Tuesday, 6 June 1944 and 25,000 Canadians

[Alex Blair (RIP)]

Originally posted by servicepub
For Alex,
DALTON, Michael Joseph, Honorary Captain (Acting Honorary Major) - Member, Order of the British Empire - Canadian Chaplain Services - awarded as per Canada Gazette dated 2 June 1943 and CARO/3494 of that date.

Honorary Captain M.J. Dalton was attached to the Essex Scottish Regiment as from 14 December 1939 and in May 1940 was posted to Headquarters 4 Brigade and has been with these formations since this date. At all times he has taken an active part in the various activities - training, athletics, recreation, etc., and his zeal and example have been valuable contributing factors toward creating a high standard of morale. This was particularly noticeable after Dieppe. At this time he personally undertook to write to all of the next-of-kin of those of the Essex Scottish Regiment who were wounded, killed, missing or prisoners of war. From reports received I should consider him an outstanding chaplain.

Just an up Date...
This summer my wife and I stopped in to see father Mike and he had just finished celebrating his 105th Birthday..He is alive and well but slowed down considerabley ,..
We got there before lunch and he was snoozing in his chair..fully dressed in his civilian padre gear..
I held his hand and talked to him for a while and he acknowleged me and dozed off again..
I was touching a living part of Canadian military history...
I didn't want to let go but we were on our way to Chicago..I took some pictures but they are personal family only pictures and I won't post them on the internet.
I also have a copy of his war diary..and was amazed to find that he was supposed to be on the Dieppe raid with the Essex Scottish ,but was called away ,with all the rest of the padres from the various regiments to a meeting by the head padre that night the regiments left for Dieppe ..The raid was so secret that they were not even notified of the troop leaving and they left with out him..
As a result he was the only officer from the Essex Regiment that was not killed ,wounded or captured the next day and so survived the raid..
It bothered him the rest of his life and probably still bothers him today..
His diary covers '39-'46....Facinating..