Brigadier Eric Leslie Booth, (April 21, 1904 – August 14, 1944) was a

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also res ...

officer.

Biography

Born in Lancaster,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, Leslie Booth was the son of John William Booth and Rose Elizabeth Booth. His father was a veteran of the First World War. Booth was married to Mary Helen Booth of

Penetanguishene, Ontario Penetanguishene , sometimes shortened to Penetang, is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the southeasterly tip of Georgian Bay. Incorporated on February 22, 1882, this bilingual ( French and English) community has a popula ...

. Joining the Canadian Militia in the peacetime years, Booth was an officer with The Mississauga Horse of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

and later the

2nd/10th Dragoons The 2nd/10th Dragoons (short-form: 2/10 D) (in its last incarnation, the 57th Field Artillery Regiment nd/10th Dragoons Royal Canadian Artillery or 57 FD REGT RCA) was a Canadian Militia, militia regiment of the Canadian Forces Land Force Co ...

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

until the outbreak of war in 1939. Joining the 1st Hussars of

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, he proceeded overseas where later he was attached to the British Army's

17th Lancers The 17th Lancers (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1759 and notable for its participation in the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War. The regiment was amalgamated with the 21st Lance ...

as the regiment's second-in-command and served in the North African Campaign under

General Montgomery Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, (; 17 November 1887 – 24 March 1976), nicknamed "Monty", was a senior British Army officer who served in the First World War, the Irish War of Independence and ...

. Rejoining the Canadian Army again in time for the

Allied Invasion of Sicily The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis powers ( Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany). It b ...

, Booth was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and given command of the

12th Armoured Regiment (Three Rivers Regiment) The 12th Regiment may refer to many military units. * 12th Infantry Regiment (South Korea) * 12th Regiment Royal Artillery * 12th Infantry Regiment (Philippine Commonwealth) * 12th Infantry Regiment (USAFIP-NL) * 12th Infantry Regiment (United Sta ...

. During the campaign he received the Distinguished Service Order. Booth would later receive a Bar to his DSO while commanding the regiment at the Battle of Ortona when while disregarding danger from sniper, shell and mortar fire, he went forward for reconnaissance and to direct and encourage the men of his regiment. In 1944, Booth was recalled from Italy and given command of the

4th Canadian Armoured Brigade The 4th Canadian Armoured Brigade was an armoured brigade of the Canadian Army during World War II. It was part of the 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division. Organization As of 1942 the 4th Canadian Armoured Brigade comprised: * 21st Armoured Re ...

. During operations in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

on August 8, 1944, Major General

George Kitching Major-General George Kitching (9 September 1910 − 15 June 1999) CBE, DSO, CD was a senior Canadian Army officer who saw active service in World War II. Early life and military career George Kitching was born on 9 September 1910 in Guangzhou ( ...

, unable to reach Booth by radio, found him drunk in his tank. Kitching severely reprimanded Booth, but did not remove him. Booth was killed on August 14, when his tank was hit by German artillery during

Operation Tractable Operation Tractable was the final attack conducted by Canadian and Polish troops, supported by a British tank brigade, during the Battle of Normandy during World War II. The operation was to capture the tactically important French town of Fal ...

. Brigadier Booth is buried at the

Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery The Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery is a war cemetery containing predominantly Canadian soldiers killed during the later stages of the Battle of Normandy in the Second World War. It is located close to the village of Cintheaux and name ...

References

{{Reflist
Canadian Army Officers 1939−1945
*https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2331643/booth,-eric-leslie/ 1904 births 1944 deaths Canadian Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Canadian Militia officers Canadian Army officers Canadian Army personnel of World War II People from Lancaster, Lancashire Canadian military personnel killed in World War II English emigrants to Canada Military personnel from Lancashire