PAFF, Ward Andrew

NAME             PAFF           Ward Andrew
RANK             Private                    64842                                                                                                                                           1st Canadian Army - II Canadian Corps - 2nd Canadian Infantry Division - 4th Infantry Brigade
REGIMENT    Royal Hamilton Light Infantry - 1st Battalion
                       “always ready”
                       Royal Canadian Infantry Corp                                                                                                Residence      Toronto - Ontario                                                                                                                            Born               February 3, 1916 - Detroit - Michigan - USA                                                                                  Died                August 12, 1944          28 years   6 months
Cemetery       Bretteville-Sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery - Cintheaux - Calvados - France
                       IX C 15
Wife                Mrs. Muriel Paff - Toronto / Grand Bend - Ontario
Mother            Mrs. Jenny Mason - Grand Bend - Ontario                                                                                    Half Brothers  Mr. Graham Mason swerving with the Canadian Army at Camp Borden                                                                   Mr. Junior Mason living in Grand Bend                                                                                          Sisters            Mrs. Ritta Paton of London -  Ontario                                                                                                                         Mrs. Joyce Brown of Grand Bend                                                                                                  Half Sister      Miss Pauline Mason of Grand Bend

Ward was born on February 3, 1916 in the USA. He lived in Grand Bend from 1919 until 1934. Between 1933-34 he was a truck driver in Grand Bend delivering ice. From 1934-37 he lived in London and then moved to Toronto between 1937-41. After completing his education he lived and worked in London and Toronto. He enjoyed music, golf, fishing, skating, hiking, hockey, soccer, the banjo and mouth organ. While in Grand Bend the family attended Greenway United Church. It is possible he could have attended St Luke's United Church near his Toronto home.

Canada

It was there he enlisted into the Canadian Army on October 20, 1941. He received the rank of Private. At the time he stood 5' 5" in height and weighed 137 pounds and had a dark complexion with brown eyes and brown hair. He was assigned to No. 2 District Depot in Toronto where he remained until his first posting to No. 10 Basic Training Centre in Kitchener - Ontario on November 15. On December 7 he is AWOL and he is confined to barracks for a week and loses 4 days of pay.                                                                                                                                    Very early in 1942 Private Paff is once again AWOL and forfeits 37 days of pay and placed under close arrest. On January 22 and he was was admitted into Queen's Park Hospital Military hospital in London until February 6. Then on March 11 he is Taken on Service in the Reinforcement Pool of the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada at Camp Borden - Ontario with the rank of Rifleman. On April 20 he is reposted from the Reinforcement Pool to the Home War Establishment while still at Camp Borden. Then on September 22 he is Struck Off Service for overseas deployment as a reinforcement to the Queen's Own.

Overseas

Rifleman Paff is Struck off Service of the Canadian Army in Canada on September 24 and then the following day he is Taken on Service with the Canadian Army overseas. He disembarks in the United Kingdom on October 7 and then reports to the 3rd Canadian Division Infantry Reinforcement Unit. On December 1-19 he is on a course at Composite Training School.                                                                                                                                On the first day of 1943 he receives the rank of Corporal. On January 31 he is posted to No. 4 Canadian Infantry Reinforcement Unit and then on February 1 he goes to No. 3 Canadian Infantry Reinforcement Unit. In the middle of the month he is in No. 8 General Hospital until March 22. On July 23 he reverts to rank of Private. Between July 28-August 4 he is with the 48th Highlanders of Canada. On August 3 - September 3 he is a patient at Peebles Emergency Hospital at Caddonfoot in the Scottish Borders of Scotland. He attended a driver / mechanic course between November 15/27 which he passed. Between December 8-16 he attends a unit course. On December 21 he is AWOL and forfeits 27 days of pay. As the year was ending Private Paff was still AWOL.      In the middle of February 1944 he is confined to barracks for 7 days. Between February 28-March 4 he attended and passed a First Aid Course. On March 13 he is charged for the malicious wounding of two people. On March 16 he was Taken on Service with the Hamilton Light Infantry. On April 11 he is attached to the Headquarters of the 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade. On June 10 he is reported as AWOL and on July 2 he is still AWOL. At some point he is charged with desertion and then returns to his unit and on July 11 he is posted to the unposted reinforcement unit in a theatre of war.

In the Field

On July 22 he embarks from the United Kingdom and embarks onto Juno Beach on July 23 and then two days later he reports to the Hamilton Light Infantry on August 4.                                                                                      On the 12th of August the objective was the small farming village of Claire Tizon on the Laize River and
while advancing they were ordered to also take the tiny hamlets of Barbery and Moulines. The RHLI led the assault and left the start line at 07:30 hours with a squadron of tanks and this was the main operation for the day. The weather was very hot and dry and the French farmers had not yet harvested their wheat and the RHLI was waist deep in these fields. They reached the crossroads village of Barbery, passed through the town, where not a single thing moved, and advanced another 200 yards. All the while “C” Company had their eyes on a small clump of trees on a bit of a hill and it was at this point they were covered with enemy machine gun, artillery and mortar fire. This fire was severe and it was crippling.                                                                                                            The Germans were trying to keep the Falaise Pocket open just a bit longer and the German lines were protected by their best SS Troops who were totally fanatical and there was hand to hand fighting. The RHLI dug in and fought off enemy counter attacks by German infantry and tanks. German Tigers and Panthers then attacked the RHLI position and in the process destroyed the Canadian tanks protecting the infantry. Late in the afternoon, after having been in battle all day the regiment was in poor shape.
At 18:00 hours a German 88 shell landed on the Command Post. As night fell the German armour began to
move forward to finish the RHLI off, but they stopped suddenly, sprayed the area with machine gun fire and
left the scene. All that remained was a field of dead, dying and wounded and the hulks of destroyed Canadian tanks. On this day the RHLI lost 20 men and 100 men to wounds.

Private Paff's wife Muriel and his mother Jenny received the Memorial Cross in December of 1944. His wife then received the medals awarded to her husband which included the 1939-45 Star, the France - Germany Star, both the Defence Medal and War Medal along with the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with clasp.

Ward is honoured and remembered on the Exeter Cenotaph and possible on the Memorial Plaque of the Grand Bend Legion. He is possibly honoured and remembered on the Memorial Plaque of Greenway United Church in Grand Bend. He is honoured and remembered on the Virtual Canadian War Memorial.
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