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Killed in Action Clarence Alvin Trimm on April 27, 1945.
Clarence Alvin Trimm (SN: D140390) was born January 18, 1924 in Montreal, Quebec. His parents, James McDonald and Isabella Matilda Sheppard Trimm, were originally from British Guiana. He had a sister, Carmen, and a brother, Randolph. Clarence's mother passed away when he was only 14 and his father, a jeweler, raised the family as a single parent, until his own death just six years after his wife’s, in September 1944. Clarence was overseas with his regiment.
When the war broke out in 1939, Clarence, 15 years old, tried to enlist right away, but was refused because of his young age. There was no fooling the recruiting officer either, as Clarence was smaller in stature and looked even younger than his age. He tried a couple more times, even growing a moustache to try to appear older. He was finally accepted at age 19, enlisting in the Canadian Army on May 10, 1943. He was assigned to the Lincoln and Welland Regiment, 10th Infantry Brigade, 4th Canadian Armoured Division. The regiment landed in France in late July 1944, fighting its way across northwest Europe as part of the liberation of the Netherlands, and then on into Germany.
Two weeks before the end of the war, on April 27, 1945, Clarence was seriously wounded in action near Bad Zwischenahn, Germany, receiving multiple bullet wounds to his lower abdomen damaging his spine. He was operated on, but the injuries were too severe; he passed away that evening. Clarence was 21 years old. Pte. Trimm is buried in Grave X.A.9 in the Holten Ca
nadian War Cemetery, Netherlands.
His best friend, Maurice Tremblay, also enlisted in the army. Clarence always said to his friend Maurice th
at if Clarence was severely injured or killed, he wanted Maurice to look after his sister.
Maurice did not forget his promise. After Maurice returned home from the war, he and Clarence’s sister Carmen were married.
Clarence’s sister Carmen’s request, in 2008, The Department of National Defence agreed to prepare a special Certificate of Service for Clarence and presented it to his childhood chum, Second World War veteran Bud Jones.
As of September 2021, Carmen was living in Montreal and is 101 years old.