B64479 Sergeant Harold Payne was born in Sittingbourne, Kent, England, on 31 October 1902, the son of William Benjamin Payne and Rosa Louise Howard. This Church of England family arrived in Canada on 1 September 1910 and included a brother Walter, who also served in WWII, four other brothers and one sister. He left school at age 13.

Payne served for one month in September 1939 with the Royal Canadian Engineers and was discharged for “lack of teeth.” He then trained for four weeks in April 1941 with the 2nd Battalion, The Queen’s Own Rifles (reserves). He worked as a truck driver for Consumer Gas Company when he enlisted in the active service army on 28 April 1941. He was appointed Acting Lance Corporal on 17 June 1941, trained in North Bay, and reverted to Rifleman when he was posted to the 1st Battalion QOR (Active Service) in Sussex, New Brunswick.

Payne arrived in Scotland with the regiment on 29 July 1941 where he then undertook various training and attachments. He was appointed Acting Lance Corporal on 1 August 1943, Acting Corporal on 1 September, and Corporal on 2 November. Payne landed in France on 4 July 1944 and was appointed Acting Sergeant on 22 October and confirmed as Sergeant on 24 January 1945.

Sergeant Payne was killed in action by a shell splinter on 12 February 1945, aged 43. He was buried in Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery, grave reference I. B. 13.