Captain Claude Henry Rogers was a war hero who received his Military Cross directly from the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII.

Rogers earned his medal for his actions on November 7, 1918. The citation for his decoration states: “For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty: He carried out the construction of a light railway that was urgently required to assist our offensive operations in a remarkably short time, and, in spite of heavy shelling and gas attacks, he kept it in operation, largely through his own personal efforts, as he was very short of men. His energy and determination were splendid examples to the men working under him, and materially contributed to the success of our operations.” He had earlier been mentioned in despatches in March of 1917.’

Rogers was born in Peterborough, Ontario, on January 17, 1884 and graduated with a Civil Engineering degree from the University of Toronto in 1906. Upon the death of his father, he assumed control of the Peterborough Canoe Company established by his father in 1893. He joined the Canadian Army on June 26, 1915, and served in France with the Royal Canadian Engineers, leaving the company in the hands of a manager.

His family has a message addressed to him from the commanding officer of No. 9 Canadian Field Ambulance dated September 2, 1918, which congratulates him on his Military Medal and suggests he turned down an earlier recommendation in order that one of his men could be decorated. Rogers was demobilized on January 3, 1919, in Kingston and returned to the management of his company. During a Royal tour, he received the Military Cross personally from the Prince of Wales (King Edward VIII). Rogers suffered from the aftermath of the gas attacks for the rest of his life and eventually had to move to Arizona for his health although he still managed the company from Phoenix until his death in 1951.

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