838036 Sgt. George Carr, DCM was born on August 30th, 1895, in Clavering, a small community located on the County Line of Bruce and Grey Counties, in Ontario, and was a working as a farmer when hostilities began.
George would join the independent Infantry Companies the 31st Regiment was recruiting and as a result was being billeted in Owen Sound when the 147th (Grey) Battalion was authorized.
Attesting to the 147th Battalion on November 27th, 1915, as a Private, George was assigned to "A" Company under the command of Captain Thomas Howson Corrie. Continuing to be billeted locally over the winter, the Battalion departed for the training grounds of Camp Niagara on May 19th, 1916. As the conditions in the Militia's old training grounds were wanting the unit moved to the new training facility of Camp Borden in late June to carry on with their individual and collective training.
In September the unit received their orders to proceed overseas, while en-route they were detained in Amherst, Nova Scotia, for over a month due to an outbreak of diphtheria. The unit finally sailed for Great Britain on November 14th, 1916, on the S.S. Olympic, a sister ship to the Titanic.
On January 1st, 1917, the 147th Battalion ceased to exist when it became the nucleus for the 8th Reserve Battalion, whose task it was to supply reinforcements to the 58th Battalion and the 4th C.M.R. Of the 942 Officers and men that sailed with the 147th Battalion, 354 of them were transferred to the 4 C.M.R. George Carr would be one of them, being taken on strength of his new Battalion on March 7th, 1917.
George served with the 4th C.M.R. in the Battle of Arras 1917, that saw the Canadian Corps storm Vimy Ridge. Continuing to serve through the summer of 1917, the trials of Passchendaele and into the Final Hundred Days. It was during the Battle of Arras, 1918, that George was wounded on August 30th, in an action that saw him awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal:
"For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty near Boiry on 28th August, 1918. Early in the attack all his officers and senior N.C.Os were wounded, and on his own initiative he took charge. Later he was severely wounded, but directed the attack until the objective was reached and consolidated. His initiative and endurance were largely responsible for the success of the company."
Promoted to Sergeant, George Carr DCM was struck off strength of the 4th C.M.R. on March 20th, 1919.
Biography credit: George Auer