Trooper Elwood James Bryson
Survivor of WW2
Date of Death:
Service Biography
Elwood James Bryson was born at Brysonville, Quebec, on 7 October 1920. He left school young and worked on his father Stanley Bryson's dairy farm before enlisting at Montreal on 14 August 1940. A Trooper with the Three Rivers Regiment, later the 12th Canadian Armoured Regiment, he trained at Camp Borden and served overseas in Sicily, Italy and Northwest Europe, much of the time as a 60-cwt truck driver at Regimental Headquarters. He was discharged at Montreal South on 5 October 1945 and planned to return to farming. Bryson died at St. Joseph's Hospital in Thunder Bay on 9 May 1996.
General Information
Conflict:
WW2
Regimental No.:
D36521
Cause of Death (in war):
Survived
Branch:
Army
Regiment:
Canadian Armoured Corps
Battalion:
12th Canadian Armoured Regiment (Three Rivers Regiment)
Company:
Date of Birth :
Place of Birth:
Brysonville, Quebec
Date of Enlistment:
Age at Enlistment:
19 years 10 months
Date of Discharge:
Age at Discharge:
24 years 11 months
Date of Death:
Age at Death:
75 years 7 months
Country Born:
Canada
Trade or Calling:
Farm hand / chauffeur
Next of Kin:
Mr. Stanley Bryson, father, Brysonville, Quebec
Address at Enlistment:
Brysonville, Quebec
Religion:
Presbyterian
Place of Enlistment:
Montreal, Quebec
Was a Prisoner of War:
No
Height:
5 ft 11.5 in / 182 cm
Weight:
168 lbs / 76 kg
Chest:
36.0 in / 91 cm
Expansion:
2.0 in / 5 cm
Marital Status:
Single
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:
Length of Service:
1878 days in service
Buried at:
Links
Ranks
| Conflict |
Rank |
Regiment |
Branch |
Unit |
Company |
Date From |
Date To |
| WW2 |
Trooper |
Canadian Armoured Corps |
Army |
12th Canadian Armoured Regiment (Three Rivers Regiment) |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Trooper |
Canadian Army |
Army |
No. 4 District Depot |
|
|
|
| Discharge unit. |
| WW2 |
Acting Lance Corporal |
Canadian Armoured Corps |
Army |
12th Army Tank Regiment (Three Rivers Regiment) |
|
|
|
| Reverted to Trooper at own request 16 Sep 1943. |
| WW2 |
Trooper |
Canadian Armoured Corps |
Army |
12th Army Tank Battalion (Three Rivers Regiment) |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Trooper |
Three Rivers Regiment (Tank) |
Army |
|
|
|
|
Awards
| Conflict |
Award |
Action |
Date of Award |
Date of Citation |
Source |
| WW2 |
1939-45 Star |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Italy Star |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
France-Germany Star |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Defence Medal |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with Clasp |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
War Medal 1939-45 |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
War Service Badge, General Service Class |
|
|
|
|
| 332186 |
Service Chronology
1920-10-07 — Born at Brysonville, Quebec — Brysonville, Quebec / Bryson family.
1940-08-14 — Enlisted voluntarily at Montreal as a Trooper with the Three Rivers Regiment (Tank) — Montreal, Quebec / Three Rivers Regiment (Tank).
1940-08-16 — Transferred to Camp Borden and taken on strength of the Three Rivers Regiment (Tank) — Camp Borden, Ontario / Three Rivers Regiment (Tank).
1940-11-28 — Admitted sick with influenza and transferred through Camp Borden Hospital and Toronto Military Hospital — Camp Borden and Toronto, Ontario / Three Rivers Regiment.
1940-12-27 — Discharged from Christie Street Hospital after the November-December illness — Toronto, Ontario / Christie Street Hospital.
1941-01-16 to 1941-01-31 — Admitted to Camp Borden Hospital with chronic gastritis and discharged to duty — Camp Borden, Ontario / Camp Borden Hospital.
1941-04-07 to 1941-04-14 — Granted furlough — Camp Borden, Ontario / 12th Army Tank Battalion.
1941-04-14 to 1941-04-15 — Absent without leave for 1 day 11 hours 59 minutes; awarded 1 day CB and forfeited 2 days pay — Camp Borden, Ontario / 12th Army Tank Battalion.
1941-06-21 — Struck off strength Canadian Army (Canada) on embarkation at Halifax — Halifax, Nova Scotia / 12th Army Tank Battalion.
1941-06-22 — Taken on strength Canadian Army Overseas — United Kingdom / 12th Army Tank Battalion.
1941-07-01 — Disembarked at Gourock, Scotland — Gourock, Scotland / 12th Army Tank Battalion.
1941-07-07 to 1941-07-12 — Granted landing leave — United Kingdom / 12th Army Tank Battalion.
1942-03-02 — Admitted to No. 1 Canadian General Hospital — United Kingdom / 12th Army Tank Battalion.
1942-06-19 — Placed on privilege leave — United Kingdom / 12th Army Tank Battalion.
1942-07-18 to 1942-07-26 — Admitted to and discharged from No. 5 Canadian General Hospital — United Kingdom / 12th Army Tank Battalion.
1942-10-06 to 1942-10-21 — Treated through No. 2 Light Field Ambulance, with repeated admissions and discharges — United Kingdom / 12th Army Tank Regiment.
1943 — Served with the regiment during the Sicilian and Italian campaigns — Sicily and Italy / 12th Canadian Armoured Regiment (Three Rivers Regiment).
1943-01-01 — Returned from privilege leave and rejoined unit — United Kingdom / 12th Army Tank Regiment.
1943-08-01 — Struck off strength Canadian Army Overseas on embarkation for the Mediterranean theatre — United Kingdom / 12th Army Tank Regiment.
1943-08-15 — Appointed Acting Lance Corporal — North Africa / 12th Army Tank Regiment.
1943-08-16 — Taken on strength Mediterranean theatre after disembarkation — Mediterranean Area / 12th Army Tank Regiment.
1943-09-16 — Reverted to Trooper at own request — North Africa / 12th Army Tank Regiment.
1944-01-10 — Awarded Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp — Italy / 12th Canadian Armoured Regiment.
1944-01-10 — Awarded 1939-45 Star — Italy / 12th Canadian Armoured Regiment.
1944-03-02 — Awarded first Good Conduct Badge — Overseas / 12th Canadian Armoured Regiment.
1944-11-02 to 1944-11-24 — Treated for conjunctivitis, left eye, through No. 5 Canadian Light Field Ambulance and No. 2 Canadian General Hospital — Italy / 12th Canadian Armoured Regiment.
1944-11-24 — Awarded second Good Conduct Badge — Overseas / 12th Canadian Armoured Regiment.
1945 — Served in Northwest Europe — Northwest Europe / 12th Canadian Armoured Regiment (Three Rivers Regiment).
1945-03-04 — Struck off strength Mediterranean Force on embarkation from Italy — Italy / 12th Canadian Armoured Regiment.
1945-03-06 — Disembarked in France — France / 12th Canadian Armoured Regiment.
1945-07-19 — Admitted to No. 22 Canadian General Hospital at Bramshott for treatment of syphilis — Bramshott, England / No. 22 Canadian General Hospital.
1945-07-27 — Completed penicillin treatment; follow-up blood tests were recommended — Bramshott, England / No. 22 Canadian General Hospital.
1945-08-26 — Overseas service terminated for repatriation — Europe / Canadian Army Overseas.
1945-08-27 — Taken on strength No. 4 District Depot at Montreal South and granted leave/ration allowance 3 September-2 October — Montreal South, Quebec / No. 4 District Depot.
1945-10-05 — Discharged at Montreal South under RO 1029 para. 5 on demobilization; intended residence Brysonville — Montreal South, Quebec / No. 4 District Depot.
1945-11-26 — Army returned the will he had executed on enlistment, noting that it remained valid in civil life unless revoked — Brysonville, Quebec / post-discharge correspondence.
1996-05-09 — Died at St. Joseph's Hospital in Thunder Bay, Ontario — Thunder Bay, Ontario / St. Joseph's Hospital.
Notes
Bryson grew up in Brysonville on his father Stanley Bryson's dairy farm. His education records conflict: an occupational-history form says he left school at 13 after reaching Grade 5, while the 1945 rehabilitation interview says he completed Grade 6 in 1938 at Ormstown. Before enlistment he worked for his father as a farm hand and chauffeur and reported about 17 years of farm experience. He intended to return to the family dairy farm after discharge. His 1996 obituary records that his wife, Mae Graham, predeceased him; he was survived by daughter Valerie Gauthier of Kamloops, sons David and Merrick of Thunder Bay, four grandchildren, brother Jim Bryson of Brysonville, and sisters Margaret Taylor of Levack and Ruth McIntyre of Huntingdon.
[Previous notes - manual reconciliation required]
son of Mr. Stanley Bryson, Brysonville, Entered service August 14, 1940.
Elwood James Bryson BIRTH 7 OCT 1922 • Ormstown, Québec DEATH 9 MAY 1996 • Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
Request confirmation number EA2026_0174014
Additional Service Notes
Bryson enlisted with the Three Rivers Regiment on 14 August 1940 and remained with the regiment throughout his service. He trained at Camp Borden, went overseas in June 1941 and served as a Trooper with the 12th Army Tank Battalion / 12th Canadian Armoured Regiment. A rehabilitation summary records that he spent much of his service as a 60-cwt truck driver at Regimental Headquarters and served in Sicily, Italy and Northwest Europe. It credits him with 11 months in Canada and 51 months overseas. He was discharged at Montreal South on 5 October 1945.
Additional Next of Kin Notes
At enlistment Bryson named his father, Stanley Bryson of Brysonville, Quebec, as next of kin. His obituary states that his wife Mae (Graham) predeceased him. Surviving children were Valerie (Alec) Gauthier of Kamloops, British Columbia, David (Barbara) Bryson and Merrick (Gail) Bryson of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Grandchildren named were Tyron and Bradley Gauthier and Sean and Ryan Bryson. It also names brother Jim Bryson of Brysonville and sisters Margaret (Andy) Taylor of Levack, Ontario, and Ruth McIntyre of Huntingdon, Quebec.
Version: 3 Last modified: 2026-09-30 14:54:38
by: marc
