Remembering decorated war veterans from York Region

YorkRegion.com
Nov. 11, 2017
Adam Martin-Robbins

York Region residents have fought bravely in Canada’s war efforts and peacekeeping missions. Some of those soldiers died in battle while others returned home and made further contributions to their communities.

Here are four decorated veterans who called York Region home:   

Maj. Addison Alexander "Lex" Mackenzie

Maj. Addison Alexander “Lex” Mackenzie fought heroically in some of the bloodiest battles of the First World War then came home and dedicated his life to public service.

Mackenzie was born and raised on his family’s farm in Woodbridge along with his four siblings.

He joined the Governor General’s Body Guards in 1904 as a private and rose through the ranks to become a squadron sergeant-major then a lieutenant in 1912.

When the First World War broke out, he was transferred to France to serve with the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles. He was quickly promoted to captain as a result of his militia experience.

In 1916, Mackenzie led his troops in a daring, daylight reconnaissance mission before launching an assault on the German army at Regina Trench during the Battle of the Somme. He was awarded the Military Cross for his gallantry.

Mackenzie was promoted to major and led the 4th company at the Battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917 where he was severely wounded by shrapnel from an artillery shell.

Mackenzie served in the army’s training system until the end of the war then returned home where he settled on the family homestead and took up farming.

He later became immersed in municipal politics, serving as a Village of Woodbridge councillor then as reeve. Mackenzie jumped to provincial politics in 1945, serving as a Progressive Conservative MLA representing York North until 1967, when he retired at age 82.

He died on May 13, 1970.

Lieutenant Samuel Lewis Honey

Lieutenant Samuel Lewis Honey died of wounds suffered on the battlefield, but he earned the highest award handed out by the military for his acts of bravery during the First World War.

Honey was born in Conn, Ontario in 1894.

He was working as a teacher in Whitchurch when the First World War started and enlisted with the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force Jan. 22, 1915, according to local historian Fred Robbins.

Honey was shipped off to Le Havre, France Aug. 12, 1916 and received his Sgt. stripes in the field six weeks later.

He received the Military Medal early in 1917 and the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his actions in the attack on Vimy Ridge in April 1917.

Honey was subsequently commissioned as an officer and served with the 78th Infantry Battalion.

He was awarded the Victoria Cross, posthumously, for his exemplary conduct during an offensive at Bourlon Wood, in France, in September 1918, according to National Defense Canada’s website.

During the fighting, Honey took command after the other officers in his company were injured. As his company began suffering casualties from machine gunfire, Honey ventured off alone to locate the guns. He attacked and captured 10 enemy troops.

Honey led his company as they repelled four German counterattacks.

Later, after making a solitary reconnaissance at night to find an enemy post, he returned with a party soldiers and captured it.

Sadly, while leading his company against a German position, Honey sustained serious gunshot wounds.

He died of his injuries on Sep. 30, 1918. He was 24.

Alf Neely

Alf Neely served in numerous countries during the Second World War, often on the front lines, where he displayed the courage that earned him multiple medals.

Neely, who was born in Northern Ireland in 1921, moved to Newmarket in 1943 and served in France, Holland, Italy and Germany as part of the Canadian Irish Regiment during the Second World War.

A motorcycle dispatch courier during his war service, Neely was routinely on the front lines, in harm’s way.

While in Italy, he and a mate kept sentry in a foxhole.

Neely peered over the trench and saw a German soldier hurling a grenade his way.

“I ducked and it went right over my head before exploding,” he told a reporter during a 2015 interview. “My coat and backpack took the brunt. I caught shrapnel in my hand. That’s the closest I came to wounding.”

He earned three military stars and three other medals his dedicated service.

After the war, Neely served as Newmarket’s community manager from 1963 until retirement in 1987. He was also active as a volunteer.

Neely was a member of the Royal Canadian Legion, Milton Wesley branch 426. He carried the Legion colours at veterans’ funerals, local events and the opening ceremonies for various minor sports.

Neely was also a staple at the Newmarket House League Hockey tournament for decades and in the Legion Old-timers Hockey League for 27 years.

In 2015, the town named Neely an honorary citizen and unveiled a plaque in his honour at Fairy Lake Park.

He died at Southlake Regional Health Centre Feb. 17, 2016. Neely was 94.

Terry Goodwin

Terry Goodwin was an American, but he didn’t want to wait for his country to join the war so he headed Canada where he gallantly served in the Royal Canadian Air Force Air Force.

Goodwin was born in Schenectady, New York and grew up in a Philadelphia suburb.

He left the University of Pennsylvania in January 1941 and travelled north to enlist in the Royal Canadian Air Force, as many other Americans did prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

In January 1942, he headed overseas to fight in the war.

Goodwin flew a remarkable 106 missions - in Lancaster bombers and Mosquitos — at a time when losses were about five per cent per mission.

He received a Distinguished Flying Medal and Distinguished Flying Cross during his tours of duty.

Goodwin returned to the U.S. after the war ended and worked as a pilot for American Airlines.

He married Evelyn Cook of Toronto in 1948 and eventually moved to Toronto to work for Winged Cargo.

The family moved to Thornhill in 1952 and lived there until 2005.

He joined the Vaughan Township School Board as a trustee in 1960 and became a Canadian citizen. He went on to serve as a municipal councillor in Vaughan for nearly a decade.

In his later years, Goodwin was a vocal advocate for public transit and, until the age of 95, spoke to local students on Remembrance Day.

Goodwin died Aug. 6, 2016. He was 96.