On September 3, 1939, Great Britain declared war on Germany once more. Canada followed suit seven days later. In the Grey County town of Durham, men and women rushed to join the forces. By the end of the war, six long years later, very few Durham families did not have some member serving overseas. The Greenwood family had eight members, the Lloyds, Aljoes, Millers and Jamiesons four, and many families three and two members.
Durham men and women served in the North Atlantic, South Atlantic, the Mediterranean, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Italy and North Africa. Bobbie McGowan’s aircraft was shot down over Europe and he was taken prisoner of war. Both Cliff Gunny’s and Joe Noble’s airplanes were also destroyed with both men also spending the rest of the war in a prison camp. Joe Noble was a member of an Escape Committee and active in the tunnel digging where the Great Escape took place.
Private Robert Beads was part of a medical group, driving a scout vehicle to the front. The vehicle had two stretchers for picking up wounded soldiers. Private Meads rescued the injured while shellfire raged overhead. For this, he was awarded the Military Medal. Flight Sergeant Delbert “Dinty” Moore received the George Medal when he rescued a trapped gunner from a flaming bomber that had crashed on landing.
Durham’s Norman Thompson was also awarded the Military Medal. At the height of battle, the first Division became separated, the enemy having forced its way between the lines while the Allied Forces had run completely out of water. Norman Thompson took a water truck through enemy lines – an act of extreme bravery. Durham may well be proud of its military record – in the First World War, the Second World War and Korea when Durham men once again enlisted and fought.
Originally aired September 29th 2016
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