Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Trooper

Unit:

2nd Armoured Regiment (Lord Strathcona's Horse), 5th Canadian Armoured Brigade, 5th Canadian Armoured Division, Canadian Army

Awarded on:

December 8th, 1945

Recommendation:
On 17 April 1945, during the advance from Barneveld to Nijkerk, 2nd Armoured Regiment (lord Strathcona Horse) met very strong opposition at a cross roads about five miles south of Nijkerk. In trying to find a weak spot in this defensive locality three tanks were destroyed by armoured piercing fire. Intense mortar and small arms fire prevented unit stretcher bearers from evacuating the injured crew members from the knocked out tanks.
Trooper Adair established a small Regimental Aid Post in a house near the cross roads to care for the wounded. In the face of very heavy mortar fire in the area of the house and the knocked out tanks and direct small arms fire from enemy infantry positions Trooper Adair made a number of trips over open ground to bring in wounded men and to dress their wounds. In one particular instance a sergeant was wounded and lost the lower half of his leg. Trooper Adair dressed the sergeant’s wound and dragged and carried him to the Regimental Aid Post over several hundred yards of open country and across a road which was covered by enemy machine gun fire. Trooper Adair’s conduct throughout operations in the Netherlands has been worthy of the highest praise and in this particular action his gallantry under fire in successfully evacuating his comrades was in keeping with the finest traditions of the Army.

Royal Decree No. 2.
Supplement to the London Gazette, 21 February, 1946