George Soles, an unsung Canadian hero

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Private Richard Thompson and the Queens Scarf

George Soles, an unsung Canadian hero

On July 23, 2012, in Army, Distinguished Conduct Medal, World War I, by Aaron

George Hilton Soles

Do you recognize the name George Hilton Soles? Chances are that it is as unfamiliar to you as it was to me just a few short months ago. I had known
for a long time that a Canadian had won, during the First World War, a Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) with two bars; however, I never knew
who he was and I had never found myself in a position to look into this mans history. So, to help make this mans name and deeds perhaps a little
more well known among Canadians, allow me to share what I have found of his story.
During World War I an infanteer from the 72nd Battalion CEF was awarded three separate times the second highest military honour in the British
Empire: the Distinguished Conduct Medal. Until 1993, when it was discontinued, the DCM was second only to the Victoria Cross for acts of
gallantry and distinguished conduct in the field. In fact, Soles is among only a handful of people in the entire world to ever be awarded the DCM
with two bars. To put that into perspective, 2,132 Canadians were awarded the DCM prior to 1993; only thirty-eight Canadians in history were ever
awarded the DCM with just one bar; George Soles is the only Canadian to be awarded the DCM with two bars. This in itself should warrant more
recognition of the name George Hilton Soles and, hopefully, this post will help to start that.
George Hilton Soles was born to Richard Hilton Soles and Elizabeth Margaret Storie in Hastings Country in Ontario on 7 April 1894. Upon joining
the Canadian military in March 1915, Soles stated on his attestation papers (link) that he worked as a farmer and had previous militia service with the
107th Regiment. Initially assigned to the 48th (British Columbia) Battalion CEF, who he would fight with during the Battle of Vimy Ridge, Soles
eventually ended up with the 72nd Battalion (Seaforth Highlanders of Canada) CEF in 1917, the unit which he would serve the remainder of the war
with.
The action that would earn George Soles his initial Distinguished Conduct Medal was gazetted about in The London Gazette dated 28 March 1918
(link). The official account of the action is seen in the below entry from The London Gazette, issue 30601, page 3890:

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According to Soles, however, the events that led to his receiving his DCM happened quite a bit differently than what was gazetted about:

George Soles, in regimental dress

There was a little village; I forget the name that we had taken. There were two trenches, a kid [sic] of a pincher like affair, skirting the village with
a main trench in the centre of the village. I had been wounded in the head, and figured the best I could do was to make for a dressing station. I
started back, threw away all my equipment, and was well into the village trench when I suddenly saw a German sentry. He was standing guard at the
entrance of a deep dug-out. I had to pass him, but I didnt have a rifle. I scouted back a few yards, found an abandoned German rifle, and sneaked
back, put it against the Germans back, and said Hands up. He couldnt understand English, but he knew the feel of cold steel. He dropped his
rifle, and elevated. There was a pile of hand grenades near the sentry, and I could see the entrance to the dug-out. How many? I signaled, holding
up my hand fingers spread, and pointing to the dug-out with the rifle. Fritzie wasnt dull. He put up eight fingers and two thumbs, four times, closed
both hands, and then held up two fingers. Forty-three, including the sentries. I thought well I might as well take them along, because if I dont
Fritizie will get me after I pass. So I pointed to a box of hand grenades standing near the sentry, and then motioned for him to tell his comrades to
come up, or else. And he understood. He yelled something in German; I guess it meant come up and give up. Any, way, up came forty-two Germans,
unarmed and with their hands reachingI took them along and later was awarded the D.C.M. Thats all there was to it.
Perhaps the Gazette and Soless descriptions actually depict two separate events from the same time period or battle; or, maybe they do actually
depict the same event, but to very different degrees of detail. Regardless, even though there may exist some conflict regarding the exact details,
George Soles was awarded his first DCM for gallant actions on the battlefield in France.
Soless first bar to his DCM was also awarded for actions in 1918. During an attack by the 72nd Battalion and other units, a British tank had fallen
behind the advancing infantry and mistakenly began firing on the Canadian soldiers in front of it, believing them to be the enemy. Soles immediately
took off his helmet and placed it upon his bayonet, then proceeded to run through the tanks fire to its front in an effort to get the tanks attention.
Once he had the crews attention, Soles redirected their fire upon the enemy forces.

Front of the
Distinguished
Conduct Medal
It was during the Hundred Days Offensive of the Allies that George Soles earned the second bar to his DCM, becoming the only Canadian in history
to do so in the process. According to the citation placed in The Edinburgh Gazette, Soles received his second bar to his DCM for several actions that
occurred on 29 September 1918 in the area near Cambrai, France: firstly, and all alone, Sole rushed an enemy position and single-handedly captured
three German machine guns; secondly, while navigating a railway cutting (a man-made trough or valley through a hill, carrying at its base a railway)

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he personally shot and killed eight enemy soldiers; lastly, Soles was responsible for the organization of a friendly strong point that successfully
repelled a German counter-attack. What the below entry from The Edinburgh Gazette doesnt note is something that appeared in a British Columbia
Provincial Police (BCPP) magazine before that forces dissolution in 1950. In that magazine it was noted that George Soles was also awarded his
second bar to his DCM for leading a Canadian counter-attack, consisting of 120 men, against the Germans. Even though the counter-attack was
successful, the BCPP magazine goes on to state that only seventeen men, and Soles himself, were left to speak of the event. It should be noted that
this counter-attack and subsequent casualties are not noted, at least as described by the BCPP magazine, in the History of the 72nd Battalion Seaforth
Highlanders of Canada (link). It is, however, stated that, on 29 September 1918, the battalion was engaged with the enemy in a railway cutting (pg.
147), that a strong-point was established by elements of the battalion shortly thereafter (also on pg. 147), and that it was during this advance that
Soles performed the actions that would lead to his second DCM bar. Soless second bar to his DCM was gazetted on 12 January 1920 (link).

In the years following the end of hostilities in Europe, George Hilton Soles became one of the most decorated soldiers of the Commonwealth, the
only Canadian (before or after) to be awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal with two bars, and only one of a very exclusive group in the British
Empire to also hold the DCM with two bars.
By the end of June 1919 the 72nd Battalion (Seaforth Highlanders of Canada) CEF had returned home to Canada and was demobilized. A year later
in June of 1920, a son was born to Soles, and he was named Frederick George Soles (1920-1938). George Soles eventually became a constable with
the British Columbia Provincial Police (BCPP) and served as a member of the BCPP for twenty years. In the 1944 winter issue of the publication
Shoulder Strap, it was reported that Soles had retired that previous October due to excessive concentration to the pursuit of duty. As read in
the Shoulder Strap, Soles was chasing a suspected criminal over several miles of rough terrain and later suffered a heart attack, something which
Soles chose not to ignore, thus leading to the decision to retire. According to Soles, he just couldnt do what he once could anymore. On 26 July
1945 George Soles passed away in Vancouver, British Columbia and was buried at Mountain View Cemetery and Crematorium.
Now you can say to yourself that you know of the man named George Hilton Soles and the gallant acts that made him one of the highest decorated
Canadians in our history. Hopefully, youll tell others about him and his deeds, and those will tell even more people. Maybe, eventually, the name of
George Hilton Soles will then be spoken about with more frequency when the topic of Canadas military history comes up. Lest We Forget.
Cuidichn Righ

Grave of George Hilton Soles

About the author

http://blog.dutyandvalour.com/2012/07/23/george-soles-an-unsung-canadian-hero/

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Aaron
Aaron founded Duty & Valour initially as a blog in 2002, and has continuously expanded it over the years to include many new features. A long-time
Canadian Forces soldier, he enjoys all aspects of military history, especially researching the little-known facts from Canada's military past. Follow
him on Twitter @dutyandvalour.
Visit Authors Website
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it.

Tagged with: 48th (British Columbia) Battalion CEF 72nd Battalion (Seaforth Highlanders of Canada) CEF Battle of Cambrai (1918)

2 Responses to George Soles, an unsung Canadian hero

1.

Douglas Storie says:

July 26, 2012 at 17:32
Thank you for remembering my late cousin and his efforts in fighting for freedom for people of Europe. He is a true hero who should be
remembered.
Again thank you,
Douglas Storie
US Navy (Retired)
Reply

Aaron says:
July 26, 2012 at 17:47
Youre welcome, and thank you again for the information you provided me regarding George Soles.
Reply

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