Lance Corporal T. Lloyd Harber was born in Toronto, Ontario, to parents Thomas Lorenzo and Alice Jane Harber. He was the fourth of five children, with siblings Margaret, William, Marie, and Jack..

Harber enlisted in the army in December of 1942, training at Camp Borden before heading overseas the following June with the 48th Highlanders of Canada, #4 Canadian Infantry Reinforcement Unit. By September of 1943 he was serving with A Company, 1st Battalion, Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada. As part of the Normandy Invasion, Harber was among the earliest of the troops landing at Juno Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944. A head wound six weeks later resulted in his return to England for several months. Harber went on to serve in Holland and Germany, prior to his return to Canada for demobilization following the end of the war.

Harber’s enlistment occurred around the same time that his older brother, Flying Officer William George David Harber, was killed in action. F/O Harber had joined the R.C.A.F. in July of 1941. He died on November 7, 1942, when his aircraft was lost between Sydney, Nova Scotia and Torbay, Newfoundland.

Content notes:
The collection’s letters were written by Harber to his sisters Margaret and Marie, beginning at the start of his enlistment and continuing to mid-1945. Many letters include interesting descriptive details of military life and events. An example is his letter of July 15, 1944, which includes details about his specialized training prior to D-Day as part of the Assault Troops/Special Service Troops in preparation for leading beach landings.
Harber’s full first name (initial “T”) is unknown.

External links:
L/Cpl. Lloyd Harber’s service record (Serv/Reg# B134028) is not publicly available at this time.
F/O(P) William George David Haber’s service record (Serv/Reg# J11291) can be viewed/downloaded in pdf format through Library and Archives Canada.