Captain Royce Coleman Dyer

Son of Leon and Mae Dyer of Sutton, Quebec. Brother of Private Charles Edward Dyer, who died while serving with the Canadian Infantry (Quebec Regiment).

Cousin of Flying Officer Maurice Ballard Dyer, who died on July 26, 1944, while serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force.

(Excerpt From Stanstead College Yearbook, July 1919)

Captain Royce Dyer, DCM, MM and bar, enlisted at the outbreak of the war at Winnipeg as a private in the 90th Winnipeg Rifles, known as “The Little Black Devils”. After training at Valcartier, his battalion sailed for England, in October 1914. He reached France January 1915, and served as a dispatch rider for General Loomis. In the first battle of Ypres, Royce received the Military Medal for “bravery under shell fire.” It was there that the Germans first used gas and the 90th Battalion lost out of their thousand men all except one hundred and sixty.

Shortly after this, Royce was recommended for the Distinguished Conduct Medal, for having brought back a wounded officer from between the British and French lines at great risk to himself. For some reason the recommendation was not carried out at this time. In the battle of the Somme he was again recommended for the DCM for “bravery under shell fire”, but received instead a bar to his Military Medal.

In June 1917, while riding on his bicycle, with a dispatch, down a rocky hill, he was thrown off and severely injured in his left lung. He was sent to London to the Potter Hospital for treatment. After his recovery, he took a course at Shorncliffe and was given work in England, drilling the Canadian recruits and was promoted to sergeant. While in Seaford in May 1918, he volunteered for service in Russia and left for that country June 15th 1918.

Shortly after his arrival in Russia, Royce was promoted to Lieutenant and was awarded the DCM, for inflicting heavy losses on the enemy, outflanking the enemy and holding a position against greater odds and guns until help was received. He was then transferred to the Imperial Army and made Officer Commanding the Disciplinary Battalion. His work then was to train Bolshevik prisoners and Russians into soldiers. Shortly after this he was promoted to Captain.

But the many hardships through which Royce had come had weakened him physically and when he took the influenza in December 1918, it developed into pneumonia and a telegram reached his home December 30th, saying he had died at Bak, Waritza, North Russia.