Sergeant Charles More B-67280

Charles More was a beloved family man, a dedicated member of the Militia, a disciplined infantryman, and a gifted musician. He had a full life but died too young in the service of his country. He was born in Scotland on October 6, 1903, to Robert C. and Sofia More. The family moved to Canada when he was three, and both parents worked at the Brighton Laundry in Toronto. The oldest of six children, Charles attended Pauline Avenue School. He was a Roman Catholic and member of the Sons of Scotland (a Canadian organization with roots firmly planted in Canada reaching back to 1876, dedicated to foster and preserve Scottish heritage and culture).

Music was a constant in Charles’ life. In 1926 he won the Silver Trumpet contest at the Canadian National Exposition. He played in dance bands at Toronto’s Granite Club, in dance halls, and at resorts in Port Dalhousie near St. Catharines and others around Lake Erie throughout the 1930’s. These bands were made up of five to ten men, playing trumpet, saxophone, trombone, piano, guitar, and drums. He also played for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and several other orchestras. In the late 1930’s the Revue Royal in which he played toured from Belleville, through Quebec, all the way to Moncton, New Brunswick. 

He married Mary Beatrice Merrick in 1935, and they had three boys, George, Peter, and Eugene. Before the Second World War Charles worked in several different jobs in Toronto including at the Brighton Laundry and the ACME Farmer’s Dairies. He also was a member of the Militia, joining the Toronto Regiment in 1921. It was renamed the Royal Regiment in 1936. 

He enlisted in the Royal Regiment of Canada (a rifle regiment) on September 18, 1939, just days after the outbreak of World War Two. They trained at Fort York in downtown Toronto. In late May the following year they were transferred to Camp Borden where he worked in the Battalion Headquarters. Two weeks later they were sent to Halifax to board a ship that would take them to Iceland! Mary Beatrice moved her young family to Uxbridge where they lived with family here. 

Canada’s Prime Minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King, realised the strategic importance of Iceland for protection of the critical supply convoys that sailed across the North Atlantic bringing essential food, supplies and equipment to western Europe for the war effort. He pledged to send three regiments to help the Allied occupation and protection of Iceland. Sgt. More’s regiment was part of this deployment, and it included the Royal Regiment from Toronto, the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa, and Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal from Montreal. Iceland also became an important landing place for aircraft of the Royal Air Force (RAF). 

On June 10, 1940, the Royal Regiment of Toronto set sail from Halifax to Reykjavik with the full complement of 800 soldiers on the RMS Empress of Australia. Sgt. More was stationed at Regimental Headquarters, and the regiment was dispersed across the country. Supply lines were weak, and the men did not have an easy time in the beginning of their deployment there. Once the Cameron Highlanders and Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal arrived things got a little easier for the Royal Regiment. They remained in Iceland until the end of October, 1940, when the sailed again on the Empress of Australia for England. 

Sgt. More was again assigned to Regimental Headquarters, but after a year he longed for a more active life in the service, and transferred to Company A in the regiment, a rifle company. He also started up a dance band called The Tin Hats. The military decided the troops needed entertainment and formed nine such bands from members of the armed forces. As a member of The Tin Hats band Sgt. more served in England, Scotland, North Africa, and Italy. They entertained with big band tunes, singers, comedians, and female impersonators. They were also featured in a performance in London that was broadcast on the BBC Radio to both Canada and across the British Isles. 

Sgt. Charles More was killed in action on July 27, 1944. The ship on which The Tin Hats were travelling was crossing the English Channel enroute to Normandy to begin a short tour of France. Just after midnight the convoy warships engaged fire with German E-boats. Sgt. More was up on deck commanding the troops when a torpedo struck the ship causing a huge explosion. He was reported missing in action that day. His body washed ashore at Dungeness the next month, and he was confirmed killed in action. He is buried at the Shorncliffe Military Cemetery, Kent, United Kingdom. 

He was awarded the 1939 Star, Italy Star, France and Germany Star, Defence Medal, Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with Clasp, War Medal 1939-1945, and Efficiency Medal with 2nd Clasp, this for service prior to the war - his time in the Militia from February 1921. His wife, Mary Beatrice, received the Memorial Cross from the Government of Canada in memory of Sgt. More.

We thank him for his service.

We will remember them.

NM