Oswald Pledger

Story:
Oswald Pledger was born in Wembley, Middlesex, on 23 Dec 1885 and baptised there on 9 May 1886 the son of Thomas Arthur Pledger and Mary Ann Pledger (nee Westcott).  He lived his early life in Wembley and later in Hampstead, London.  The family did become associated with Shaftesbury, Dorset, because Oswald's younger brother was born there about 1903 and Oswald had attended Shaftesbury Grammar School.  He had emigrated to Canada landing in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on 27 Jan 1912.  He moved on to live in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he met and married May Somers Booth on 24 Jun 1913.  He had enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Force on 19 Jun 1916 joining the 76th Depot Battery of the Field Artillery Brigade as a Gunner (Service No. 1250057).  He was sent to France and joined the 1st Brigade and was in action at Loos, France, on 17 Aug 1917 where he was gassed and suffered from shell shock.  He was repatriated back to the UK where he spent many months at the Canadian Convalescent Hospital, Monks Horton, Kent.  In time he was sent back to Canada on 7 Dec 1918 and eventually discharged on 17 Jan 1919 being medically unfit for further duty.  He was awarded the Victory and British War Medals. By 1921 he was still living in the Manitoba area and he and his wife had seven children.  Of his children, two served in WW2 and both were killed in action. Kenneth Mervyn Pledger was killed in the 6 Jun 1944 (D-Day) whilst serving with the Canadian Parachute Brigade and shortly after, on 13 Jun 1944, his brother, Thomas Oswald Pledger, was killed serving with the RCAF (Bomber Command Contingent) over France for which he received the posthumous award of the Distinguished Flying Cross. Oswald himself passed away on 14 Dec 1951.