Staff Sergeant Merrill Edwin Barrington
Survivor of WW2
Date of Death:
Service Biography
Born in Ormstown on 25 February 1920, Merrill Edwin Barrington completed Grade 10 at Ormstown Consolidated High School and an eight-month business course at Sir George Williams Business College in Montreal. Before enlistment he worked for about four years as an office clerk with the Lake of the Woods Milling Company in Montreal. He spoke English and French, enjoyed photography and mechanics, and played baseball, hockey and swam. He had served with the Royal Montreal Regiment reserve before being called up under the NRMA in August 1941. Barrington enlisted for active service at Huntingdon on 8 September 1941 and served as a storeman with the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps, later transferring to the Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. He went overseas in September 1942 and served in the United Kingdom and Northwest Europe, including France, rising to Staff Sergeant. His first wife, Marjorie Aileen Cameron, died at Dewittville in May 1942. He married Gerharda Theodora Josephina Nijhuis at Hengelo, Holland, on 12 January 1946. Barrington returned to Canada in February 1946 and was discharged on demobilization on 3 April 1946. After the war he planned to join his father and two brothers in the family's contracting and lumber-supply business.
General Information
Conflict:
WW2
Regimental No.:
D-124491
Cause of Death (in war):
Survived
Branch:
Army
Regiment:
Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
Battalion:
4th Canadian Armoured Brigade Workshop
Company:
Date of Birth :
Place of Birth:
Ormstown, Quebec
Date of Enlistment:
Age at Enlistment:
21 years 6 months
Date of Discharge:
Age at Discharge:
26 years 1 month
Date of Death:
Age at Death:
65 years 8 months
Country Born:
Canada
Trade or Calling:
Office Clerk
Next of Kin:
David Archibald Barrington, father, Ormstown, Quebec
Address at Enlistment:
1355 Greene Avenue, Westmount, Quebec
Religion:
Presbyterian
Place of Enlistment:
Huntingdon, Quebec
Was a Prisoner of War:
No
Height:
5 ft 7.5 in / 171 cm
Weight:
160 lbs / 73 kg
Chest:
36.5 in / 93 cm
Expansion:
2.0 in / 5 cm
Marital Status:
Married
Prior Military Experience:
Yes
Saw Service in:
Europe
Place of Discharge:
Montreal South, Quebec
Discharge Type:
Regular/End of Service
Discharge Notes:
Battle Died/Wounded:
Length of Service:
1668 days in service
Buried at:
Ranks
| Conflict |
Rank |
Regiment |
Branch |
Unit |
Company |
Date From |
Date To |
| WW2 |
Staff Sergeant |
Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers |
Army |
4th Canadian Armoured Brigade Workshop |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Acting Staff Sergeant |
Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers |
Army |
4th Canadian Armoured Brigade Workshop |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Sergeant |
Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers |
Army |
4th Canadian Armoured Brigade Workshop |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Sergeant |
Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps |
Army |
4th Canadian Armoured Brigade Ordnance Company |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Acting Sergeant |
Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps |
Army |
4th Canadian Armoured Brigade Ordnance Company |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Corporal |
Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps |
Army |
4th Canadian Armoured Brigade Ordnance Company |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Acting Corporal |
Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps |
Army |
4th Canadian Armoured Brigade Ordnance Company |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Lance Corporal |
Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps |
Army |
4th Canadian Armoured Brigade Ordnance Company |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Acting Lance Corporal |
Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps |
Army |
4th Canadian Armoured Brigade Ordnance Company |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Private |
Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps |
Army |
No. 4 Army Field Workshops |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Private |
Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps |
Army |
No. 41 Canadian Army Training Centre |
|
|
|
Awards
| Conflict |
Award |
Action |
Date of Award |
Date of Citation |
Source |
| WW2 |
1939-1945 Star |
Award |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
France and Germany Star |
Award |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Defence Medal |
Award |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp |
Award |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
War Medal 1939-1945 |
Award |
|
|
|
Service Chronology
1920-02-25 — Born in Ormstown, Quebec.
1940-07-16 — Attested in Royal Montreal Regiment, Westmount, Quebec, reserve service.
1941-08-28 — Enrolled under the NRMA and reported to No. 41 Canadian Army Training Centre, Huntingdon, Quebec.
1941-09-08 — Enlisted for active service at No. 41 Canadian Army Training Centre, Huntingdon, Quebec, as a Private in the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps.
1941-10-28 — Posted to No. 4 Army Field Workshops, Westmount, Quebec.
1941-11-12 — Classified Storeman I while serving at No. 4 Army Field Workshops, Westmount, Quebec.
1941-11-15 — Married Marjorie Aileen Cameron.
1942-02-26 to 1942-03-15 — Granted 14 days furlough while serving at Westmount, Quebec.
1942-04-01 — Transferred to 4th Canadian Armoured Brigade Ordnance Company and appointed Acting Lance Corporal.
1942-05-18 — First wife Marjorie Aileen Cameron died at Ormstown, Quebec.
1942-07-13 — Injured left foot in a motorcycle accident while serving with 4th Canadian Armoured Brigade Ordnance Company, Debert, Nova Scotia.
1942-07-14 — X-ray at Debert Military Hospital, Debert, Nova Scotia, showed a chip fracture of the left first metatarsal.
1942-08-15 to 1942-08-20 — Granted special duty leave from 4th Canadian Armoured Brigade Ordnance Company.
1942-09-29 — Struck off strength Canadian Army (Canada) for overseas service.
1942-09-30 — Taken on strength Canadian Army Overseas, United Kingdom.
1943-01-01 — Confirmed Lance Corporal with 4th Canadian Armoured Brigade Ordnance Company, United Kingdom.
1943-04-19 — Appointed Acting Corporal with 4th Canadian Armoured Brigade Ordnance Company, United Kingdom.
1943-05-30 — Confirmed Corporal with 4th Canadian Armoured Brigade Ordnance Company, United Kingdom.
1943-12-09 — Appointed Acting Sergeant with 4th Canadian Armoured Brigade Ordnance Company, United Kingdom.
1944-05-08 — Confirmed Sergeant with 4th Canadian Armoured Brigade Ordnance Company, United Kingdom.
1944-05-18 — Transferred to Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, 4th Canadian Armoured Brigade Workshop, United Kingdom.
1944-06-01 — Appointed Acting Staff Sergeant with 4th Canadian Armoured Brigade Workshop, United Kingdom.
1944-07-24 — Embarked with 4th Canadian Armoured Brigade Workshop, United Kingdom, for Northwest Europe.
1944-07-26 — Disembarked with 4th Canadian Armoured Brigade Workshop, France.
1944-09-01 — Confirmed Staff Sergeant with 4th Canadian Armoured Brigade Workshop, Northwest Europe.
1946-01-12 — Married Gerharda Theodora Josephina Nijhuis at Hengelo, Holland.
1946-02-14 — Ended overseas service and returned from Northwest Europe toward Canada.
1946-02-15 — Taken on strength No. 4 District Depot, Montreal South, Quebec, on return to Canada.
1946-04-03 — Discharged as a Staff Sergeant at No. 4 District Depot, Montreal South, Quebec, to civil life on demobilization.
1947-02-24 — Suffered a head injury in a fall at a hockey game at Ormstown, Quebec, after military discharge.
1947-02-27 to 1947-03-18 — Treated at Montreal Neurological Institute, Montreal, Quebec, for a linear skull fracture and cerebral contusion.
Notes
Born in Ormstown on 25 February 1920, Merrill Edwin Barrington completed Grade 10 at Ormstown Consolidated High School and an eight-month business course at Sir George Williams Business College in Montreal. Before enlistment he worked for about four years as an office clerk with the Lake of the Woods Milling Company in Montreal. He spoke English and French, enjoyed photography and mechanics, and played baseball, hockey and swam. He had served with the Royal Montreal Regiment reserve before being called up under the NRMA in August 1941. Barrington enlisted for active service at Huntingdon on 8 September 1941 and served as a storeman with the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps, later transferring to the Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. He went overseas in September 1942 and served in the United Kingdom and Northwest Europe, including France, rising to Staff Sergeant. His first wife, Marjorie Aileen Cameron, died at Ormstown in May 1942. He married Gerharda Theodora Josephina Nijhuis at Hengelo, Holland, on 12 January 1946. Barrington returned to Canada in February 1946 and was discharged on demobilization on 3 April 1946. After the war he planned to join his father and two brothers in the family's contracting and lumber-supply business.
[Previous notes - manual reconciliation required]
Twin brother of Mervin
Additional Service Notes
Served on active service from 8 September 1941 to 3 April 1946. Posted from No. 41 Canadian Army Training Centre, Huntingdon, to No. 4 Army Field Workshops and then 4th Canadian Armoured Brigade Ordnance Company. Overseas from 30 September 1942 to 14 February 1946. Transferred from the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps to the Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in May 1944 and served with 4th Canadian Armoured Brigade Workshop in Northwest Europe. Final rank Staff Sergeant. Qualified Storeman C.
Additional Next of Kin Notes
Father David Archibald Barrington, contractor, and mother Celia/Cecilia Barrington lived at Ormstown. Barrington married Marjorie Aileen Cameron on 15 November 1941; she died at Ormstown on 18 May 1942 and was buried in Ormstown Protestant Cemetery. He married Gerharda Theodora Josephina Nijhuis at Hengelo, Holland, on 12 January 1946. She lived at 16 Weemenstraat, Hengelo, and later travelled to Canada under the war-bride repatriation program. SS Queen Mary arrived Halifax 31 Aug 1946. Barrington met her at the train station in Montreal after her arrival. The 1946 settlement papers identify David Archibald Barrington as her father-in-law in Ormstown.
Version: 3 Last modified: 2026-09-29 02:05:04
by: marc
