Image: A survey crew on the bank of a river, possibly crossing it, ca. 1910 (SPRA 178.02.06)
Rank: Lieutenant
Branch: 51st Battalion; 10th Battalion
Alfred “Charles” Trimmer was born in Burk’s Falls, Ontario on December 2, 1883. He was a member of a survey party that came up to Grande Prairie. In January of 1915, Charles enlisted in the Canadian Army in Edmonton. He was wounded on February 5, 1916; the wound must have been relatively minor as he was off duty for only six days. On March 15, 1916, Charles was awarded the Military Cross. His citation reads as follows:
“For conspicuous gallantry. He led a party of bombers through the enemy’s wire and inflicted severe loss on the enemy. Although wounded, he remained behind till all his men had got away from the wire.”
He was awarded a bar to his Military Cross on September 8, 1916. Also in September of 1916, Charles received a shrapnel wound to his left leg. Charles was killed in action on April 28, 1917. He was buried in the Ecoivres Military Cemetery in France.
- Attestation Paper
- Lives of the First World War
- Canadian Great War Project
- Gets Military Cross (March 21, 1916)
- Military Cross
- Military Cross
- Mention in Dispatches
- Mention in “Visiting the Fallen”
- Canadian Virtual War Memorial
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- CWGC Register
- CWGC Register
Soldier Spotlight highlights veterans from the Archives’ online Soldiers’ Memorial. Each week, our volunteers select a remarkable individual to showcase in this blog series. The Soldiers’ Memorial commemorates more than 1,100 WWI veterans and 2,300 WWII veterans from our region. Three dedicated volunteers have contributed over 1,200 hours to this project by researching and writing biographies. Our goal is to have all South Peace soldiers acknowledged for their service. If you know of someone who lived in the South Peace and should be listed on the Memorial, or would like to get involved by researching a local veteran, please contact the Archives.