Trooper James Wilbur Alexander Darker
Survivor of WW2
Date of Death:
Service Biography
James Wilbur Alexander Darker was born at Bury, Quebec, on 24 June 1907. An automobile mechanic, he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps at Montreal on 19 August 1940. He served in Canada and the United Kingdom, including attachment to the 4th Reconnaissance Battalion, and held acting appointments up to Acting Lance Sergeant. Illness led to prolonged hospitalization overseas; he returned to Canada in January 1942 and was medically discharged on 3 March 1942. He died at White Rock, British Columbia, on 23 May 1968.
General Information
Conflict:
WW2
Regimental No.:
D96496
Cause of Death (in war):
Survived
Branch:
Army
Regiment:
Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps
Battalion:
4th Reconnaissance Battalion (P.L.D.G.), attached RCOC
Company:
Date of Birth :
Place of Birth:
Bury, Quebec
Date of Enlistment:
Age at Enlistment:
33 years 1 month
Date of Discharge:
Age at Discharge:
34 years 8 months
Date of Death:
Age at Death:
60 years 10 months
Country Born:
Canada
Trade or Calling:
Automobile mechanic
Next of Kin:
Mildred Helena Darker, wife, Hemmingford, Quebec
Address at Enlistment:
Hemmingford, Quebec
Religion:
Church of England
Place of Enlistment:
Montreal, Quebec
Was a Prisoner of War:
No
Height:
5 ft 9.0 in / 175 cm
Weight:
158 lbs / 72 kg
Chest:
36.0 in / 91 cm
Expansion:
3.0 in / 8 cm
Marital Status:
Married
Prior Military Experience:
No
Saw Service in:
Great Britain
Place of Discharge:
Montreal, Quebec
Discharge Type:
Medically Unfit
Discharge Notes:
Discharged medically under R.O. 502 as unable to meet the required military physical standard because of chronic bronchitis/bronchiectasis.
Battle Died/Wounded:
Length of Service:
561 days in service
Buried at:
Sunnyside Lawn Cemetery
Links
Ranks
| Conflict |
Rank |
Regiment |
Branch |
Unit |
Company |
Date From |
Date To |
| WW2 |
Trooper |
Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps |
Army |
4th Reconnaissance Battalion (P.L.D.G.), attached RCOC |
|
|
|
| Reverted to permanent rank on hospitalization; discharge certificate gives Trooper. |
| WW2 |
Acting Lance Sergeant |
Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps |
Army |
4th Reconnaissance Battalion (P.L.D.G.), attached RCOC |
|
|
|
| Acting appointment under RCOC Corps Order 2074. |
| WW2 |
Acting Corporal |
Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps |
Army |
No. 4 Detachment RCOC-CASF |
|
|
|
| Acting appointment. |
| WW2 |
Acting Lance Corporal |
Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps |
Army |
No. 4 Detachment RCOC-CASF |
|
|
|
| Acting appointment with pay and allowances. |
| WW2 |
Private |
Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps |
Army |
No. 4 Detachment RCOC-CASF (Artisan Section) |
|
|
|
| Permanent rank at enlistment. |
Awards
| Conflict |
Award |
Action |
Date of Award |
Date of Citation |
Source |
| WW2 |
War Service Badge, Service Class |
Issued |
|
|
|
| Service Class No. 017895 |
| WW2 |
Defence Medal |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
War Medal 1939-45 |
|
|
|
|
Service Chronology
1940-08-19 — Enlisted and taken on strength with No. 4 Detachment RCOC-CASF (Artisan Section). Place / Unit: Montreal, Quebec / No. 4 Detachment RCOC-CASF
1940-08-20 — Completed Particulars of Family: wife Mildred Helena Darker; one son Ronald Clayton, age 6; father James Darker of Island Brook; mother deceased. Place / Unit: Hemmingford, Quebec / No. 4 Detachment RCOC-CASF
1940-08-20 — Executed military will leaving entire estate to wife Mildred Helena Darker and appointing her executrix. Place / Unit: Hemmingford, Quebec / No. 4 Detachment RCOC-CASF
1940-10-23 — Proceeded on command to Ordnance duties connected with delivery of trucks. Place / Unit: Ottawa, Ontario / RCOC
1940-10-24 — Returned from command duty at Ottawa. Place / Unit: Montreal, Quebec / No. 4 Detachment RCOC-CASF
1940-10-31 to 1940-11-01 — Proceeded on command for ordnance duties. Place / Unit: Three Rivers, Quebec / RCOC
1940-11-18 — Proceeded on command for ordnance duties. Place / Unit: St. Eustache, Quebec / RCOC
1940-11-19 — Classified as Motor Mechanic, Class I. Place / Unit: Montreal, Quebec / No. 4 Detachment RCOC-CASF
1940-12-07 to 1940-12-13 — Sick in quarters; returned to duty. Place / Unit: Montreal, Quebec / No. 4 Detachment RCOC-CASF
1940-12-30 to 1941-01-04 — Granted six days leave of absence. Place / Unit: Montreal, Quebec / No. 4 Detachment RCOC-CASF
1941-01-13 to 1941-01-20 — Sick in quarters; returned to duty. Place / Unit: Montreal, Quebec / No. 4 Detachment RCOC-CASF
1941-01-28 — Proceeded on command for ordnance duties. Place / Unit: Ottawa, Ontario / RCOC
1941-02-08 — Appointed Acting Lance Corporal with pay and allowances of rank. Place / Unit: Montreal, Quebec / No. 4 Detachment RCOC-CASF
1941-03-03 — Proceeded on command to RCOC Workshop for ordnance duties. Place / Unit: Toronto, Ontario / RCOC Workshop
1941-03-20 — Appointed Acting Corporal with pay and allowances of rank. Place / Unit: Montreal, Quebec / No. 4 Detachment RCOC-CASF
1941-04-20 — Ceased to be sick in quarters and returned to duty. Place / Unit: Montreal, Quebec / No. 4 Detachment RCOC-CASF
1941-05-07 — Selected for transfer to 4th Reconnaissance Battalion (P.L.D.G.) and struck off strength of No. 4 Detachment RCOC. Place / Unit: Montreal, Quebec / RCOC
1941-05-08 to 1941-05-31 — Attached/posting sequence through Farnham, St. Jerome and St. Hyacinthe while preparing for transfer overseas. Place / Unit: Farnham / St. Jerome / St. Hyacinthe, Quebec
1941-05-22 — Appointed Acting Lance Sergeant with pay and allowances of rank. Place / Unit: 4th Reconnaissance Battalion (P.L.D.G.) / RCOC
1941-06-18 — Transferred to 4th Reconnaissance Battalion (P.L.D.G.) on proceeding overseas. Place / Unit: Canada / 4th Reconnaissance Battalion (P.L.D.G.)
1941-06-19 — Embarked at Halifax for overseas service. Place / Unit: Halifax, Nova Scotia / Canadian Army Overseas
1941-06-30 — Disembarked and taken on strength overseas. Place / Unit: Gourock, Scotland / Canadian Army Overseas
1941-07-02 — Admitted to Canadian Medical Centre with pleurisy; reverted to permanent rank of Trooper on admission. Place / Unit: United Kingdom / Canadian Medical Centre
1941-07-21 — Transferred/admitted to No. 15 Canadian General Hospital. Place / Unit: United Kingdom / No. 15 Canadian General Hospital
1941-08-29 to 1941-09-30 — Transferred through No. 1 Convalescent Depot and back to No. 15 Canadian General Hospital during treatment for pleurisy/pneumonia. Place / Unit: United Kingdom / Canadian medical system
1941-09-30 — Hospital/pay records continued to carry the acting Lance Sergeant issue; later correspondence sought correction and back pay. Place / Unit: United Kingdom / No. 15 Canadian General Hospital
1941-12-16 — Taken on strength from No. 1 Army Reinforcement Unit; rank amended to Trooper. Place / Unit: United Kingdom / reinforcement unit
1941-12-23 to 1941-12-30 — Granted leave of absence. Place / Unit: United Kingdom / Canadian Army Overseas
1942-01-05 — Proceeded to port of embarkation and embarked for Canada via Gourock. Place / Unit: Gourock, Scotland / Canadian Army Overseas
1942-01-19 — Returned to Canada. Place / Unit: Canada / Canadian Army
1942-01-20 — Posted to District Depot No. 4 for disposal and records purposes. Place / Unit: Montreal, Quebec / District Depot No. 4
1942-02-02 — Admitted sick to Ste. Anne's Hospital. Place / Unit: Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec / Ste. Anne's Hospital
1942-02-13 — Classified medical category E. Place / Unit: Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec / Ste. Anne's Hospital
1942-03-03 — Discharged medically as unable to meet required military physical standards. Place / Unit: Montreal, Quebec / District Depot No. 4
1942-03-03 — Refused to sign discharge papers because his acting Lance Corporal appointment had been reversed to Trooper; discharge reservation recorded. Place / Unit: Montreal, Quebec / No. 4 District Depot
1968-05-23 — Died at age 60; obituary records interment at Sunnyside Lawn Cemetery. Place / Unit: White Rock, British Columbia
Notes
Born at Bury, Quebec. Civilian occupation: automobile mechanic. Initial medical examination recorded height 5 ft 9 in, weight 158 lb, chest 36 in with 3 in expansion, medium complexion, brown eyes and brown hair; identifying marks included a vaccination scar on the left arm and tattoo on the right arm. Obituary records death at White Rock, British Columbia on 23 May 1968 and interment at Sunnyside Lawn Cemetery.
[Previous notes - manual reconciliation required]
Reported for duty July 19, accepted August 19, 1942
Born, Bury, Que.
New Carslile, Quebec. Enlisted from Hemmingford, Quebec
BIRTH JUNE 24, 1907 • Bury, Estrie Region, Quebec, Canada DEATH 23 MAY 1968 • White Rock, Greater Vancouver Regional District, British Columbia, Canada
Marriage 8 Oct 1930 • Cookshire United Church, Cookshire, Qc Mildred Helena Seale 1906–1982
Additional Service Notes
Enlisted in the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps at Montreal on 19 August 1940. Trained and worked as a motor mechanic, served in Canada and the United Kingdom, and was attached to the 4th Reconnaissance Battalion (P.L.D.G.). Held acting appointments up to Acting Lance Sergeant before reverting to his permanent rank during hospitalization. Returned to Canada in January 1942 and was discharged medically on 3 March 1942.
Additional Next of Kin Notes
Wife Mildred Helena Darker of Hemmingford, Quebec. Their son Ronald Clayton Darker was age 6 on 20 August 1940. Father James Darker lived at Island Brook, Quebec; mother was deceased. Darker's military will dated 20 August 1940 left his entire estate to Mildred Helena Darker and appointed her executrix. Obituary names son Ronald of California, brother Edwin of Quebec, and sisters Mrs. Eileen M. Roome and Mrs. Ardath E. Bidin of Vancouver.
Version: 3 Last modified: 2026-09-30 02:05:04
by: marc
