James William Allan Lieutenant (Canloan) 165
Personnel Entry
Name James William Allan
Army number CDN 165
Rank Lieutenant (Canloan)
Decorations M.C. Gazetted 19/10/1944
Date of birth 23/12/1912
Age 34
Unit Enlisted Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps 3/3/1942. Officer Cadet Training School. Commissioned as 2/Lt pending promulgation 12/6/1943. Appointed Lt with Royal Winnipeg Rifles 21/8/1943. Royal Canadian Infantry Corps, CANLOAN, Embarked for UK 6/4/1944. Disembarked UK 23/4/1944. Attached Durham Light Infantry 25/4/1944, Posted 11th Bn DLI. Wounded 27th/28th June 1944. KILLED in ACTION 1/7/1944 with 11th Bn Durham Light Infantry.
Company/Battery
Platoon or other sub-unit
Task or role Platoon Commander
Joined Brigade 25/4/1944.
Promotions A/Corporal 20/5/1942. A/Sgt - Officer Cadet - 17/3/1943. 2/Lt 12/6/1943. Lt 21/8/1943.
Wounded 28/6/1944 in the area of RAURAY.
Prisoner of War
Died/Killed in action 01-Jul-44
Home address Son of Alan and Mabel Hagerman James, Husband of Olive Elizabeth James, Grosse Isle, Manitoba. Buried Grave I. A. 12. Hottot-les-Bagues War Cemetery.
Source table 11DLI
It is not clear exactly when Lt JAMES was wounded. No specific mention is made in the Battalion War Diary of his injuries, nor of the specific attack in which his wounding took place.
His Gallantry Citation describes his being shot in the head, and then wounded again, on 28th June whereas his Canadian Army Service Record - very kindly supplied by his family - indicates his wounding occurred on 27th June.
His Military Cross Citation, confirmed by the personal evidence of Captain J B Nicholson, indicates that he returned immediately to duty, after having had his wounds dressed, and continued leading his Platoon. He was Killed in Action a few days later on 1st July, when leading a Patrol - a fact again confirmed in 2014 by Captain Nicholson. The War Diary, unfortunately, is of no help in providing corroborative evidence as, unusually, he is not mentioned by name amongst the Officer casualties.
Grateful thanks are hereby recorded to Tim Nicholson for gathering the relevant information from Captain Nicholson.
