WW II

Geoffrey Walsh was born in Brantford ON.  He was educated at St. Catharines Collegiate, where he was a member of the school cadet corps, the Royal Military College, Nova Scotia Technical College and McGill University. He joined the Lincoln Regiment as a private soldier in 1924 and attended annual training in that year and the two following years. He entered the Royal Military College in 1927. He graduated in 1930 and was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Engineers and served in the Permanent Force.  He transferred to the Active Force in 1939.

Sapper Stuart Williams was born in 1906, in London, ON, the son of John and Mary Williams. He was married to Margaret Williams and had teenage children John and Donis. Stuart was working in London as a bricklayer when he enlisted in 7^th Field Company on 25 September 1939. His Attesting Officer was Major G.H. McTavish, Commanding Officer of 7^th Field Company - the same officer that was to command the Dieppe Raid Engineer force.

Sapper Hugh Smith was born in 1904 in Belfast, Ireland, to John and Mary Smith. One of seven children, he had four brothers: James, Joseph, Vincent, and Cevard and two sisters: Veronica and Eileen. Hugh worked as a painter and decorator before enlisting on 18 September 1939 in Windsor, ON and assigned to 11^th Field Company that had been mobilized on 1 September 1939.

Sapper Elmer Shova was born in Wikesport, ON in 1918, to William and Eliza Shova. He was a single man and had work experience as a blacksmith and a carpenter when he enlisted in his hometown on 12 September 1939.

Sapper Shova was assigned to 11^th Field Company in Sarnia, ON. After a short period of local training, the unit concentrated at Camp Petawawa, ON for more training. During this period he qualified as a Carpenter on 29 July 1940. Elmer embarked for England from Halifax on 22 August 1940 with the main body of his company.

Sapper Clarence Joseph Sharp was born in 1910 in Ecton, England. The son of Frank and Susannah Rainbow Sharp, he was married to Rowena Helen Sharp of Magnetawan, ON. Clarence enlisted on 20 February 1940 in Toronto and was assigned to 2^nd Field Company in Toronto.

Corporal Daniel Thomas Russell was born in 1917 in Collingwood, ON to Mary and Daniel Russell. He had a brother Robert. Daniel had three years of schooling at Matric York Memorial Collegiate and two years at Western Tech. He had been serving with the Queen’s York Rangers since March 1939. Daniel was a bricklayer upon enlistment in Toronto on 11 March 1940 and was immediately assigned to 2^nd Field Company. Within a week he was qualified as a Bricklayer and Mason.

Sapper John Ramsay was born in 1904, the son of John and Maggie Rae Ramsay of Grangemouth, Scotland. He had a brother James and sisters Margaret and Janet. John was married to Maggie Clement Ramsay of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. A Fitter by trade, he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Engineers on 24 July 1940 in Montreal, QC.

Sapper Sydney George Oliver was born in Cardiff, Wales in 1909, the son of George and Eleanor May Oliver, of Cardiff. Single, he had a brother Alfred and a sister Jessie. He was a construction worker in London, ON, when he enlisted on 28 December 1939 and was assigned to 11^th Field Company, RCE.

The 11^th Field Company had been mobilized on 1 Sep 1939 in Sarnia, ON. After some local training, the unit concentrated for training at Camp Petawawa, ON. Sydney was qualified as a Pioneer Concretor on 27 Jul 1940 and as a Pioneer on 4 April 1941.

Sergeant Ronald Charles Murray was born in Zimin, India in 1909, the son of Captain Charles John Murray and Florence De-Longe Murray. He had two brothers: Thomas and Keith and a sister Dorothy. Ronald was married to Norah of London, ON. Prior to enlisting, he had been a Sapper in the 7^th Field Company, Royal Canadian Engineers, Non-Permanent Active Militia in London since 1933. He was experienced as a truck driver.

Lieutenant William Millar was born in 1913 and educated in Edmonton, AB. The eldest of a family of four boys, he was a member of the local Militia (1934-36) right after High School and became a Corporal in Artillery Survey. While attending the University of Alberta he was a member of the Canadian Officer Training Corps and graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering in Mining Engineering in 1938.