GRACE UNITED CHURCH
Edward James Fendley
Name: Fendley, James Edward M20737
Born: June 11, 1910 in Brampton, Ontario
Died: November 15, 1944
Family:
Son of James Edward and Ida May Jackson, of Brampton, Ontario; husband of Vera Pauline Fendley, of Brampton.
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Military Service Number: M20737
Age: 34
Force: Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. Craftsman
Rank: Private
Cemetery: Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery
Grave Reference: II. H. 12
James Edward Fendley was born on June 11, 1910 in Brampton, Ontario to James G. Fendley and Ida May Jackson. The Brampton Book of Remembrance says James enlisted in the Canadian Artillery in September 1939 where he served in Canada and overseas.
James’ service record describes him as 5 foot, 9.5 inches tall, 170 pounds in weight, with Green eyes, Brown hair and reasonable health. At the time he enlisted, he states he was working as a garage mechanic at Johnson Construction in either Brantford or Bradford, Ontario, for the last 8 years earning $60.00 a week. He liked hunting and played left wing in hockey.
An article from the November 3, 1944 issue of the Brampton Conservator announced his death.
James Fendley
Killed Overseas
Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Fendley, 71 English Street, have received word that their son, Craftsman James Edward Fendley, 34, was killed on active service overseas on November 15th. He had written his parents that day before he was killed when he stated that he had received a shrapnel wound to his knee, but had fully recovered and was again back at active service.
Craftsman Fendley enlisted in the Army at Calgary, where he resided at that time, at the outbreak of the war. He has been overseas five years, and would have celebrated his sixth Christmas overseas this year had he not been killed. He was born in Brampton, and educated at Brampton public schools until he was ten years of age. He moved with his family to Erin and finished his schooling in Binkham school, Wellington County.
Craftsman Fendley is survived by his wife, formerly Vera Dellmore, whom he married after arriving overseas, his parents Mr. And Mrs. J. E. Fendley, 71 English Street, one sister, and three brothers, Mrs. A. Marshall , William, Dale and Donald Fendley, all of Brampton. For a time, Craftsman Fendley was engaged in Brampton with the Filler Brush Co. and was connected with Grace United Church and Sunday School.
He is commemorated on Page 303 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance.
The CWGC War Graves Registration Report Form shows that on August 8, 1945, Edward was buried in the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery , 10 km south east of the town of Nijmegen , in Section II, Row H, Grave 12.
The CWGC Headstone schedule displays the information that is to be engraved upon a soldier’s gravestone. For James Edward Fendley, it shows;
Line 1: M.20737 CRAFTSMAN
Line 2: J.E. FENDLEY
Line 3: ROYAL CANADIAN ELECTRICAL
Line 4: AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERS
Line 5: 15th NOVEMBER 1944 AGE 34
Cross
Line 6: HIS MEMORY
Line 7: IS AS DEAR TO-DAY
Line 8: AS IN THE HOUR
Line 9: HE PASSED AWAY
The slideshow displayed above includes all of the documents that I have found related to this soldier’s death. Click on the arrows on either side of the picture to move to the next picture or wait as it will change on its own. This slideshow may include a copy of his page in the Canadian Book of Remembrance; a page from the Brampton Book of Remembrance; from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission you may find a picture of this soldier’s CWGC Headstone, CWGC Certificate, CWGC War Graves Registry, CWGC Circumstance of Causality, and photos of the cemetery where he is commemorated.
Web Site Links for Service Records
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Book of Remembrance – Second World War
http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/books/page?page=303&book=2&sort=pageAsc
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2663259/FENDLEY,%20JAMES%20EDWARD
Service Files of the Second World War Dead 1939 – 1947
Find-A-Grave Web Site
The War Grave Photographic Project
https://www.twgpp.org/photograph/view/3468450
​Democracy at War
http://collections.civilisations.ca/warclip/objects/common/webmedia.php?irn=5023432
Other Website
The Brydon Famly Website
http://www.brydondale.com/genealogy/tng/getperson.php?personID=I6642&tree=bryd2