Trooper Ashton Clifford Dey

Survivor of WW2

Date of Death:

Biography General Links Ranks Awards Chronology Print

Service Biography

Ashton Clifford Dey was born in Montreal on 6 September 1920 and grew up at Hemmingford. He left school at 14 after seven years of public schooling and had ten years of general farming experience, working for his father William Dey. He also worked as a hotel waiter and in orchard/carpentry work and hoped to become an electric mechanic. Dey enlisted in the Canadian Army on 30 June 1941 and served with the 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment (17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars). After serving in Canada and the United Kingdom, he embarked for continental Europe on 17 June 1944 and landed in France on 18 June 1944. He subsequently served in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. In May 1945 he volunteered for Pacific service. He was honourably discharged as a Trooper on 24 September 1945.

General Information

Conflict:

WW2

Regimental No.:

D-3975

Cause of Death (in war):

Survived

Branch:

Canadian Army

Regiment:

17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars

Battalion:

7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment

Company:

Date of Birth :

Place of Birth:

Montreal, Quebec

Date of Enlistment:

Age at Enlistment:

20 years 9 months

Date of Discharge:

Age at Discharge:

25 years

Date of Death:

Age at Death:

68 years 11 months

Country Born:

Canada

Trade or Calling:

Labourer

Next of Kin:

Mrs. W. L. Dey, mother, Hemmingford, Quebec

Address at Enlistment:

Hemmingford, Quebec

Religion:

Presbyterian

Place of Enlistment:

Montreal, Quebec

Was a Prisoner of War:

Height:

5 ft 10.5 in / 179 cm

Weight:

140 lbs / 64 kg

Chest:

35.0 in / 89 cm

Expansion:

4.0 in / 10 cm

Marital Status:

Single

Prior Military Experience:

Saw Service in:

Europe

Place of Discharge:

Montreal South, Quebec

Discharge Type:

Regular/End of Service

Discharge Notes:

Battle Died/Wounded:

Length of Service:

1547 days in service

Buried at:

Links

Ancestry.com

Ranks

Conflict	Rank	Regiment	Branch	Unit
WW2	Trooper	17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars	Canadian Army	7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment
WW2	Trooper	17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars	Canadian Army	No. 4 District Depot
WW2	Trooper	17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars	Canadian Army	O1 OTC (EC)
WW2	Trooper	17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars	Canadian Army	No. 4 District Depot, E Wing

Awards

Conflict	Award	Action	Date of Award	Date of Citation	Source
WW2	1939-45 Star
WW2	France and Germany Star
WW2	Defence Medal
WW2	Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp

Service Chronology

1941-06-30 — Taken on strength of No. 4 District Depot and 7 Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment effective on enlistment (Montreal, Quebec / No. 4 District Depot; 7 Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment).
1941-07-04 — Posted to his unit at Debert, Nova Scotia (Debert, Nova Scotia / 7 Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment).
1941-08-05 — Taken on strength of the 17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars, the regiment serving as 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment (17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars / 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment).
1941-08-23 — Struck off strength Canadian Army Canada for overseas service (Canada / Canadian Army).
1941-08-24 — Taken on strength Canadian Army Overseas (United Kingdom / Canadian Army Overseas).
1941-10-22 — Dental memorandum records extraction work while serving with 7th Reconnaissance Regiment (United Kingdom / 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment).
1942-06-07 — Punished for absence without leave; awarded seven days confined to barracks and forfeiture of one day's pay (United Kingdom / 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment).
1942-09-22 — Admitted sick with scabies to 22 Field Ambulance while serving with 17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars (United Kingdom / 22 Field Ambulance; 17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars).
1943-04-16 — Dental memorandum records an extraction while serving with 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment (United Kingdom / 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment).
1943-11-15 — Charged with disobeying a regimental order by using a War Department vehicle without permission and with being absent without leave; awarded 14 days confined to barracks and forfeiture of 14 days' pay (Field / 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment).
1943-12-10 — Charged with driving a War Department vehicle at an excessive rate of speed; awarded 14 days confined to barracks and grounded for 30 days (Field / 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment).
1944-06-17 — Embarked from the United Kingdom for continental Europe with 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment (United Kingdom / 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment).
1944-06-18 — Disembarked in France for active service with 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment (France / 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment).
1944-06-18 to 1945 — Served in continental Europe after disembarking in France, including service in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany (Continental Europe / 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment).
1944-08-03 — Charged with neglecting to obey a standing order concerning washing vehicles; awarded seven days field punishment and forfeiture of seven days' pay (Field / 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment).
1945-02-28 — Charged with neglecting proper maintenance of a War Department vehicle; awarded 14 days field punishment and forfeiture of 14 days' pay (Field / 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment).
1945-05-15 — Signed a supplementary declaration volunteering to serve in the Pacific Theatre of War (Canadian Army / 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment).
1945-06-16 — Struck off strength of the Canadian Army in North-West Europe for return to the United Kingdom (North-West Europe / Canadian Army).
1945-06-17 — Taken on strength of the Canadian Army in the United Kingdom after leaving North-West Europe (United Kingdom / Canadian Army UK).
1945-09-14 — Struck off strength to No. 4 District Depot on return to Canada (Canada / No. 4 District Depot).
1945-09-24 — Honourably discharged at Montreal South under Routine Order 1029 paragraph 5; final rank Trooper (Montreal South, Quebec / Canadian Army).
1945-10-20 — Service will dated 30 June 1941 was returned to Dey at Hemmingford; letter stated the will remained valid in civilian life (Hemmingford, Quebec / Department of National Defence).

Notes

Dey left public school at age 14 after seven years of schooling. At enlistment he reported ten years of general farming experience in Quebec and was working for his father, William Dey, a farmer at Hemmingford. He hoped to become an electric mechanic. Later personnel-selection material also recorded about a year as a hotel waiter, orchard/carpentry work, an incomplete I.C.S. diesel-engineering correspondence course, and interests including swimming and stamp collecting. He remained single with no dependents.

[Previous notes - manual reconciliation required]

Born at Montreal, Sept. 6th 1920
Enlisted June 30th. 1941. Longueuil, Que
Name Clifford Dey Birth 6 sept. 1920 (6 Sep 1920) Death 15 août 1989 (15 Aug 1989) Montreal (Montréal), Quebec, Canada Residence Hemmingford
Request confirmation number
EA2026_0172728

Additional Service Notes

Ashton Clifford Dey enlisted in the Canadian Active Service Force on 30 June 1941 as D-3975. He served in Canada and the United Kingdom with the Canadian Army and 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment (17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars). He embarked from the United Kingdom on 17 June 1944 and disembarked in France on 18 June 1944, subsequently serving in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. He returned from North-West Europe to the United Kingdom on 17 June 1945. He was honourably discharged on 24 September 1945.

Additional Next of Kin Notes

Soldier's Pay Books record Dey as single. His father was William Dey of Hemmingford, Quebec, and his mother was Mrs. Martha Dey of Hemmingford, Quebec. Martha Dey was his pay assignee at $25 per month from July 1941. Later pay books continue to identify William Dey as father and Martha Dey as mother.

Version: 3 Last modified: 2026-10-04 02:05:04 by: marc