Major Hilton David Proctor
David Hamilton Todd was born in Comber, Ireland on August 20th, 1911, to his parents, Hugh David Dugan McCleery Todd and Eleanor Whiteside Todd (née Coulter). He was the second of four children after sister Rachil, sister Eleanor and brother Alan. Sadly, David’s father died of myelitis at the age of 34 on February 9th, 1916. His mother Eleanor went on to marry John (Jack) Proctor. The family moved to Ottawa, Canada.
David Hamilton Todd officially changed his name to Hilton David Proctor. He graduated from high school and went to the University of Ottawa, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree. After graduation, he joined the Bell Telephone Company in Montreal as a telephone engineer. He helped transfer the old manual exchange to the new dial system. On April 9th, 1931, Hilton married Dorothy Helen Hutton. They eventually had one son, David Reid Proctor, born in 1939.
In 1927, Hilton enlisted in the militia in Montreal with the “B” Corps Signals RCCS (Royal Canadian Corps of Signals). In 1935, Hilton was chosen to be a member of the Ottawa rifle team to take part in the shooting competitions at Bisley. He trained in Surrey, British Columbia. By 1940, he had attained the rank of Captain.
In 1942, the Canadian army was in the process of forming an airborne unit and began the process of selecting the first group of candidates to attend the airborne school in Fort Benning, U.S.A. Hilton was eager to become a part of this new unit. At 5’7’’ and 146 pounds, Hilton passed the battery of rigorous testing, and became one of the 27 men who would form the core of Canada’s first airborne unit. By July 1942, Hilton was designated to be the Commanding Officer of the A-35 Canadian Parachute Training Centre in Shilo, Manitoba. On August 14th, 1942, Hilton and the other 26 members of the training class reached Fort Benning, Georgia where they started their parachute training by the US Army.
At 2:04 PM on September 7th, 1942, Major Proctor was tragically involved in a fatal parachuting accident during the group’s first jump onto Lawson Field in Fort Benning, Georgia. Major Proctor was the first Canadian to jump from an aircraft on the course. However, a transport plane following Hilton’s plane flew through the rigging lines of his newly opened chute, cutting straight through. Proctor was probably killed or at least knocked unconscious by hitting the plane itself before falling to his death. Army investigators said it was probable that he was killed instantly on contact with the plane, as he never got to deploy his reserve chute. Major Hilton Proctor was survived by his widow and son.
After his death, the remaining 26 officers had to complete their course without their friend and CO. They graduated from their parachute course on September 11th, 1942. Lieutenant Colonel G.F.P Bradbrooke was chosen as Proctor's successor to command the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion.
A military funeral was held on September 12th, 1942 for Major Proctor and was attended by high-ranking officers of the Canadian Army and representatives of the United States Army. Maj. F.D. Armstrong of the Canadian Chaplain Service conducted the ceremony. Major Proctor was buried at Pinecrest Cemetery in Ottawa, Ontario in plot Plot 552. Sec. D. Grave 1.
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