HEDLEY, Wilfred Laurier
NAME HEDLEY Wilfred Laurier
RANK Lance Sergeant 37231 1st Canadian Army - II Canadian Corps - 3rd Canadian Infantry Division - 9th Infantry Brigade REGIMENT Highland Light Infantry of Canada
“defence not defiance”
Canadian Infantry Corps Born October 13, 1922 - 11th Concession - Bleinham Township - County of Oxford Residence Ayr - Ontario Died July 8, 1944 21 years 9 months
Cemetery Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery - Reviers - Calvados - France
XVI H 16
Mother Mrs. Mary Hedley - Wingham / Exeter Sister Mrs. Barbara Bell - Wingham
Wilfred was born in County of Oxford on October 13, 1922 and at the age of 4 moved to Ayr in the County of Waterloo and lived here until the age of 17. He left school at the age of 15. He would have attended Ayr Public School and Ayr Continuation School 1937-38. After receiving his education he was employed as a machine feeder at Tack Manufacturing which was possibly in Galt - Ontario. He would have attended Knox United Church.
Canada
He enlisted into the Canadian Army in Galt - Ontario on June 6, 1940 and was Taken on Strength with the Highland Light Infantry of Canada with the rank of Private. At the time he was 5' 8" tall and weighed 140 pounds. He had a fair complexion with hazel eyes and light brown hair. From December 18 until the end of the year he had furlough while he was at No. 6 Canadian Army Basic Training Centre in Stratford - Ontario. At the beginning of 1941 on January 4 Private Hedley was posted to Cove Barracks near the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City - Quebec. Then on February 18 he was posted to Camp Debert - Nova Scotia. Private Hedley received Embarkation Leave during the first half of July.
Overseas
Upon completion of his training in Canada he left for overseas on July 20 and that same day was Struck off Service of the Canadian Army in Canada. The following day while at sea he was Taken on Strength with the Canadian Army overseas. On July 29 Private Hedley disembarked in Gourock - Scotland. In the middle of August he received landing leave. In the middle of November he was promoted to rank of Corporal. During the months of January, March, June and August of 1942 he received leave. On September 1 he was promoted to Lance Sergeant. At the end of January 1943 he received leave and then during the last week of February Lance Sergeant Hedley attended a 3" mortar course and was attached to 2 Wing Combat Training School. From April 18-May 12 he was back again to 2 Wing Combat Training School. During the second half of July he received leave. Then he was posted to No. 3 Canadian Infantry Reinforcement Unit and attached to "H" Wing. He received leave in November and then very early in December he was Taken on Strength with the Highland Light Infantry of Canada.
In the Field
Lance Sergeant Hedley and the HLI embarked from the United Kingdom and came ashore onto Juneau Beach on June 6, 1944. Operation “Charnwood” was designed to take the heavily fortified German positions to the approach of Caen and this was the hinge of the German lines. It was important to capture Caen and the surrounding areas so that airfields could be built and the crossings over the Orne River could be used as a foothold in the allied advance.
Caen was defended by minefields, dug in tanks, anti-aircraft defences, 88s along with elite troops and they
were totally fanatical to a man. Once Galmanche was taken by the British, the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division was to go into action on the right flank with the 9th Infantry Brigade assigned the task of clearing out the town of Buron, Grunchy, Chateau Louet, Authie and Frenqueville. Taking these objectives would in effect form a junction with the 8th Infantry Brigade at Carpiquet.”B” company of the HLI would then take and clear the eastern portion of Buron, “D” Company would take and clear the western portion of Buron, “C” company would follow the
forward Companies to assist in clearing the town, and then to be in reserve at the north part of Buron. “A”
Company would also follow the forward Companies, pass through and advance toward Authie.
Breakfast on July 8th was at 04:30 hours. The Battalion assemblied but because of heavy German artillery fire they were forced into the ditches. “B & D” Companies began to advance forward until they were stopped by an anti-tank ditch 12 feet wide and 15 feet deep. While they had been moving forward they took heavy casualties from the heavy German mortar and shell fire along with heavy machine gun fire. There was heavy and there was close up fighting as they approached the town, and all the while they were moving forward they were under heavy fire. They cleared out the heavily defended German positions while under fire.
Buron was strongly held by enemy machine guns the HLI could not penetrate through. “D” Company was the first company into town after they smashed their way in and cleared out the enemy. They had suffered heavily and were now at 50% strength. “B” Company had broken through and cleared out a number of German machine gun positions but only after being forced to advance right up to the guns.
All the Companies had achieved their objectives even with German counter attacks and continued German mortar and shell fire on the town. Because of this heavy enemy fire, the wounded could not be evacuated and there were too many casualties for the amount of stretcher bearers and transport available to move them.
By miday “D” Company had 39 men remaining, “B” Company was at 1/3 strength, “C” Company was at 50% and “A” Company was at 2/3 strength. There was heavy mortar and shelling from the enemy in St. Constant and Bitot and it was beginning to take a toll and they found that even their slit trenches were not safe.
"C" then went to the high ground south of Buron, “A” replaced “D” in the orchard as “D” was too weak to hold against the expected enemy counter attacks. At some point in the afternoon there were so many casualties that the stretcher bearers became overwhelmed.
“B” Company was then attacked by 8 Tiger tanks, fought them off and destroyed 6 of them. By that evening
the flanks had been taken and "B” Company had cleaned up the enemy snipers in the orchard.
As darkness fell over Buron on the night of July 8th, there was not one building that was left standing. This
battle was the costliest for the HLI. Casualties about to 50+% of the battalion, with 62 men losing their lives
and 200+ men being wounded.
One of the fiercest battles was over and the HLI had been totally devasted and the ranks had become too
thin to fight off a counter attach should the Germans launch one.
But during the day just finished, our Canadians had attacked Buron and Grunchy and recaptured Authie
and the Abbaye d’Ardennes. Enemy resistance had been fanatical and on the battlefield flesh had been torn
by land mines, shredded by shrapnel, pierced by bullets, or charred in the destroyed tanks. It was during this day of bitter and bloody fighting when Lance Sergeant Hedley was killed in battle.
Mrs. Mary Hedley the mother of Wilfred received the Memorial Cross and in October of 1949 the family received the medals awarded to Wilfred which the 1939-45 Star, the France-Germany Star, the Defence and War Medals along with the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and clasp.
He is honoured and remembered on the Memorial Plaque of Knox United Church, in the Books of Remembrance which are located in the Centre Wing of the Parliament Buildings at Ottawa, on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial
