Corporal Toni Moro, Military Medal

Corporal Toni Moro earned the Military Medal for extraordinary bravery under fire during the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

The First World War

The Canadian Expeditionary Force

The 50th Battalion (Calgary)

Toni Moro was a decorated Italian-born soldier who served with distinction in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) during the First World War. He was born on 7 March 1895 in the quiet village of Campo Casso, Italy. Like many of his generation, he sought a new life across the Atlantic, eventually settling in Calgary, Alberta.

He had previous military experience, having served three years with The 21st Lancers (Empress of India’s), a distinguished British cavalry regiment. When the world went to war in 1914, Moro did not hesitate. On 2 October 1915, the 20-year-old labourer signed his attestation papers, becoming Private 435756 of the 50th Overseas Battalion (Calgary), a unit that would later earn a reputation for its tenacity and high casualty rates on the Western Front. He listed Joseph Moro of Campo Casso, Italy, as his next of kin.

After months of training in the cold winds of Sarcee Camp, Pte. Moro embarked from Halifax aboard the S.S. Orduna in October 1915. He arrived in England for further training before crossing to France in August 1916. His early service was marked by a training accident involving a Mills bomb (grenade), resulting in fragmentation wounds to his right arm and hand.

His initiation into trench warfare came during the Battle of the Somme and the fighting around Regina Trench, where the Canadian Corps suffered devastating casualties. Moro emerged from the “blood bath” a hardened veteran.

His defining moment came in April 1917 during the Battle of Vimy Ridge. While the main ridge had been captured, the 4th Division still faced “The Pimple” — the highest and most heavily fortified position. During a blinding sleet storm, Pte. Moro served as a scout and runner. With telephone lines destroyed by shellfire, he became the only link between wounded soldiers trapped in shell craters and officers positioned behind the lines.

He repeatedly crossed “no man’s land” under intense machine-gun fire to deliver critical battlefield reports. For his “bravery in the field” during the assault, he was awarded the Military Medal, officially recognized in the London Gazette in July 1917.

Throughout the war, Pte. Moro was treated several times for wounds and for the effects of shell gas during the later stages of the conflict. He also received the Good Conduct Stripe, signifying disciplined and continuous field service, and was promoted to the rank of Corporal for a period of time.

His wartime service continued through the mud and destruction of Passchendaele and the urban ruins of Lens. During Canada’s Hundred Days Offensive in 1918, he participated in the final push that helped break the German Army at the Canal du Nord. Despite the 50th Battalion suffering more than 3,500 casualties during the war, Corporal Moro survived.

He returned home and received his honourable discharge in Calgary on 25 June 1919. In addition to the Military Medal, British War Medal, and Victory Medal, he was also awarded the Class “A” War Service Badge, presented to soldiers who had served at the front and regarded as a mark of honour among trench veterans.

He left military service not simply as a labourer, but as a recognized hero of the Canadian Corps.

Sources

• Canadian Great War Project

• Wikimedia Commons, file licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license

Researched and compiled by Allan Ross and Indra Teekasingh