 1000 medals were stolen. This happened just over 2 years ago. Hale's South Africa 1853 medal is not one of those listed as stolen...but his China War medal with bar Pekin 1860 is. This is one group that will probably never be reunited and certainly never by me. The Hale China medal was seen on a dealer's list some time ago, I'm told...ahh well, hopefully someone realizes what has happened and returns it to the museum...but I won't hold my breath. So, still some work to be done on old Absalom - but that gives you a general idea of how he spent his 10 years in uniform.
    16. The riband for this medal is identical to that of the South Africa Medal of 1879. There was some debate, in the past, over different shades of yellow being used, but those were fairly peripheral arguments. The consensus, and the contemporary literature, supports the assertion that the two medals share the same riband. The naming for the South Africa 1853 medal is impressed roman capitals. Private soldiers, as in this example, did not have their rank indicated.
    17. Taking direction from the Chairman's pinned post about expanding this section - I thought I'd post some information on one of my favourite British medals - for one of the more obscure Victorian campaigns. The South Africa medal 1853 was given to the survivors of the Kaffir Wars of 1834-1853. The obverse, designed by William Wyon, features the diameded head of Queen Victoria (ie: the young profile with the tiara) surrounded by the legend VICTORIA REGINA (she was not Empress of India yet so no ET IMPERATRIX). The reverse, designed by Leonard Wyon (modeller and engraver to the Royal Mint and son of William Wyon) has been the centre of some debate and controversy over the years. Many, including Major L.L. Gordon - author of "British Battles and Medals", thinks that it is of a lion stooping to drink in front of a Proteus bush (a bush very common to South Africa). In fact, according to Everson, the lion - representing Africa - is prostrating itself in a token of submission; in heraldic terms it is "Couchant". It is interesting to note that the Undersecretary of State for War at the time, Sir Frederick Peel (son of Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel and brother of Sir William Peel, VC) wrote that "I hope the Lion doing penance will not be taken for the British Lion". I have read that some did take it for this and thus the controversy - however this is clearly not the case. The Kaffir Wars are some of the least known of Victorian Britain's "small" 19th Century wars. The last of the campaigns predate the more famous Zulu and Basuto Wars by some 20-odd years. Nevertheless, despite not having a regiment wiped out, as at Isandhlwana, or mounting an epic defence as at Rorke's Drift, the British soldiers and Native levies experienced incredible hardships while fighting a well-armed, fierce, and brave enemy. Medals were only issued to survivors and some 10 210 were issued (out of 10 500 struck). The medal covers three campaigns: 1834-5, 1846-7, and 1850-3. There were no bars issued for the medal and the only way of finding out which campaign a medal was awarded for is to check the man's name on the rolls. The exergue of the reverse is dated 1853 - the year the last campaign ended. The first campaign was essentially a punitive expedition. I love this term. Essentially, the natives get uppity and the British Army is sent in to give the buggers a good thrashing, then it's back to Pimms and cricket. In this case the natives, under Chief Hintza, raided the Portuguese port at Delgoa Bay in December 1834, killed the Governor and started raiding into British Kaffraria. After a ride of 600 miles in 6 days, Sir Harry Smith arrived to put things right. By April 1835, Hintza was captured and peace treaties were signed - Hintza is later killed while trying to escape. The first campaign was over but native raids continued over the next several years - and British troops saw some action during that period. In March 1846, 40 warriors under Chief Tola attack an escort taking a Kaffir prisoner to trial on charges of stealing an axe. A Hottentot prisoner to whom the other was manacled was killed, and thus began the 2nd campaign - also known as the War of the Axe (I'm not making this stuff up - don't ever steal tools from the British Army!!) Anyway, those pesky natives were now better armed and some were equipped as well as the British soldiers. Two divisions were sent to Kaffirland and encountered stronger than expected resistance. However, on June 8th the massed warriors of two tribes were caught out in the open and suffered heavy losses at the Battle of Guanga. By November, the chiefs started to surrender one by one, the war was felt to be over. However, occasional raiding by natives prolongued the war until constant patrolling, between July-October of 1847, by British regulars starved the Kaffir tribes. The two main chiefs surrendered and the axe thief was returned to British custody....and everything was Pimms and cricket again. That is until October 1850 when the Kaffir tribes began adopting an increasingly warlike attitude. Sir Harry Smith met with the chiefs and deposed the main instigator, Sandili. Smith returned to the Cape convinced he had settled things. Two months later 40 settlers were murdered and the 3rd campaign started. The Kaffir warriors escaped to the mountains and began a 3-year campaign of hard fighting in mountainous and wooded terrain. This made things very difficult for the British forces but, over time, also divided the Kaffir rebels and forced their eventual surrender in March 1853. Of note, disaster struck British troops arriving in South Africa when the troopship Birkenhead struck a rock and sank on February 26th, 1852. The bravery and discipline of the British troops, who were told to stand fast in ranks to allow civilians to take to the lifeboats first - and did as they were ordered with great calmness, so impressed King William of Prussia that he had the story read out in every Prussian barracks. Here is the Obverse of the South Africa Medal of 1853...
    18. Finally - a family grouping. These are my Grandfather's medals. William George Reeves was born in London (Kennington) on 5 March 1888. He studied to be a carpenter at King Edward's School, Wounley Hill , but left at aged 16 to go to sea. He returned two years later and in mid-1906, having seen the light, decided to leave the life of a mariner behind and join the army. He attested to The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment), given Regimental number 8846 and was posted to the 2nd Battalion. Between 1906 and 1914 the 2nd Battalion was well-travelled. Enjoying such postings as Gibraltar (1910-1912), Bermuda (1912-1914) and South Africa. It was in South Africa that the 2nd The Queen's, and my Grandfather (now a Serjeant), found themselves in August, 1914. On the declaration of war with Germany, the Battalion promptly marched back to Cape Town and onto troop ships back to England. After a period of encampment in the New Forest the Battalion, as part of the 22nd Brigade, 7th Division, embarked for Flanders and Sjt. W.G. Reeves arrived in Belgium on 4 October 1914. They found themselves in the thick of things fairly quickly and by the end of October found themselves fighting on the Ypres-Menin road near a town called Gheluvelt. On 31 October 1914 the German attacks were particularly intense, communication lines were cut and my Grandfather volunteered himself as a message runner. For this he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. By the second week of November Sjt W.G. Reeves had been wounded and captured - just another one of the 676 casualties that the Battalion had suffered in the 3 weeks they had been in Flanders. He spent the remainder of the war as a prisoner. He made 3 escape attempts, none of them particularly successful, although he did remain at large for over a week at one stretch. Ultimately he was sent to work the salt mines near Salzburg, Austria. After being repatriated my Grandfather was sent to Russia, but I have no idea what kind of service he saw there and I'm not sure to whom he was attached - as The Queen's did not send any battalions there. Hopefully something will come to light when I get his SR. After that he saw service with the Depot, the 4th Battalion (where he was the RSM) and the 5th Battalion (where he was CSM of C Company in Bermondsey). He retired in 1938 but answered the call again in September 1939 when he became S/6076192 WO1 W.G. Reeves, DCM, Royal Army Service Corps. He was the RSM of a supply Depot in Surrey, but his health had not been good. My Grandfather died, on active service, on 16 January 1940, aged 51. He is buried at Brookwood Military Cemetary. His DCM was gazetted on 16 February 1915 - it was the 2nd DCM to the Battalion and the 7th to the Regiment during the First World War. Eventually there were 158 DCM's won by The Queen's in the Great War: Missing from his group is the War Medal of the Second World War, to which he is entitled, but which was never claimed. We are currently in the process of claiming this last medal for my Grandfather, but it will take a while.
    19. Moving on to the Great War, here is the 1914-15 Trio to 2868 Pte Joseph Collins, The Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regiment. Joseph Collins was born in the small town of Lewknor, Oxfordshire, on September 12th, 1897 to Robert and Emma Collins. Life was not easy because, by the age of 13, Joseph and his older brother Charles were already working to support their parents and 5 other siblings; Joseph as a farm labourer at 5/6 a week. By 1912, it would seem that Joseph had had enough and wanted out of his surroundings. Luckily, for him, it seems that a Major in the Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars had taken an interest in the boy, and the earliest documentation I have of Joseph Collins' existence is a request, on Oxon. Hussars' letterhead (dated 15 Feb 1912), from Major Codington to the Secretary of the Gordon Boys' Home for a Form of Application. The application is received and sent back with this note from Major Codington, once again on QOOH letterhead. I think it bears reproducing in this space: Feb 24, 1912 Dear Sir, I here-with enclose application form also a letter from the boys Schoolmaster, the boy is a very steady & hard working lad & I think is deserving of help. The plain facts of case are these, the father is an old soldier (The East Surrey Regiment) & you will see by the form of application is in receipt of a pension & earning 13/- a week but both he & his wife are great drunkards & every penny that they earn or that this boy or his brother earn is squandered in drink. The boy is very anxious to get away from his present surroundings & to join the Army if possible. If you think a deserving case & can get this lad admitted I shall be more than thankful. Your faithfully etc. To this day the school still exists, now known as The Gordon School in Woking, Surrey. It was founded as the National Memorial to General Gordon of Khartoum. The school in the early part of the 20th century seems to have been based on a military model. Joseph joined the school on 18 March 1912 was given number 2568 (which, you will notice, is very close to his eventual regimental number). Over the next year and a half he appears in the School's defaulter's book 3 times, for such things as being late coming back from a football match and misconduct in the tailor's shop. Typical kids stuff! When war broke out in Aug. 1914 it seems Joseph, now 17, was eager to go. On 2 October 1914, Joseph Collins attested to the 6th (Reserve) Bn of The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regt) at Guildford. He was 5'3 1/2" tall with a good physical development and the vision in his left eye was described as "not very good". After completing his recruit training, 2868 Pte Joseph Collins was posted to the 2/4th Bn of The Queen's at Croyden, in April 1915, and given regimental number 206477. The battalion embarked from Devonport on July 17th and arrived in Port Said, Egypt, as part of the MEF, on August 4th. The next day the battalion, and Joseph Collins, found themselves encamped in Alexandria. From here the Collins story gets a bit muddled. His service papers are part of the Burnt Document series and many parts are quite hard to read or completely obliterated. The battalion found itself in Gallipoli by mid-August and on operations on the Western Frontier of Egypt in December of 1915. I think it's quite likely that Pte Collins served in Gallipoli - as the record doesn't indicate attachement elsewhere, but on 4 Dec 1915, while his comrades were on the Western Frontier, Collins found himself at Signalling school (where is unclear). He qualified as a Pioneer Signaller on 22 January 1916 and was attached to the 159th Brigade's Signal Section on the 15th of April. He embarked with that Brigade to points unknown (it looks like Mesopotamia but I can't really make it out and I don't think the 159th Bde was ever there) on July 7th and returned to Alexandria exactly a month later. Once returned it seems that he was attached to the 53rd Signal Company, RE until an illness in February 1917 sent him to hospital in Cairo for about 3 weeks. After his release he was attached to the Base Signals in Cairo until, on 25 July 1917, he decided to make it official and transferred to the 2nd Home Counties Field RE (T.F.) as a Pioneer Signaller with the Royal Engineers number 535852. At this time, 2 years and 7 months into his enlistment, our Joseph was listed at 5'8", and his girth when fully expanded had gone from 33 to 371/2". Seems army food agreed with him! From there on in it seems that Pnr. Collins was posted to the Base Signal Depot in Cairo. Unfortunately, no matter how many times I reread the photocopies of the damaged documents, I can't see when Pnr. Collins returned to England and when he was released from service. Hopefully I'll be able to decipher it one day, but for now, his story ends here.
    20. Next up is a Canadian group for service in two wars. Italy Star, France and Germany Star, Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with Overseas clasp, War Medal, Commonwealth Korea Medal, and UN Korea Medal (these last two properly impressed B-800032 L.O. Duval. This group's is quite interesting as there is a bit of quirk to it that some see right away (I didn't) and others (usually those who don't collect Commonwealth WW2 groups) don't notice at all. Don't worry all will be revealed soon. B-800032 Lyle Orval Duval enlisted into the RCAF at Kirkland Lake, Ontario (way far north in mining country) in early 1943. He held the rank of Aircraftsman 2nd Class and was training as flight crew when, for reasons unknown, he remustered into the infantry in late 1944. It is possible he wasn't given much of a choice as Canada was desperately short of infantry with both the Normandy and Italian campaigns in full swing - however that we'll never know. Whatever the reason Duval arrived in England on 9 December 1944 and after a period of training was appointed Lance-Corporal and posted to the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment, arriving in Italy on 7 February 1945. This qualified him for the Italy Star and started his 6 month qualifying clock for the 1939-45 Star (oops...have I given it away already?! ). However, the H&PER, along with the rest of the 1st Infantry Brigade of the 1st Canadian Division was getting ready to leave Italy - the bulk of the Regiment left in February '45, but Duval didn't leave until 10 March '45. I suspect he was a member of the rear-party on clean-up duty. Two days after leaving Italy, on 12 March 1945, Duval arrived in France, thus qualifying him for the France and Germany Star - although unlike the Italy Star - for which I suspect Duval saw no actual combat, it wasn't going to be easy. The 1st Canadian Division - The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment amongst them, saw very tough fighting through Holland and Germany to the end of the war. As an aside, I wonder if Duval was a member of Farley Mowat's company - the famous Canadian author was a Company Commander with this regiment throught the Italian and North West Europe Campaigns (he wrote "And No Birds Sang" about his experiences during the war). Now, the war finally over, Duval is Struck off Strength of the H&PER in the field on 16 July 45 and SOS of the Canadian Army Overseas (in the UK) on 6 August 1945. Duval was back in Canada by 7 September 1945 and was honourably discharged at Toronto in May 1946. Going back to when Duval arrived in Italy - on 7 Feb 45 and when he left the operational area on 16 July 45, you can see that he missed qualifying for the 39-45 Star by only 22 days. So the quirk in this group is the presence of two Stars without one of them being the 39-45 Star. Duval wasn't finished there, however, he was back with the colours in August 1950 and posted to the 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment. He went overseas with them in May of 1951 and was wounded by gunshot in July '51 - however he was able to return to duty. During its time in Korea, 2 RCR saw quite a bit of action. In addition to the constant patrolling, that was a daily reality for the infantry in Korea, 2 RCR was involved in the heavy fighting at Chail-li and Songguk Spur. Duval returned to Canada with the rest of his battalion in May of 1952 and received his discharge in August of that year.
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