Lieutenant Harvey Donald MacHattie—Died of Wounds January 27, 1945

 Harvey Donald MacHattie was born in Weihui, Henan, China, on June 6, 1920, the third of James Blake “J. B.” and Janet Sutherland (Macdonald) MacHattie’s five sons. Janet was the daughter of William Hugh MacDonald and Ellen Hattie, Sherbrooke, Guysborough County, while J. B. was the son of John Lauchlin Hattie and Elizabeth Sutherland, Upper Caledonia, Guysborough County.

Lieutenant Harvey Donald MacHattie

 

J. B. and Janet both traced one side of their ancestral roots to Guysborough County’s Hattie/MacHattie pioneer, Alexander MacHattie. Born around 1757 in Banffshire, Scotland. Alexander was one of three brothers who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1786. A stonemason by trade, for unknown reasons Alexander dropped the use of “Mac” in his surname sometime after arriving in the colony. One brother, William, settled in Barney’s River, Pictou County, and never married. A second brother, George, established residence in Newport, Hants County, where he raised a family of four daughters.

Alexander initially joined his brother William in the Barney’s River area. In 1795, he relocated to West River, Pictou County, before moving on to East River St. Mary’s, Guysborough County, in 1813. During his lifetime, Alexander was a stonemason, farmer, lumberman and mill owner, reflecting the diverse skills required in establishing a new life in an undeveloped wilderness.

In 1790, Alexander married Catherine McDonald, who was born in Scotland in 1774. The couple raised a family of 12 children—eight sons, one whom died in infancy, and four daughters. John, the second son to bear that name, was born in West River, Pictou County, on July 22, 1803, and married Annie MacQuarrie, a native of the Isle of Rùm, Small Isles, Scotland, on September 28, 1826. John and Annie initially lived in East River St. Mary’s, Guysborough County, where five of their six sons were born. In June 1840, the family relocated to Caledonia.

Daniel Hattie, one of the sons born in East River St. Mary’s, married Janet Sutherland (DOB July 28, 1832), a native of Caledonia, in a ceremony that took place in Janet’s home community on September 15, 1855. Daniel was deeded half of his father’s Caledonia property, including the family home, and later built a new house near a mill located on the property. Daniel and Janet raised a family of four daughters, one of whom was Helen Agnes Hattie, born on January 4, 1858.

Helen married William Hugh Macdonald, a Sherbrooke blacksmith, on November 4, 1879. The couple raised a family of three sons and four daughters. Janet Sutherland Macdonald, their fourth child and youngest daughter, was born in Sherbrooke on July 18, 1889. After completing her public school studies, Helen attended Dalhousie University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the spring of 1913. On November 11, 1913, Janet departed from San Francisco, California on a passage to China, where her fiancé, James Blake “J B.” MacHattie, was a working as a Presbyterian missionary.

J. B. traced his paternal lineage to Daniel Hattie, another of Alexander “Pioneer” MacHattie’s sons. Born in West River, Pictou County, on April 6, 1810, Daniel married Mary MacQuarrie, who was born in Scotland on October 31, 1813. Mary’s sister Annie later married Daniel’s younger brother John. Daniel and Mary raised a family of 10 children—five sons and five daughters—in their Upper Caledonia home.

John Laughlin Hattie, Daniel and Mary’s second child and oldest son, was born on August 19, 1836, and married Elizabeth Sutherland, a Lower Caledonia native, on February 13, 1862. Religion played an important role in Laughlin’s life and family. He was selected as an elder in the Presbyterian Church, a position also held by three of his seven sons.

James Blake “J. B.,” Lauchlin and Elizabeth’s youngest child, was born in Upper Caledonia on December 24, 1881. J. B. went on to attend McGill University, graduating in May 1910 with a Bachelor of Science degree and an Engineering diploma. After a year’s employment in Canada, he was designated a Presbyterian missionary in Knox Church, Montreal, QC, on October 18, 1911, and departed for China as part of a Presbyterian Church of Canada mission in early 1912.

Throughout his time in Asia, J. B. put his engineering skills to work, beginning in the area of Changde, Hunan. In late November 1913, J. B.’s fiancée, Janet Sutherland Macdonald, arrived in China. The couple married in Shanghai on December 15, 1913, and then travelled to Changde. Lloyd Elliott, J.B. and Janet’s first child, was born there on January 8, 1915.

In April 1915, the family relocated to Weihui, Henan Province, China, which was located in one of several “British concessions”—numerous areas of China occupied and governed by foreign powers. J. B. oversaw the building of a school and a medical clinic, road construction and other similar projects during his time there. Contagious diseases—diphtheria, dysentery, mumps, measles, whooping cough, scarlet fever—were common in the area, impacting both the local population and missionary families at various times.

Leslie Blake, J. B. and Janet’s second son, was born in Weihui on January 29, 1917. That spring, J. B. departed for France as a commissioned officer with the Chinese Labour Corps. Recruited in the British-leased territory of Weihaiwei, China, in late 1916, its purpose was to allow men serving in British labour units to be transferred to infantry duty. J.B.’s unit, the first of many, consisted of 1,086 labourers under the command of six British officers and one Medical Officer.

James Blake "J. B." MacHattie in First World War uniform

The initial British plan called for the recruitment of 10,000 labourers, divided into approximately 20 Companies. By November 1918, approximately 195 Chinese Labour Companies containing almost 100,000 men were working in France and Belgium under the British flag. J. B.’s engineering skills and mastery of the Chinese language made him an excellent candidate for overseeing the unit’s work. It would be two and a half years before he would reunite with his wife and children.

Following J. B.’s departure, Janet, Leslie and Lloyd remained in Weihui until November 1918, when word arrived that Janet’s father, William Hugh Macdonald, was seriously ill. The trio made their way across the Pacific Ocean to British Columbia, travelled by train to Antigonish, and then by horse and sleigh to Sherbrooke, where they spent the winter of 1918-19.

William Hugh Macdonald passed away in Sherbrooke on May 1, 1919. Rather than return to China, Janet and her sons remained there until J. B.’s overseas military discharge. He arrived in Halifax on August 24, 1919, and travelled home to Caledonia for a visit. Two months later, the family commenced the long trek back to China, spending time with relatives in Toronto and British Columbia before departing from Vancouver, BC, aboard the Empress of Japan on December 18, 1919. Three weeks later—January 8, 1920—the MacHatties landed in Shanghai and returned to Weihui shortly afterward.

J. B. and Janet’s third son, Harvey Donald, was born on June 6, 1920. During her time in Weihui, Janet taught reading in the mission school and helped local women learn to read while raising her three young sons. A fourth child, Graham, joined the family in February 1923. Two and a half months later, J. B., Janet and their two youngest children returned to Changde, while the two older boys remained in Weihui, where they continued to attend the mission’s Canadian school.

J. B. and Janet’s youngest child, Lorne, was born in April 1925, during their time in Changde. The mid-1920s was a period of increasing political turmoil and instability in China. As the situation became increasingly unsafe, the missionaries and their families, now working under the auspices of the United Church of Canada, were offered the opportunity to relocate. In November 1925, the MacHattie family left China on leave and once again travelled to British Columbia, where they spent the holiday season with relatives before moving on to Martintown, near Cornwall, ON, for another family visit.

Janet and J. B. MacHattie and their five sons in China (date unknown)

The MacHatties visited Nova Scotia the summer and early autumn before relocating to Weston, ON, in November 1926. Early the following year, J. B. officially changed his surname to “MacHattie” by act of the Nova Scotia Legislature. In February 1927, he departed for China, leaving Janet and their five sons behind as the situation there was still unstable. By year’s end, the United Church of Canada decided to relocate its missionary work to Korea, where Japanese control provided stability.

In May 1928, Janet and her boys headed back to Asia, arriving in Kobe, Japan, early the following month. Janet enrolled Lloyd, Leslie and Harvey in a Canadian Academy located there and then headed for Hamhung, Korea, with her two youngest sons. Unlike China, the trains in Korea followed a regular schedule, and law and order prevailed throughout the Japanese colony.

The United Church missionaries returned to Henan Province in September 1929. While Lloyd and Leslie remained in Kobe to complete their secondary studies, Harvey returned to Weihui, where he and his two youngest siblings attended the Canadian mission school. In May 1932, the family moved to Tianjin, southeast of Beijing, where the three youngest boys enrolled in the Municipal Grammar School, which taught a British curriculum.

In autumn 1933, Lloyd, the oldest of the MacHattie boys, returned to Canada, where he commenced studies at Dalhousie University, Halifax. That same season, Harvey headed to the Canadian Academy in Kobe, Japan, with Leslie while his parents and two youngest brothers returned to Weihui. 1934 was a “furlough year,” the family first travelling to Honolulu, Hawaii, to visit a relative in mid-June and then moving on to Vancouver, BC, for another train trip across the country.

After visits to Sherbrooke and Caledonia, the family rented a house in Halifax in late summer 1934. Harvey enrolled in Halifax Academy for the school year, while Lloyd and Leslie attended Dalhousie University. In August 1935, the family prepared to return to China. Lloyd and Leslie remained in Halifax, while Harvey and Graham returned to the Canadian Academy, Kobe, to finish their secondary studies. Meanwhile, J. B., Janet and Lorne travelled to Weihui.

In July 1937, Japan launched an invasion of Chinese territory south of Beijing, the first of several military incursions into the country. Extensive flooding in Henan Province that summer and the arrival of refugees fleeing Japanese forces further complicated the situation there. The family remained in Weihui for the time being, Harvey spending his last summer in China before departing for Canada in August 1938 to join his brothers at Dalhousie University. As J. B. and Janet said goodbye to their third son, none gave a thought to the possibility that they would never see one another again.
 
Following in his father’s footsteps, Harvey Donald MacHattie completed the requirements for a Bachelor of Science degree and Civil Engineering diploma, graduating from Dalhousie University in the spring of 1942. The outbreak of war during his second year of studies prompted Harvey to enlist with the school’s Auxiliary Training Corps during the 1940-41 academic year and join Dalhousie’s Canadian Officers’ Training Corps (COTC) program during his senior year.

On May 14, 1941, Harvey formally enlisted with the Non-Permanent Active Militia of Canada at Halifax, and trained with Dalhousie and Kings Universities COTC Contingent throughout the 1941-42 academic year. On June 6, 1942, he was appointed to the commissioned rank of 2nd Lieutenant with the Canadian Army and was “taken on strength’ by No. 6 Military District, Halifax. One month later, Harvey attested with the Canadian Active Service Force (CASF) and was placed on the “General List” for service with the Royal Canadian Engineers (RCE).

On June 12, 1942, Harvey was posted to the Officers Training Centre, Brockville, ON. After five months of extensive training, he qualified for the rank of 2/Lieutenant (RCE) and was posted to A-5 Royal Canadian Engineers Training Centre, Petawawa, ON. In mid-October, he qualified as “Driver I/C [internal combustion], Class III.” On December 5, 1942, “having obtained Grade ‘C’ at course held at (A5) CETC from 14-9-42 to 5-12-42 [Harvey] qualified for the rank of Lieutenant and [was] promoted as such.”

After two weeks’ leave, Harvey returned to Petawawa. In mid-January 1943, he was posted to the Advanced Driving and Maintenance School, Woodstock, ON, for a course in “Wheeled Vehicles.” Upon completing the requirements for “Driver IC [internal combustion] Class II, [and] M/C [motorcycle] Grade II,” he returned to Petawawa on February 12, 1943. Six weeks later, Harvey “proceeded overseas,” arriving in the United Kingdom (UK) on April 5.

Harvey was initially assigned to No. 1 Canadian Engineers Reinforcement Unit (CERU), where he awaited further orders. On August 9, he was transferred to No. 9 Field Squadron, Royal Canadian Engineers (RCE). Initially organized at Camp Petawawa in September 1940, the unit had arrived in the UK in June 1942 and spent the two years there, building Bailey bridges, learning to deploy and defuse personnel mines and booby traps, and building various fortifications. Personnel also assisted in clearing damage caused by German bombing raids.

Breaking into the officers’ ranks of engineering units stationed in the UK for a lengthy period while awaiting deployment in Western Europe was not an easy task. Harvey spent two months training with No. 9 Field Company before returning to No. 1 CERU for the remainder of the year. In early 1944, he was assigned to No. 9 Field Squadron’s “Rear Party” before returning to its regular ranks in early May.

In late July 1944, Harvey returned to No. 1 CERU, where he remained for the summer. On September 2, he was “struck off strength” and commenced a six-week “Officers Conversion” course for service with an infantry unit. Comments on his assessments describe Harvey as having “good initiative” and showing “plenty of leadership. “Cool-headed [and] reliable,” he “grasp[ed] new ideas fairly quickly” and “with more practical experience should make a good platoon commander.”

On October 14, 1944, Harvey was formally transferred to the Canadian Infantry Corps and assigned to No. 4 Canadian Infantry Reinforcement Unit (CIRU). Two weeks later, he was transferred to No. 1 CIRU, a sign that a posting to an active was imminent. On November 3, Harvey left the UK for the Mediterranean theatre. Two weeks later, he disembarked in Italy and was placed on the general reinforcement list. On December 8, he was assigned to the West Nova Scotia Regiment and joined the unit in northern Italy one week later.

The West Nova Scotia Regiment was created in 1936 when the Lunenburg and Annapolis Regiments amalgamated to form one militia unit. The battalion officially mobilized for service on September 1, 1939, and departed for overseas before year’s end. After arriving in the United Kingdom, the “West Novas” were assigned to the 1st Canadian Division’s 3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade (3rd CIB), where they served alongside the Carleton & York Regiment (New Brunswick) and the Royal 22e Régiment (Quebec’s “VanDoos”).

The 1st Canadian Division was part of an Allied force that invaded Sicily in early July 1943 and crossed the Strait of Messina to the Italian peninsula’s southern tip two months later. After advancing northward through the mainland’s mountainous central region, the Division spent the winter of 1943-44 in sectors north of Ortona, a historic town located on Italy’s Adriatic coast.

The following spring, the 1st Canadian Division participated in the Liri Valley campaign during the month of May 1944, after which its units retired to reserve for several months of training. In late August 1944, the Division returned to duty in sectors south of Rimini, a town on northern Italy’s Adriatic coast. Three months of hard fighting followed as Allied forces pushed northwestward toward the Lombardy plain beyond Bologna, suffering significant casualties during several hard-fought operations.

At the time of Harvey’s arrival, the West Novas were in reserve positions near the village of Russi, west of the coastal town of Ravenna. In mid-December, the unit’s Commanding Officer was informed that German forces were in the process of retreating northward across the Senio River, and “it is expected that he will withdraw from this area very shortly.”

The following day, the West Novas relieved the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada in positions along the Canale Naviglio, near Bagnacavallo. Fighting in the area settled into a “static” phase as both sides prepared for winter. A similar lull had occurred during the previous year, resulting in a return to a pattern of regular “recce”—reconnaissance—and fighting patrols in the forward area. The “No Man’s Land” separating the two sides was particularly active at night-time, each army probing the other’s defences, often in search of prisoners of war for interrogation.

By December 21, it was apparent that the “enemy has withdrawn to [the] far side of [the] Senio River.” The exception was a small crescent of land between the Canale Naviglio and a bend in the Savio River north of Bagnacavallo. Both sides were dug into an area that Thomas Raddall, the renowned Nova Scotian author, described in his regimental history of the West Nova Scotia Regiment as:

“…an expanse of muddy fields and vineyards laid off in neat squares by a series of parallel farm lanes, some running north-east along the inner curve of the Senio, others crossing them at right angles toward the south-east. The usual shattered farmhouses, barns and sheds were dotted along these lanes, each a potential strong-point and each a target for the opposing mortars and artillery…. [I]n winter, when the leaves were gone and the [grape] vines cut back for next year’s growing, the landscape was a monotony of bare poles and wires staggering across the flat wet fields, of naked pollard trees standing like worn-out shaving brushes along the muddy lanes, and in the distance the long steep dikes [along] the Senio like a Roman wall barring the way [to the northwest].”

On December 23, the West Novas retired from the line. Two days later, “a very fine Christmas dinner was enjoyed by all ranks of the unit.” After a four-day break, personnel relieved the 48th Highlanders of Canada near Granarolo. The unit immediately commenced recce patrols along the Canale Naviglio, as German forces still occupied its northern bank. The routine continued into the New Year, the West Novas’ 3rd Brigade holding positions close to the canal while its 2nd Brigade comrades occupied nearby Granarolo.

During the first days of January 1945, Allied commanders formulated plans for an operation across the canal, with the goal of pushing German forces back across the Senio River. On the morning of January 4, the West Novas’ D Company moved forward with artillery and mortar support. Once the soldiers had established a firm position, A Company passed through their comrades’ line and reached its objective by 1300 hours. Heavy retaliatory machine gun fire, however, forced the soldiers to retreat within an hour.

The West Novas regrouped and launched a second attack at 2000 hours. On this occasion, the two attacking Companies succeeded in reaching the banks of the Senio River and set about consolidating their positions. Simultaneously, the Carleton and York Regiment (New Brunswick) secured the banks opposite the village of Cotignola, on the West Novas’ right flank.

Reece patrols immediately resumed to determine the exact location of German forces across the river. Having advanced into new positions, the West Novas also set about reinforcing their defensive line. Much of the task was the responsibility of the unit’s “pioneers,” under the direction of its RCE officer, Lieutenant Harvey MacHattie. Work took place at night and involved placing anti-personnel mines and wiring in front of all forward positions.

At 0210 hours January 8, Harvey notified Battalion Headquarters that the “mining job” in front of B Company’s positions had been completed. The pioneers finished the same task along D Company’s section by 2345 hours that evening. Work continued over the next several days. Wiring and mining in front of an outpost near a railroad bridge across the river was completed at 0130 hours January 10.

That same night, mines were also placed on the river side of the dike in front of A and D Company’s positions, a particularly hazardous task as enemy forces occupied the opposite bank. The West Novas’ war diary commented: “Great credit is due to the Pioneer Officer [Lt. Harvey MacHattie] and his Sergeant who carried out this difficult task under the very nose of the enemy.”

In the early morning of January 11, work in front of B Company’s position was halted “for a short while” at 0530 hours “due to enemy mortar fire.” Later that day, the 48th Highlanders relieved the West Novas and its personnel retired to Russi for a brief rest. Five days later, the unit move to a reserve area at Mezzano, located along the eastern flank of the Canadian sector. Personnel trained there for several days before relieving the Loyal Edmonton Regiment in front of the town of Bagnacavallo during the evening hours of January 19.

Recce patrols immediately resumed while the West Novas established several new forward outposts in its sector over the ensuing days. With German forces still in close proximity across the river, the possibility of attack was always present. At 0225 hours January 26, a large enemy patrol of 15 to 20 men wearing white suits attacked C Company’s forward outpost. Its camouflage meant that the party was not noticed until very close to the West Nova position.

The attacking force opened fire, forcing its occupants to abandon the post and retreat to C Company’s main area. Officers immediately called in artillery and machine gun fire on the enemy party, forcing them to retreat. By 0710 hours, C Company personnel had re-established the post. The incident was a reminder of the dangers the soldiers faced while occupying front line positions.

Later that evening. German machine gun fire disrupted a wiring party in front of A Company’s position around 2230 hours. Retaliatory machine gun and mortar quickly extinguished the threat and work resumed. According to Raddall’s regimental history, “a flood of moonlight illumined the battlefield and most patrol activities had to be cancelled in response. The West Nova pioneers under Lieut. H. D. MacHattie continued their perilous work of mining and wiring the front of ‘A’ Company in spite of [the danger].”

At 0050 hours January 27, an exploding enemy mortar shell wounded one pioneer. Two hours later, the wiring party was forced to discontinue its work due to “the brightness of the moon.” At 0320 hours, Battalion Headquarters received word that the “Pioneer officer had been wounded in A Company area while supervising mining and wiring.”

Harvey was immediately rushed to a nearby field ambulance for initial treatment of a penetrating gunshot wound to his left chest. He was then evacuated to the Regimental Aid Post (RAP), arriving at 0400 hours. Notes on his hospital field card describe his respiration as “a bit fast. No pain in chest. Condition fair.” Within an hour, however, his condition worsened. Lieutenant Harvey Donald MacHattie “died of wounds” in the RAP at 0510 hours January 27, 1945.

An entry in the unit’s war diary, made at 1800 hours that day, reported: “This HQ has been informed that Lt H D MacHattie, pioneer officer, who was wounded last night while on a working party with A Company, has died as a result of his wounds.” Randall’s regimental history described Harvey as “a courageous and skilful officer who had been transferred from the RCE to the West Novas early in the winter fighting… [H]is death was a great loss to the Regiment.”

Harvey’s parents were in China during much of Harvey’s time in uniform. In March 1943, J. B. and Janet left on furlough, flying to Calcutta [Kolkata], India, before travelling by train to Bombay [Mumbai], where they boarded a Norwegian freighter destined for Canada. To avoid sections of the Pacific made hazardous by wartime conditions, the vessel sailed south of Australia and across the ocean to the west coast of South America. The ship then headed north along the west coast, passing through the Panama Canal and sailing northward along the Central American coast. J. B. and Janet disembarked in New York, NY, on June 6, 1943, after a 77-day journey.

The couple then travelled by train to Toronto, where they rented a house. After a summer visit to Nova Scotia, they returned to Ontario. In September 1943, Harvey’s younger brother Lorne commenced post-secondary studies at the University of Toronto. Graham had suspended his studies at the same institution to enlist in the Royal Canadian Air Force and was stationed in Toronto while training.

During the first week of February 1945, J. B. and Janet received a telegram, informing them of Harvey’s death in northern Italy. He was initially buried in a small cemetery near the Regimental Aid Post where he died. On March 6, 1946, Harvey’s remains were re-interred in Ravenna British Empire Cemetery, Ravenna, Italy. He was the second Hattie/MacHattie fatality of the war. Harvey’s cousin, Bert McIntosh Hattie, was killed in action in Italy on May 20, 1944, while serving with the West Nova Scotia Regiment. Bert’s story is also available on this blog.

Lt. Harvey Donald MacHattie's headstone, Ravenna British War Cemetery

At the end of February 1945, J. B. departed for China, enduring another arduous trek. He first travelled by train to Galveston, Texas, where he boarded a freighter for a journey across the Atlantic. The ship made its way through the Mediterranean Sea and Suez Canal to Calcutta, India. J. B. then travelled to Chungking, China, by air. He worked in a hospital there until early October before setting out for Henan Province, finally arriving at his destination on November 1. The following spring, Janet left Vancouver and arrived in Shanghai on May 14, 1946. She rejoined her husband in Weihui shortly afterward.

During the following year, China slid deeper into war. The conflict between Nationalist forces led by Chiang Kai-shek and Communist forces under Mao Zedong had been underway since the mid-1920s and broke out into a full-fledged war after Japan’s August 1945 defeat. As Communist units approached Henan Province in early 1947, J. B. and Janet travelled west to Changte, then moved on to Zhengzhou in the summer. In late September, 1947, they relocated to Chongqing, where they resumed missionary work.

Finally, in early December 1949, Communist forces assumed control of the area where J. B. and Janet were living. The transition was relatively peaceful, although all “foreigners” residing in the country had to register with the government and complete a lengthy questionnaire before receiving a one-year residential permit.

The following year, J. B. and Janet were eligible for furlough. The new Communist government, however, required all foreign citizens to apply for “exit permits,” a process that involved considerable “red tape.” Eventually, the permits arrived and the couple made their way to Hong Kong, where they boarded an American cargo ship on July 3, 1950, and left Chinese soil for the last time.

The freighter made several stops in Japan before sailing out of Yokohama Harbour on July 12, 1950, destined for North America. J. B. and Janet arrived in San Francisco, California, after a 10-day passage and made their way to Toronto, where they settled into retirement. James Blake MacHattie passed away there on January 21, 1975, and was interred in Mount Pleasant Cemetery. His widow Janet died in Beamsville, Ontario, on February 17, 1977, and was laid to rest beside him.

Information on the MacHattie family's time in China and images included in this post obtained from Janet Sutherland MacHattie's memoir, "Family Chronicles of MacHatties in China," available online at Amazon.ca .

Flight Sergeant Claude Harold Hudson—Missing and Presumed Killed January 12, 1945

 Claude Harold Hudson was born in Country Harbour Mines, Guysborough County, on June 2, 1922. Both of Claude’s parents were Guysborough County natives. His father, Harold Vans Hudson, was the son of Samuel Hudson, miller, and Ellen Gunn, Country Harbour, while his mother, Sarah Elizabeth, was the daughter of Isaac Fisher, farmer, and Helen Eadie, Fisher’s Grant.

Flight Sergeant Clarence Harold Hudson

Guysborough County’s Hudson families trace their Nova Scotia roots to three brothers who arrived in Nova Scotia aboard the vessel Nymph in late 1783. The ship, whose passengers included soldiers from three Loyalist regiments who fought for Great Britain during the American Revolution, departed from St. Augustine, Florida, in the spring of the year and eventually arrived in Country Harbour on December 24, 1873.

Two of the vessels’s passengers—Lieutenant Joel Hudson and Sergeant Agan Hudson—received land grants in what became known as the “Major Wright Grant.” A third brother, Higginbotham, accompanied his siblings, but is not mentioned in the grant. Later speculation suggests he may have been too young to qualify for land at the time of his arrival.

Details on the brothers’ lives after their arrival are incomplete. While it is believed that Joel Hudson did not marry, there are few details on his brothers’ marriages and children. Later family accounts state that Lewis Hudson (c. 1790 - c. 1870) was the oldest of Higginbotham’s nine children—six sons and three daughters—and that his wife Elizabeth died in Country Harbour on May 23, 1848.

Lewis Hudson married Mary Ann Clark, daughter of a sea captain from Clark’s Harbour, Yarmouth County. Lewis also earned a living at sea while he and his wife raised a family of nine children—three sons and six daughters—in their Country Harbour home. Samuel Lewis, the couple’s fourth child and youngest son, was born in Country Harbour on April 23, 1847. According to the 1881 Canadian census, Samuel operated a local farm. One of his children’s marriage licenses later listed his occupation as “miller.”

On February 27, 1872, Samuel Lewis Hudson married Ellen “Nelly” Gunn (1847 - 1911), daughter of Donald and Margaret Gunn, in a ceremony that took place in Country Harbour. The couple raised a family of six sons and one daughter over the ensuing years. One son, Leonard, died at age three when he fell into a local  mill pond. Two other sons—William and Alfred—eventually settled in British Columbia. A fourth son, Gunn, married and lived in Glace Bay, while Lewis, the second-youngest, never married. Their only daughter, Margaret M., married William R. Mason and raised a family of six a family of six children.

Samuel and Nelly’s youngest son, Harold Vans, was born on April 14, 1886, and remained in the Country Harbour area for most of his life. On September 22, 1915, Harold married Sarah Elizabeth Fisher, daughter of Isaac and Helen Fisher, Fisher’s Mills. Harold was employed as a “clerk” at the time, while Sarah was a school teacher. The couple established residence in Country Harbour Mines, where they raised a family of five children—three sons and two daughters.

Helen Margaret, Harold and Sarah’s oldest child, was born on September 9, 1916. She eventually moved to Vancouver, BC, where she worked as a school teacher. Helen later married but had no children. Bruce, Harold and Sarah’s oldest son, married Ann Smith, Antigonish, and raised a family of three children in his wife’s home community.

Roy Fisher, the couple’s second son, completed undergraduate studies at Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB, and went on to earn a Law degree at Dalhousie University, Halifax. He established a law practice in Baddeck and later represented Victoria County in the Nova Scotia Provincial Legislature from 1967 to 1974 and again from 1980 to 1988. During his second term, Fisher served in Premier John Buchanan’s Cabinet.

Mina Ruth, Harold and Sarah’s youngest child, was born around 1924 and completed Nursing studies at the Children’s Hospital, Halifax, in 1946. She was employed at the hospital at the time of her marriage to Harold McNaughton Sinclair, son of John and Nellie Sinclair, Goshen, in Halifax on July 31, 1948.

Mina and Harold established residence on Connaught Avenue, Halifax, where they raised a family of four children. In 1982, they retired to Argyle, Guysborough County. Mina passed away in High-Crest Home for Special Care, Sherbrooke, on December 24, 2019.

Claude Harold, Harold and Sarah’s youngest son, started school in Country Harbour Mines in 1928 and went on to complete Grade X. He remained at home for one year before enrolling in Nova Scotia Technical College, Truro, in September 1939.

Upon finishing Grade XI in the spring of 1949, Claude headed to Pickle Crow, Ontario, where he worked as a “machine operator” in the area’s gold mines for two years. He then returned to Nova Scotia “to join [the] RCAF [Royal Canadian Air Force].”

While awaiting a response to his application, Claude obtained a job as a “checker” at Trenton Industries, Trenton, NS, in August 1942. Upon receiving notice of his acceptance, he enlisted with the RCAF at Halifax on November 20, 1942, and commenced service with the rank of AC2 (Aircraftman Class 2). He then spent the winter of 1942-43 awaiting orders to report for duty.

On April 9, 1943, Claude was “taken on strength” at No. 5 Manning Depot, Lachine, QC. In late May, he proceeded to No. 5 Equipment Depot, Moncton, NB, where he worked for two months. On July 31, he was transferred to No. 9 Pre-Aircrew Education Centre, Montreal, for a six-week pre-service course at McGill University.

On September 10, Claude was deemed “educationally qualified for the category of AIRCREW.” Four days later, he reported to No. 13 Standard Fight Training School, St. Hubert, QC. Upon completing the basic four-week course, Claude spent several days at No. 9 Bomber and Gunnery School, Mont Joli, before moving on to No. 3 Air Gunner Training School, Trois Rivières, QC, for air gunner training.

While in Trois Rivières, Claude logged almost 15 hours of flying time aboard Bailey Battle aircraft while training in Bristol and Browning turrets. He earned a score of 70 % in air firing and placing 59th in a class of 78 trainees. A comment on his assessment described him as a “good student” and “willing worker” with “sufficient self-assurance” to carry out his role.

On November 17, Claude qualified for the trade of “Air Gunner Standard” and was promoted to the rank of Leading Aircraftman (LAC). He then returned to No. 9 Bomber and Gunnery School, Mont Joli, where he logged another 15 hours of flight time while completing his training. On January 14, 1944, he was promoted to the rank of Temporary Flight Sergeant and received his Air Gunner’s Badge. The following day, he received two weeks’ pre-embarkation leave.

Upon returning to duty in late January, Claude was temporarily posted to No. 3 Air Gunner Training School while awaiting further orders. On February 28, 1944, he proceeded to 1Y Depot, Lachine, where he waited for four weeks before heading overseas on March 25. He arrived in the United Kingdom after an eight-day journey and immediately reported to No. 3 RCAF Personnel Reinforcement Centre, Bournemouth.

On April 25, Claude was posted to No. 82 Operational Training Unit (OTU). At this stage, he was assigned to an air crew with whom he would train for four months before entering active service. Claude’s crew consisted of FlightOfficer Alexander Morton Mackie, Winnipeg, MB, pilot; Flight Sergeant John Farquhar, Portsoy, Banffshire, Scotland, flight engineer; Flight Officer Harry Dean Christie, Naicam, SK, bomb aimer; Pilot Officer James Samuel Netzke, Sudbury, ON, navigator; Pilot Officer Harold Allen Carruthers, Biggar, SK, wireless operator/air gunner; and Pilot Officer Fernand Walter Dobbs, Winnipeg, MB, air gunner.

From April to mid-July, Claude and his crew mates logged 42 daytime and 22 nighttime hours aboard two-engine Vickers Wellington bombers, equipped with .303 Browning guns. During his time with No. 82 OTU, Claude earned a score of 71.8 % in his ground course work. Upon finishing the OTU’s program on July 11, the crew was granted five days’ leave. when they returned to duty, the men were posted to No. 1659 Conversion Unit, where they spent five weeks training on four-engine bombers, the last stage of training prior to active service.

On August 25, Claude and his crew were assigned to No. 424 (RCAF) Squadron. Formed at Topcliffe, England, on October 15, 1942, the unit operated Wellington, Halifax and Lancaster bombers during its Second World War operations. At the time of Claude’s arrival, the Squadron was part of Bomber Command’s No. 6 (RCAF) Group, flying Handley Page Halifax B. Mk. III bombers out of No. 63 (RCAF) Base, Skipton-on-Swale, Thursk, North Yorkshire.

Claude and his mates flew their first mission—a bombing raid on Dortmund, Germany—on September 12, 1944. A total of 19 Halifax aircraft participated in the operation, all returning safely to base. Over the rest of the month, the crew completed another six missions, two of which were bombing attacks on industrial targets in Germany. Three missions—one over Boulogne and two over Calais—were carried out in support of Canadian units clearing German forces from French ports along the English Channel.

On two occasions, the crew encountered enemy resistance. During one of its German bombing missions, a Messerschmidt fighter approached their aircraft but rear gun fire repelled the threat. During a September 25 mid-morning raid on Calais, the 16-bomber fleet encountered considerable anti-aircraft fire. One bomber suffered numerous strikes that wounded two crew members, but Claude’s aircraft was unaffected.

On October 10, Claude was formally promoted to the rank of Temporary Flight Sergeant. During the remainder of the month, he and his mates flew five bombing raids on German industrial targets in Duisburg, Essen, Homburg and Cologne (Köln), all without incident. The following month saw another five bombing missions over Germany, along with 424 Squadron’s first losses since the young crew’s arrival—two bombers on November 2 and a third on November 5. During a November 16 attack on Julich, Germany, Claude’s bomber was “hit by heavy flak [that resulted in] one small hole in front of [the] pilot’s windscreen [but caused] no damage to essential parts.”

During the first three weeks of December, the crew logged another four routine bombing raids on German targets. The last 10 days of the month saw a change in the nature of their missions. On December 21, the crew departed on the first of four “gardening” operations, dropping mines along approaches to German-occupied Oslo Harbour, Norway. W/O Mackie, the crew’s pilot, reported a “hydraulics failure” shortly after take-off, forcing the bomber to jettison its payload over open water and safely return to base. The remaining three mining missions—one a solo operation carried out on December 29—were completed without incident.

After a short break during the first week and a half of the New Year, the Squadron resumed operations on January 12, 1945. The day’s plans called for a five-aircraft bombing raid and a three-aircraft mining mission. While the bombing sortie was cancelled, the mining operation proceeded as scheduled. Claude’s crew was one of three aircraft selected to plant mines along the approaches to Flensburg Harbour, Germany, close to the Danish border.

At 1722 hours, three Halifax bombers departed for Flensburg. Only one aircraft safely returned later that night. No. 424 Squadron’s operations log reported there was no trace of Flying Officer A. M. Mackie’s bomber and a second crew under the command of Flying Officer Myles Carson Grant. The Squadron’s daily record of events commented, “The failure to return of F/O Mackie and F/O Grant and crews, two of the most highly trained and capable crews[,] is certainly a great loss to the Squadron.”

On January 19, 1945, 424 Squadron’s Commanding Officer, A. Marshall, wrote a letter to Sarah Hudson, informing her that Claude was officially reported “missing after operations.” He stated that “Claude took part in some of the most important operations with this Squadron and during his stay with us demonstrated great ability and made many friends. His loss is deeply regretted by all.”

As the months passed, there was no sign of Claude or his fellow crew members. On September 21, 1945, a second letter from Air Marshall Robert Leckie, Chief of Air Staff, informed Harold that “your son, Flight Sergeant Claude Harold Hudson, is now for official purposes presumed to have died on Active Service Overseas on January 12, 1945.”

Claude’s name and those of his crew mates are engraved on the Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede, UK, unveiled by Queen Elizabeth II on October 17, 1953. The structure commemorates the deaths of more than 20,000 men and women of the Commonwealth Air Forces who perished while conducting air operations during the Second World War and have no known graves.

Sarah (Fisher) Hudson died in Country Harbour Mines on October 29, 1963, following a nine-month battle with cancer. Her husband Harold passed away in St. Martha’s Hospital, Antigonish, on November 19, 1973, the result of kidney failure. Sarah and Harold were interred in Holy Trinity Anglican Cemetery, Country Harbour Mines. Near their graves, a headstone commemorates the death of their youngest son while serving overseas with the RCAF.

Portrait of Flight Sergeant Claude Harold Hudson courtesy of Jim Sinclair, Goshen, Guysborough County. Genealogical information on the Hudson family obtained from Lillian V. Salsman's "Homeland Volume II: Genealogies."

Private William Thomas Markie—Killed in Action October 24, 1944

 William Thomas “Tom” Markie was born on July 21, 1924, in Stellarton, NS, the oldest of Andrew and Margaret Ann (MacPherson) Markie’s six children. Margaret was the daughter of Thomas and Ann (MacIsaac) MacPherson, East Erinvllle, Guysborough County. Thomas was the son of John and Isabella (MacDonald) MacPherson, Beauly, Antigonish County. Ann was the daughter of Charles and Margaret (MacGillivray) MacIsaac, Giant’s Lake. Margaret was part of the  “Bridge MacGillivrays,” a well-known St. Andrews family.

Private William Thomas "Tom" Markie

On his father Andrew’s side, Tom was a direct descendant of Andrea (Andrew) di Marchi, a native of Genoa, Italy, who immigrated to Nova Scotia sometime before 1863. Andrea married Mary Caroline Andrews —several sources identify Mary’s surname as Anderson—variously reported as a native of St. Margaret’s Bay or Mushaboom, Halifax County. Andrea and Mary Caroline established residence on Sober Island, off the coast of Sheet Harbour. Their family included at least five sons—John William (1863 - 1941); Andrew (1864 - 1934); Edward (1870 - 1965); George (1876 - 1949); and Walter (1882 - 1867).

Andrea and Mary Caroline’s oldest son, John William Markie, married Mary Ann Hurd (1872 - ?). The couple welcomed at least three sons into their Sober Island home—James Irwin (1888 - 1951); Andrew William (1894 - 1960); and George (1897 - ?). While 16-year-old Andrew Markie was living in Sober Island with his mother at the time of the 1911 census, he relocated to Antigonish sometime afterward. Based on information in his first World War service file, it appears that he was taken in by A. S. MacMillan, Main St.., Antigonish.

On October 30, 1915, Andrew Markie attested with the 85th Battalion (Nova Scotia Highlanders) at Halifax, NS. At that point, he had been on the 85th’s pay list for almost six weeks. His attestation papers identify A. S. McMillan, “step-father,” Antigonish, as his next of kin. Andrew departed for overseas on October 12, 1916, and landed in the United Kingdom one week later.

Corporal Andrew William Markie, 85th Battalion

Andrew proceeded to France with the 85th on February 10, 1917, and was in the trenches during the Battle of Vimy Ridge as the unit’s soldiers carried out several “work” assignments—carrying ammunition forward, evacuating wounded soldiers, and guarding prisoners of war. In the aftermath of the famous Canadian victory, the 85th was assigned to the 4th Canadian Division’s 12th Brigade and commenced regular rotations in the trenches.

On June 19, 1917, the unit carried out an operation to secure a triangular section of enemy trenches north of the Souchez River. During the attack, five “other ranks” (OR) were killed, while two officers and 28 OR were wounded. Andrew was one of the injured soldiers, evacuated to a nearby casualty clearing station with a shrapnel wound to his right leg.

Andrew’s injury proved to be minor and he returned to duty one week later. Promoted to the rank of Acting Corporal immediately prior to his return, he advanced to the full rank of Corporal on October 1, 1917. Later that month, the 85th relocated to Belgium, where it saw combat at Passchendaele, suffering its worst losses of the war.

Andrew came through the famous battle without injury. In early July 1918, he reverted to the rank of Private at his own request. The following month, Allied forces launched a major offensive against German forces in France. The campaign opened on August 8 with the Battle of Amiens. The 85th once again involved in the fighting. During the operation’s second stage, which commenced on August 10, Andrew received a gunshot wound to his right thigh.

On this occasion, Andrew’s injury was more severe. Admitted to hospital at Abbeville, France, on August 13, he was evacuated to the United Kingdom at mid-month. Andrew spent four weeks in No. 1 Birmingham War Hospital before being discharged to a convalescent hospital.

By the end of September, Andrew had recovered sufficiently to return to duty and reported to the Nova Scotia Regimental Depot, Camp Bramshott. As fighting on the continent ceased on November 11, 1918, he never returned the 85th’s ranks. One month after the Armistice, he departed for Canada aboard SS Regina and was discharged from military service at Halifax on January 13, 1919.

By the 1920s, Andrew had relocated to Stellarton, Pictou County, where he found work in the local coal mines. On September 10, 1923, he signed a Form of Affidavit in New Glasgow, stating that he and Margaret Ann MacPherson, Erinville, were “desirous of entering into the contract of marriage.” The document does not provide a date for the marriage ceremony.

William Thomas Markie was Andrew and Margaret’s oldest child, born on July 21, 1924. By the time of the 1931 census, four more children had joined the family—Mary/Marie, age six; James Andrew, age four; John Joseph, age two; and Margaret Ann, age five months. A sixth child, Catherine, was born around 1933.

Tom left school at age 16 after completing Grade VIII. He worked as a “cutter” in local lumbering operations for a year before commencing apprenticeship training in electrical welding at Matheson’s Foundry, New Glasgow. After two years of instruction and work experience, he secured a job as an electric welder at Maritime Foundation Co., Pictou, where he was employed for six months prior to his military service.

On September 24, 1943, Tom enlisted with the Canadian Active Service Force at Halifax, NS. Two weeks later, he reported to No. 60 Canadian Army Basic Training Centre, Yarmouth, for initial instruction. He proceeded to A14 Canadian Army (Advanced) Infantry Training Centre, Aldershot, on December 7, 1943. During his time there, he qualified as a “Motorcyclist Class III.”

Tom received two weeks’ pre-embarkation leave on March 8, 1944. He returned to Aldershot for three weeks before being transferred to No. 1 Training Battalion, Debert, on April 12. At month’s end, he departed for overseas and landed in the United Kingdom on May 7. Tom was immediately assigned to No. 4 Canadian Infantry Reinforcement Unit, where he awaited orders to report to an active infantry unit.

In the aftermath of the June 6, 1944 Allied invasion of German-occupied France, the demand for infantry reinforcements immediately increased. Six days after D-Day, Tom was placed on the reinforcement list for the 11th (Reinforcement) Battalion as “infantry general unalloted.” He left the United Kingdom on June 18 and came ashore in the Normandy beach-head the following day.

On July 4, Tom was attached to the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion (CPB). In the early morning hours of June 6, Allied aircraft had dropped its personnel and other British 6th Airborne Division units into an area to the left of the beaches where Allied landings commenced several hours later. The Division was assigned the task of defending the beach-head’s left flank throughout the first three months of the Allied operation.

1st CPB’s personnel were concentrated in an area around Le Mesnil, east of the Orne River, where they established defensive positions designed to prevent German attacks on Allied forces as they secured the Normandy beach-head. The unit remained in the area until August 26, when its personnel were relieved and returned to the UK. By that time, 1st CPB suffered a total of 367 casualties, 81 of which were fatalities.

Tom was probably temporarily attached to 1st CPB as an infantry reinforcement, replacing one of its many casualties. He served with the unit until its withdrawal, at which time he returned to the 11th (Reinforcement) Battalion for two weeks. On September 13, he was transferred to the North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment and joined the unit near Maninghem, southeast of Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, the following day.

The North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment traces its origins to the 73rd Northumberland New Brunswick Battalion of Infantry, a Bathurst-based Canadian militia unit established on February 25, 1870. The regiment went through several title changes before it was officially designated the North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment on April 1, 1922.

While the unit recruited an infantry battalion—the 132nd (North Shore)—for service during the First World War, it never saw combat. After arriving in the United Kingdom in November 1916, the 132nd provided reinforcements for existing units until early 1917, when it was dissolved and its remaining personnel were transferred to the 13th Reserve Battalion.

The North Shore Regiment (NSR) was placed on active service on September 1, 1939, and departed for the United Kingdom in mid-July 1941. The battalion was assigned to the 3rd Canadian Division’s 8th Brigade, which also included the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada (Toronto, ON) and Le Régiment de la Chaudière (Chaudière-Appalaches, QC). The 3rd Division spent almost three years performing home defence duties in the UK and training for the Allied invasion of German-occupied France.

On the morning of June 6, 1944, the Queen’s Own Rifles (QOR) boarded landing craft at 0630 hours and came ashore at Bernières-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, in the first wave of the D-Day landings. The North Shore Regiment’s soldiers were part of the second wave, clambering into landing craft at 0810 hours and heading for nearby Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer. The following day, the unit pushed inland toward Tailleville.

The NSR’s first major combat experience occurred in early July, when 8th Brigade units attacked the village of Carpiquet and an adjacent airfield. The operation commenced in early morning July 4, with the NSR and the Chaudière Regiment clearing the village and holding their positions for nine days before retiring to a rest area near the city of Caen.

In mid-July, the NSR helped remove German forces from an industrial area east of the city of Caen. While the unit did not participate in the unsuccessful Canadian attempt to secure Verrières Ridge in late July,  it took part in two major operations as Allied forces advanced southward along the Caen - Falaise Road during the first two weeks of August.

By mid-month, the units were closing in on Falaise. While the NSR’s 8th Brigade was not directly involved in the advance’s final stage, its soldiers watched from the heights above the town as German forces in the distance desperately fought their way through a shrinking gap in the Allied line south of Trun. While the German Army suffered heavy losses, a considerable number of its personnel managed to escape and began a rapid retreat northward toward the Seine River.

Allied forces followed in pursuit, the NSR crossing the Seine River on the morning of August 29 and advancing almost 50 kilometers to Rouen. The unit’s war diary noted, “No opposition was encountered and we were ordered to keep moving with all possible speed as enemy [forces] were reported [to be] steadily withdrawing.” By this point, all personnel were “on wheels,” allowing the unit to move quickly.

Upon reaching Rouen, Canadian units were instructed to veer northwestward toward the French coast and clear German forces from several key “Channel Ports.” By September 5, the group was approaching the port of Boulogne, where the 8th Brigade received orders to clear an area north of the city while other Canadian units advanced on the port.

In anticipation of an Allied invasion across the English Channel, German forces had constructed the “Atlantic Wall,” an elaborate network of fortifications defending strategic locations from attack by sea and land. The area assigned to the NSR—the villages of La Trésorerie and Wimille, and the town of Wimereux—were part of this system and contained several gun installations located inside reinforced concrete bunkers.

Private William Thomas Markie joined the North Shore Regiment’s ranks during the days immediately prior to its attack on La Trésorerie, the first of its three objectives. The 8th Brigade operation commenced on the morning of September 17, the NSR advancing across open country toward a fortification in the village. It required two days of hard fighting to clear German soldiers from their fortified positions. The unit’s war diary noted that “casualties had been fairly heavy, but so were those of the enemy.” The regiment captured 450 prisoners before moving on to Wimille, where it required another 48 hours to clear the village.

Having secured its two inland targets, the NSR regrouped for an attack on Wimereux. The coastal location was heavily fortified against attack from both sea and land. To complicate matters, German forces refused to allow the town’s civilian population to leave, creating a delicate situation. The operation commenced at noon September 21, the NSR overcoming all enemy resistance by the end of the following day.

The six-day operation provided Tom with his first combat experience. The next target was Calais, where large German guns regularly fired artillery shells into the town of Dover across the English Channel. While the bulk of the Allied force concentrated on the urban area, the 8th Brigade’s NSR and its Chaudière comrades were given the task of clearing the eastern section of Noires Mottes, a village on Calais’ western outskirts.

The attack commenced on September 25, the first stage proceeding smoothly. The NSR’s soldiers then advanced toward a three-gun coastal battery at Sangatte, east of their initial objective. Concrete bunkers spread across the area presented formidable obstacles. Fortunately, with the assistance of a German prisoner of war, officers were able to negotiate the surrender of the majority of enemy soldiers without a fight by the end of the following day.

On September 27, the 8th Brigade moved out to Boursin while other Canadian units continued to clear enemy forces from Calais. The entire area was secured by month’s end, after which the NSR enjoyed several days’ rest before moving out for Belgium.

While another Allied force had managed to secure the city of Antwerp without significant damage to its facilities, the Belgian port was located approximately 20 kilometers inland from the West Scheldt, a lengthy estuary leading to the open sea. German forces controlled both sides of the water passage, preventing the Allies from using the port as a much-needed supply base. to rectify the situation, Allied commanders developed a plan to secure the Scheldt estuary’s southern and northern banks.

The 8th Brigade was part of an Allied convoy that set out for the Belgian border on October 2. Personnel stopped overnight at Steenvoorde, near Hazebrouck, before resuming their journey. The NSR crossed the Belgian border on October 4 and arrived at its initial destination—Kleit, south of Maldegem, less than 10 kilometers from the Leopold Canal—at 1645 hours.

The first stage of the West Scheldt campaign involved establishing an Allied bridgehead across the Leopold Canal, a major waterway northeast of the Belgian city of Bruges. The 3rd Canadian Division’s 7th Brigade was given the task of crossing the canal at Maldegem. Once a bridgehead was secured, the 8th Brigade would attempt to advance northward.

While not a participant in the initial stage, the NSR was temporarily attached to the 7th Brigade for its Leopold Canal operation. The unit’s soldiers were tasked with carrying the boats required for the crossing to the canal and maintaining a “ferry service” during the operation. Its personnel spent October 5 rehearsing the procedure.

The 7th Brigade operation commenced just before dawn October 7. While its soldiers were able to establish a narrow bridgehead along the canal’s opposite bank, fierce resistance over the next 24 hours made it impossible to advance further into German-occupied territory. As the situation at Maldegem descended into a stalemate, the NSR returned to 8th Brigade command and departed the area on the afternoon of October 8.

Prior to the Leopold crossing attempt, the 4th Canadian Armoured Division (CAD) had made considerable progress east of Maldegem, managing to advance northward to the Braakman Inlet on the West Scheldt’s southern shore. The 4th CAD’s 10th Infantry Brigade managed to secure the area by September 21. Simultaneously, the 1st Polish Armoured Division on its flank secured the Scheldt’s most eastern portion.

The section of the West Scheldt remaining in German hands stretched from the Braakman Inlet in the east to Zeebrugge, north of Bruges, in the west. At the centre of this stretch of shoreline was the town of Breskens, whose name Allied commanders used to designate the area the “Breskens pocket.”

Source: C. P. Stacey, "Introduction to the Study of Military History for Canadian Students"

As the attempt to advance into the pocket from the Leopold Canal bridgehead had stalled, Allied commanders adopted a second approach—a daring amphibious landing from Terneuzen, Netherlands, several kilometers east of the mouth of the Braakman Inlet. The 3rd Canadian Division was ordered to establish a beach-head west of the inlet, then push southward and westward into the pocket. The operation would be carried out in LVT [Landing Vehicle Tracked] “Buffaloes,” tracked armoured vehicles equipped with amphibious propulsion systems.

The North Shore Regiment arrived in Terneuzen in the early hours of October 10. Approximately 24 hours earlier, the 9th Brigade’s North Nova Scotia Highlanders and Highland Light Infantry of Canada had carried out the initial amphibious landing at Braakmankreek, east of Hoofdplaat and west of the Braakman Inlet. Their operation established a second Allied front in the Breskens pocket.

On the morning of October 11, it was the NSR’s turn to make the crossing in the Buffaloes. Large German guns located on Walcheren Island to the north fired artillery rounds at the amphibious convoy, sending large plumes of water into the air as the LVTs made their way across the mouth of the inlet. As the vehicles came ashore, the NSR’s Breskens service commenced over what its war diary described as “agonizing terrain.”

The unit’s Chaplain, Major Raymond Myles Hickey, later described the Breskens pocket’s landscape in his memoirs:

“The Scheldt… was an endless stretch of wind-swept marshland criss-crossed by canals and dykes in the fashion of a crazy patchwork quilt. Our job was to ferret the enemy from this maze of dykes and ditches. For sheet misery, the Scheldt was the worst we had seen. There was hardly a dry piece of land to stand on. With soggy-wet clothes you splashed around in mud to your ankle; there was no chance of finding a dry cellar or a barn left standing.”

Fighting consisted almost exclusively of single company attacks, sometimes two or three in the span of 24 hours, carried out in wet weather on muddy “polders,” reclaimed agricultural fields. One company would push forward along the edge of a dyke bordering a flat, often partially flooded polder and establish a defensive position. The soldiers then signalled to the second company, which advanced through their comrades’ line and established a new forward position.

The attack continued in this leap frog pattern, soldiers avoiding the tops of the dykes where movement was easily observed and farm roads were strewn with anti-personnel mines. The only cover was along the banks of the dykes, where soldiers could dig in for protection against enemy artillery and mortar fire.

German forces occupying the area used every farm building and culvert as a sniper point, firing at the advancing Canadians as they moved cautiously across the flat, barren lowlands. Simultaneously, German guns on Walcheren Island peppered the area with artillery shells. Chaplain Hickey commented, “The fighting sometimes came to hand-to-hand contact with grenades and bayonets.”

Source: Will R. Bird, "The North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment

The North Shore Regiment initially pushed southward, parallel to the west bank of Braakman Inlet. On October 13, the unit launched its first attack on the area of Koninginnehaven, a short distance from the inlet’s southern tip. Over the next two days, its soldiers sent a steady stream of prisoners of war back to Allied rear positions.

The unit then turned westward into the pocket toward its next objective—an area south of the village of Biervliet. The advance commenced at 0800 hours October 15, with two companies in the lead. One company soon encountered a minefield, while the second ran into hostile sniper fire. The war diary’s daily entry reported that “progress was very slow,” a reconnaissance unit locating an unknown number of enemy soldiers at Millekotweg, south of Ijzendijke.

When heavy machine gun fire brought one company’s advance to a halt, a small party of soldiers made its way forward and “knocked out” the enemy position. At 1350 hours, another company reported a counterattack on its location. The soldiers managed to repel the enemy soldiers and continued to push forward. By day’s end, all companies had reached their objectives.

Over the next several days, the NSR continued its slow advance westward. On October 19, the unit entered the village of Ijzendijke, which artillery fire had reduced to a pile of rubble. The following day, the NSR relieved the North Nova Scotia Regiment, settling into positions in a farm outside Schoondijke, where the buildings were stil intact.

After a brief pause to allow a pioneer unit to clear mines from surrounding roads, the slow advance resumed. On October 21, A Company secured a German position entrenched in heavily defended dugouts, its perimeter strewn with trip wires and mines. Opposition was considerably lighter over the next two days as the soldiers continued to move westward across the pocket.

On the morning of October 24, 1944, B Company commenced an advance along a main dyke west of Scherpbier. Three platoons moved forward in single file, one platoon at a time. As the lead section rounded a curve at the base of the dyke, German guns fired down the embankment from a dyke junction near the village, striking the lead soldier, who was armed with a Bren—light machine—gun.

An officer rushed forward, grabbed the Bren gun and established a position atop the dyke. As he fired on the German soldiers, two sections rushed forward into a cluster of farm buildings occupied by the enemy and forced their surrender. The lead section then swung left and captured a small group of enemy soldiers by-passed during the rapid advance. Meanwhile, their comrades used machine gun fire to secure the remaining buildings in Scherpbier.

During the day, the NSR advanced 2,000 meters, securing five polders leading into the village in the morning. While the unit forced the surrender of two German officers and 99 other ranks, four of its soldiers were killed in the fighting near Scherpbier. Private William Thomas Markie was one of the day’s fatalities. His remains were interred in a temporary military cemetery in Maldegem, Belgium, where the unit’s Chaplain, R. M. Hickey, oversaw the burials of the men lost that day.

On October 31, 1944, Andrew Markie received a telegram from military authorities, informing him that “Private William Thomas Markie has been officially reported killed in action 24th October, 1944.” Tom was re-interred in Adegem Military Cemetery, Adegem, Belgium, on July 23, 1945.

Fighting in the Breskens pocket continued into early November, as Allied forces finally secured control of the entire area. On November 4, 1944, the North Shore Regiment and its 3rd Canadian Division comrades retired to Ghent, Belgium, for a week’s rest, their first major break from front line service since the D-Day landings.

Tom’s death was the first of two losses to affect the Markie family in a short period of time. On August 14, 1945, his younger brother James Andrew died in the Aberdeen Hospital, New Glasgow, from “TBC [tuberculous] meningitis.”

Tom’s father Andrew died in his Westville home on April 3, 1960, the result of a cerebral haemorrhage. He was interred in Holy Name Roman Catholic Cemetery, Westville. Tom’s mother Margaret was killed in a tragic automobile accident near Antigonish on June 22, 1976. The incident occurred while Margaret and her sister Katherine were on their way to the East Erinville area. Katherine suffered a broken hip, but made a full recovery. Margaret (MacPherson) Markie was laid to rest in Westville beside her husband.

Special thanks to Cathy Sanford, New Glasgow, NS, who provided a picture of Private William Thomas Markie and genealogical information on the Markie family’s early Nova Scotian roots.