In Memory of
AKERLEY LEONARD GEORGE L
Private G/21001
Carleton and York Regiment, R.C.I.C.
1st Armd. Car Regt.
who died 30 age
on 11 July 1943
Remembered with honour
AGIRA WAR CEMETERY, SICILY
AGIRA WAR CEMETERY, SICILY
Son of Mr. and Mrs. Allen A. Akerley; husband of Madaline Patricia Joan Akerley, of Great Bookham, Surrey, England.
Born:21 Giu 1913 Saint-Leonard, Madawaska County, New Brunswick, Canada
Commonwealth War Graves Commission, 2009-08-03
He was a husband of Madaline Patricia Joan Akerley, of Great Bookham, Surrey, England.Private George Leonard Akerley, Carleton and York Regiment. Born on 21 June 1913 in Saint-Leonards, New Brunswick and killed in action on 11 July 1943.
George was the first Carleton and York who was killed in action during Operation Husky. According to the war diary of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade they had captured the town of Ispica and were busy taking their second objective: Rosolini.
The Italian troops didn't resist to the Canadians and gave up in large numbers. They had some sniping fire which caused some casualties. It is most likely that George was one of those casualties, but this is not mentioned in the war diaries. George was initially buried near the Pachino Ispica road and later reburied at Agira.
George enlisted on the 11th of September 1939. Shortly after his basic training he joined the Carleton and Yorks and went overseas to England. Here he was trained with the No.1 Special Infantry Company and did some commando raids. The first one was Operation Abercrombie on 21-22 April 1942.
This was a reconnaissance operation on the French town of Hardelot near Boulogne. The force comprised 100 men of No. 4 Commando and 50 men of the Carleton and Yorks. With Landing Craft Assault (LCA) they went overseas, but the Canadian detachment got lost and they didn't reach the French coast and went back to Dover.
From 21-31 January 1943 George was shortly added to the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry and Royal Regiment of Canada. George was married to Madeline Akerley from Great Bookham, England. Together they had two children, Cameron George Allen who was born in June 1941 and their second child was expected in November 1943.
George's parents lived in Saint-Leonards. He had three brothers and three sisters.
As a Private, he was a member of a small Carleton & York Regiment commando raid on the French coast at Hardelot, near Boulogne in April 1942 called Operation 'Abercrombie'; which did not manage to land due to faulty compass.
Jimbo Jimmy, 2024-09-26
Information courtesy of the 