Clyde John Skidmore was born at Old Barns, Nova Scotia, on 30 May 1920. Before enlisting he worked as a chauffeur and had extensive farming experience. He enlisted at Montreal on 5 March 1940 as Gunner D-9226 in the Royal Canadian Artillery. After service in Canada he went overseas in July 1940, served in the United Kingdom, trained as a driver and regimental signaller, and later served in Italy with the 8th Field Regiment. While in England he married Betty Maddock of Crewe, Cheshire, on 13 June 1942. Skidmore was killed in action in Italy on 31 August 1944, aged 24. He is buried in Montecchio War Cemetery, Italy, grave I.E.5.
Conflict:
WW2
Regimental No.:
D/9226
Cause of Death (in war):
Killed in Action
Branch:
Army
Regiment:
Royal Canadian Artillery
Battalion:
8th Field Regiment
Company:
Date of Birth :
Place of Birth:
Old Barns, Nova Scotia
Date of Enlistment:
Age at Enlistment:
19 years 9 months
Date of Discharge:
Age at Discharge:
24 years 3 months
Date of Death:
Age at Death:
24 years 3 months
Country Born:
Trade or Calling:
Chauffeur
Next of Kin:
Wife: Betty Skidmore, 63 Valley Road, Crewe, Cheshire, England
Address at Enlistment:
Delson, Quebec
Religion:
Baptist
Place of Enlistment:
Montreal, Quebec
Was a Prisoner of War:
No
Height:
5 ft 11.0 in / 180 cm
Weight:
139 lbs / 63 kg
Chest:
34.0 in / 86 cm
Expansion:
3.5 in / 9 cm
Marital Status:
Not Specified
Prior Military Experience:
No
Saw Service in:
Europe
Place of Discharge:
Italy
Discharge Type:
Regular/End of Service
Discharge Notes:
Killed in action in Italy on 31 August 1944 while serving as a Gunner with the 8th Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery.
Battle Died/Wounded:
Length of Service:
1640 days in service
Buried at:
Montecchio War Cemetery
Links
Ranks
| Conflict |
Rank |
Regiment |
Branch |
Unit |
Company |
Date From |
Date To |
| WW2 |
Gunner |
Royal Canadian Artillery |
Army |
8th Field Regiment |
|
|
|
| Returned to Gunner effective 23 Jul 1942; final/default rank Gunner. |
| WW2 |
Lance Bombardier |
Royal Canadian Artillery |
Army |
Attached for signals training from 8th Field Regiment |
|
|
|
| Appointed Lance Bombardier with pay effective 2 Jul 1942; relinquished appointment 23 Jul 1942. |
| WW2 |
Gunner |
Royal Canadian Artillery |
Army |
8th Field Regiment |
|
|
|
| Serving with 8th Field Regiment, including temporary signals-course attachments. |
| WW2 |
Gunner |
Royal Canadian Artillery |
Army |
7th Medium Battery / RCA training units |
|
|
|
| Initial RCA service; detailed training-centre transitions remain in chronology/postings rather than separate rank rows. |
Awards
| Conflict |
Award |
Action |
Date of Award |
Date of Citation |
Source |
| WW2 |
1939–45 Star |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Italy Star |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Defence Medal |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
War Medal 1939–1945 |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp |
|
|
|
|
Service Chronology
1920-05-30 — Born at Old Barns, Nova Scotia.
1940-03-05 — Enlisted in the Canadian Active Service Force as Gunner D-9226, Royal Canadian Artillery; taken on strength of District Depot, Military District No. 4.
1940-03-21 — Transferred to the Artillery Training Centre at Kingston.
1940-03-22 — Taken on strength of the Royal Canadian Artillery Training Centre.
1940-04-01 — Posted to C Battery for artillery training.
1940-07-22 — Struck off strength for overseas service.
1940-07-23 — Began overseas service in the United Kingdom.
1940-08-04 — Taken on strength of 1st Artillery Holding Unit.
1940-10-31 — Struck off strength to 8th Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery.
1940-11-27 — Absent without leave from signalling classes; awarded 10 days C.B.
1941-05-05 — Negligently drove a War Department vehicle, causing damage; ordered to pay £1-0-0 damages.
1941-11-19–1941-11-22 — Absent without leave for 2 days 22 hours 20 minutes; awarded 5 days detention and forfeited 3 days pay.
1941-12-26–1941-12-28 — Absent without leave for 2 days 11 hours; awarded 14 days C.B. and forfeited 3 days pay.
1942-02-17 — Applied for permission to marry Betty Maddock of Crewe, Cheshire.
1942-03-11 — Permission to marry approved; marriage permitted after 11 May 1942.
1942-05–1942-07 — Attached for signals training from the 8th Field Regiment.
1942-06-13 — Married Betty Maddock at Crewe, England.
1942-07-02 — Appointed Lance Bombardier with pay while on signals-training attachment.
1942-07-23 — Relinquished appointment of Lance Bombardier and reverted to Gunner.
1942-09-18–1942-09-21 — Absent without leave for 3 days 5 hours; awarded 8 days C.B.
1943-01-01 — Qualified as a Regimental Signaller (Artillery); increased/trade pay became effective.
1943-07-26 — Qualified Driver Mechanic Class C and received specialist Class C pay.
1943-10-26 — Struck off strength Canadian Army (UK) on embarkation for the Mediterranean theatre.
1943-10-27 — Began service in Italy.
1944-06-06 — Struck off strength to X-3 List during Italian service.
1944-06-08 — Returned/taken on strength of 8th Field Regiment from the X-list sequence.
1944-07-21 — Struck off strength to X-4 List.
1944-07-26 — Returned/taken on strength of 8th Field Regiment from X-4 List.
1944-08-31 — Killed in action in Italy while serving as a Gunner with the 8th Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery.
1944-08-31 — Initially recorded buried in the 5th Canadian Armoured Division Cemetery, Gothic Line, Row E, Grave 5.
1945-05 — Service estate distributed: widow Betty received £28-12-0 under community-of-property rules; mother Sadie received $127.86 as sole beneficiary under Will.
1947-05-08 — Records Branch sent his mother a photograph of his grave at Montecchio British Empire Cemetery, Plot 1, Row E, Grave 5.
Notes
Clyde John Skidmore was born at Old Barns, Nova Scotia, on 30 May 1920. His 1940 medical examination recorded him as 5 ft 11 in tall, 139 lb, with blue eyes, brown hair and a fair complexion. He spoke English and French. His occupation at enlistment was chauffeur; later occupational material records substantial farming experience and an ambition to enter fox ranching. His service book records training as a driver, regimental signaller and specialist driver.
[Previous notes - manual reconciliation required]
KIA
Additional Service Notes
Enlisted at Montreal on 5 March 1940 as Gunner D-9226, Royal Canadian Artillery. Served in Canada from March to July 1940, in the United Kingdom from July 1940 to October 1943, and in Italy from October 1943 until his death. He served with the 8th Field Regiment, RCA, with periods of signals and specialist-driver training/attachment. The record shows qualification as a regimental signaller and driver. He was killed in action in Italy on 31 August 1944 while serving as a Gunner with the 8th Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery.
Additional Next of Kin Notes
Father: Robert Skidmore, Delson, Quebec. Mother: Sadie M. Skidmore, Delson Station, Quebec. Wife: Betty Maddock Skidmore, 63 Valley Road, Crewe, Cheshire, England; marriage at Crewe on 13 June 1942. No children are listed in the estate/family records. Posthumous family statement records multiple brothers and sisters, including sister Bernice May Weale of Ormstown, Quebec. Widow Betty later remarried. Northern Life Assurance Company of Canada insurance is noted in estate material, apparently with Sadie Skidmore as beneficiary; policy amount/beneficiary wording should be re-read before final structured use.
Research Notes
The live CWVMP record could not be retrieved in-session, so Existing CWVMP values are not fabricated; the supplied URL fixes personId 4107/WW2, and the attached file repeatedly identifies Clyde John Skidmore, D-9226. Repeated authoritative service records give DOB 30 May 1920; a posthumous estate form completed by his mother gives 30 May 1921 and is treated as an informant error. He married Betty Maddock at Crewe, England, on 13 June 1942 after formal permission to marry. Estate evidence is reconciled: the mother's 1944 questionnaire says no will was made 'here unless after joining Army'; the 1945 formal distribution names Sadie Skidmore as sole beneficiary under Will, consistent with a will made during service. Service-card re-review resolves the early sequence as Depot (5 Mar 1940), ATC Kingston (21 Mar), RCATC (22 Mar), C Battery (1 Apr), overseas SOS (22 Jul), 1st Artillery Holding Unit (4 Aug), and 8th Field Regiment (31 Oct). Regimental Signaller (Artillery) and increased/trade pay are effective 1 Jan 1943; Driver Mechanic Class C qualification and specialist Class C pay are effective 26 Jul 1943. The June–July 1944 cards show administrative X-list movements (X-3 on 6 Jun, return to regiment 8 Jun; X-4 on 21 Jul, return 26 Jul). Because no hospital or diagnosis can be read securely, none is inferred. Disciplinary entries include absence from signalling classes, negligent vehicle damage, and three AWL periods in 1941–42.
