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Armstrong, Walter Douglas

Date of birth:
December 9th, 1919 (Elbow/Saskatchewan, Canada)
Date of death:
February 16th, 1945 (Moyland Wood, Kalkar, Kleve, Germany)
Buried on:
Canadian War Cemetery Groesbeek
Plot: X. Row: D. Grave: 9.
Service number:
L/27753
Nationality:
Canadian

Biography

Warrant Officer Class II
Regina Rifle Regiment, R.C.I.C.

24.06.1940: enlisted - Dundurn Military Camp
17.04.1941: promoted to Lance Corporal and appointed to Debert Military Camp - New Scotland
01.09.1941: sent overseas to England as Corporal with Regina Rifle Regiment in Hiltingbury Camp - Southampton
06.1944: Sergeant - Normandy campaign - WIA in Courseulles sur Mer / Juno Beach and awarded the MM and sent to the hospital
26.08.1944: back to his unit in the Royal Canadian Infantry Corps Regina Rifle Regiment and promoted to Company Sergeant Major
End 1944: fought in France, Belgium and the Netherlands in Nijmegen
08.02.1945: the Allies launched Operation Veritable in the Rheinland region, Germany
16.02.1945: firstly reported MIA - KIA in the Moyland Wood located 10km south-east of Kleve - Germany and promoted posthumously to Warrant Officer class II

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Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:
Lance-Sergeant
Unit:
1st Battalion, The Regina Rifle Regiment, 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade, 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, Canadian Army
Recommendation:
On 6 June 1944, this NCO crawled forward from the beach with an LMG while under heavy MG fire. He located an enemy position which was being supported by enemy riflemen from slit trenches and with the assistance of two riflemen, cleaned out the enemy position. During this time, they were under fire from another enemy LMG. It was due to this effort that the remainder of the coy were able to move forward and to get into buildings on the regiments right flank.
It was afterwards discovered that during this time, Lance/Sergeant Armstrong had been wounded while on the beach, a bullet having passed right through one leg and grazing the other. When asked by his coy command about his wound, he showed the leg that was only grazed. After taking out an LMG position, he crawled back to his coy under fire, pinpointed another LMG position and then crawled back to support the coy with fire while it did a flanking movement.
He remained in command of his men during the remainder of the morning, leading them forward with a LMG and only returned to the beach dressing station when ordered to do so by his coy command at approximately 1400 hours 6 June 1944.
Military Medal (MM)
Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
with clasp
Canadian Volunteer Service Medal (1939-1947)

Sources

Photo