Lieutenant-Colonel Charlie Bailey
28th Armoured Regiment (B.C. Regiment)

For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty on numerous occasions. He has displayed the greatest gallantry and initiative in the performance of various duties, establishing ammunition and ration dumps, leading parties across “No Man’s Land” under heavy fire, attacking and gaining objectives at critical moments, and successfully resisting hostile counterattacks.

(M.C. Bar citation, 25 Aug 1917)

Born on 19 October 1895 in Kamloops, British Columbia, Charles Edward Bailey was a construction engineer, president of the longshoremen’s union, and highly decorated First World War veteran with two Military Crosses and the Distinguished Service Order. He enlisted with the 131st Battalion and went to France as a reinforcement officer for the 47th Battalion. Twice wounded in action, he ended the war at the rank of major in the Canadian Machine Gun Corps. He mobilized in June 1940 as second-in-command of the British Columbia Regiment.

In 1942, the unit converted to the 28th Armoured Regiment and that summer prepared to transport to the United Kingdom. In July, Lieutenant-Colonel G. Carmichael was sent back to British Columbia for Bailey to lead the unit overseas a month later.

When he announced his departure a year later, the unit war diary described Bailey “as an outstanding leader and it is entirely due to his efforts that the regiment has reached the point in it’s training that it is now at. His departure is our loss and it will take the best efforts of all concerned to maintain the standard that he set for his regiment.” Command passed to Major D.G. Worthington.

Once back in Canada, Bailey took over Armoured Corps training at Camp Borden. He worked as safety engineer for the shipping federation of British Columbia from 1945 until retirement in 1964. He died on 6 August 1969 in Victoria, British Columbia.