Slater, Anson Eustace
Sgt.
First Canadian Infantry Divisional Signals

NO PHOTO

Born: June 6th 1911 -E1/2 Lot 21/22 Conc. 13/14 East Zorra Township, Oxford Co. Ontario
Died: December 28th 1975 - Woodstock, Ontario.
Buried- Presbyterian Cemetery, Woodstock, Ontario.

Enlisted: September 6th 1939.
Served: England, France, Italy, Sicily.

After the War: Anson was a milk man in Woodstock, Ont. and delivered milk with a horse-drawn wagon.

Family: Parents - Fred Eustace Slater and Alice Dolena Murray.
Married - Gwyneth Nesta Miles -1941
Daughter - Ray Anita

Excerpts from March 23, 1945 Newspaper article:
Never fired shot, but saw plenty of rough action in 5 1/2 years overseas - Sgt. Anson E. Slater home in Woodstock After Service with "Sigs" - Had narrow escape when Joe Blundell and Jack Priddell were seriously wounded.
Although he claims he has "never fired a shot" Sgt. Anson E. Slater, just returned from the Senio River line in Italy, has worked through some of the roughest action laying and maintaining vital communications lines in the Italian theatre of war.
In his work, he claims that the only real worry he and his crew had was the continual shelling during their operations.
He states that he moved into another position and found himself busy laying cables and communications lines for the Moro River crossing ... Sgt. Slater, with a smile, recalls an incident that took place on the Ortona front.
He was busy with a crew of 12 maintaining lines of communication in the first defense line of the Gothic fortifications.
During the Hitler Line Battle, he stated that he was behind the lines instructing for a period of 10 weeks on line cable maintenance. On one occasion he recalls being strafed by enemy fighters. The action took place in the Sicilian campaign.
He arrived overseas December 17,1939. He went to France at the time of the Dunkirk action, and remained there "just long enough to say hello," and once again returned to England. This took place in June of 1940. He arrived in Sicily on July 13, 1943.
Later, in the line of duty, he received chest and arm burns in a gasoline explosion that took place at regimental signals center. His injuries necessitated hospital attention, following which he once again joined his unit on October 21 in Italy with his line crew, He followed the Italian campaign up to the Senio River.