WW II

Spr Walter Richard Coveyduck, 5th Field Company, Distinguished Conduct Medal

In an article published on 5 June 2019, the Globe & Mail describes the experiences of Sapper John Schaupmeyer who landed with Sapper Walter Richard Coveyduck in the 5th Field Company. To add some perspective around Sapper Coveyduck's actions that morning, parts of that article are repeated below.


"Half an hour after they had set foot on French soil on D-Day, Sapper John Schaupmeyer and his fellow combat engineers remained stranded on the beach, pinned down by German machine guns, mortars and artillery.

Lt George Eaton Atkinson, 4th Field Company, Military Cross

By late July 1943, after fighting steadily for the past three weeks, the Allied forces in Sicily were tired and General Montgomery called a halt for all but the 1st Canadian Division. Their task was to open the way to the strategically located town of Adrano, but before that stood the well-fortified hill town of Agira. With Mount Etna overlooking their advance, they pushed hard and after five days of heavy fighting by the 1st and 2nd Infantry Brigades, Agira fell.