B72868 Pte Charles E. Stock, born in Innsbruck, Austria, emigrated to Canada in 1929. He enlisted with the 48th Highlanders on 8 September 1939 just days after war had been declared. He gave his home address as 106 Gerrard St. Toronto. He was sent for training to No. 1 Cdn Infantry (Rifle) Training Centre (conducted by the 48th Highlanders) and was released from the depot on 10 May 1940 “on proceeding overseas”. He embarked from Halifax on 12 May 1940 and disembarked Liverpool on 22 May. He was with the 1st Battalion in the UK when they were sent to France, two weeks after the evacuation of the British and Allied army from the beaches of Dunkerque. The battalion landed at Brest on 14 June, then travelled by train 300 km into France to Sable-sur-Sarthe. They were then ordered to return to the UK which they did by commandeering the train at gunpoint to go to the coast at St. Malo, boarding one of two remaining ships to return to Southhampton on the 16th..
Back in England, training then acting as coastal defence, Pte Stock took a course and qualified Cook ‘C” on 20 March 1941. In July 1942, Stock and the rest of the battalion were charged 1 shilling for barrack damages to Corunna Barracks in Aldershot. The original charge was to be much higher, but the regiment had proof that the damage had been in place when they arrived. He received his Good Conduct Badge on 8 September.
On 28 June 1943 the battalion embarked from Gourock, Scotland having completed training on landing craft and sailed for Sicily, landing on the beaches at Pachino on 10 July. Pte Stock was engaged in the entire Sicilian campaign from 10 July to 06 August. The battalion then rested at the Simeto River, which they left shortly thereafter as it was the home of the malaria mosquito. They moved to Militello, an arid and heartless piece of land. Pte Stock had contracted malaria and on 26 August was struck off strength of the battalion to the X-3 list (hospital, beyond the Regimental Aid Post). He returned to the battalion on 27 September when the battalion was advancing up the Adriatic coast of Italy towards Campobasso. On 7 October, now an A/L/Cpl (as of 23 July) he was promoted to A/Cpl and was in the battle to take Campobasso and the subsequent taking of the town of Torella, to drive the German artillery out of range of the Canadians resting in Campobasso.
Subsequent battles on the advance to Ortona culminated in the 48th Highlanders on 18 December in Operation Morning Glory which swept around the gully protecting the southern approaches to Ortona. Morning Glory was a WWI style artillery barrage with the 48th advancing behind it as it lifted progressively. On the 20th, while participating in fighting patrols to clear the final approaches, Cpl Stock was wounded and sent to hospital (X-3 List). From hospital he was posted on 7 March to RCASC (7 Bn) (Royal Canadian Army Service Corp) as Cook and remained with the RCASC as a 48th Highlander until he returned to the battalion on 23 July. The battalion, at that time, was at rest at Piedmonte d’Alife following their successful breaching on 20/21 May of the Adolph Hitler Line defences at Pontecorvo, the 1st breaching of that line by the Canadian army. He was awarded the 1939-43 Star on 5 July and his qualification became Cook ‘B’ on 1 August. Stock told his family of mixing flour and eggs on a door to make Yorkshire puddings at some point for the officers .The battalion moved on 17 August to the Adriatic coast to begin the penetration of the Gothic Line defences. On 4 November, Cpl Stock, having participated in the Gothic and Rimini Line battles was struck off strength to the X-3 List (RCASC) and then returned to the battalion on 16 November, for the period chasing the Germans through the Lombardy mud in October then the Lamone River crossing in December.
The last record shows Cpl Stock, now in Germany and Belgium, as the 1st Cdn Division who had transferred from Italy on 12 March to complete the liberation of Holland, being given a 9 day leave to the UK on 23 March and a further 9 day leave to the UK on 2 April. Pte Stock departed the UK for Canada on 23 May 1945.
NOK: wife Mrs. Kathleen Stock at 24 Heslop Steet, Thornbury on Tees, York, England.
