Military Service Recognition Book

177 www.on.legion.ca ONTARIO COMMAND GOMME, Percy Cecil Percy was the youngest son of Charles and Hannah Gomme of Newcastle, Ontario. He was born on March 5, 1897 and had nine siblings. Records indicate that Percy joined the Army on April 21, 1916 during World War I and served with the 46th Regiment of Durham in Petawawa. He began as a Private and was promoted to Lieutenant with 136th before resigning his commission to join the Canadian Expeditionary Force. The Canadians were sent to relieve the battered ANZAC forces and take part in the push to capture Passchendaele. This was a difficult battlefield with muddy, flat terrain and the Canadian commander, Lt. General Arthur Currie, was reluctant to send his troops into battle but they began the offensive on October 26, 1917. Despite the problems, the Canadians reached the outskirts of their target on October 30 in a driving rainstorm. The Canadians and British finally captured the village of Passchendaele on November 6, but it was without Percy Gomme. On November 1, 1917, Percy, age 21, was killed in action near Passchendaele. His name is inscribed on the Ypres Memorial at the Menin Gate in Belgium. There is a gravestone honouring his life at the Bond Head Cemetery. GOODMAN, Lorne Booth Lorne was born on June 1, 1925 in Oshawa, Ontario. Lorne enlisted in the CanadianArmy in December 1943, at the age of eighteen. He started basic training in Brantford, ON and advanced to Camp Borden Ontario and then onto Halifax, NS. He then went to England and France, arriving at Juno Beach three weeks after D-Day in early July 1944. Lorne then joined the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders 4th Canadian Armoured Division at Caen, France. He went through France, Belgium and Holland. In Holland, at the Battle of Scheldt from October 2 to November 8, 1944, Lorne was wounded by a German SS sniper on October 20, 1944. He was then sent back to England. Lorne returned home in April 1946 for discharge. Private Goodman was awarded the 1939-1945 Star, France and Germany Star, Defence Medal, Canadian Volunteer Service Medal, and 1939-1945 War Medal. Lorne then worked with his father as an apprentice in the plumbing and heating business, later taking over the business in 1954, then retiring in 1992 when his two sons took over the family business. In 2002, Holland issued the Netherlands Commemorative Medal for all the Canadian soldiers that served there. GOODING, Norman Norman was born in Elmira, Ontario on September 27, 1892 to Martha Gooding. He joined the Army during World War I in Berlin, Ontario on August 18, 1915 and was assigned to the 29th Regiment for his basic training. He sailed for England with the 34th Battalion arriving at Bramshott on November 11, 1915. On February 3, Norman was taken on strength at Shorncliffe with the 12th Battalion and then on March 24, 1916 to the 1st Brigade Machine Gun Company. He was shipped to France on July 7 and joined the unit on July 16. On April 6, 1917, Norman was wounded in battle with severe damage to his legs and shipped to the 3rd General Hospital in Boulogne. Left foot damage resulted in amputation of some toes. His right thigh and knee were damaged to the extent that Norman was deemed unfit for further military service. He returned to Canada aboard the Hospital Ship Araguaya and discharged on September 16, 1917. Norman worked at B.F. Goodrich after the war. He was a member of The Royal Canadian Legion for twenty years; he joined the Kitchener Branch 50 in 1946 and then transferred to Waterloo Branch 530 in 1958. Norman passed away on April 26, 1969.

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