Lieutenant Milton Leslie Alexander Cameron
Survivor of WW2
Date of Death:
Service Biography
Milton Leslie Alexander Cameron was born in Westmount, Quebec, on 25 July 1917 and enlisted in the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve on 5 July 1940. He advanced from Ordinary Seaman to Able Seaman before receiving a temporary commission in 1942, and was promoted Lieutenant in 1943. He served aboard HMCS Clayoquot and was appointed its Executive Officer in August 1944. Cameron survived the ship's loss through enemy action on 24 December 1944 and was treated in Halifax for injuries and immersion foot. Wartime records identify Johanne Cameron as his wife. He later served on the staff of the Naval Control Service Officer and was demobilized at HMCS Donnacona on 12 July 1945. He died at Burlington, Ontario, on 29 May 1993.
General Information
Conflict:
WW2
Regimental No.:
O11440
Cause of Death (in war):
Survived
Branch:
Navy
Regiment:
Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve
Battalion:
HMCS Clayoquot
Company:
Date of Birth :
Place of Birth:
Westmount, Quebec
Date of Enlistment:
Age at Enlistment:
22 years 11 months
Date of Discharge:
Age at Discharge:
27 years 11 months
Date of Death:
Age at Death:
75 years 10 months
Country Born:
Canada
Trade or Calling:
Purchasing Department Clerk
Next of Kin:
Sara Cameron, mother, 11 St. John Boulevard, Chateauguay Basin, Quebec
Address at Enlistment:
11 St. John Boulevard, Chateauguay Basin, Quebec
Religion:
Presbyterian
Place of Enlistment:
Montreal, Quebec
Was a Prisoner of War:
No
Height:
5 ft 9.5 in / 177 cm
Weight:
148 lbs / 67 kg
Chest:
36.0 in / 91 cm
Expansion:
3.0 in / 8 cm
Marital Status:
Married
Prior Military Experience:
No
Saw Service in:
Canada
Place of Discharge:
Montreal, Quebec
Discharge Type:
Regular/End of Service
Discharge Notes:
Battle Died/Wounded:
Survived the loss of HMCS Clayoquot on 24 December 1944 after about one hour in the water; treated at Royal Canadian Naval Hospital, Halifax, for a superficial laceration near the left eyebrow, abrasions/bruising and first-degree immersion foot; returned to duty 26 December 1944.
Length of Service:
1833 days in service
Buried at:
Links
Ranks
| Conflict |
Rank |
Regiment |
Branch |
Unit |
Company |
Date From |
Date To |
| WW2 |
Lieutenant |
Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve |
Navy |
HMCS Clayoquot |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Lieutenant |
Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve |
Navy |
HMCS Donnacona |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Lieutenant |
Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve |
Navy |
HMCS Stadacona / Naval Control Service staff |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Sub-Lieutenant |
Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve |
Navy |
HMCS Stadacona / HMCS Protector |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Probationary Sub-Lieutenant |
Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve |
Navy |
HMCS Stadacona / Royal Roads |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Able Seaman |
Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve |
Navy |
HMCS Stadacona |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Ordinary Seaman |
Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve |
Navy |
HMCS Stadacona |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Ordinary Seaman |
Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve |
Navy |
Montreal Division |
|
|
|
Awards
| Conflict |
Award |
Action |
Date of Award |
Date of Citation |
Source |
| WW2 |
1939-1945 Star |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Atlantic Star |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
War Medal 1939-1945 |
|
|
|
|
Service Chronology
1917-07-25 — Born in Westmount, Quebec. Place / Unit: Westmount, Quebec.
1940-07-05 — Enlisted in the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve as an Ordinary Seaman; occupation recorded as office clerk. Place / Unit: Montreal Division, Montreal, Quebec.
1940-08-09 — Posted to Montreal Division as Ordinary Seaman. Place / Unit: Montreal Division, Montreal, Quebec.
1940-08-21 — Posted to HMCS Stadacona. Place / Unit: HMCS Stadacona, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
1941-01-23 — Qualified for the non-substantive rating of Gunnery Lieutenant's Writer and began carrying out those duties. Place / Unit: RCN Barracks / Gunnery School, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
1941-04-17 — Completed Occupational History Form: employed before enlistment by Simmons Limited, Montreal, as a purchasing department clerk with two years' experience. Place / Unit: RCN Barracks, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
1941-08-04 — Rated Able Seaman. Place / Unit: HMCS Stadacona, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
1942-03-31 — Signed RCNVR officer enrolment declaration and oath of allegiance. Place / Unit: Halifax, Nova Scotia.
1942-04-27 — Appointed Probationary Sub-Lieutenant, RCNVR (Temporary), additional to HMCS Stadacona for disposal. Place / Unit: HMCS Stadacona, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
1942-04-30 — Able Seaman V-5849 allotment stopped because he was being demobilized for re-entry as an officer. Place / Unit: HMCS Stadacona, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
1942-05-10 — Appointment to Royal Roads took effect for training and disposal; officer course was to begin 11 May 1942. Place / Unit: Royal Roads, British Columbia.
1942-09-05 — Appointed Sub-Lieutenant, RCNVR (Temporary), additional to HMCS Stadacona for disposal. Place / Unit: HMCS Stadacona, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
1942-09-06 — Appointed Sub-Lieutenant, RCNVR (Temporary), additional to HMCS Protector for disposal. Place / Unit: HMCS Protector, Sydney, Nova Scotia.
1943-01-10 to 1943-01-15 — Hospitalized for an infected blister of the right heel; recovered and returned to unit. Place / Unit: Sydney Military Hospital, Sydney, Nova Scotia.
1943-02-17 to 1943-03-17 — Granted 28 days annual leave plus 2 days travelling time; leave address was St. John Boulevard, Chateauguay Basin, Quebec. Place / Unit: Chateauguay Basin, Quebec / HMCS Stadacona.
1943-07-25 — Promoted and re-appointed Lieutenant, RCNVR (Temporary), additional to HMCS Protector for disposal. Place / Unit: HMCS Protector, Sydney, Nova Scotia.
1943-10-27 — Appointed to HMCS Clayoquot as Lieutenant. Place / Unit: HMCS Clayoquot.
1943-12-13 to 1943-12-28 — Granted 14 days annual leave; leave address was St. John Boulevard, Chateauguay Basin, Quebec. Place / Unit: Chateauguay Basin, Quebec / HMCS Clayoquot.
1944-05-31 to 1944-06-20 — Granted 21 days annual leave; leave address was 41 Edward Street, Halifax. Place / Unit: Halifax, Nova Scotia / HMCS Clayoquot.
1944-08-04 — Appointed Executive Officer of HMCS Clayoquot. Place / Unit: HMCS Clayoquot.
1944-12-24 — Survived the loss of HMCS Clayoquot through enemy action; after about one hour in the water was admitted to hospital with a superficial laceration near the left eyebrow, abrasions/bruising and first-degree immersion foot. Place / Unit: HMCS Clayoquot / Royal Canadian Naval Hospital, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
1944-12-24 — Appointed additional to HMCS Stadacona for disposal following the loss of HMCS Clayoquot. Place / Unit: HMCS Stadacona, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
1944-12-26 — Discharged from Royal Canadian Naval Hospital to duty after treatment following the loss of HMCS Clayoquot. Place / Unit: Royal Canadian Naval Hospital, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
1944-12-29 to 1945-02-08 — Granted 42 days survivors' and annual leave; leave address was 11 St. John Boulevard, Chateauguay Basin, Quebec. Place / Unit: Chateauguay Basin, Quebec / HMCS Stadacona.
1945-01-24 — Appointed additional to HMCS Stadacona for disposal. Place / Unit: HMCS Stadacona, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
1945-02-12 — Appointed additional on the staff of the Naval Control Service Officer. Place / Unit: HMCS Stadacona, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
1945-04-28 — Cheque for $287.93 forwarded as the balance of approved compensation for personal effects lost when HMCS Clayoquot was sunk; total approved claim was $437.93 after a $150 advance. Place / Unit: HMCS Stadacona / Canadian Northwest Atlantic.
1945-06-06 to 1945-07-04 — Granted annual leave before demobilization; leave address was 11 St. John Boulevard, Chateauguay Basin, Quebec. Place / Unit: Chateauguay Basin, Quebec / HMCS Stadacona.
1945-07-04 — Appointed additional to HMCS Donnacona for discharge and demobilization. Place / Unit: HMCS Donnacona, Montreal, Quebec.
1945-07-12 — Demobilized and discharged from naval service; applied for and received War Service Badge, General Service, Class No. 168384. Place / Unit: HMCS Donnacona, Montreal, Quebec.
1993-05-29 — Died peacefully at home in Burlington, Ontario. Place / Unit: Burlington, Ontario.
Notes
At enrolment he was described as 5 ft 9½ in tall, 148½ lb, with a 36 in deflated chest, 39 in inflated chest (3 in expansion), fair hair, blue eyes and fair complexion; wounds/scars/marks were recorded as nil. Postwar obituary records that he later lived in Burlington, Ontario, was an elder of Aldershot Presbyterian Church, and died at home on 29 May 1993.
[Previous notes - manual reconciliation required]
Born at Westmount, Que. July 25, 1917.
BIRTH JULY 25, 1917 • Quebec, Canada DEATH 29-05-1993 • Burlington, Ontario, Canada
ATIP Request confirmation number EA2026_0170910
Additional Service Notes
Enlisted in the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve on 5 July 1940 as an Ordinary Seaman and was rated Able Seaman in 1941. He was commissioned as a Probationary Sub-Lieutenant, RCNVR (Temporary), in April 1942, became Sub-Lieutenant later that year, and was promoted Lieutenant in July 1943. He served aboard HMCS Clayoquot, became its Executive Officer in August 1944, and survived the ship's loss through enemy action on 24 December 1944. After about an hour in the water he was hospitalized in Halifax with a facial laceration, abrasions/bruising and first-degree immersion foot, returning to duty on 26 December. He was subsequently attached to HMCS Stadacona, served on the staff of the Naval Control Service Officer, and was posted to HMCS Donnacona for demobilization in July 1945.
Additional Next of Kin Notes
Mother: Sara Cameron, 11 St. John Boulevard, Chateauguay Basin, Quebec (1940 attestation). Wife: Johanne Cameron. Wartime records explicitly identify her as his wife by 3 October 1944 and again during the December 1944 hospitalization and 1945 demobilization. Her documented wartime addresses include 616 George Street, Sydney; 41 Edward Street, Halifax; 14 Flaherty Road, Armdale P.O., Nova Scotia; 154 Beech Street, Halifax; and 11 St. John Boulevard, Chateauguay, Quebec. Obituary names children Sandra (Noel Campbell), Joan (Gerald Heck), Gordon (Rita), and John (Kelly).
Version: 3 Last modified: 2026-09-30 02:05:04
by: marc
