Captain George Alton Cline

1. Major (Army).
2. Captain (Army).

Distinguished Service Order
Date of award: 1918-01-01
Date of award: 1918-01-01
Source: University of Toronto Roll of Service 1914-1918, published 1921, pg. 228.

Legion d'Honneur - Croix de Chevalier (France)
Date of award: 1916-03-01
Source: University of Toronto Roll of Service 1914-1918, published 1921, pg. 228.

Capt. George Alton Cline was profiled in a 1916 University of Toronto Schools (UTS) booklet about various former students and Masters (instructors) who had enlisted or military service. UTS, on Bloor Street, was affiliated with the University, but covered High School grades. Capt. Cline was educated at the University of Toronto and his biography appeared in their Roll of Service (1921) on pg. 228 as follows:

CLINE, George Alton; B.A. Victoria 1909, M.A. 1910, Education 1911, Staff; 20th C.E., 1st Div. Sig. Coy., Capt., Aug.1914; France, Feb. 1915; [Reg., Capt. 2nd Can. Div. Sig. Coy, O.C., Aug. 1916; 1st Can. Div. Sig. Coy., O.C., Mar. 1917; Major, Feb.1917; Chief Instr., Signals, T.D., England, Jan. 1918; Can. Corps Headquarters Staff, Asst. to Asst. Dir. Signals, April 1918; Can. Corps Sig. Coy., O.C., July 1918; Ypres, Festubert, Givenchy, Ploegsteert, Ypres (1916), Somme, Vimy, Hil 70, Passchendaele, Amiens, Arras, Cambrai, etc.; Legion d'Honneur, Croix de Chevalier, Mar. 1916; D.S.O., Jan. 1, 1918; Despatches Jan. 1, 1918.

The Burlington Gazette wrote about Capt. Cline on August 19th, 1914:

"Mr. George A. Cline, of Appleby, who is an expert wireless operator, returned home from Ottawa on Thursday, and left with the Halton contingent for the front. Mr. Cline will likely be assigned with the signal section of the Canadian contingent. Mr. Cline has always taken a deep interest in the 20th and military matters, and was quite ready for active service."

The UTS booklet stated that Cline was an expert in signalling and field telegraph and telephone work, at the front he was in charge of the communications of the 1st Brigade at the battle of St. Julien.

At St. Julien (2nd battle of Ypres) he was struck by shrapnel but unharmed.

Later he was made head of the Divisional Signallers for the First Division and was attached to Headquarters.

He received the order of Chevalier of the Legion of Honour (Croix de Chevalier) from the French Government in 1916, and a D.S.O. on January 1st, 1918.

This account included his letter from the front dated Oct. 29, 1916 describing his work at the front.

G. A. Cline is buried in a family plot at Greenwood Cemetery in Burlington, Ont. He is buried with his parents and other family members. His father was Miles B. Cline (1858-1915) and his mother was Sarah Catharine Alton (1860-1940).

Source: M. I. Pirie