Lt. Charles F. S. Tidy joined the 2nd Battalion, 48th Highlanders in Toronto and is shown in a 1940 newspaper article as one of the 52 officers of the 2nd Battalion who were training for service in the Second World War. After arriving in England at the Holding Unit Lt Tidy joined the 1st Battalion, 48th Highlanders and was commander of 17 Platoon in Uckfield in 1942. When the battalion sailed in June 1943 for the landings at Pachino, Sicily Lt Tidy remained behind at the Holding Unit (LOB – left out of battle) as one of the officers and NCOs who were ready to reinforce the battalion to fill vacancies caused by casualties or transfers. He was transferred to the battalion when they were in Italy in the fall of 1943. On 9 October 1943 on the advance towards Ortona, Lt Tidy was “dangerously wounded in the lung: he had been taking risks to look after his men, and was hit by a San Leonardo machine-gun bullet at midnight, just after he saw them all dug-in”. (Dileas page 425)
