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Home from England, sees son first time
A two-year-old son he had never seen and a happy, wife greeted Sgt. Major Ray Gemmill, RCA, of Melbourne street, Lindsay when he arrived home from England late Saturday night. While aware that her husband was being invalided to Canada, Mrs. Gemmill had no information that he had even sailed before his surprise arrival.
Only 26 years of age Sgt.-Major Gemmill returned a real army veteran as he first enlisted with the 45th Infantry Regiment at Lindsay when only 16 years of age and has been connected with the army ever since. In 1937 he was promoted to Sergeant with the 45th Field Battery and when that unit went active on September 3rd 1939 he enlisted the same day. He went overseas in November 1941.
Lindsay N.C.O., 26 10 years in army
Sgt.-Major A. Gemmill in Reserves 6 years
Lindsay, April 25 (Special) A veteran at the age of 26, with military experience of ten years, Sgt.-Major A. Gemmill, RCA, who has been invalided home from England, is anxious to continue in the service of his country.
Sgt.-Major Gemmell, who had been attached to reserve units for six years, enlisted the first day of war with the only unit to be completely mobilized in Lindsay. Following training at Lindsay and Petawawa he was promoted to the rank of sergeant-major in June 1941. In November 1941, the regiment went overseas and is considered to be one of the crack units in England.
While in England Sgt.-Major Gemmell served under a Lindsay officer, Capt. Grant Ferguson. The young soldier states that the main impression a visitor to England would received was that the country was one gigantic fortress.
One arrival at his home in Lindsay Sgt.-Major Gemmill was greeted by his wife and two-year-old baby he had never seen. He is a son of Mrs. Margaret Gemmill and the late Herbert J. Gemmill. There are three brothers also in active service, Basil and Keith in Italy and Patrick with the RCN.
Lindsay Soldier returns home aboard Nelson
A two-year-old son he had never seen and a happy, wife greeted Sgt. Major Ray Gemmill, RCA, of Melbourne street, Lindsay when he arrived home from England late Saturday night. While knowing that her husband was being invalided to Canada, Mrs. Gemmill had no information that he had even sailed before his surprise arrival.
Only 26 years of age Sgt.-Major Gemmill returned a real army veteran as he first enlisted with the 45th Infantry Regiment at Lindsay when only 16 years of age and has been connected with the army ever since. In 1937 he was promoted to Sergeant with the 45th Field Battery and when that unit went active on September 3rd 1939 he enlisted the same day.
Following training at Lindsay and Petawawra he was promoted to the rank of Sgt.-Major in June 1941 when the four batteries the 45th,12th, 97th, and 100th were regimented into the 7th (Medium) Army Field Regiment. In November, 1941, he went overseas and has had extensive training ever since.
Want to Fight
Sgt.-Major Gemmill served under another Lindsay officer, Capt. Grant Ferguson and states that his unit is considered to be one of the crack units in England and is aching for action. He speaks with highest praise of the English people and says that the main impression of England is that it is one gigantic fortress. Every hamlet and village has its quota of service men and there is hardly a minute of the day that airplanes are not heard overhead.
A son of Mrs. Margaret Gemmill and the late Herbert J. Gemmill, the young Sgt-Major was born in Almonte, Ontario, moving to Appleton and from there to Lindsay. He attended school here but took his greatest interest in military training. After several months of confinement in an English hospital he was carried by stretcher to the hospital ship "Lady Nelson." "The thought of coming home did me more good than all the treatments" he states, "and I became a walking case after my first day on ship. My only worry now is that they will allow me to stay in the service in whatever capacity I can serve best." There are three other brothers also in active service, Keith with the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment in Italy, Basil with the 2nd LAA Regiment in Italy and Patrick with the RCN.
Sgt.-Maj. Gemmill of Lindsay Invalided Home
Soldier says "The thoughts of being on my way home were better than any treatments, I became a walking case the first day at sea"
Mrs. Gemmill and a two-year old son (whom he had never seen before) were about the happiest people in town on Sat. night when her husband, Sgt. Maj. Gemmill unexpected and unannounced arrived home.
The nature of Sgt.-Major Gemmill's incapacitation has not been made public but it is understood that he will be in Ottawa after this week for a period of specialized treatments.
The returned officer is the son of Mrs. Margaret Gemmill and the late Herbert J. Gemmill, 74 Wellington St. town.
