On the night 12/13 April 1945, 12 Canadian Field Company was supporting the 49 (West Riding) British Infantry Division in its assault crossing of the River Ijssel from Westervoort to Arnhem. The task of this company was to construct a Class 40 bridge during the assault. It had been decided that the quickest way of getting this bridge into place would be to construct its various components about 4,000 yards upstream.

Lieutenant York was in charge of a 130-foot prefabricated length of the bridge. Shortly before the time to leave this construction site, it was discovered that two of the pontoons in this section of the bridge had sprung a leak. Lieutenant York, having discovered this, immediately organized the removal of the damaged pontoons and the replacement of fresh ones, thereby incurring no delay as his section of the bridge was the leading part in the journey upstream in the swift current.

The combined effect of wind and current at the junction of the Rivers Ijssel and Neder Rijn caused Lieutenant York's section of the bridge to ground on the enemy bank. At great personal risk, knowing the bank to be littered with Schu mines and Reigel mines, Lieutenant York jumped ashore and, by his rapid action, was able to prevent any of the pontoons being holed. He again got his section of bridge underway and arrived at the site of the bridge which was still under enemy mortar and shell fire. Lieutenant York then proceeded to moor his section in the place required in the final bridge. It was at this time that a piece of equipment came careening downstream and bumped into Lieutenant York's section before it was completely moored. Both sections were carried downstream amongst the Buffaloes of the assaulting infantry and to within a few yards of the mangled steel girders of the Westervoort-Arnhem road and railway bridge.

By superhuman efforts Lieutenant York was able to bring his unwieldy section of the bridge under control. Lieutenant York again saved his section of the bridge from being damaged to the extent of being useless and, after great exertions by him and his crew, brought the heavy section back upstream and into position. Thus it was largely due to Lieutenant York's magnificent efforts that the bridge was completed ahead of schedule, in spite of the difficulties imposed by both the forces of nature and of the enemy.