No. 1 General Duty Company, Veterans Guard of Canada

History

In mid-October 1941, the General Duty Company of the Veterans Guard of Canada became the corps’ first company to serve on foreign soil. Arriving in England aboard the Aorangi, the Company was to be attached to Canadian Military Headquarters (CMHQ) in London.

In mid-1941, the Department of National Defence approved the creation of the General Duty Company (later No. 1 General Duty Company) of the Veterans Guard. Attached to CMHQ in London, these men would be employed in various roles including as guards, pickets, and in air raid duties, while simultaneously releasing younger, able-bodied men for combat duties.

Instructions were issued to twenty-two Veterans Guard companies to select one NCO and four privates, for a total of 110 men. This would then be narrowed down to a total of 78 other ranks. Each man had to be under fifty years old, in good health, of “exemplary character,” “intelligent and efficient,” smart and soldierly, and at least of average height. As these men would not be representing the Veterans Guard but Canadians as well, authorities cautioned these men be selected with the “very greatest care.”[1]

In the meantime, the Veterans Guard appointed Major Harold Douglas Hedley as the company’s Commanding Officer. Hedley, a school teacher from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, had served with distinction in the First World War, receiving the Military Cross for leading an attack in 1917.

In late August 1941, the 78 other ranks selected for this prestigious company concentrated in Ottawa. Over the coming weeks, the company engaged in training exercises to prepare for their overseas duties. Some of the men were withdrawn from consideration and, by early October, the company had been reduced in size to one Warrant Office, seven sergeants, seven Corporals, and fifty privates. To assist Major Hedley, the Veterans Guard also appointed Lieutenant Douglas Baldwin as second-in-command.

The Company left Ottawa on October 6, 1941 and arrived at Halifax the following day. The Company soon after boarded the Aorangi and, on October 9, the ship departed left Halifax for England.

Upon their arrival in England, the company was initially absorbed by a Reinforcement Unit before it was later re-consolidated into the General Duty Company. Over the coming months, the company busied themselves with various work but their numbers slowly declined as as the men were hospitalized or transferred back to Canada. Major Hedley, for example, was transferred back to Canada and he would go on to serve as the Commandant of Camp 42 (Sherbrooke) from 1944 to 1946. Some reinforcements came from Veterans Guard companies in Canada but most were older men transferred to the Veterans Guard from other regiments serving in England.

The last of the No. 1 General Duty Company of the Veterans Guard returned to Canada in 1945.

[1] Copy of Historical Section, Army Headquarters, “The Veterans Guard of Canada,” Robert Henderson Collection, Royal Alberta Museum, 20-23.

Nominal Roll

Updated November 2022

The following lists most of those initially selected for service overseas with the General Duty Company and, as such, also includes those who were not approved to go overseas (marked here with a “no” in the overseas column). Due to source limitations, this list does not include those who were later transferred to the company as replacements. If you have any information about any of these men, please get in touch.

Reg. No.	Rank	Surname	First Name	Residence	Overseas
L-33022	Pte.	Aiken	Norman	Meadow Lake, SK	yes
B-36297	Pte.	Ainsworth	R.	Toronto, ON	yes
A-34302	Sgt.	Aucott	Arthur	Windsor, ON	yes
	Lt.	Baldwin	Douglas Lorne		yes
H-40051?	Cpl.	Banyard	R. Charles	Neepawa, MB	no
D-110809	Sgt.	Bernard	Thomas	Montreal, QC	yes
H-54290	Pte.	Blackwell	Findlay David Collin	Harding, MB	yes
B-35500	Sgt.	Brown	W.W.	Hamilton, ON	yes
B-16261	Pte.	Buchan	N.	Meaford, ON	yes
K-93582	Pte.	Carlisle	G.J.	Wilmer, BC	yes
C-89042	Pte.	Caron	J.B.	Ottawa, ON	yes
B-14121	Sgt.	Carter	Lytle Frederick Earl Carter	Cochrane, ON	no
K-93687	Pte.	Crabbe	R.H.	Edgewood, BC	yes
G-46100	Pte.	Davis	Ernest Stanley	Oak Bay, NB	yes
C-89507	Pte.	Delderfield	William James	Athens, ON	yes
D-112643	Pte.	Dix	Albert	Waterloo, QC	yes
B-35119	Pte.	Dowling	Thomas George	Toronto, ON	yes
M-42285	Pte.	Duane	Buckley “Buck”	Edmonton, AB	yes
F-46	Pte.	Euloth	Albert William	Dartmouth, NS	yes
F-64	Pte.	Farrell	Michael Terrance	Truro, NS	yes
L-32064	Cpl./Sgt.	Fitzpatrick	Henry Clark	Swift Current, SK	no
F1334	Pte.	Folland	James William	Bradalbane, PEI	no
F-1455	Pte.	Gallant	Cyrus E.	Wellington, PEI	no
B-14532	Pte.	Garrett	Francis Gray	Sault Ste. Marie, ON	yes
H-54135	Pte.	Gilbert	Harold	Virden, MB	yes
H-54382	Pte.	Gilkes	Albert Edward	Winnipeg, MB	no
B-14226	Pte.	Greeley	George Harrison	Hearst, ON	no
D-110770	Pte.	Hale	W	Verdun, QC	yes
H-40181	Pte.	Harrington	Albert Henry	Winnipeg, MB	yes
–	Major	Hedley	Harold Douglas	Moose Jaw, SK	yes
M-42341	Cpl.	Jones	William John	Vancouver, BC	yes
D-26625	Cpl.	Julien	Charles	Montreal, QC	yes
D-107322	Pte.	Knox	J.V.	Montreal, QC	yes
L-41268	Pte.	Lacey	[Emil] Percival John	Quill Lake, SK	yes
C-89556	Pte.	Lafortune	Albert Joseph	Cornwall, ON	yes
D-107021	Pte.	Lauzon	R.	Montreal, QC	yes
A-23112	Pte.	Lawrence	Albert Edward	Galt, ON	yes
B-35681	Pte.	Lawson	Frederick Murray	Welland, ON	yes
K-93691	Pte.	Leggatt	C.J.	Nelson, BC	yes
B-35612	Cpl.	MacFarlane	Peter Archibald	Niagara Falls, ON	yes
G-46577	Sgt.	Machum	Lee Hamilton	NB	yes
D-107060	Pte.	MacKay	R.	Verdun, QC	yes
K-92553	Cpl.	Magnall	William	Vancouver, BC	yes
B-35646	CSM	Manley	Arnold Chester	Beamvsille, ON	no
B-36106	Sgt.	Martin	B.B.	Toronto, ON	yes
B-14881	Pte.	Masters	George Charles	Toronto, ON	yes
D-107110	Pte.	McAnn	Harry Hazen	QC	yes
K-93564	Pte.	McAskill	Donald John	New Denver, BC	yes
K-93641	Sgt.	McCallum	D	Vancouver, BC	no
L-32061	Pte.	McKeller	A	Moose Jaw, SK	yes
B-35259	Pte.	McNeill	Robert	Toronto, ON	yes
K-92526	Cpl.	Mitchell	Alfred William	BC	no
D-112525	Pte.	Moussette	A.	Montreal, QC	yes
L-32252	Pte.	Murrell	J.	Rockglen, SK	yes
D-112645	Pte.	Noad	Francis James Stuart	QC	yes
K-93075	Pte.	Noonan	Thomas Peter	Vancouver, BC	yes
M-42391	Pte.	Norton	J.A.	Hillcrest, AB	yes
D-107078	RSM	Nutter	William Turner	Montreal, QC	yes
F-317	L/Cpl.	Palmer	H.F.	NS	yes
C-89363	Sgt.	Parker	Joseph Peter	Ottawa, ON	yes
K-92680	Pte.	Parnell	Robert Horne	Vancouver, BC	yes
H-40290	Pte.	Philip	Thomas Russel	Hargrave, MB	yes
K-93131	Pte.	Phillips	Walter Albert	Vancouver, BC	yes
K-92847	Pte.	Phillips	John “Jack” Henry	Vancouver, BC	yes
A-34332	Pte.	Pidgeon	Joseph Wilfred	Windsor, ON	yes
D-111522	Cpl.	Pouliot	J	Montreal, QC	no
B-35161	L/Cpl.	Radford	F.	Toronto, ON	yes
C-89783	Pte.	Read	James Edgar	Oshawa, ON	yes
	Sgt.	Ridgway	Tom	Collingwood, ON	no
C-89009	Pte.	Ritchie	Kenneth Archie	Ottawa,ON/Rosslyn, BC	yes
K-93109	Pte.	Romeo	Leopold Eugene	Vancouver, BC	no
B-16229	Sgt.	Rule	Cecil John	Toronto, ON	no
H-40267	Pte.	Sherlow	George F.	Swan River, MB	yes
C-89928	Pte.	Singard	Frank	Pakenham	yes
D-111572	Cpl.	Stewart	J.A.	Atlanta, Georgia, USA	yes
L-32032	L/Cpl.	Tate	John Thomas	Dilke, SK	yes
C-89571	Pte.	Waites	James Edward	Cornwall, ON	yes
H-17244	Pte.	Walters	James William	Winnipeg, MB	no
B-36273	Pte.	Webb	Charles Henry	Weston, ON	yes
A-54718	Pte.	West	A.E.	Windsor, ON	yes
H-40288	Pte.	White	H.	Winnipeg, MB	yes
H-54172	Cpl.	Worthington	Percy	Brandon, MB	yes

Nominal Roll, No. 1 General Duty Company, Veterans Guard of Canada, August-October 1941.

Pictures

General Duty Company, Veterans Guard of Canada, September 6, 1941. Photo by Bert-Mason of Montreal.

Front Row: Unidentified, Unidentified, Pte. R. Ainsworth, Cpl. Charles Julien, Cpl. Percy Worthington, Cpl. Peter Archibald MacFarlane, Sgt. D McCallum, Sgt. Lee Hamilton Machum, Sgt. Thomas Bernard, Sgt. Joseph Peter Parker, Sgt. W.W. Brown, RSM William Turner Nutter, Major Harold Douglas Hedley, CSM Arnold Chester Manley, Sgt. Cecil John Rule, Sgt. Arthur Aucott, Unidentified, Cpl. J Pouliot, Cpl. William Magnall, Cpl. Alfred William Mitchell, Cpl. William John Jones, Pte. Walter Albert Phillips, Pte. W Hale, Pte. Robert Horne Parnell.

Second Row: Pte. Francis James Stuart Noad, Pte. Albert Dix, Unidentified, Unidentified, Unidentified, Pte. R. Lauzon, Pte. George Charles Masters, Pte. C.J. Leggatt, L/Cpl. H.F. Palmer, Pte. Ernest Stanley Davis, Pte. James William Folland, Pte. Albert Edward Gilkes, Pte. Albert William Euloth, Pte. R.H. Crabbe, Pte. R. MacKay, Pte. Donald John McAskill, Pte. Albert Joseph Lafortune, Pte. William James Delderfield, Pte. James Edgar Read, Pte. Francis Gray Garrett, Pte. Cyrus E. Gallant, Pte. J.B. Caron, Unidentified, Pte. Frederick Murray Lawson, Pte. A.E. West.

Third Row: Pte. A McKeller, Pte. Kenneth Archie Ritchie, Pte. Norman Aiken, Pte. Charles Henry Webb, Pte. Thomas Peter Noonan, Pte. Thomas Russel Philip, Pte. H. White, Pte. Harry Hazen McAnn, Pte. George F. Sherlow, Pte. Albert Edward Lawrence, Pte. A. Moussette, L/Cpl. John Thomas Tate, Pte. G.J. Carlisle, Pte. Harold Gilbert, Cpl. J.A. Stewart, Pte. Leopold Eugene Romeo, Unidentified, Pte. Robert McNeill, Pte. Thomas George Dowling, Pte. James Edward Waites, Pte. Frank Singard, Cpl. R. Charles Banyard, Unidentified, Pte. John “Jack” Henry Phillips, Pte. J. Murrell, Pte. J.A. Norton, Pte. Findlay David Collin Blackwell, Pte. Joseph Wilfred Pidgeon.

Unidentified: Sgt. Lytle Frederick Earl Carter Carter, Cpl./Sgt. Henry Clark Fitzpatrick, Sgt. B.B. Martin, Sgt. Tom Ridgway (not believed to be in picture), L/Cpl. F. Radford, Pte. N. Buchan, Pte. Buckley “Buck” Duane, Pte. George Harrison Greeley, Pte. Albert Henry Harrington, Pte. J.V. Knox, Pte. [Emil] Percival John Lacey, Pte. James William Walters , Pte. Michael Terrance Farrell (believed to be in hospital at time of photograph).