Born 10/07/1923 in Owen Sound, ON. Son of Samuel Lorne Ankcorn and Minerva (Miller) Ankcorn, brother of Glen. They lived at 22 Hyslop St., Chatham, Ontario, Canada. The family moved to Chatham in 1929. Samuel, his father, had a barber shop at the corner of St. George and Park Street. Lorne attended school at Queen Mary and Central School before enrolling at Chatham Vocational School where he studied for two years. He was a member of William St. Baptist Church and joined the Boy Scouts at 1^st Presbyterian Church. He was a pitcher for the C.Y.O. (Christian Youth Organization), playing on the midget and junior baseball teams.  After leaving CVS, he apprenticed as a machinist at International Harvester on Grand Ave. East. He was well known for his skills as a baseball pitcher.

He enlisted on the 2^nd  of February, 1942, with the R.C.R. at 18 years old with the Essex Scottish Regt. Lorne trained in London, Kitchener, and Camp Bordon. He passed up on NCO training for an overseas placement; going overseas on the 14th of June, 1942. He arrived in England eleven days later. In England, he volunteered for Commando training before going to Italy as a sniper in March of 1943 with the RCR.

23 May,1944 1^st Canadian Corp was moving against the Hitler Line; a strongly defended line that had to be broken to capture Rome. While advancing with two other soldiers through a field advancing towards the Germans, they came under heavy mortar fire and suffered a direct hit which killed all three Canadians. The CDN 31/05/44 reported that Pte. Lorne Ankorn had been killed in action.

20 years old.  Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead, Grave/Memorial Reference: IV. H. 17. Cemetery: CASSINO WAR CEMETERY. 

Cemetery: CASSINO WAR CEMETERY. The Canadian Virtual War Memorial has photos of Lorne and the cemetery.       

Afa: Chatham Fire Fighters 1944 Field Day Booklet 7 – 12/08/1944. Chatham Baptist Church – Roll of Honour. Index of Overseas Deaths. CDN article not dated with photo.(P) C-K Museum. ATNCB. Cdn Army Official casualty list 4/07/44, L.Lucas.

 

 

 

 

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Sources

Chatham Fire Fighters 1944 Field Day Booklet (12-08-1944), Chatham Baptist Church – Roll of Honour. Index of Overseas Deaths, Mentioned in Dispatches, Commonwealth War Dead, Grave/Memorial Reference: IV. H. 17., Cdn Army Official casualty list 4/07/44, L.Lucas.

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