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The photos below were found amongst some book sale ephemera in May 2011 by Mary Williamson, who kindly forwarded them to me (thank you Mary). It appears that the pictures had belonged to the subject’s nephew, Dr Alan Conn, who passed away on 2 Oct 2010.
Charles Hedley Atcherley [
], known to his family as Hedley, emigrated to Canada to join the Royal North West Mounted Police in 1908. Following the outbreak of the First World War, Hedley enlisted with the Canadian Over-seas Expedition on 24 September 1914 and joined the the Fort Garry Horse Regiment. This became part of the 6th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force. For his “conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty” when in charge of a torpedo party in 1916, Lance-Corporal Charles Hedley Atcherley was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. The photograph above shows Hedley in his uniform.
The Second World War saw Hedley join the Royal Canadian Air Force Intelligence Branch. Although his rank was Flying Officer, his duties were ground-based, at Ottawa and Jarvis with the No. 1 Bombing and Gunnery School. The photo shown here was, according to the caption written on the back of it, taken in 1940.
This final photograph was taken in 1967, when Hedley was aged about 78. He died eight years later on 12 Jun 1975 while visiting England, and was buried at Fairview Cemetery, Niagara Falls, Canada on June 21st.
View Charles Hedley Atcherley’s page in the Atcherley Family Tree
