LT. COL. LOCKHART R. FULTON

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LT. COL. LOCKHART R. FULTON CM, DSO, ED It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Lt. Col. Lockhart Ross Fulton on October 21, 2005 , in Birtle MB. Lt.Col. L.R. (Lockie) Fulton was born in 1917 in rural Manitoba. Raised on a mixed farm in Birtle, MB, the fifth of a family of seven children, Lockie quickly learned the benefits of hard work tempered by familial love and affection. At the early age of 16, Lockie began his military career by joining the 12th Manitoba Dragoons, a unit of the militia, where he excelled in skills such as horsemanship. When war came, he transferred to the 1st Battalion, Royal Winnipeg Rifles which was awaiting mobilization in Nova Scotia. At this time, he also seized the opportunity to marry his childhood sweetheart from Birtle, Nellie Finch. In August of 1941, the Regiment was sent to England where it spent the better part of the next three years organizing, training and gearing up for eventual combat. During this period, Lockie rose steadily in the ranks, performing a number of duties and at one point being selected for the elite British training program at Barnard Castle, one of the few Canadians so honoured. In February, 1944, he was promoted Acting Major (later confirmed) and given command of D Company, one of the four rifle companies of the Battalion. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, the Royal Winnipeg Rifles were part of the initial assault on Juno Beach. Landing with the first wave, Major Fulton led his company past intense enemy fire, rapidly overcoming the defenders and capturing the town of Graye-sur-mer, gapping a minefield in the process. Almost immediately, as lead company for the Battalion, Lockie's men fought their way several kilometres inland to the town of Cruelly, where the battalion encamped for the night. The following day, the Battalion pushed on to the village of Putot-en-Bessin, abutting the crucial Caen-Bayeux Railway, becoming one of the first Allied units to reach its final D-Day objective. On June 8, significantly larger and more heavily armed German forces, overran 3 companies of the Battalion. Many of those taken prisoner were later murdered by the infamous 12 SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend. The assault on Major Fulton's company, however, was decisively thwarted, preserving a key portion of the objective until a counter-attack by the Canadian Scottish Regiment fully restored the situation. For his accomplishments on D-Day and at Putot-en-Bessin, Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery presented Major Fulton with the Distinguished Service Order, a recognition second only to the Victoria Cross. Major Fulton continued to lead his company with considerable success, often against formidable odds. In the assault on Carpiquet Airport in July, 1944, they had to advance across a large, wide-open field while being subjected to a fierce mortar and artillery barrage. Despite heavy casualties, Major Fulton and the remainder of his force eliminated strong enemy resistance and captured their objective - two of the airport hangars - before being ordered to withdraw due to the difficulty of maintaining armoured support under the intense enemy artillery and anti-tank fire. At the Leopold Canal in Belgium, Lockie was appointed Battalion Commanding Officer. He was 27 years old. Promoted Lieutenant-Colonel, he went on to lead the Battalion to a string of hard-fought victories, from the Scheldt Estuary through the liberation of Holland and on into Germany itself. After the war, Lt. Col. Fulton returned to his wife and family to enjoy his life as a successful grain farmer in his home town of Birtle, MB. During his life in Birtle he raised six children, and contributed much to the civic life of the community for which contribution he was awarded the Order of Canada. His retirement years were spent wintering in Victoria, BC. In his latter years, Lockie put his military knowledge to historical use, giving numerous speeches and talks as well as continuing research with Battlefield Study Groups. He returned several times to his old battlefields, most recently for the 60th Anniversaries of D-Day and VE Day; at both events he may have been the only surviving battalion commander in attendance. He also never lost touch with many of his old comrades and with the Regiment itself, past and present, maintaining a mutual air of great respect and affection. Lockie's military accomplishments were further recognized in 2004 when the government of France awarded him the Legion of Honour, that country's highest honor. Perhaps the best summing up of Lockie Fulton as a military leader would be the citation for his DSO, which read, in part: Major Fulton's personal bravery, his complete disregard for his own safety and his coolness and skill in leading his command are considered to be in keeping with the highest traditions of the service. Lockie Fulton was predeceased by his loving wife Nellie in 1998. He leaves to mourn his passing his children and their partners: Bruce and Rosemarie, Geoff and Lynn, Debbie, Peter and Sandy, Jennifer and Don, Abigail and Alan; his grandchildren, Lockhart, Evadne, Deirdre, Vanessa and Liona; his surviving brother and sisters Harvey, Eva, Margaret, and his sister -in-law Marion Fulton. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Lockie's name to the Palliative Care Unit, Birtle District Hospital, Birtle, MB R0M 0C0; with the intention that donations will first go towards the establishment of a volunteer co-ordinator for the Unit.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Oct 23, 2005