Leslie E. Rawlinson MM

Scout Section, 49th Battalion (Edmonton Regiment)

In July 1916, Scouts of the 49th Battalion (E.R.) observed a strong German patrol traversing No Man's Land at night. Not having enough men to engage but expecting the patrol to be repeated, an ambush was planned for the following night.

Under the leadership of Scout Sergeant Leslie Elwood Rawlinson, the assault party crept out to positions in No Man's Land and waited. When ten enemy appeared moving in single file, the party withheld fire until the last moment. The ambush was entirely successful and the enemy force wiped out. One badly wounded prisoner was rushed back to the Canadian frontline but died en route.

Rawlinson was awarded the Military Medal but was wounded two months later at Courcelette. He returned to France in 1918 as a Captain in the Canadian Railway Troops.