Sapper Thomas McCracken Bailey
Survivor of WW2
Date of Death:
Service Biography
Thomas McCracken Bailey was born in Walkerville, Ontario, on 8 June 1920 and grew up in the Valleyfield area. He left school after Grade 8 and worked in farm labour, truck driving and at Montreal Cottons before enlisting in Montreal on 2 July 1940. He served overseas with Canadian infantry and engineer units, landed in France in July 1944 and was slightly injured by a bomb blast on 27 August 1944. While serving in England he married Betty Joyce Covey, and their son Dennis was born there in 1944. Bailey returned to Canada in December 1945 and was discharged in January 1946. He then returned to work at Montreal Cottons in Valleyfield.
General Information
Conflict:
WW2
Regimental No.:
D82486
Cause of Death (in war):
Survived
Branch:
Army
Regiment:
Royal Canadian Engineers
Battalion:
13 Battalion / engineer-mechanical employment
Company:
Date of Birth :
Place of Birth:
Walkerville, Ontario
Date of Enlistment:
Age at Enlistment:
20 years
Date of Discharge:
Age at Discharge:
25 years 7 months
Date of Death:
Age at Death:
66 years 10 months
Country Born:
Canada
Trade or Calling:
Chauffeur
Next of Kin:
Mrs. Bella McCracken, grandmother, Huntingdon, Quebec
Address at Enlistment:
18 East Park, Valleyfield, Quebec
Religion:
Church of England
Place of Enlistment:
Montreal, Quebec
Was a Prisoner of War:
No
Height:
5 ft 4.0 in / 163 cm
Weight:
113 lbs / 51 kg
Chest:
32.0 in / 81 cm
Expansion:
3.0 in / 8 cm
Marital Status:
Married
Prior Military Experience:
No
Saw Service in:
Europe
Place of Discharge:
Montreal South, Quebec
Discharge Type:
Regular/End of Service
Discharge Notes:
Battle Died/Wounded:
Slightly injured in action by bomb blast in France on 27 August 1944.
Length of Service:
2020 days in service
Buried at:
Links
Ranks
| Conflict |
Rank |
Regiment |
Branch |
Unit |
Company |
Date From |
Date To |
| WW2 |
Sapper |
Royal Canadian Engineers |
Army |
13 Battalion / engineer-mechanical employment |
|
|
|
| Reallocated to driver/mechanic duties; discharge rank Sapper. |
| WW2 |
Private |
Essex Scottish Regiment |
Army |
1st Battalion |
|
|
|
| Combat service in France; bomb-blast casualty 27 Aug 1944. |
| WW2 |
Private |
Royal Regiment of Canada |
Army |
1st Battalion |
|
|
|
| TOS Royal Regiment of Canada before transfer to Essex Scottish. |
| WW2 |
Private |
Canadian Infantry Reinforcement Unit |
Army |
2 CIRU / 5 CIRU |
|
|
|
| Multiple reinforcement-unit postings; detailed movements retained in chronology. |
| WW2 |
Private |
Canadian Infantry Corps |
Army |
2 Canadian Infantry Holding Unit |
|
|
|
| Overseas infantry reinforcement/holding service. |
| WW2 |
Private |
The Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) of Canada |
Army |
Canadian Infantry Training Centre, Aldershot |
|
|
|
| Training/posting phase in Canada. |
| WW2 |
Private |
The Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) of Canada |
Army |
1st Battalion / Regimental Depot |
|
|
|
| Initial enlistment and depot service. |
Awards
| Conflict |
Award |
Action |
Date of Award |
Date of Citation |
Source |
| WW2 |
1939-1945 Star |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
France and Germany Star |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Defence Medal |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
War Medal 1939-1945 |
|
|
|
|
Service Chronology
1920-06-08 — Born in Walkerville, Ontario. [Walkerville, Ontario]
1940-07-02 — Enlisted in the Canadian Active Service Force at Montreal as a Private with the Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) of Canada. [Montreal, Quebec / Black Watch (RHR) of Canada]
1940-07-24 — Posted for training at Canadian Infantry Training Centre, Aldershot. [Aldershot, Nova Scotia / Canadian Infantry Training Centre]
1940-08-20 to 1940-08-25 — Hospitalized with herpes zoster; returned to duty after six days. [Aldershot, Nova Scotia / Camp Hospital]
1940-12-03 — Admitted to Camp Hospital during training. [Aldershot, Nova Scotia / Camp Hospital]
1940-12-09 to 1940-12-28 — Granted combined furlough and Christmas pass. [Canada / Black Watch (RHR) of Canada]
1941-01-09 — Tested and qualified as Driver (I.C.), Class III. [Canada / Black Watch (RHR) of Canada]
1941-06-20 — Struck off strength to Canadian Army Overseas. [Canada / Black Watch (RHR) of Canada]
1941-06-21 — Taken on strength overseas and posted to Canadian Infantry Holding Unit. [United Kingdom / Canadian Infantry Holding Unit]
1942-12-20 — Posted within Canadian infantry reinforcement organization in the United Kingdom. [United Kingdom / Canadian Infantry Reinforcement Unit]
1943-02-01 — Taken on strength by 5 Canadian Infantry Reinforcement Unit. [United Kingdom / 5 CIRU]
1943-04-14 — Granted permission to marry Betty Joyce Covey on or after 14 June 1943. [United Kingdom / 5 CIRU]
1943-05-26 — Passed Driver Mechanic Class II qualification. [United Kingdom / 5 CIRU]
1943-06-05 — Married Betty Joyce Covey in England. [Godalming, Surrey, England]
1943-10-20 — Qualified Driver Mechanic, motorcycle-related training/qualification recorded. [United Kingdom / 5 CIRU]
1944-01-25 — Son Dennis McCracken Bailey born at Farnborough, England. [Farnborough, England]
1944-03-16 — Posted within Canadian Infantry Reinforcement Units in the United Kingdom. [United Kingdom / 4 CIRU]
1944-05-03 to 1944-05-26 — Granted leave in the United Kingdom. [United Kingdom / 4 CIRU]
1944-06-16 — Taken on strength by the Royal Regiment of Canada. [United Kingdom / Royal Regiment of Canada]
1944-06-23 — Embarked for North-West Europe. [United Kingdom / Royal Regiment of Canada]
1944-07-08 — Transferred to the Essex Scottish Regiment for field service. [France / Essex Scottish Regiment]
1944-07-15 to 1944-08-15 — Served in action in France; medical history later records a minor gunshot wound to the left forearm on 15 August that did not require evacuation. [France / Essex Scottish Regiment]
1944-07-22 to 1944-07-24 — Recorded illegal absence; disciplinary action included forfeiture of pay. [France / Essex Scottish Regiment]
1944-08-27 — Slightly injured in action by bomb blast; evacuated to 75 British General Hospital. [France / Essex Scottish Regiment]
1944-08-27 to 1944-09-04 — Hospitalized for slight bomb-blast injuries, including general bruising and right pectoral pain; transferred to convalescent care. [75 British General Hospital]
1944-09-25 to 1944-09-29 — Admitted to No. 10 Canadian General Hospital neuropsychiatric wing after difficulty tolerating shelling/noise; discharged to 2 Canadian Base Reinforcement Group. [No. 10 Canadian General Hospital / 2 CBRG]
1944-10-12 — Reallocated from infantry to Royal Canadian Engineers for driver/mechanic employment. [North-West Europe / Royal Canadian Engineers]
1945-08-30 — Granted personal leave while serving overseas. [North-West Europe / Royal Canadian Engineers]
1945-10-18 — Embarked from North-West Europe for the United Kingdom. [North-West Europe / Royal Canadian Engineers]
1945-10-19 — Disembarked in the United Kingdom and attached to a repatriation depot. [United Kingdom / Canadian Army Overseas]
1945-12-02 — Struck off strength Canadian Army Overseas for return to Canada. [United Kingdom / Canadian Army Overseas]
1945-12-08 — Reported taken on strength in Canada; granted leave and ration allowance through 10 January 1946. [Montreal South, Quebec / No. 4 District Depot]
1946-01-12 — Discharged on demobilization at Montreal South; intended residence 144 Cousineau Street, Valleyfield. [Montreal South, Quebec / No. 4 District Depot]
1946-03-11 — Wrote from Valleyfield seeking help bringing his wife and two-year-old son to Canada; reported he had returned to work at Montreal Cottons. [Valleyfield, Quebec / Veterans Affairs correspondence]
1946-06-15 — Wife Betty Joyce Bailey and son Dennis arrived in Canada under military-dependent repatriation arrangements. [Canada / Directorate of Repatriation]
1947-08 — Received postwar dental treatment while living at 144 Cousineau Street, Valleyfield. [Valleyfield, Quebec / Veterans Affairs dental services]
1962-04-16 — Re-engaged in the Canadian Army Militia with 11 Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery, at Guelph. [Guelph, Ontario / 11 Field Regiment RCA]
1962-05-30 — Transferred from 11 Field Regiment to 6 Provost Company for special-duty/training employment. [Guelph, Ontario / 6 Provost Company]
1963-02-17 — Qualified for Service Police Group I and granted specialist bonus. [6 Provost Company]
1963-03-17 — Qualified for Service Police Group IIA and granted specialist bonus. [6 Provost Company]
1964-04-16 — Re-engaged in the militia for two years. [6 Provost Company]
1965-01-15 — Attached for training and technical supervision with 11 Field Regiment, RCA. [Guelph, Ontario / 11 Field Regiment RCA]
1965-06-16 — Released from Canadian Army Militia service after three years and nine months. [Guelph, Ontario / 6 Provost Company]
1987-04-30 — Date of death recorded in later Veterans Affairs/Last Post Fund records. [Canada]
Notes
Born in Walkerville, Ontario, Thomas McCracken Bailey was raised in the Valleyfield area. His mother died while he was an infant; his father later remarried, and personnel-selection records describe a disrupted or 'broken home' childhood. Education records conflict: one personnel record says he completed Grade 8 in Toronto in 1934, while another records Grade 10 at age 16. He worked at farm labour, truck driving and Montreal Cottons in Valleyfield, where he was a card cutter before enlistment. He enjoyed hunting, skiing and baseball. During the war he trained and served as a driver and driver mechanic, married Betty Joyce Covey in England in June 1943, and their son Dennis was born in Farnborough in January 1944. He was slightly injured by a bomb blast in France on 27 August 1944 and later experienced difficulty tolerating shelling and noise; after medical reassessment he was reallocated to driver/mechanic duties. After discharge he returned to Montreal Cottons in Valleyfield while arranging passage to Canada for his wife and young son.
[Previous notes - manual reconciliation required]
Enlisted July, 1940. now overseas.
Born at Walkerville, Ont, on June 8, 1920.
Death 1987 • Windsor , Ontario, Canada
atip Request confirmation number EA2026_0171038
Additional Service Notes
Served 2,021 days in the wartime Canadian Army: 396 days in Canada and 1,625 days overseas. His wartime units included the Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) of Canada, Canadian Infantry Reinforcement Units, Royal Regiment of Canada, Essex Scottish Regiment and Royal Canadian Engineers. He served as a driver and driver mechanic, landed in France in July 1944, was slightly injured by bomb blast on 27 August 1944, and later returned to engineer/mechanical duties. His service summary records seven offences and a total forfeiture of 125 days' pay, including a significant 63-day forfeiture associated with an illegal-absence entry. He returned to Canada in December 1945 and was discharged on demobilization on 12 January 1946.
Additional Next of Kin Notes
At enlistment he was single and named his grandmother Mrs. Bella McCracken of Huntingdon, Quebec, as next of kin. His father Thomas Bailey was alive but his address was recorded as unknown; his mother was deceased. He married Betty Joyce Covey in England on 5 June 1943. Their son Dennis McCracken Bailey was born at Farnborough, England, on 25 January 1944. During his 1944 casualty notification Betty lived at 2 Government Cottages, Farnham, Hampshire, England; Bella McCracken was also listed for notification in Huntingdon.
Version: 3 Last modified: 2026-09-28 02:05:04
by: marc
