Son of Mr. and Mrs. Norman Alexander of 28 Harvey St., Chatham, ON.  Stanley had been a member of the crew on the S.S. Alexander Leslie that delivered coal to the port of Erieau and was one of the first men from Erieau to enlist.  

Stanley enlisted three day after war was declared with the RCE in London, ON. He trained for eleven months before going overseas to England. Before the raid on Dieppe, he was an accomplished pianist and a member of a popular touring orchestra entertaining troops. The orchestra was broken up after Dieppe due to deaths and injuries. 

While in England, he married an English girl Eileen and they had a daughter. They would arrive in Canada after Stanley arrived back home.

He was involved in the Dieppe Raid, originally reported as MIA in the WS 19/09/42, however, Stanley made his way back to England ‘safe and well’. It was reported in the CDN 16/09/42 that a terse message, received by his parents that Stanley was safe and returned to England after the battle on the Dieppe beaches. 

He was also involved in the invasion of Sicily, and following that, Italy as a whole.  The CDN 20/04/44(P) reported that Stanley had been wounded in Italy on 28 April, 1944. He sustained an injured left ankle and a compound fracture of the left Fibula. Albeit it must have been a brief visit to Italy when he met Pte. Gordon Foulis from Erieau. CDN 20 Aug. 44    He was transferred to the First Canadian Division in the fighting in Belgium, Holland, and Germany where he was slightly wounded.  He made a complete recovery.

He was with the army in Italy in January of 1944. It was there in that he learned that he was the father of “a fine baby daughter” in England.    

The CDN 28/06/45 was reported to have arrived in Halifax on 26 June on his way home.

Reported to be living in Erieau.  Husband of Eileen.  Stanley was reported as having passed away 2/01/1989. CDN 11/11/89.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Sources

CDN 26/09/39, KCFA, IODE(N), CFF-FD44, BFL,, CC-HR, MVL,,  CDN (20/04/44(P), 16/09/42, 19/09/42, 20/04/44, 28/04/44, 26/06/45, 28/06/45.), CDN (26/09/39.), { (NP) C-K Museum}

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