My father, Douglas George Varty, was born
on July 17, 1911, in Toronto, Ontario. This is the story of his wartime service
as recorded in the Canadian army’s archives, now held by Public Archives
Canada.
Joining
Up:
According to the “Enrolment Form”, Doug
signed up for the Canadian armed forces on August 5, 1942 at the District Depot
in London, Ontario. He gave his address
as 527 Quebec Street, London, which was Audrey’s family home. He and Audrey
were married in December 1941. There is a second form, the “Attestation Paper”
(Active Formations and Units of the Canadian Army), that he signed on August
133, 1942. On that form he gave his address as 30 Ellis St. E, Apt. 5, Windsor,
Ontario, so we may assume that they were in the process of moving to London at
the time he signed up.
He was described as being 5 feet, 8 1/2
inches tall, weighing 144 pounds, with blue eyes, brown hair and a fair
complexion. His only identifying mark was an appendectomy scar. He was
classified by the Medical Board in the A1 medical category, and his religious
denomination was shown as Church of England (this item is repeated many times).
On both these forms plus the first Record
of Service, his Trade, Occupation or Calling was listed as “purchasing
agent”. The Record of Service
He had previously been in the Reserves
(Canadian Fusiliers) from April to November 1940. His preference was for the
Army Clerks Corps.
His Regimental Number, through which he was
tracked during his career, was A.103951. His Regimental Number also appears as
A-602210, which may have been from his time in the Reserves.
He swore and signed the following oath:
I, Douglas George
Varty, do sincerely promise and swear (or solemnly declare) that I will be
faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty.
