Corporal Andrew Abraham Hogarth

Corporal Andrew Abraham Hogarth was a soldier in the 48th Highlanders of Canada and the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion. 

He was born on November 19, 1920 on the Ojibwe First Nations Reserve in Curve Lake, Ontario. His parents were George Hoggarth and Hanna Louise Taylor (Andrew later adapted his surname to be spelt with one 'g'). He left school at a young age to work as a truck driver and miner and spoke Cree, Mohawk and English. He was known for his natural athleticism and a report later stated he was "one of the best mile runners in the Canadian Army. Won everything last year" (1943).

Hogarth went to Toronto to enlist with the 48th Highlanders of Canada on January 15, 1940. He embarked for the UK and was briefly deployed to France for 22 days before being withdrawn. An online history states that he probably undertook a parachute course at Ringway in August 1942, but we could not find a record of this (record keeping for commonwealth troops was not perfect). In any case, Hogarth returned to Canada and was posted thence to Fort Benning in Georgia on October 12 to join his Battalion for American jump training. After spending several months training there and later at Camp Shilo back in Canada, Hogarth embarked for England again, arriving around August 3, 1943. 

On June 6, 1944, Hogarth landed near Varaville and was part of a group of Canadians who helped to blow up nearby bridges. He was launched into the air by a shell blast on June 12, landing on a Bren gun carrier concussed and with an injured leg. He was evacuated on June 16. From June 22 his parachutist pay was terminated and he was discharged from hospital back to his unit in Bulford, but he did not rejoin the Battalion in Normandy. 

Corporal Hogarth died on March 17,1945 at the age of 24 as a result of a motorcycle accident while riding from Battalion HQ to an Engineers Depot. A car towing a trailer pulled out in front of him and in the resulting collision Hogarth sustained fatal injuries to his head. Hogarth was found not to be at fault. He is buried in Brookwood military cemetery in Plot 50 H7.