Lieutenant-Colonel Gordon T. Roach
Toronto Scottish Regiment

He immediately in complete darkness reorganised the remnants into a half battery and had the wounded evacuated and was ready to start by zero [hour]. Throughout the operations following he displayed great gallantry in handling his guns at all times, setting a splendid example to all ranks.” Roach was wounded a month later.

(M.C. citation, 1918)

Born in Toronto on 30 December 1896, Willard Gordon Thomas Roach had volunteered with the 95th Battalion in 1915, been commissioned with the 216th Battalion in 1916, reinforced the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles in France in 1917, and earned the M.C. at the Drocourt-Queant Line in 1918 after enemy  bombardment on the assembly area before the attack.

An original company commander with the Toronto Scottish, Roach commanded the unit until recalled to Canada in May 1942 to take up air defence duties. On arrival home, in June 1942, Roach reported of the mood of the troops in England: “They are spoiling for a fight and from what the experts say, they will probably get it.” He speculated, “It is my personal opinion that before fall, the British army might take a hop across the channel.” Two months later, the Toronto Scottish would participate in the Dieppe Raid.

Roach had been succeeded by Major G.S.N. Gostling of the Royal Regiment of Canada, representing the beginning of a generational shift from the First World War veterans, like Roach and his predecessors, C.C. Thompson and J.H. Christie, to younger officers born in the twentieth century.