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Ahead of his company, he rushed a trench occupied by a large party of the enemy, personally bayoneting two and taking ten prisoners. Later, he located and engaged with great skill, under constant rifle fire, an enemy sniper who was causing many casualties. He then rushed the section of trench from
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which the sniper had been operating, and so demoralised the enemy by his coolness and daring that thirty others surrendered to him. Again, regardless of his personal safety, he left cover under heavy machine-gun fire and carried in a badly wounded comrade.
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forces. Rayfield was one of the seven
Canadians to be awarded the Victoria Cross for their actions on one single day, 2 September 1918, for actions across the 30 km (19 mi) long
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278:. Liberal nominee Mrs. Philip G. Kiely (Elizabeth Bethune Kiely) stood aside for Rayfield, so that her votes could go to him, but the Conservative candidate won. He was
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Medal card held in
Belgian National Archives, Dossier No 4322, Card No 3516. The card lists the award as the gold medal, however the medal in his group is silver.
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He died in 1949, and is buried at
Prospect Cemetery, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Soldier's Plot, Section 7, grave 4196).
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These events took place from 2–4 September 1918 during the operations east of
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Progressive Party of Canada candidates in the 1921 Canadian federal election
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when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
187:(7 October 1881 – 19 February 1949) was a Canadian recipient of the
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Military personnel from the London
Borough of Richmond upon Thames
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274:"Soldier candidate" in the federal election of 1921 for
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Canadian World War I recipients of the
Victoria Cross
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263:He was awarded the Silver Medal of the Belgian
428:Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Belgium)
359:Walter Leigh Rayfield's digitized service file
335:(Supplement). 13 December 1918. p. 14779.
239:in the 7th (1st British Columbia) Battalion,
16:Canadian Victoria Cross recipient (1881-1949)
369:Rayfield's Medals at the Canadian War Museum
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132:7th Battalion (1st British Columbia), CEF
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301:His Victoria Cross is displayed at the
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418:Canadian Expeditionary Force soldiers
364:Legion Magazine-The Magnificent Seven
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235:Rayfield was 36 years old, and a
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284:Legislative Assembly of Ontario
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408:People from Richmond, London
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241:Canadian Expeditionary Force
217:Claude Joseph Patrick Nunney
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423:Canadian prison officials
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374:Walter Leigh Rayfield
267:on 22 December 1919.
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213:William Henry Metcalf
203:. The other six were
180:Walter Leigh Rayfield
25:Walter Leigh Rayfield
209:Arthur George Knight
197:Drocourt-Quéant Line
155:Silver Medal of the
303:Canadian War Museum
205:Bellenden Hutcheson
332:The London Gazette
265:Order of the Crown
225:John Francis Young
157:Order of the Crown
270:Rayfield was the
221:Cyrus Wesley Peck
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68:(1949-02-19)
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403:1949 deaths
398:1881 births
327:"No. 31067"
243:during the
387:Categories
313:References
309:, Canada.
90:Allegiance
49:1881-10-07
297:The Medal
254:, France:
159:(Belgium)
58:, England
108:Service/
75:, Canada
282:of the
237:private
231:Details
123:Captain
148:Awards
110:branch
102:Canada
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80:Buried
252:Arras
199:near
223:and
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120:Rank
63:Died
43:Born
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