Lance Corporal Isaac Donald Lawrence

Isaac Donald Lawrence of Hemmingford, Quebec, enlisted in the Canadian Active Service Force at Montreal on 25 April 1940. A truck driver before service, he joined the 1st Battalion, The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada, trained at Toronto and Valcartier, and served in Newfoundland before going to Britain in August 1940. He qualified as a wheeled-vehicle driver and later transferred to 11 Canadian Provost Company, becoming Acting Lance Corporal in October 1943 and paid Lance Corporal in January 1944. He went to France in June 1944 and carried out motorcycle traffic duties during service in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. Repatriated in May 1945, he was discharged at Montreal South on 29 June to return to civilian life. His campaign medals included the 1939–45 Star, France and Germany Star, Defence Medal, Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and clasp, and War Medal 1939–45. He hoped to find police work at Windsor. Postwar records place him at Huntingdon and document subsequent pension/allowance enquiries. He died at Hemmingford on 8 January 1988.

1920-06-25 — Attestation and repeated service verifications give birth at Hemmingford. Existing biographical notes instead give 25 June 1921 at Windsor; conflict remains unresolved. [Hemmingford, Quebec]
1930 — Reported breaking his left arm and being hospitalized at Windsor; no continuing disability recorded. [Windsor, Ontario]
1932 — Qualification record lists pneumonia, subsequently clear. [Place not recorded]
1936 to 1940 — Worked at odd jobs for various employers: waiter, garage hand, labourer, construction work, truck helper and mixed farming; later summary specifies six months waiting, two months road work and six months truck-helper work. [Hemmingford, Quebec]
1937 — Completed Grade 7 at an intermediate school and left school at age 16; qualification form also contains an apparent Grade 6 entry. [Hemmingford, Quebec]
1940 to 1945 — Military work included about 33 months truck driving, 18 months Provost motorcycle traffic duties, a two-week sign-painter course and five months sign painting; exact course/work dates absent. [Canadian Army]
1940-04-23 — Entry examination: fit category A; weight 154 pounds, height appears 6 feet ¼ inch, expanded chest 36 inches and 3-inch expansion; scar left hand and vaccination mark left arm. [Montreal, Quebec]
1940-04-25 — Enlisted voluntarily as Private D82072 in Regimental Depot, 1st Battalion, The Black Watch (RHR) of Canada, CASF. Mother Bertha Lawrence NOK; signed will and family declaration. [Montreal, Quebec]
1940-05-02 — Posted for duty with 1st Battalion at Toronto, taken on strength 3 May; existing notes specify E Company at Canadian National Exhibition Barracks. [Toronto, Ontario]
1940-05-06 — Dental examination identified E Company, 1st Battalion Black Watch; oral hygiene neglected, prophylaxis and extractions required. [Toronto, Ontario]
1940-06-09 to 1940-06-11 — Embarkation leave while with 1 RHC at Valcartier. [Valcartier, Quebec]
1940-06-17 — Embarked on SS Antonia for Newfoundland; detailed first service card and existing notes support Newfoundland deployment. A duplicate instead reads Gourock 2 July and is not reconciled. [Quebec, Quebec]
1940-06-22 — Disembarked at Botwood, Newfoundland, with 1 RHC; Newfoundland service is confirmed by later verifications and counselling. [Botwood, Newfoundland]
1940-08-10 — Embarked on SS Duchess of Richmond at Botwood for return to Canada; duplicate gives Liverpool. [Botwood, Newfoundland]
1940-08-13 — Disembarked at Halifax and proceeded to Infantry Training Centre, Aldershot, Nova Scotia; duplicate reads 17 August. [Halifax, Nova Scotia; Aldershot, Nova Scotia]
1940-08-22 — Embarked at Halifax on transport E62 for overseas; struck off Canadian strength. [Halifax, Nova Scotia]
1940-08-23 — Taken on overseas strength; this administrative date precedes actual disembarkation. [Canadian Army Overseas]
1940-09-04 — Disembarked at Gourock, Scotland; service card also records Aldershot as posting location. [Gourock, Scotland, United Kingdom]
1940-09-25 to 1940-09-30 — Landing leave apparently 25–30 September; duplicate lists London report 24 September and effective 5 October. [London, England, United Kingdom]
1940-12-12 to 1941-01-14 — Partial upper denture impression and bite recorded; completion year varies, with January 1941 stamp. [Black Watch, United Kingdom]
1941-04-09 — Awarded 24 days field punishment under Army Actsection 40 and forfeiture 24 days pay. Pay record describes neglect to prejudice, remainder cropped; specific misconduct not established. [Black Watch, United Kingdom]
1941-04-10 to 1941-05-02 — Committed/attached to Canadian Corps Field Punishment Camp; released and attachment ceased 2 May. Computation deducted 24 days. [Canadian Corps Field Punishment Camp, United Kingdom]
1941-08 to 1941-09-01 — Privilege leave ending 1 September; start read 25 August with erroneous 1940 year, or 18 August 1941 in duplicate. [Black Watch, United Kingdom]
1941-08-19 to 1941-08-22 — Periodontal/Vincent's angina treatment and scaling through Canadian Dental Corps Clinic 3. [Black Watch, United Kingdom]
1941-11-17 — Seven days' P2 privilege leave; duplicate reads 17 December, month uncertain. [Black Watch, United Kingdom]
1941-12-04 to 1941-12-13 — Repeated dental treatment for Vincent's angina on 4, 5, 8, 10, 12, 13 December. [Black Watch, United Kingdom]
1942-02-23 to 1942-03-02 — Privilege leave without warrant. [Black Watch, United Kingdom]
1942-03-22 — Gratuity calculation lists one non-qualifying AWL day on 22 March 1942; disciplinary cards/pay records give March 1943 instead. Year conflict preserved. [Black Watch, United Kingdom]
1942-04-25 — First Good Conduct Badge effective approximately 25 April 1942; authority entered 21 September 1943. [Black Watch, United Kingdom]
1942-06-08 to 1942-06-12 — Attached to anti-aircraft light-machine-gun school for CMHQ Course 72; pay record instead gives Course 22 and 5–12 June. Qualification form's school reading differs. [London District, England, United Kingdom]
1942-06-15 to 1942-06-22 — Privilege leave; entry calls seven days though endpoints span eight, and duplicate month may be July. [Black Watch, United Kingdom]
1942-06-22 — Qualification interview: good driver but inclined to be lazy, neat, correct, robust and athletic, cooperative; map reading lacking. HQ Company association in qualification record. [Black Watch, United Kingdom]
1942-07-15 — Qualified Driver I/C (Wheeled); repeated qualification date 15 July, duplicate effective date unclear. [Black Watch, United Kingdom]
1942-09-14 to 1942-09-21 — Seven days' privilege leave. [Black Watch, United Kingdom]
1942-11-23 to 1942-11-28 — Attached to Royal Air Force/RAF Regiment for anti-aircraft platoon training; pay record confirms attachment 23 November, ceased 28 November. Other abbreviations/month-duration annotation uncertain. [Royal Air Force Regiment, United Kingdom]
1942-12-13 to 1942-12-19 — Attached to Seaford Weapons Training School; returned 19 December. [Seaford, England, United Kingdom]
1942-12-29 — AWL 7 hours 30 minutes; confined to barracks and forfeited one day's pay. Punishment duration reads six days in one card, five in another; pay entry recorded 30 December. [Black Watch, United Kingdom]
1943-01-01 — Duty regimental pay rate $1.50 daily effective 1 January; authority entered 21 May. [Black Watch, United Kingdom]
1943-01-06 to 1943-01-15 — Privilege leave, described as nine days. [Black Watch, United Kingdom]
1943-03-22 to 1943-03-27 — March AWL offence: one day absent, seven days confined to barracks and one day's pay forfeited. Dates vary 22/23/27 March; duplicate mentions an unclear det. annotation. [Black Watch, United Kingdom]
1943-04 — Privilege leave/pass entry apparently effective 12 April; precise duration/designation unclear. [Black Watch, United Kingdom]
1943-05-29 — Burned fingers with cigarettes while drunk, according to clinical note; subsequent infection involved left index finger and other fingers. [Black Watch, United Kingdom]
1943-06-01 to 1943-06-11 — Hospital/field-ambulance treatment for infected cigarette burns/paronychia with lymphangitis; recovered and returned to unit. Facility/date readings vary 1/11/14 Field Ambulance, 3 CCS/general hospital, and 6/11 June return. [United Kingdom]
1943-06-22 — Occupational resettlement form recorded English/French speaking and reading, Grade 7, odd-job employment and farming ambition; service number/birth day differ in this isolated form. [Hemmingford, Quebec]
1943-07-18 — Old Westminster YMCA mistakenly handed Lawrence's kitbag to Gunner A.J.Gagne B17238; Gagne's bag remained at club. Correspondence calls 18 July Monday, creating a weekday/date discrepancy. [Westminster, London, England, United Kingdom]
1943-07-28 — Taken on strength of 1 Canadian General Reinforcement Unit pending Provost transfer, following SOS 27 July; first service card instead gives 24/25 July. [No. 1 Canadian General Reinforcement Unit, United Kingdom]
1943-07-28 to 1943-08-04 — Auxiliary Services and unit correspondence sought action on swapped YMCA kitbags. [Westminster, London, England, United Kingdom]
1943-08-19 — Record entries propose transfer from Black Watch to Canadian Provost Corps, but pay-record entry is entirely cancelled. Definite 11 Provost Company posting follows in October. [No. 1 Canadian General Reinforcement Unit, United Kingdom]
1943-10-15 — Taken on strength of 11 Canadian Provost Company from 1 CGRU, following SOS 14 October. [No. 11 Canadian Provost Company, United Kingdom]
1943-10-20 — Appointed Acting Lance Corporal. [No. 11 Canadian Provost Company, United Kingdom]
1943-11-21 to 1943-12-03 — Attached for all purposes to 2 Canadian Army Group, Royal Canadian Artillery; ceased 3 December. [2 Canadian Army Group, Royal Canadian Artillery, United Kingdom]
1943-12-28 to 1944-01-18 — Dental extractions of right third molars and subsequent amalgam restorations through 4 Company Canadian Dental Corps. [No. 11 Canadian Provost Company, United Kingdom]
1944 to 1945 — Provost motorcyclist/traffic duties on continent; discharge counselling explicitly names France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. Individual country-entry dates not supplied. [France; Belgium; Netherlands; Germany]
1944-01-10 to 1944-01-17 — Mine-clearing course, attached to Headquarters 1 Canadian Army Training Camp. [Headquarters 1 Canadian Army Training Camp, United Kingdom]
1944-01-15 — Awarded Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and clasp; recorded 28 January. [No. 11 Canadian Provost Company, United Kingdom]
1944-01-20 — Made paid/confirmed Lance Corporal, recorded 4 February; later final documents variously retain Private (L/Cpl) wording. [No. 11 Canadian Provost Company, United Kingdom]
1944-03-21 to 1944-03-24 — Partial upper denture ordered and inserted; selected for practical replacement/balanced occlusion amid recurrent gingivitis. [No. 11 Canadian Provost Company, United Kingdom]
1944-06-16 — Embarked in the United Kingdom for France with 11 Provost Company under 21 Army Group. [United Kingdom]
1944-06-17 — Disembarked in France; two detailed records give 17 June, first service card reads 18 June. [France]
1945-03-01 — Assigned pay amended to Nil; earlier amount appears $15, with unclear earlier effective date. [No. 11 Canadian Provost Company]
1945-03-07 to 1945-03-17 — Nine days' privilege leave to United Kingdom and return 17 March; pay record starts 1 March, whereas service card gives 7 March. [United Kingdom]
1945-04-29 to 1945-05-02 — Struck off 11 Provost Company to X8 List for rotation leave; pay record effective 29 April, service card SOS 1 May/TOS 2 May. [Canadian Provost Corps, X-8 List]
1945-05 — Repatriated to Canada with draft XUK/18, Military District 4; associated date apparently 11 May. Exact physical embarkation/landing ports and dates not established. [Canada]
1945-05-06 — Struck off X8 to 1 Canadian Repatriation Depot/draft; draft designation partly unclear. [No. 1 Canadian Repatriation Depot]
1945-05-14 — Struck off overseas strength; qualifying overseas service ended 14 May, with 15 May in one gratuity calculation. [Canadian Army Overseas]
1945-05-15 — Taken on strength of No. 4 District Depot, reported 23 May at Montreal South. [Montreal South, Quebec]
1945-05-24 to 1945-06-22 — Leave and ration allowance through No. 4 District Depot. [Montreal South, Quebec]
1945-06-22 to 1945-06-27 — Release assessments: no complaints or abnormality, recovered finger burn without disability, no treatment required; full PULHEMS 1 profile approved 27 June. Chest X-raynegative. [Montreal South, Quebec]
1945-06-28 — Discharge dental examination: unsatisfactory partial upper denture, replacement/prophylaxis and four amalgam restorations required. [Hemmingford, Quebec]
1945-06-29 — Discharged on demobilization to civil life under RO 1029 paragraph 5, No. 4 District Depot; final documents Private/Lance Corporal. Received War Service Badge 268646, clothing allowance $100 and 30 days' pay; intended residence Hemmingford. [Montreal South, Quebec]
1945-06-29 — Counselling advised police employment at Windsor, where father lived; alternatives truck driving or semi-skilled industrial training. Post-discharge mailing Box 323 Hemmingford. Referred for assistance at Valleyfield. [Hemmingford, Quebec; Windsor, Ontario; Valleyfield, Quebec]
1945-07-24 — Amended final pay certificate certified at Arnprior: regimental pay $46.40 for 29 days, $100 clothing, $48 rehabilitation grant; financial adjustments recorded. [Arnprior, Ontario]
1945-08-06 — War Service Gratuity statement: $1,075.33, qualifying 1866 days, overseas 1700 days, re-establishment credit $890; thirteen monthly instalments $82.71. [Hemmingford, Quebec]
1945-08-16 — Deferred-pay interest adjustment cheque $1.51 forwarded. [Hemmingford, Quebec]
1945-08-23 — Will executed 25 April 1940 returned after release, with advice on its continuing validity unless revoked. [Hemmingford, Quebec]
1946-07-12 — Post-discharge dental relief: amalgam filling and prophylaxis; addresscare of Mrs. Cruickshank, 214 Chateauguay Street, Huntingdon. [Huntingdon, Quebec]
1946-07-19 — Nine extractions and complete upper acrylic denture completed; total dental relief $54, patient certified satisfactory treatment. [Huntingdon, Quebec]
1947-10-16 — Final re-establishment credit payment $0.53 authorized to close account; cheque to Lawrence at Huntingdon. [Huntingdon, Quebec]
1949-10-10 — Postmark dates request for war-service medals to Hemmingford; veteran described discharge rank Lance Corporal. [Hemmingford, Quebec]
1949-10-24 — Award record lists dispatch of 1939–45 Star, France and Germany Star, Defence Medal, CVS Mandclasp, and War Medal; rankrecord Private. [Hemmingford, Quebec]
1952-05-08 to 1952-05-13 — Civil Service Commissioninquiry and Veterans Affairsreply confirmed honourable discharge 29 June 1945 and service Canada, Newfoundland, U Kandcontinental Europe. Inquiry birthyear 1921 differs from attestation 1920. [Ottawa, Ontario]
1986-07-17 to 1986-07-30 — War Veterans Allowanceproof-of-service request and verification; verification gives birth 25 June 1920, Hemmingford. [Montreal, Quebec]
1986-07-21 — Bureauof Pensions Advocates requested all service documents for pension application; request gives 25 June 1921 and corrects Issie to Isaac Donald. [Montreal, Quebec]
1986-09-03 — Bureauof Pensions Advocates requested service and dental records for pension application. [Montreal, Quebec]
1988-01-08 — Died at Hemmingford, according to existing biographical information. [Hemmingford, Quebec]
1988-06-07 — Veterans Affairs Quebec Region requested proof of service for War Veterans Allowanceapplication; request is dated after death in existing notes and gives birthyear 1921. [Montreal, Quebec]