There were a series of photogaphs taken of Perth Regiment soldiers between Arnhem and Harderwijk. on April 15, 1945. This during the 5th Armoured Division advance. The most iconic of those photos is that of Pte. H.E. Goddard carrying a Bren over his shoulder. I recently found a colourized version. Many people have thought that Goddard was showing the infamous "thousand yard stare" on his face; others concluded that he was simply camera shy. I contacted the Perth Regiment Veterans Association, who were very helpful, but little is known of Pte. Goddard. After January 1944, the regiment's War Diary did not record the names of the men who reinforced the regiment, so there is no record of Goddard's arrival. From the condition of his webbing, one could conclude that he'd been in action for quite some time, but that is not conclusive. His full name is Herbert Ernest Goddard and he was from Montreal. He was 24 at the time the picture was taken. (turned 25 in August 1945). He survived the war but as he was from Montreal, he did not demobilize with the Perths. Likely, he was transferred to a Montreal-area unit so that he could be dismissed close to home. According to his daughter he spoke very little of his wartime experience and passed away on April 12, 1999 at age 79.
Have you looked at the appendix of the War Diary? That is where he would be listed as TOS, not in the day to day entries.
