Lieutenant-Colonel E.M. Wilson
10th Armoured (Fort Garry Horse) Regiment

His relations with the other arms throughout could not be improved upon. His never failing willingness to help, and his quick appreciation of the difficulties faced by the infantry greatly eased the task of every infantry commander. LCol Wilson by frequently visiting the forward areas, which involved trips of a most hazardous nature over routes only partially cleared of the enemy, was always completely “in the picture” when called upon to undertake a new task.

(D.S.O. citation war diary, 16 Jun 1945)

Born on 1 March 1901 in Goderich, Ontario, Eric MacKay Wilson was a former school teacher and newspaper publisher. In 1939, he became managing editor of the Toronto office for the Montreal Star. A cadet instructor during the First World War, he was commissioned in the militia in 1924 and volunteered for active service in 1940. Following overseas training with an armour unit in England, he joined the Fort Garry Horse as a squadron commander.

He served as second-in-command under Lieutenant-Colonel R.E.A. Morton during the Normandy invasion of 6 June 1944 through the operations in Falaise. At the end of August, Wilson succeeded Morton who had been assigned to the general staff of the Canadian Armoured Corps. He earned a D.S.O. during the Battle of the Scheldt and was made an Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau with Swords by the Dutch government. The latter citation read in part:

[Wilson] was engaged in from that day [D-Day] until cessation of hostilities. Through all actions in which the regiment took part he was by his own distinguished conduct and outstanding leadership a source of inspiration to all personnel under his command.

Wilson described the journey home in January 1946 after four years overseas:

A few people got off at their home towns enroute and in the evening of January 18th, the train pulled in to Winnipeg, to be greeted by a crowd of cheering relatives and friends. During the next two weeks there was a good deal of visiting amongst old friends of the regiment and one big party was held in the Naval Barracks at which about 600 people were present, members o the regiment and their ladies gathered for an evening. So ends the activities of the 10 Cdn. Armd. Regt.

He retired from the reserve army as a brigadier in 1954 and worked as director of advertising for the Montreal Star until his death in Peterborough, Ontario on 5 July 1960.