Surgeon Lieutenant Edwin Clarence "Tim" McCoy
Survivor of WW2
Date of Death:
Service Biography
Edwin Clarence McCoy was born at Huntingdon, Quebec, on 1 September 1911. He graduated from McGill University with a B.A. in 1934 and M.D.C.M. in 1939, then undertook hospital appointments in Montreal, Bermuda, Pennsylvania and Vancouver before entering private practice. He enrolled in the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve on 14 September 1942 and served during the Second World War as a Surgeon Lieutenant at several Canadian naval establishments, including HMCS Montreal, Nadena, Chippawa, Avalon, Peregrine and Discovery. He was discharged on 30 May 1946. After the war he returned to family practice in Vancouver and later served as Executive Director of the British Columbia Medical Association from 1961 until his retirement in 1975. Edwin Clarence McCoy died on 24 December 1996.
General Information
Conflict:
WW2
Regimental No.:
O-48330
Cause of Death (in war):
Survived
Branch:
Navy
Regiment:
Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve
Battalion:
HMCS Discovery
Company:
Date of Birth :
Place of Birth:
Huntingdon, Quebec
Date of Enlistment:
Age at Enlistment:
31 years
Date of Discharge:
Age at Discharge:
34 years 8 months
Date of Death:
Age at Death:
85 years 3 months
Country Born:
Canada
Trade or Calling:
Medical doctor
Next of Kin:
Mrs. Edna M. McCoy (mother), Huntingdon, Quebec
Address at Enlistment:
Huntingdon, Quebec
Religion:
United Church of Canada
Place of Enlistment:
Montreal, Quebec
Was a Prisoner of War:
No
Height:
5 ft 5.0 in / 165 cm
Weight:
153 lbs / 69 kg
Chest:
40.0 in / 102 cm
Expansion:
2.0 in / 5 cm
Marital Status:
Married
Prior Military Experience:
No
Saw Service in:
Canada
Place of Discharge:
Vancouver, British Columbia
Discharge Type:
Regular/End of Service
Discharge Notes:
Battle Died/Wounded:
Length of Service:
1354 days in service
Buried at:
Links
Ranks
| Conflict |
Rank |
Regiment |
Branch |
Unit |
Company |
Date From |
Date To |
| WW2 |
Surgeon Lieutenant |
Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve |
Navy |
HMCS Discovery |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Surgeon Lieutenant |
Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve |
Navy |
HMCS Peregrine |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Surgeon Lieutenant |
Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve |
Navy |
HMCS Avalon |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Surgeon Lieutenant |
Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve |
Navy |
HMCS Chippawa |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Surgeon Lieutenant |
Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve |
Navy |
HMCS Chatham |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Surgeon Lieutenant |
Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve |
Navy |
HMCS Nadena |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Surgeon Lieutenant |
Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve |
Navy |
HMCS Montreal |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Probationary Surgeon Sub-Lieutenant |
Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve |
Navy |
Divisional Strength Montreal |
|
|
|
Awards
| Conflict |
Award |
Action |
Date of Award |
Date of Citation |
Source |
| WW2 |
War Medal 1939-45 |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with clasp |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
1939-45 Star |
p. 4 |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
War Service Badge General Service Class, no. 547151 |
|
|
|
|
Service Chronology
1911-09-01 — Born, Huntingdon, Quebec
1934 — Graduated B.A., McGill University, Montreal, Quebec
1939 — Graduated M.D.C.M., McGill University, Montreal, Quebec
1939-07 to 1940-03 — Postgraduate appointment, Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec
1940-04 to 1940-07 — Postgraduate appointment, King Edward Memorial Hospital, Bermuda
1940-07 to 1940-10 — Private-medicine residency, Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec
1940-10 to 1941-03 — Resident in medicine and obstetrics, Lewistown Hospital, Pennsylvania, United States
1941-04 to 1941-06 — Hospital appointment, Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia
1941-07 — Entered private medical practice, Vancouver, British Columbia
1942-09-14 — Enrolled RCNVR as Probationary Surgeon Sub-Lieutenant; placed on Divisional Strength Montreal, Montreal, Quebec
1942-09-18 — Appointed temporary Surgeon Lieutenant; HMCS Montreal, Montreal, Quebec
1942-09-24 — Posted HMCS Nadena for training and disposal
1943-07-07 — Married Margery Eileen McCoy
1943-07-14 — Posted HMCS Chatham
1943-11-15 — Additional C.N.383 appointment recorded
1943-12 — Planned additional appointment to HMCS Niobe for 2nd Fleet Destroyer duty
1943-12-10 — Planned additional appointment to HMCS Stadacona for passage to the United Kingdom
1944-04-28 — Posted HMCS Chippawa, Winnipeg, Manitoba
1944-11-21 to 1944-11-22 — Authorized to attend venereal-disease conference, Regina, Saskatchewan
1945-01-08 — Posted HMCS Avalon for duty in Royal Canadian Naval Hospital, St. John's, Newfoundland
1945-02-10 — Additional temporary duty with Senior Naval Officer, Bay of Bulls, Newfoundland
1945-02-13 — Returned to Avalon duty in Royal Canadian Naval Hospital, St. John's, Newfoundland
1945-05-18 — Avalon additional duty; Bay of Bulls/naval medical duty sequence amended, Newfoundland
1945-07-17 — Posted HMCS Peregrine for duty in D.T.C., Halifax, Nova Scotia
1945-09-03 — Commenced 14 days annual leave plus travelling time from HMCS Peregrine
1945-09-24 — Posted HMCS Discovery, vice Surgeon Lieutenant J.A. Virtue, Vancouver, British Columbia
1946-03-28 — HMCS Discovery additional appointment for demobilization, Vancouver, British Columbia
1946-04-30 — HMCS Discovery additional for demobilization/recruiting duties, Vancouver, British Columbia
1946-05-01 — HMCS Discovery additional for leave. Vancouver, British Columbia
1946-05-30 — HMCS Discovery additional for discharge; demobilized and discharged, Vancouver, British Columbia
1996-12-24 — Died, age 85, Vancouver, BC
Notes
Born at Huntingdon, Quebec, on 1 September 1911. McGill University B.A. 1934 and M.D.C.M. 1939. Postgraduate medical work included Montreal General Hospital (July 1939–March 1940), King Edward Memorial Hospital in Bermuda (April–July 1940), Montreal General Hospital private-medicine residency (July–October 1940), Lewistown Hospital, Pennsylvania (October 1940–March 1941), and Vancouver General Hospital (April–June 1941), followed by private practice in Vancouver from July 1941. At enlistment he was 5 ft 5 in, 153 lb, with 40-in inflated and 38-in deflated chest measurements, fair hair, blue eyes and a ruddy complexion. Bilateral inguinal herniotomy scars were recorded; repeated wartime/postwar chest X-rays in the file were negative.
[Previous notes - manual reconciliation required]
“Tim” McCoy. son of Mrs. E. C. McCoy and the late Mr. McCoy, of Huntingdon. enlisted with the R.C.N.V.R. on August 19, 1942, and will report for duty at Esquimalt, B.C, on Thursday.
Surgeon-Lt. McCoy was born at Huntingdon on September 1st, 1911 and received his education at Huntingdon Academy and McGill] University Montreal. He graduated in medicine at McGill, in 1939, and interned at the Montreal General Hospital, the King Edward Memorial Hospital. Bermuda. the Lewistown Hospital, Lewistown, Penn.. and a
Dr. E. C. McCoy, son of Mrs. McCoy and the late Mr. E. C. McCoy, of Hunting- don, has received his demobilization frm the Navy and will resume his practice in Vancouver, : B.C., where he intends to make his home. Dr. McCoy's office will be in his new modern medical bullding which is up-to-date in every way and will be completed about the end of May
Additional Service Notes
Enrolled in the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve on 14 September 1942 as a Probationary Surgeon Sub-Lieutenant and appointed temporary Surgeon Lieutenant later that month. He served at Divisional Strength Montreal/HMCS Montreal, HMCS Nadena, HMCS Chatham, HMCS Chippawa, HMCS Avalon, HMCS Peregrine and HMCS Discovery. In November–December 1943 he received an additional C.N.383 appointment; planned additional appointments to HMCS Stadacona for passage to the United Kingdom and HMCS Niobe for 2nd Fleet Destroyer duty were cancelled before being taken up. At Avalon he served in the Royal Canadian Naval Hospital and on temporary/additional duty with the Senior Naval Officer at Bay of Bulls. He later served at Peregrine for duty in the D.T.C. and at Discovery in Vancouver, including demobilization duties. He was demobilized and discharged on 30 May 1946.
Additional Next of Kin Notes
Mother: Mrs. Edna M. McCoy, Huntingdon, Quebec. Married Margery Eileen McCoy on 7 July 1943; no children were recorded on the wartime medical-officer profile. By late 1945 his wife's address was 3631 Dunbar Street, Vancouver, British Columbia. The obituary names wife Margery; son James; daughters Shelagh (Gary) Brady and Maureen (Bob) Hole; grandchildren Shilse, Kyle Brady and Robbie Blair; and brother James (Margaret) of Huntingdon, Quebec.
Version: 3 Last modified: 2026-09-19 02:05:03
by: marc
