Richter, Ernest (Red)

Cpl. Ernest (Red) Richter lost his life on September 20, 1944, in the battle for Boulogne, France, helping to win for the Canadian Army its second Channel port. According to the report of that six-day action which began on September 17, eighteen concrete pillboxes had to be overrun before the enemy yielded. In dogged infantry fighting the Canadians finally overcame the last group of Germans and set the stage for the attack on Calais. Cpl. Richter, the youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Richter, 4 Grand View St., was with the Highland Light Infantry of Galt, one of the three great Canadian regiments that saw the heaviest action in and around Boulogne. After ten more days of fighting, the big coast guns, which had fired on England for four years were silenced and the English people gave thanksgiving for the Canadians' victories on the cross-Channel coast. Cpl. Richter had been with his regiment since September, 1940, enlisting when he was only 18 years old. He was born in Brantford in the home where his parents now live and as a youngster, attended Grand View School and later the Brantford Collegiate Institute. After his graduation, he worked for a short time at the Cockshutt Plow Company, Ltd. He was fond of sports and his interest in baseball was fostered at a tender age when he became mascot in the early 30's of the Alert Junior Baseball Club, when his brother, Gordon, was pitcher and his father coached the team. Cpl. Richter is buried in the St. Inglebert Canadian Military Cemetery, near the scene of the 3rd Division's greatest triumphs.

Back to Search Results