A61046 Pte Fredrick C Markham enlisted in Militia District 2 (Southern Ontario, including Toronto) with service number allocated to NRMA Recruits to active force in England. He is not on any of our sailing lists from Canada in 1939 or 1940 so he may have sailed with other unit soldiers or after 1940.
NOK: Wife: Joan Sewell of Walthamstow, London which indicates he married while the Canadian Army was in England until mid 1943.
Markham was not on the Sailing List from Gourock, Scotland to the landings at Pachino, Sicily in July 1943 which indicates that he came to the 1st Battalion, 48th Highlanders during the Italian campaign. He was appointed A/L/Cpl (acting Lance Corporal) on 13 May 1944. At this time the 1st Battalion, 48th Highlanders were about to begin the advance on 17 May up the Liri Valley towards the Hitler Line which was south of Pontecorvo and stretched from Monte Cassino to the Liri River. On 19 June he reverted to Private, and the next day was Struck off Strength to the X-3 List 48th Highlanders. The X-3 list is “All ranks evacuated on medical grounds behind Regimental Aid Posts”, either wounded or sick enough to leave the unit. This indicates that he was wounded or fell ill during the advance up the Liri Valley. On 23 June he was posted from the X-3 List to the X-4 List (4 Bn). The X-4 list is soldiers in theater who are available to be returned to the 1st Battalion but are held until called up.
On 14 July he was Struck Off Strength of the X-4 list and returned to the active battalion. At this time the battalion was at rest at Piedmonte d’Alife following their successful breaching of the vaunted Hitler Line defences on 22/23 May. He was not on the Sailing List of the entire battalion in March 1945 when the battalion moved from Italy to France to participate in the final liberation of The Netherlands, indicating he was not with the battalion at that time. Pte Markham rejoined the 1st Battalion, 48th Highlanders in The Netherlands on 4 September 1945 as part of the sailing to England from NW Europe as the first step of the battalion returning to Canada and Toronto.