Looking around the Military Section of the Library and Archives Canada website I came across a link to a searchable database of WWII Canadian Army Overseas Honours and Awards. For fun, I put in a couple of surnames in the hopes of finding a relative mentioned. You how it is, if there is a searchable database we genealogists go through our list of names in the hopes of a hit.
And BINGO! I found my 2nd cousin once removed and the record had some amazing details! Leslie Gordon Norton, the son of Ernest Thomas Norton & Catherine Whiting was a Regimental Signaller with the Essex Scottish Regiment.
On October 16, 1944, the Company was near Woensdrecht, Holland, the rest of the information comes from the document found in the database:
“Enemy fire in this sector was quite heavy, and the slit trench which Private Norton was occupying, received a direct hit, killing one occupant and wounding Private Norton and the other two occupants. Private Norton allowed the other wounded men to be evacuated, but insisted on remaining to work on the damaged wireless set and complete artillery fire orders, which he had been transmitting. He remained on duty giving clear and accurate call signs for an hour, despite the intense pain from his wounds and the continual enemy fire, until relief signal personnel arrived.
Private Norton’s calmness, calmness, courage, devotion to duty exceptional, and he was instrumental in maintaining vital communications within the company.”
This earned Leslie the Military Medal.
In 1948 he was married to Margaret Brown.
1948 news clipping of my grandmother’s
Have a look at the WWII database at the LAC website and hopefully, you will find a relative listed there too!
My Genealogy Life 
1 comment for “WWII Honours & Awards Indexed on Library and Archives Website”