Maurice Clark Young

Canadian Volunteer Service Medal(CVSM) and Clasp

Canadian Armoured Corps

British Columbia Regiment

WW II

Maurice Clark Young was born 09 March 1923 at home in the Rural Municipality of Pembina. He was the youngest of 4 boys, Charles, George, Lorne and Maurice born to Dawson and Charlotte (Rinn) Young. He attended Overdale School, located at NW34-1-8W south of Kaleida in the Rural Municipality of Pembina and later in life became a trustee of that school. Established in 1889 and after providing education to local kids for 75 years Overdale School closed in 1964.

On 27 October 1942 at the age of 19 Maurice enlisted in the Army, The Canadian Armoured Corps (tanks) and did his basic training in Portage la Prairie. In November 1943 he was transferred to Camp Borden, Ontario for his armoured (tank) training. Maurice was granted leave over the Christmas period and went home. While on leave he married Ina McElroy from the Shadeland School District on 31 December 1943, New Year’s Eve, in Darlingford.

In October 1944 Maurice was transferred to London, England and eventually to Continental Europe to join the British Columbia Regiment in their pursuit of the retreating Germans into Belgium and Holland and Germany. From November 1944 until April 1945 the BC Regiment held their position preparing for a planned crossing of the Rhine River into Germany. The regiment crossed the Rhine in April and quickly captured the town of Neunhaus. The last major action of the BC Regiment began on 17 April 1945 when they crossed the Kusten Canal and by VE Day 05 May 1945 they had pushed the enemy back beyond Bad Zwischenahn. In all the Regiment had lost 122 Officers and men killed and 213 wounded along with 105 Sherman, 14 Stuart tanks and 1 Crusader tank since “D” Day 06 June 1944.

Maurice returned to Canada and his roots, the family farm south of Kaleida, in 1946. Over the next number of years, he and Ina had four children, Wrenda, Rhonda, Floyd, and Betty. They farmed until 1987 at which time they rented it out and moved to Morden. Maurice was an outdoors person and liked hunting, fishing, travelling with Ina and woodworking. Maurice passed away in August 1992 and is buried in the Darlingford Cemetery.