Sydney Valpy Radley Walters

Early life

Radley-Walters was born in Gaspé, Quebec in 1920 and graduated from Bishop's College in 1940.

Military career

Radley-Walters was commissioned in the Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment in October of that year. The regiment was redesignated 27th Armoured Regiment (The Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment) in January 1942 and embarked for England in October 1942. The regiment was part of the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade supporting the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division landing in Normandy on D-Day 6 June 1944. Radley-Walters commanded a Sherman tank during the Battle of Normandy. On D-Day + 1, 7 June 1944, in fighting near Saint-Germain-la-Blanche-Herbe, with the 12th SS Panzer Division, Radley-Walters had his first kill, a Panzer IV. Radley-Walters commanded a tank squadron in the regiment. His unit may have been that which killed "tank ace" Michael Wittmann of the 101. Schwere SS-Panzerabteilung, though no definitive proof has ever been provided. This claim has been disputed by 3 Troop, A Squadron, 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry tank regiment gunner Joe Ekins, who also claims to have killed Wittmann.

Radley-Walters was awarded both the Distinguished Service Order and the Military Cross and for his outstanding leadership and gallantry as a squadron commander. He had three tanks shot out from under him and was wounded twice. His regiment participated in Operation Market-Garden and broke through and relieved the 101st Airborne Division. By the end of the war, he was the top tank ace, the ace of aces of the western Allies (and therefore, of Canada), with a total of 18 tank kills and many other armoured vehicles. From July 1945, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel, and commanded the Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment as part of the Allied Occupation Force.

After the war, Radley-Walters served on peacekeeping missions in Cyprus and Egypt. In 1957 he became the Commanding Officer of the 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise's). He attended NATO Defence College in Paris and was assigned to the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe from June 1961 to July 1962. He returned to Canada as commandant of the Royal Canadian Armoured School in Camp Borden. In 1966 he became the Director-General Training and Recruiting at Canadian Forces Headquarters in Ottawa. In June 1968 he was promoted to brigadier-general and took command of 2 Combat Group at CFB Petawawa. In 1971 he became the commander of the Combat Training Centre at CFB Gagetown.

Radley-Walters retired in December 1974. He served eight years as colonel of the 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise's) and in November 1980 became colonel-commandant of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps. There is a two part article discussing Radley-Walters' leadership style in the Canadian Military Journal (Vol 9, No 4 and Vol 10, No 1). He died on April 21, 2015.

In popular culture

In the free-to-play online computer game World of Tanks, the Radley-Walters's Medal is awarded to a player when eight to nine enemy vehicles have been destroyed.