either 161st or 162nd Officer Cadet Training Unit

contracted TB, medically downgraded to Category B and posted to Ulster for the remainder of the war

On September 2, 1939, he was sent to France with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) against the rapid onslaught of the advancing German Army. In June of 1940, he was one of more than 338,000 military personnel rescued from Dunkirk during the famous and heroic evacuation. Shortly after recovering from malnutrition and the extreme conditions endured at Dunkirk, he was posted to North Africa. During the next three years of more tough conditions in the western desert, he was promoted Lieutenant, then Captain and Major, and appointed Deputy Assistant Director of Transport (DADT) within 30 Corps Headquarters. The Divisions under his command included the celebrated 7th Armoured Division (The Desert Rats). It was here that he became part of the campaign that succeeded in pushing the Rommel-led German army out of North Africa. Having helped send Rommel packing in March 1943, Major Macleod next took part in the invasion of Sicily in June of that year, and thence, from their newly established foothold in Messina, across the strait to the “toe” of Italy in September. It was during this operation that he was Mentioned in Dispatches and was also awarded the Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, earning his MBE (military) for “Outstanding devotion to duty under difficult conditions”. His MBE citation reads: “In the preparation for and during the operation in the Sicilian campaign, this officer worked with boundless energy in the execution of his duties as DADT. It was a period when the management of transport called for a very high degree of initiative. This efficient quick grasp of the constantly changing picture of maintenance requirements and his prompt action to meet the situation consequent these changes contributed highly to the optimum employment of transport”. He was clearly a well-respected, dedicated and highly efficient young officer, now aged 28. Finally, Major Macleod came full circle, returning to northern France still working within 30 Corps headquarters, and landed on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944. He then advanced through France and Belgium and north into the Netherlands, where his World War II service ended with the cessation of hostilities. It is almost certain that Patrick met, and fought alongside, more than a few Canadians during this final stretch.

late Cadet Under Officer, Cheltenham College Contingent, Junior Division, Officer Training Corps

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