Reginald Walter Daniel was born in Huntingdon, Quebec, on 6 September 1914. He was the third of three children of Walter and Amy (Bunce) Daniel. His father had served with the Black Watch and was killed overseas in 1916. Daniel attended school in Huntingdon and before enlistment worked in jewellery and watch repair, transport, and as a civil-service immigration inspector. He had also served briefly with the Black Watch reserve. Daniel enlisted in the Canadian Army at Montreal on 21 August 1942 and served with the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada. After training in Canada he went overseas in October 1943 and later served in France with the 1st Battalion. On 22 July 1944 he was severely wounded in action in Normandy by mortar/bomb fragments to his right arm and hand. He was evacuated through hospitals in France and Britain and returned to Canada for prolonged treatment and rehabilitation. The injuries left permanent impairment of his right hand and forearm, and he was discharged at Montreal South on 3 April 1945, medically unfit for further military service, with the rank of Corporal. His documented awards were the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp, 1939-45 Star, France and Germany Star, War Medal 1939-45 and Defence Medal.
After the war he married Margaret Ruth Davison.
Corporal Daniel died in May 1994 in Summerland, British Columbia, and is buried in the Huntingdon Protestant Cemetery.
Conflict:
WW2
Regimental No.:
D86416
Cause of Death (in war):
Survived
Branch:
Army
Regiment:
Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada
Battalion:
1st Battalion
Company:
Date of Birth :
Place of Birth:
Huntingdon, Quebec
Date of Enlistment:
Age at Enlistment:
27 years 11 months
Date of Discharge:
Age at Discharge:
30 years 6 months
Date of Death:
Age at Death:
79 years 7 months
Country Born:
Canada
Trade or Calling:
Immigration Inspector
Next of Kin:
Mrs. Amy Daniel, Mother, 61 York Street, Huntingdon, Quebec
Address at Enlistment:
61 York Street, Huntingdon, Quebec
Religion:
Church of England
Place of Enlistment:
Montreal, Quebec
Was a Prisoner of War:
Height:
5 ft 10.0 in / 178 cm
Weight:
138 lbs / 63 kg
Chest:
37.0 in / 94 cm
Expansion:
5.0 in / 13 cm
Marital Status:
Single
Prior Military Experience:
Yes
Saw Service in:
Europe
Place of Discharge:
Montreal South, Quebec
Discharge Type:
Regular/End of Service
Discharge Notes:
Severely wounded in action in Normandy on 22 July 1944 by mortar/bomb fragments to the right arm and hand. The injury produced a compound fracture of the right radius and traumatic loss of the right middle and ring fingers, with later ankylosis/flexion deformity of the index finger and restricted forearm pronation. He underwent repeated surgery and prolonged rehabilitation in Britain and Canada. A medical board found him permanently unfit for further military duty, and he was discharged on 3 April 1945 under R.O. 1029(10), unable to meet the required military physical standards.
Battle Died/Wounded:
Length of Service:
956 days in service
Buried at:
Links
Ranks
| Conflict |
Rank |
Regiment |
Branch |
Unit |
Company |
Date From |
Date To |
| WW2 |
Corporal |
Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada |
Army |
1st Battalion |
|
|
|
| Final paid/discharge rank Corporal. |
| WW2 |
Lance Sergeant |
Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada |
Army |
2nd Battalion / later overseas Black Watch |
|
|
|
| Appointment shown as L/Sgt; later reverted to Corporal at own request. |
| WW2 |
Corporal |
Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada |
Army |
2nd Battalion |
|
|
|
| Initially Acting Corporal; confirmed Corporal effective 16 May 1943. |
| WW2 |
Lance Corporal |
Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada |
Army |
2nd Battalion |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Private |
Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada |
Army |
2nd Battalion |
|
|
|
Awards
| Conflict |
Award |
Action |
Date of Award |
Date of Citation |
Source |
| WW2 |
Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp |
|
|
|
PDF pp. 3, 5, 68 |
| WW2 |
1939-45 Star |
|
|
|
PDF pp. 68, 86-90 |
| WW2 |
France and Germany Star |
|
|
|
PDF pp. 68, 86-90 |
| WW2 |
War Medal 1939-45 |
|
|
|
PDF p. 68 |
| WW2 |
Defence Medal |
|
|
|
PDF pp. 68, 86-90 |
Service Chronology
1914-09-06 — Born
1916 — Father, a Black Watch member, killed overseas
1937-11 to 1938-06 — Served in the Black Watch reserve (42nd Battalion)
1942-08-21 — Enlisted in the Canadian Army; Private
1942-09-02 — Transferred for basic training
1942-10-27 — Transferred to 2nd Battalion, Black Watch
1942-12-06 — Appointed Lance Corporal
1943-02-16 — Appointed Acting Corporal
1943-05-16 — Confirmed Corporal
1943-05-19 — Appointed Lance Sergeant
1943-07-20 to 1943-08-05 — Granted 14 days furlough plus 48 hours leave
1943-09-10 to 1943-09-13 — Granted 96 hours accumulated leave
1943-09-29 — Transferred to No. 1 Transit Camp for overseas movement
1943-10-22 — Embarked for overseas service
1943-10-30 — Disembarked and taken on strength overseas
1943-12-03 — Reverted to Corporal at own request
1944-07-06 — Operational service with 1st Battalion, Black Watch in France documented
1944-07-22 — Severely wounded by mortar/bomb fragments to right arm and hand
1944-07-25 to 1944-09-06 — Hospitalized and underwent treatment/surgery for severe right forearm and hand wounds
1944-07-25 — Admitted to No. 17 Canadian General Hospital after wounding
1944-07-26 — Transferred/admitted to No. 19 Canadian General Hospital
1944-09-06 — Discharged from No. 19 Canadian General Hospital for repatriation to Canada
1944-09-07 — Returned to Canadian strength after overseas evacuation
1944-09-09 — Mother Amy Daniel notified he was en route to Canada aboard a hospital ship
1944-09-18 to 1944-10-17 — Granted leave and rehabilitation allowance after return to Canada
1944-10-30 — Admitted for continued treatment in Canada
1945-01-10 — Surgery revised traumatic amputations of right middle and ring fingers
1945-01-23 — Sutures removed; discharged on 15 days disembarkation leave pending further index-finger surgery
1945-02-12 — Admitted/readmitted for rehabilitation and medical-board review
1945-02-28 — Operation/attempt to improve flexion deformity of right index finger
1945-03-05 — Recommended for reboarding as no longer fit for any duties
1945-03-17 — Medical board approved permanent low medical profile and report to DVA
1945-03-21 — Medical board approved finding of permanent disability/unfitness for further military duty
1945-04-03 — Medically discharged from the Canadian Army as Corporal
1945-08 to 1950-02 — Applied for and received confirmation of campaign-star/medal entitlement
1946-05-20 — Acknowledged receipt of personal kit returned from overseas
Notes
At enlistment Daniel was a single civil-service immigration inspector from Huntingdon, Quebec. He had previously worked in jewellery/watch repair and in transport and had served briefly in the Black Watch reserve. His education included schooling at Huntingdon and advanced mathematics/English; personnel assessment described him as pleasant, dependable, ambitious and capable of promotion.
Married Margaret Ruth Davison
He died in May 1994 in Summerland, British Columbia, and is buried in the Huntingdon Protestant Cemetery
1914-1994
Tombstone image
ATIP Request confirmation number EA2026_0170686
Additional Service Notes
Enlisted in the Canadian Army on 21 August 1942 and served with the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada. After training in Canada he went overseas on 22 October 1943 and disembarked in the United Kingdom on 30 October. He reverted from Lance Sergeant to Corporal at his own request on 3 December 1943. He served in France with the 1st Battalion, Black Watch, and was severely wounded in action on 22 July 1944. He was evacuated through hospitals in France and Britain and returned to Canadian strength on 7 September 1944. His final rank was Corporal. After prolonged treatment and medical-board review in Canada, he was discharged medically on 3 April 1945.
[Previous notes - manual reconciliation required]
Additional Next of Kin Notes
Mother: Amy Daniel (Bunce), widow, 61 York Street, Huntingdon, Quebec, next of kin throughout wartime casualty administration. Father: Walter Daniel, identified by Marc from an existing CWVMP database record; the service file itself does not state his name, but says Reginald's father was a Black Watch member killed overseas in 1916. Reginald was recorded as the third of three children.
Married
Research Notes
Family history: a 1942 personnel assessment states that Daniel was the third of three children and that his father had been a member of the Black Watch and was killed overseas in 1916. The service file does not state the father's name. Marc identifies the father as Walter Daniel from an existing CWVMP database record; treat the name as external/database-supported, while the relationship, Black Watch service and 1916 death are service-file-supported. His mother, widow Amy Daniel, was his next of kin and he partially supported her; a family form notes a government pension as another source of her support. Medical chronology: formal casualty records support 22 July 1944 as the wounded-in-action date, while multiple medical documents use 21 July as the date of origin. The wounds caused traumatic loss of the right middle and ring fingers, compound fracture and deformity of the right radius/forearm, restricted pronation, and ankylosis/flexion deformity of the index finger. Operations included removal/revision of damaged metacarpal/phalangeal structures on 10 January 1945; a later attempt to improve index-finger function was unsuccessful. He was considered unsuitable for further military duty. The file also documents 957 qualifying service days, including 320 overseas days.
