Sapper Neil Trueman Sponagle—Accidentally Killed March 18, 1945

 Neil Trueman Sponagle was born in Coddles Harbour, Guysborough County, on May 11, 1919. Both of Neil’s parents were Guysborough County natives. His father, George Roy Sponagle, was the son of John Sponagle, Coddles Harbour, and Hannah Gillie, New Harbour. Neil’s mother, Clara May Jones, was the daughter of Jeremiah C. Jones, Cooks Cove, and Ada J. Strople, Manchester.

Sapper Neil Trueman Sponagle

Roy and Clara were married in Cooks Cove on December 24, 1913, and established residence in Coddles Harbour, where Roy worked in the local fishery. The couple’s first child, Annie May, was born in Cooks Cove on May 29, 1915. Their three remaining children were born in Coddles Harbour. Earle Bartlett joined the family on November 25, 1916, while Neil arrived in May 1919. Ward Densmore, the youngest of the Sponagle children, was born on February 25, 1921.

Neil attended the local public school, completing Grade VIII before leaving at age 15. Over the next four years, he worked in the local fishery for “broken periods” and helped out on the family’s mixed farm. He soon developed an interest in diesel mechanics, completing a correspondence course in diesel engineering offered by Nova Scotia Technical College over a six-month period in 1937.

Neil put his newly acquired knowledge to use servicing marine engines on local fishing boats. His mechanical skills may have landed him a job with Locarno Mines, Goldboro, as a “powerhouse [diesel engine] operator” for four months in 1939. In July 1942, Neil commenced work as a “rivet tester” in Pictou Shipyards. He also completed two months of apprenticeship training in “acetylene cutting” while working there.

In late 1942, Neil was “called up” for service under the National Resources Mobilization Act (NRMA). The federal law required all men of military service age to register, after which they could be required to complete a six-week training program. Neil underwent a medical examination at No. 6 District Depot, Halifax, NS, on December 29, 1942, and was “taken on strength” as an “NRMA soldier” the following day.

Less than one week later—January 5, 1943—Neil enlisted with the Canadian Active Service Force (CASF) at Halifax. A note in his service file states that he “was turned down in 1940, [but] got called again in 1943 [and] went active.” Documents in his file contain no details on the earlier rejection.

On January 29, 1943, Neil reported to No. 60 (Basic) Training Centre, Yarmouth, NS, for initial instruction. While there, a case of mumps in late March resulted in a three-week stay in a hospital isolation unit. Discharged in mid-April, Neil moved on to A14 (Advanced) Infantry Training Centre, Aldershot, NS, on May 14, 1943.

Shortly after arriving at Aldershot, he received permission to marry school teacher Naomi Gertrude “Goldie” Hayden, daughter of Edmund James Hayden and Sarah Atwater, Boylston. Neil had met Naomi around 1940, when she arrived in Coddles Harbour to teach in the local school. In fact, she boarded with Neil’s uncle and aunt, who happened to live just “down the hill” from his family home. 

On July 3, Neil was awarded six days’ leave. Two days later, he and Naomi were married in the United Church Manse, Guysborough. Following his leave, Neil briefly returned to duty at Aldershot before proceeding overseas on July 18. Upon arriving in the United Kingdom 10 days later, he was posted to No. 7 Canadian Infantry Reinforcement Unit (CIRU).

Neil and Naomi (Hayden) Sponagle on their wedding day

Prior to being assigned to active units, all “general reinforcement” personnel underwent an interview and assessment to determine where their skills could be best utilized. An interview report in Neil’s service file, dated September 9, 1943,  identified his civilian occupation as “diesel operator” and indicated an interest in “diesel work” while in uniform. The officer completing the assessment described Neil in these words: 

“Youthful, ambitious and willing…. He would be useful to RCE [Royal Canadian Engineers] as a diesel maintenance man. Very interested in diesel work…. [He] made trips on boats from harbour to harbour to gain experience. Has good educational level and high learning ability. Would possibly make good NCO [non-commissioned officer] material.”

As a result of the assessment, Neil was transferred to No. 1 Canadian Engineers Reinforcement Unit (CERU), Royal Canadian Engineers, on September 27 and re-mustered as an “electrician.” In mid-November, he commenced a course on pump operation, qualifying as an “Engineer Hand I/C [internal combustion], Category C” one month later. On December 23, 1943, Neil was assigned to the 11th (Lambton) Field Company, RCE.

The 11th Field Company traces its origins to the First World War’s 15th Field Company, Canadian Engineers (CE), organized in Ottawa, ON, in March 1916. The unit arrived in the United Kingdom on May 31, 1916, and was re-designated the 11th Field Company the following day. Its personnel landed in France with the 4th Canadian Division in mid-August 1916 and served on the European continent for the remainder of the war.

In May 1918, the 11th Field Company was absorbed into the 11th Battalion, Canadian Engineers, which also included personnel from the 124th Pioneer Battalion and 4th Canadian Engines Brigade. While the 11th Battalion was disbanded in November 1920, the 11th Field Company continued to operate, initially establishing its Headquarters in Windsor, ON, before relocating to Walkerton in 1924.

Due to a lack of financial resources, the 11th went dormant three years later but returned to active status shortly after the Lambton Regiment, a Sarnia artillery unit, began a transition to infantry service in late December 1936. At that time, a group of the Regiment’s personnel formed the 11th (Lambton) Field Company, RCE. Two other engineering units—the 7th Field Company and 1st Field Park Company—also operated in the same military district.

The 11th (Lambton) Field Company mobilized following the outbreak of war overseas. In 1940, all three of its military district’s engineering units were assigned to the 2nd Canadian Division. The 11th departed for overseas on July 22, 1940, and immediately resumed training. During their first year in the United Kingdom (UK), personnel spent one month at a “bridging camp” located in Pangbourne, Reading, on the banks of the Thames.

When the 2nd Canadian Division was assigned to home defence duties in October 1941, the 11th Field Company spent the winter of 1941-42 in Seaford, located on the southern coast of England. During home defence service, its “sappers” constructed beach obstacles, pill-boxes, anti-tank ditches and minefields in preparation for a possible German invasion. Other tasks during its time in the UK included adapting British roads to heavy military traffic and building military facilities, hospitals and airfields.

In May 1942, the 2nd Division entered reserve as several of its units prepared for their role in Operation Jubilee, an amphibious attack on the French port of Dieppe. 11th Field Company contributed 65 men to the ill-fated August 16, 1942 raid. During the months after the operation, its personnel completed courses at the School of Military Engineering, Ripon.

The remainder of the 11th’s time in the UK was divided between training and military exercises as Allied forces prepared for an invasion of the European continent. Due to its losses at Dieppe, the 2nd Division was not selected for service in the Italian campaign that commenced in July 1943. Instead, its units continued to train in preparation for an invasion of German-occupied Western Europe.

Sapper Neil Trueman Sponagle served with the unit during the final six months of training, On May 31, 1944, Neil qualified as “Driver Mechanic Class C,” suggesting that he would be involved in maintaining the unit’s equipment after its combat deployment in Europe.

2nd Canadian Division units remained in the UK on June 6, 1944, as an Allied force that included the 3rd Canadian Division landed on the beaches of Normandy, France. At that time, the 11th Field Company was stationed at Old Park Barracks, Dover, where its personnel awaited word on an imminent departure. At 0200 hours July 4, the unit moved out by vehicle to the London area. By mid-day, the convoy had arrived in Epping Forest, London, where the men exchanged their sterling currency for French francs, drew 48 hours’ rations, and were issued “Mae Wests” (inflatable life jackets) in preparation for the Channel crossing.

At 0600 hours July 5, the 11th travelled to East India Docks, where the process of loading equipment commenced. Personnel boarded the Empire Lancaster and headed down the Thames at 1640 hours. The ship anchored off Gravesend, where a convoy gradually assembled. At 1900 hours July 7, a flotilla of 20 vessels departed for the continent, passing through the Straits of Dover at midnight. Personnel first sighted the “shores of France” at 1800 hours July 8 as their convoy anchored off the Normandy coast, near Le Hamel.

The following day, the 11th’s men began clambering into transports at 1300 hours. Once all were ashore, they marched to a concentration area near Buhot. The 11th’s equipment was still aboard transports, heavy seas slowing the unloading process. Finally, at 0030 hours July 11, the Company moved out to a new location near Rots, northwest of Caen. Upon reaching their destination, personnel found themselves “in range of enemy mortars and shell fire” for the first time.

As the 11th commenced its service on the European continent, its composition reflected the standard for RCE Field Companies. At full strength. a Field Company consisted of seven officers and 249 “other ranks,” divided into four platoons—a Headquarters Platoon, consisting of four officers and 46 men, and three “working” platoons, each consisting of one officer and 68 men. Platoons were assigned identifying numbers—1, 2 or 3—and were referred to as such in the unit’s war diary, a daily record of its activities.

While Neil’s service file does not clearly indicate his assignment, a later entry in the war diary suggests that he was assigned to the Headquarters Platoon. His pre-war experience and military training suggest that he was likely part of a team of mechanics who serviced the unit’s diesel-powered equipment, which included bulldozers and heavy equipment trucks.

Before the end of its first day in France, 11th Field Company personnel checked for mines in two nearby areas. The unit was also informed that its personnel would provide support for the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division’s 6th Brigade units in upcoming operations. 

On July 12, the Company’s first full day in the line, two platoons departed at 0730 hours to “clear roads through [recently captured] Carpiquet and bury dead animals in vicinity of village.” A third platoon cleared anti-personnel mines near Villeneuve. By 1400 hours, the “streets [of Carpiquet were] nearly clean for one-way traffic. Thirty dead horses and cows have been pulled out of barns and buried outside the village.” The day’s activities reflect the most common daily RCE Field Company tasks in Normandy at that time. 

Canadian units had liberated Caen as 2nd Canadian Division units were landing in France. On July 18, 11th Field Company relocated to the outskirts of the city, where personnel prepared to ferry Sherman tanks across the Orne River, located along Caen’s southern boundary. 

Over the next 48 hours, the unit’s platoons checked and constructed approaches, taped out a roadway, and assembled a Bailey raft for the ferrying task, which commenced at 0900 hours July 19. By 1800 hours, a total of 40 tanks were transported across a 37-meter-wide section of the river, providing much-needed armoured support for infantry units clearing enemy forces from the river’s southern banks. 

The following day, 11th commenced construction of a Class 30 “double - double” Bailey bridge near the rafting site. When the first attempt “failed,” its nose dropping into the river at 0600 hours July 21, personnel worked in shifts throughout the day and night, disassembling and reconstructing the structure. The unit’s war diary commented, “Everyone is getting very tired after nearly two days of continuous work.” The bridge was completed at 1130 hours July 22 and immediately commenced operation.

The following day, personnel focused on road clearing and repair as Allied units commenced an advance south of Caen. Enemy artillery and mortar fire made conditions “very difficult,” forcing platoons to cease work on at least one occasion. The unit’s war diary reported its first Normandy fatality on July 25, when early morning mortar fire resulting in the death of one sapper. The following day, another two men were killed, a third fatally wounded, and three others injured when an artillery shell landing in the midst of No. 2 Platoon as it carried out road work. The incidents reveal the perilous conditions under which RCE units operated while serving in combat zones.

During the first two weeks of August, Allied forces conducted two major advances southward along the Caen-Falaise road. Prior to and during the attacks, the 11th and its RCE comrades checked for mines, repaired and cleared roads, and established water points. By August 21, Allied units began a northeastward advance toward the Seine River, in pursuit of retreating German units. Among the tasks the 11th’s personnel undertook as they made their way toward the famous French watercourse were construction of two bridges across a river north of Orbec, and a third structure at Brionne.

On September 1, 11th Field Company crossed the Seine near Rouen and headed toward Dieppe with the 2nd Canadian Division. Before day’s end, personnel arrived at Tôtes, south of the coastal town, and moved on to Dieppe the following day. As German forces had abandoned the area prior to their arrival, the Division made a peaceful, triumphant return to the location where its infantry units had lost so many men in August 1942. During the afternoon of Sunday, September 3, a memorial service was held in the cemetery where its fallen soldiers were buried.

After a few days’ rest and maintenance work, the 11th moved off for Calais, France, on September 6, arriving at Gravelines, east of the famous port, early the following morning. Its time there was brief, as personnel headed eastward for Belgium at 0830 hours September 8, passing through St. Omer, Bergues and Hondschoote before crossing the Belgian border at 2100 hours. The following day, the unit set up camp on the outskirts of Vuerne, east of Dunkirk.

Over the next 48 hours, sappers constructed bridges across two canals that intersected in the town. During the ensuing days, the unit removed booby traps along docks in Ostend, removed several rail line blockades, and worked on a third bridge. One platoon cleared mines for the South Saskatchewan Regiment as part of an operation at Bray Dunes, east of Dunkirk.

On September 18, 11th Field Company was on the move again, departing for Antwerp in the early morning hours and arriving on the outskirts of Boechout, 10 kilometers southeast of the Belgian port, shortly after noon. The following day, personnel travelled 15 kilometers northward to ’s-Gravenwezel, in preparation for rafting and bridging work across the nearby Turnhout Canal.

While waiting for 2nd Division units to secure the area, the Company checked local roads for mines and removed road blocks. Finally, at 2115 hours September 30, the task of constructing a bridge across the canal commenced. Shortly afterward, German artillery and mortar fire targeted the work area. A direct hit at 0100 hours October 1 resulted in five fatalities and a sixth sapper wounded.

Despite the losses, work continued at the site, the bridge completed at 2145 hours that day. On October 2, work immediately commenced on a second structure. Two more sappers were killed at the bridge site when a stake they were driving into the ground struck a land mine. Despite several interruptions due to shelling, personnel completed the second bridge by 0900 hours October 3.

Over the next two weeks, 11th Field Company conducted road and bridge maintenance, removed road blocks, checked roads and cleared mines in the area northeast of Antwerp. During a five-day break that commenced October 18, personnel visited Antwerp and Brussels in small groups. In the early hours of October 23, the unit moved northward to Ossendrecht, Netherlands, advancing to Rilland, a village on the South Beveland isthmus, three days later.

Personnel spent the last week of October supporting 2nd Canadian Division units as they advanced westward into German-occupied South Beveland. Their first major task involved construction of two bridges across a nearby canal, a task once again completed once amidst heavy shelling that inflicted eight casualties, one of which was a fatality.

On November 2, the 11th returned to the Antwerp area, entering accommodations in an old chateau near Schelle. Over the next week, personnel spent the morning hours cleaning and repairing equipment and visited Antwerp during the afternoon and evening. Officers also arranged sight-seeing tours to Brussels in small groups.

During the evening of November 9, the Company departed for the Nijmegen area, where it relieved a British engineer unit stationed there. Personnel travelled all night in rain, sleet and cold, reaching their destination at dawn. The unit then made its way to Grave, southwest of Nijmegen, where they entered billets in a large “old age pension house” previously occupied by their British comrades. Within hours of arriving, the men had outfitted each platoon area with a makeshift stove and the required number of beds.

The 11th assumed responsibility for maintaining a Bailey pontoon bridge across the Meuse (Maas) River, approximately two kilometers upstream from Grave. A boom protecting the structure from floating Germans mines had to be moved further upstream. A second major task involved operating sluice gates on a main bridge in Grave that controlled water levels in the local area. Any rapid rise would pose a threat to floating bridges between the town and Mook to the east. A third project involved repairing and widening a local road running northward toward Nijmegen. 

While two platoons focused on road construction, a third tackled the challenge of moving the boom. As personnel attempted to detach and pull the structure upstream, it was quickly apparent that the river’s strong currents would tear it apart once it was disconnected. It was therefore decided to build a new structure further upstream. Before the project commenced, somewhat to the relief of those involved, the 11th was instructed to turn the project over to the 30th Field Company at mid-month.

Work during the second half of November focused on road maintenance and improvement in the Grave area. 50 to 60 truck loads of rubble were hauled by truck daily from Nijmegen as base material. As most construction materials were scarce, personnel scraped ballast off local rail lines to provide a top layer of gravel. Sappers also repaired two roads northeast of Mook in December.

The winter lull in combat provided an opportunity for training in several specific areas—“storm boat” operation, particularly Evinrude motor repair; raft construction; firing range practice; mine warfare and assault demolition. Storm boat and raft training received particular attention, as the crafts were frequently used to transport personnel, vehicles and equipment across the landscape’s numerous rivers and canals.

The unit established a training site on the banks of the Meuse near Gassel, halfway between Grave and Mook. A program commenced on November 25, platoons rotating through the process—one continued road work, a second did storm boat training, and a third focused on raft construction and training. River crossing exercises involving three infantry regiments took place during the first week of December.

At 1430 hours December 25, 11th Field Company held a traditional Christmas dinner, complete with cigars, beer and spirits for the men. New Year’s Day 1945 brought a move to s’Hertogenbosch, southwest of Nijmegen. Throughout the month of January, personnel carried out roadwork in the Groesbeek area, with a particular focus on sanding due to icy winter conditions. While sappers encountered occasional enemy small arms fire, no casualties were reported. During evening hours, the men took in a movie or attended an occasional local dance. Sappers also received leaves to the UK or Brussels in small groups.

Road maintenance and repair continued into early February, the unit’s war diary observing that “roads [were] in bad shape due to heavy traffic.” Work intensified in preparation for an Allied offensive into the Rhineland—“Operation Veritable”—which commenced on February 8, 1945. Three days later, 11th Field Company relocated to Bergen Dal, near Nijmegen. Rising water levels in the Meuse and Rhine Rivers had resulted in local flooding, the sappers kept busy marking affected roads with warning tape.

At mid-month, 11th Field Company retired from the line for a brief rest, having received notice of an impending move in support of a 6th Canadian Infantry Brigade operation. At mid-day February 17, the unit joined a convoy headed to Kleve, Germany. Upon reaching their destination at 1530 hours, personnel established camp “under canvas.” Over the next several days, the Company was once again busy with road maintenance and repair, in preparation for a second Allied push into the Rhineland.

Operation Blockbuster commenced on February 22. Three days later, the 11th’s sappers marked out designated areas for infantry and armoured units participating in the operation’s second stage. At 0430 hours February 26, the attack resumed with a massive artillery bombardment. The 11th’s platoons were on standby near Kalkar, ready to check roads and clear mines as infantry units advanced. The process commenced at 0800 hours, with all 6th Canadian Infantry Brigade units reaching their objectives by 1700 hours.

The following day, the sappers returned to road repair work in the Kalkar area. Damp weather and heavy traffic had made highways “nearly impassable due to mud.” On February 28, the unit relocated to the outskirts of Uedem, where roadwork continued after dark in preparation for another advance. Sappers worked throughout the following day, despite heavy enemy shelling in some locations. Heavy rain turned roads into muddy quagmires, making them virtually impassible. Due to the conditions, all work ceased at 1800 hours.

On March 2, a combination of heavy frost, wind and sun “seemed to be drying up the roads considerably.” 11th Field Company personnel checked and cleared roads through the Hochwald Forest as Allied forces prepared for a final push to the Rhine. Over the next several days, sappers removed rails from a line through the wooded area, converting it into a road that was then widened to permit two-way traffic.

Work on the former rail line was completed on March 8. Three days later, the 11th retired to a concentration area near Kranenbuerg as Allied units had removed enemy forces all the way to the Rhine and no further work was required in the area. At 1530 hours March 11, the Company moved off for Kleve, where personnel entered billets “in a few of the remaining houses still standing” on the town’s eastern side. While German guns across the Rhine “shell[ed] the area periodically,” no casualties were reported.

Heavy artillery fire continued into March 12, but the area where the 11th was billeted was not affected. Personnel spent the day washing clothes, cleaning billets, and attending bath parade. That evening, they enjoyed a movie at a nearby cinema. The following day, a small party did local work while the remainder  of the Company tackled vehicle cleaning and maintenance.

At 1500 hours March 13, the 11th moved off for the Riechswald Forest, where road work was scheduled for the next few days. The Company set up camp under canvas near Kalkar, the location “a well-treed area [that] is nice and clean.” Road building and maintenance work commenced the following morning and continued on a two-platoon rotation for several days.

On March 16, the 11th received a request from the 4th Brigade’s Cameron Highlanders of Canada to clear mines from a nearby area where the unit planned to establish a camp. The following day, as road work continued, Lieutenant Owen Howard Taylor and a small party from Headquarters platoon removed 43 mines from the Camerons’ proposed camp site and placed them “in two dumps[,] well marked by the side of the road,” ready for disposal.

At 0800 hours March 18, two platoons departed for routine road work, while the remaining platoon performed vehicle maintenance and equipment checks. At 1300 hours, Lt. Taylor and a small party from Headquarters headed out to “destroy” the two dumps of mines gathered the previous day. Thirty minutes later, the unit’s war diary reported:

“A terrific explosion shakes [the] camp area and investigation reveals [that the] mine dump has blown up, killing Lt. Taylor, Sgt. C. V. Richards, and Sappers A. Brown, A. A. Steffler, N. T. Sponagle, V. Mayo, E. F. Anderson. H. C. Inkpen, and D. A. McLellan. The cause is unknown.”

At 1500 hours, Honorary Captain (Chaplain) MacRitchie conducted “funeral services for our casualties who are buried at Bedburg. Lieutenants Galway and Redford and a number of men from HQ and 3 Platoon attend[ed] the service.” The accidental deaths of nine men was the 11th Field Company’s worst single-day loss of its Second World War service.

Sapper Neil Trueman Sponagle's headstone, Groesbeek Canadian Military Cemetery, Netherlands

On April 2, 1945, Major-General A. E. Walford, Adjutant General, wrote to Naomi G. Sponagle, Riverton, Pictou County, offering his sympathy of the death of her husband, Sapper Neil Trueman Sponagle.  A second letter to Naomi, dated August 9, 1946, informed her that Neil’s remains had been re-interred in Groesbeek Canadian Military Cemetery, seven kilometers southeast of Nijmegen, Netherlands. In fact, the bodies of the men killed in the March 18 accident had been exhumed and transported to a permanent military cemetery on August 28, 1945.

After Neil’s death, Naomi taught school in Pictou County and years later married Louis W. Hughes. Neither of her marriages resulted in children. Naomi Hughes passed away in Aberdeen Hospital, New Glasgow, on December 20, 1995, and was interred in Heatherdale Memorial Gardens, Westville, NS. Neil’s mother Clara (Jones) Sponagle died in St. Martha’s Hospital, Antigonish, on October 20, 1974, and was laid to rest in Riverside Cemetery, New Harbour. His father Roy passed away in January 1975 and was interred beside his wife.

Ward Densmore Sponagle, Neil’s youngest brother, also served overseas during the Second World War. On August 5, 1942, Ward enlisted with the Halifax Rifles at Halifax, NS. Initially an infantry regiment, the Rifles transitioned to an armoured unit—the 23rd Army Tank Battalion (Halifax Rifles)—in the spring of 1942. Assigned to the 2nd Canadian Army Tank Brigade, the 23rd trained in Camp Borden, Ontario, prior to proceeding overseas in mid-June 1943. Shortly after arriving in the United Kingdom, the unit was disbanded, its personnel becoming a reinforcement pool for existing armoured units.

Trooper Ward Densmore Sponagle

 

Following the 23rd’s overseas departure, Ward remained at Camp Borden, where he qualified as a “Gunner Operator Grade C” on December 11, 1943. He proceeded to the United Kingdom aboard the Île de France on February 16, 1944, and arrived overseas eight days later. Assigned to No. 3 Canadian Armoured Corps Reinforcement Unit, he resumed gunnery training and later completed a wireless operator course.

Ward and his sweetheart Phyllis Graham Giffin, Christmas 1943

 

Placed on the Canadian Armoured Corps’ reinforcement list in mid-June 1944, Ward crossed the English Channel to Normandy, France, on July 2 and was transferred to the 27th Canadian Armoured Regiment (Sherbrooke Fusiliers) on July 27, 1944. He joined the unit in the field during the first week of August.  

27th CAR was one of three armoured regiments assigned to the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade, which landed in Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944. Each armoured regiment consisted of three Squadrons—A, B and C. A Squadron contained four troops, each equipped with four Sherman tanks when the unit was at full operating strength.

The 27th’s first assignment was to support the North Nova Scotia Highlanders’ push inland to Authie, France, during the days following the D-Day landings. The task proved to costly—the unit suffered 28 fatalities during its first three full days in Normandy. Seven of its troopers were among a group of Canadian prisoners of war executed at Abbaye d’Ardenne by German soldiers on June 7 and 8, 1944.

At the time of Ward’s arrival, 27th CAR was located “at the edge of Faubourg de Vaucelles,” directly across the Orne River from Caen, France. Personnel spent the first week of August preparing for “Operation Totalize,” the first of two major advances southward toward the town of Falaise. Each CAR Squadron was to support an attacking 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade battalion during the attack.

In the operation’s opening phase, 2nd Canadian Infantry Division units were to advance southward along the right side of the Caen-Falaise highway, with British units moving forward on their left flank. Once the infantry had pierced German lines, 3rd Canadian Division infantry units, supported by armoured regiments, would pass through their comrades’ lines and “exploit to Falaise and the dominating ground” above the town.

27th CAR provided tanks for two Operation Totalize “attack groups.” The first—a “gapping party”—consisted of three echelons, each supported by two tank troops. A second tank force accompanied the main assault force of three infantry battalions, whose soldiers would be transported in “Priests,” American tracked armoured artillery vehicles refitted as personnel carriers. The entire operation would take place at night, withsearchlights directing the attacking force along the central highway axis.

A 1,000-bomber raid preceded the advance, which commenced in the early hours of August 8. Objectives were “generally reached before first light.” By 0600 hours, 27th CAR “remained in positions and continued to support infantry in forming [a] firm base, finally being withdrawn to [a] fortress area… west of Tactical Headquarters 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade.”

The following day, the Regiment was “still in support [of] 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade [units]…[in a] watching role, [with] little activity.” By 1130 hours August 9, the “front appear[ed] to have jelled” as the advance lost its momentum. During the morning of August 10, one 27th CAR Squadron provided support to 5th Canadian Infantry Brigade units, while remaining personnel “clean[ed] and maintain[ed] all vehicles.”

In preparation for a second push along the Caen - Falaise road, military commanders ordered a 2nd Division Brigade to cross the Laize River at Bretteville-sur-Laize and push southward toward the village of Barbery. The 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade and 27th CAR were tasked with carrying out the maneuver.

In the early hours of August 11, the 4th Brigade and 27th CAR tanks passed through Bretteville, crossed the Laize River and headed southward toward Barbery. The vanguard leading the attack “ran into trouble immediately south of Bretteville and as a result at first light… had only reached the high ground north of Barbery.” Unable to advance any further, 27th CAR’s tanks “remained static [for the] remainder of the day.” 

The following morning—August 12, 1944—the 4th Brigade’s three infantry units resumed the advance. The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry pushed on to Barbery, passing through the village by midday. The Royal Regiment of Canada then swung eastward to the village of Moulines. Meanwhile, the Essex Scottish pushed southeast, toward a wooded area of high ground. Throughout the day, 27th CAR tanks supported each advance.

The attack was soon “held up… [[by] heavy mortar and shell fire.” Fighting continued throughout the day as the units attempted to advance through an area of “extremely heavy bush and low ground.”  The engagement proved costly in terms of both equipment and personnel. A significant number of tanks were lost and nine 27th CAR personnel, including one officer, were killed during exchanges of fire with enemy forces. 

Trooper Ward Densmore Sponagle was among an unknown number of 27th CAR casualties during the day’s fighting. Enemy fire—most likely a German 88 mm. anti-tank gun—recorded a direct strike on the tank in which he was the gunner, killing one crew member and fatally wounding another. Instructed during training never to exit through the tank hatch head first, Ward put his left hand through the opening, prompting enemy fire that tore off the tips of his middle three fingers. As he pulled his arm back into the tank, the hatch slammed closed, breaking his little finger.

Ward and several comrades made a second, successful attempt to exit the tank. As the group scrambled into a nearby gully, a bullet struck one of Ward’s legs. When the exchanges of fire ceased, the regiment’s Padré and a party of troopers searched the area for casualties. Upon locating Ward and his comrades, the Padré administered morphine and the wounded Troopers were transported a nearby first aid station. 

Ward and his injured comrades were dispatched to No. 12 Canadian Field Ambulance, where staff administered another dose of morphine to those in pain. In the midst of the turmoil, Ward did not realize that a piece of shrapnel had pierced his uniform’s left breast pocket, striking a metal cigarette case where a photograph holder was also stored. As a medic examined his body for other injuries, he pulled the case from Ward’s pocket and realized the object had likely prevented a potentially fatal chest wound. More remarkable was the fact that a burn mark caused by the projectile stopped on the picture of Ward’s sweetheart, Phyllis Giffin, who later became his wife. 

As soon as his condition was stable, Ward was transported by ambulance to No. 75 British General Hospital, Bayeux, France. The following day—August 13,  1944—he was invalided to No. 24 Canadian General Hospital (CGH), Horley, Surrey, UK. According to family, Neil visited his younger brother in hospital, but it is not clear whether the visit took place in France or the UK. Surgeons at No. 24 CGH repaired his severed finger tips and did their best to return his little finger to its previous position. In the end, a family member recalls, it was “a bit crooked but functional.”

Ward in England, following his discharge from hospital

Ward  spent two and a half months under medical care before being transferred to No. 4 Canadian Convalescent Depot, Hunmanby, North Yorkshire,UK. Discharged from medical care on January 9, 1945, he was posted to No. 2 Canadian Armoured Corps Reinforcement Unit later that month. During his time there, Ward was promoted to the rank of Acting Lance Corporal on May 31 and advanced to the full rank of Corporal on November 15, 1945.

In mid-January 1946, Ward reported to a Dispersal Depot in preparation for his return to Canada. He left the UK aboard SS Aquitania on January 27, 1946, and arrived in Halifax eight days later. Discharged from military service within a month of his return, he went to work as an electrician at Stellarton Armature Works. His older brother Earle owned and operated the business, which rewound electric motors.

Ward and Phyllis (Giffin) Sponagle on their wedding day

 

On August 4, 1948, Ward married his sweetheart Phyllis Graham Giffin, daughter of Roy and Elsie (Wishart) Giffin, Goldboro. The couple established residence in Stellarton, Pictou County, where they raised a family of two children—one son and one daughter. Ward later worked as a tool maker at Trenton Steel Works until retirement. He also served with the Canadian Army militia from January 1957 to March 1967, attending five annual training camps during his decade of service. 

Ward Densmore Sponagle died on November 25, 1994, and was interred in Brookside Cemetery, New Glasgow, NS. His wife Phyllis passed away on November 23, 2004, and was laid to rest beside him.

Trooper Ward Densmore Sponagle's foot stone, Brookside Cemetery, New Glasgow, NS

Photographs of Neil Trueman, Ward Densmore and Phyllis Graham (Giffin) Sponagle courtesy of Ward's daughter, Joyce MacPherson, MacLellan's Brook, NS. Joyce and her brother David, Greenwood, NS, also provided background information on the Sponagle family and details of the incident in which their father Ward was wounded in August 1944.

Gunner Lawrence Arthur Rudolph—Killed in Action February 27, 1945

 Lawrence Arthur Rudolph was born in Little Liscomb, Guysborough County, on December 31, 1923. Lawrence’s mother, Elsie Walters, was a native of Warwickshire, a West Midlands county southeast of Birmingham, UK. His father, Basil Melbourne Rudolph, was born in Liscomb on February 8, 1895, the son of Abraham and Melinda (Kintewater) Rudolph.

Gunner Lawrence Arthur Rudolph

Basil Rudolph entered adulthood as the First World War was raging overseas. The majority of Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) personnel were born in the early 1890s. It is thus not surprising that Basil was one of many young Nova Scotians to volunteer for overseas service, enlisting with the 23rd Composite Battalion at Halifax, NS, on June 12, 1915. He arrived in the United Kingdom in late August 1915 and was immediately assigned to the 13th Battalion (Royal Highlanders of Canada). On September 4, 1915, Basil joined the unit in the trenches of Belgium.

The Royal Highlanders of Canada (RHC) is the country’s oldest Highland regiment. Established in Montreal, QC, in 1862, the unit later affiliated with Scotland’s famous Black Watch. As a result, the unit carried the title throughout its First and Second World War service. During the First World War, the Regiment raised three infantry units for service—the 13th, 42nd, and 73rd Battalions. The 13th was part of the First Canadian Contingent that departed for overseas in September 1914. Its personnel entered the trenches of Belgium’s Ypres Salient in April 1915 as part of the 1st Canadian Division’s 3rd Brigade.

At the time of Basil’s transfer, the 13th Battalion was still deployed in Belgium. Basil spent the autumn and winter of 1915-16 in the trenches with the experienced unit. On March 31, 1916, its personnel relieved a British unit in trenches at Hill 60, south of Zillebeke, Belgium. One year previously, a major confrontation had taken place in the same location as part of the Second Battle of Ypres. 

During the first few days of April 1916, both sides exchanged daily small arms and artillery fire. Shelling was particularly severe “between the hours of 10.15 and 4.25 pm [April 3], the enemy [firing] about 80 shells, 30 of which were Howitzer, the others were mostly shrapnel and small H. E. [high explosive] Percussion shells.”

The 13th’s daily war diary reported two casualties as a result of the April 3 shelling. One of the injured soldiers was “No. 89022 Pte. B. M. Rudolph - wounded by H. E. shell between Johnson Street [trench] and [a] cutting.” Basil received shrapnel wounds to his left arm, side, leg and ankle, and was transported to No. 10 Casualty Clearing Station the following day. On May 13, he was evacuated to No. 24 General Hospital Étaples, France, where medical staff performed two surgeries to remove pieces of shrapnel from his left side.

On June 20, Basil was invalided to the United Kingdom aboard the hospital ship Brighton. The following day, he was admitted to the Dundee Red Cross War Hospital, Scotland. A note in his service file, dated June 29, 1916, stated that he was “much better… [but] is rather lame.” Discharged to King’s Convalescent Hospital, Bushey Park, on July 12, Basil moved on to the Canadian Convalescent Hospital, Woodcote Park, Epsom, two weeks later. At the time of his arrival there, staff noted that he still had a “few fragments of shrapnel left in [his] arm and leg.”

Once Basil had recovered to the point where he no longer required medical treatment, he received 10 days’ leave on October 28, 1916. Upon returning to duty, he was assigned to Military Police patrol at Hastings, a position he held throughout the winter of 1916-17. During that time, a November 26, 1916, Medical Board recommended that Basil be placed in Category C—fit for duty in England only. A comment in the Board’s report stated: “There are numerous healed wounds all over [Basil’s] left arm and leg. History states many of the fragments remain; pain when wearing puttees or marching.”

On May 1, 1917, Basil reported to the 1st Quebec Regimental Depot. At mid-month, he was transferred to the Canadian Railway Troops Depot, Purfleet. He remained there for only one week before moving on to Ontario Military Hospital, Orpington, Kent, where he was assigned to orderly duty. Basil spent the remainder of his overseas service in this role. During that time, he contracted diphtheria in late April 1918 and spent one month in hospital. For the remainder of the year, his health was fragile, resulting in hospitalization for influenza in August and December 1918.

On July 8, 1918, Basil received permission to marry Miss Elsie Walters, 120 Orchard St., Godalming, Surrey, UK. The ceremony took place in Elsie’s birthplace—Wilnecote, Tamworth, UK—on July 20. Basil continued his work at Orpington until June 12, 1919, when he was assigned to the Canadian Army Medical Corps Casualty Company, the first stage of his journey home. He moved on to the Canadian Discharge Depot, Buxton, on August 1, 1919, and departed for Canada eight days later.

Basil arrived in Quebec City, QC, aboard HMS Corsican on August 18, 1919, and was discharged from military service two days later. He returned to Nova Scotia by train and took up residence in Little Liscomb, Guysborough County, where his wife Elsie joined him shortly afterward.

Basil worked in the local fishery while operating a family farm. Over the next 15 years, Basil and Elsie welcomed seven children into their home. Their oldest child, Daisy Eleanor, was born in 1920. Over the following decade, four more children arrived—Florence Silvia (DOB March 24, 1921), Lawrence Arthur (DOB December 31, 1923), Lillian May (DOB September 26, 1925), and Robert Owen (YOC c. 1927). Two more sons—Basil Norman (DOB January 27, 1930) and Brian Theodore (YOB c. 1934)—were born in the 1930s.

Lawrence, the oldest of the four Rudolph boys, was raised on a mixed farm in Little Liscomb. After completing Grade VI, he left school at age 14 to “help his father fish.” He also worked “around home” on the farm, where he learned to handle a team of horses, and helped his father “cure” his catch. He also did chores on an uncle’s farm and  worked in the woods “driving a horse” for one winter.

In December 1942, Lawrence headed to Halifax, where he found work as a “pipe-fitter’s helper” with Royal Canadian Engineers, National Defence, Halifax. On April 21, 1943, he enlisted with the Canadian Active Service Force (CASF) at Halifax and was placed on No. 6 District Depot’s “General List.” An assessment completed at the time commented, “This young man is barely 19…. Farm life background… [with] apparent mechanical aptitudes. [He is] somewhat slight but seems to have [the] right attitude.”

Lawrence was recommended for service with a Royal Canadian Artillery (RCA) “medium artillery” unit. On April 19, he commenced basic training at No. 60 Canadian Army (Basic) Training Centre, Yarmouth, NS, and moved on to Canadian Army (A2) Training Centre, Petawawa, ON, for artillery training on July 1, 1943.

In late August, Lawrence received two week’s leave. He then returned to Petawawa to complete “Advanced Training in “RCA (Medium).” On September 30, he was deemed “suitable for overseas service.” After a month-long wait in Petatawa On November 4, Lawrence was posted to No. 1 Training Field Brigade, RCA, in Debert, NS.

Following a two-week pre-embarkation leave in early December, Lawrence briefly returned to Debert before departing for overseas on December 15, 1943. Upon landing in the United Kingdom six days later, he was posted to No. 2 Canadian Army Reinforcement Unit. On January 13, 1944, Lawrence was assigned to the 5th Anti-Tank Regiment.

The tank made its military debut during the latter stages of the First World War. Due in large part to mechanical imperfections, it was not an effective weapon at that time. Developments during the post-war years transformed the mechanical innovation into a formidable weapon that played a critical role on battlefields of the Second World War. All combatants established armoured units, deploying them in support of virtually every major infantry attack.

Similarly, each army developed weapons and trained units to counter the other side’s mobile armaments. At the time of the outbreak of war in Europe, however, Canada’s military was ill-prepared for such a task. Its meagre arsenal consisted of only 29 Bren guns, 23 anti-tank rifles, and four two-pounder anti-tank guns.

During the first two years of the war, plans to prepare the Canadian military for combat on a European battlefield gradually took shape. In January 1942, the Canadian government commenced an overhaul of its artillery resources to address the threat tanks presented to its infantry units on the battlefield. The first step was to replace its anti-tank regiments’ two-pounders with six-pounder guns. As time progressed, the units were also equipped with 17-pounder weapons.

By the time Canadian units entered combat in France in mid-1944, American self-propelled three-inch M-10 guns and some self-propelled 17-pounders were available for use on the battlefield. While some anti-tank regiments retained “towed” six- and 17-pounders throughout the war, the mobile American weapons gradually proved to be the most effective anti-tank force on the battlefield.

The 5th Anti-Tank Regiment officially mobilized at Camp Sussex, New Brunswick, on September 10, 1941, as part of the 4th Canadian Armoured Division (4th CAD). It initially consisted of three anti-tank Batteries—96th (Edmonton, AB), 65th (Grenfell, SK) and 3rd (Ganonoque, ON). Each battery contained four “troops,” outfitted with four guns. The unit trained in Sussex for nine months before travelling by train to Halifax, NS, on June 3, 1942, and departing for overseas aboard the Duchess of York the following day.

Upon landing in Liverpool nine days later, 5th Anti-Tank travelled by train to Dudley Hill, Surrey, where it established its initial camp. Following the overseas arrival of 4th CAD’s Headquarters, the unit relocated to Camp Bramshott, Liphook, UK, on October 1, 1942, training there throughout the autumn and early winter. 

On February 1, 1943, personnel moved to Fleet, Hants, where they entered accommodations in “requisitioned houses.” The following month, the unit established a new battery—the 14th—after a decision at Command level to expand each Ani-Tank Regiment to four batteries. The new sub-unit drew its personnel from all five Canadian Divisions, resulting in the nickname “Rainbow Battery,” a reference to the Divisions’ different colour patches.

Over the course of the year, 5th Anti-Tank participated in several major exercises. In mid-August 1943, two of its four Batteries—14th and 96th—were converted to “self-propelled” units, operating American M-10s outfitted with three inch guns and powered by diesel engines. Before year’s end, the unit’s other two Batteries—3rd and 65th—converted from six-pounder to 17-pounder guns. The rest of the unit’s M-10s also arrived during that time.

On November 5, 1943, 5th Anti-Tank relocated to Sheffield Park, Sussex, where it trained until its departure for France. Gunner Lawrence Arthur Rudolph joining its ranks during its time there and was assigned to its 14th Battery, one of the two sub-units equipped with M-10s. Preparations for deployment in Western Europe continued through the spring and into early summer. 4th CAD was not part of the June 6,1944, D-Day landings, its personnel remaining in the UK with the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division. During the second week of July, units from both Divisions began making their way across the English Channel to the Normandy beach-head.

On July 18, 1844, 5th Anti-Tank moved out to Tilbury Docks, located on the River Thames, 40 kilometers east of London. Over the next several days, personnel boarded ships while equipment was loaded aboard vessels. Once ready for departure, ships joined a convoy gradually assembled at South End, near the mouth of the Thames. After several delays due to poor weather and a shortage of landing craft, the flotilla departed for France, 5th Anti-Tank personnel coming ashore in Normandy on the morning of July 23, 1944.

It was several days before all equipment was unloaded and ready for service. On July 29, 5th Anti-Tank, “less two batteries,” entered a section of the front line south of Caen, France. Over the next several days. 4th CAD units relieved 3rd Canadian Division and 7th British Armoured Division personnel who had been in the line since D-Day.

5th Anti-Tank’s 3rd Battery was the first to experience “serious action.” While deployed near Ifs, south of Caen, its personnel endured significant mortar and artillery fire, resulting in the unit’s first combat casualties. On July 31, one of its gun Troops supported an unsuccessful Calgary Highlanders attack on Tilly-la-Campagne, atop Verrières Ridge. That same day, 96th Battery entered positions near Ifs, while the 65th deployed in nearby Grentheville and Soliers. 14th Battery remained in the artillery gun area, where its personnel were subjected to hostile artillery fire.

During the second week of August, Allied forces launched two major offensives along the main highway running southward from Caen to Falaise. 4th CAD units participated in the second phase of “Operation Totalize,” which commenced on August 8. All four 5th Anti-Tank Batteries took part in the opening stage of “Operation Tractable,” launched on August 14. During the initial advance, one of 14th Battery’s Troops entered a German “trap” at Quesnay Wood. Only one of its four gun crews managing to escape as enemy fire destroyed all four of their M-10s. Five more gunners later managed to return to the unit, while seven were killed in action and another four listed as “missing.”

By the third week of August, the remnants of German units in Normandy began a rapid retreat northward toward the Seine River, Allied forces following in pursuit. 5th Anti-Tank’s Batteries crossed the famous French watercourse near Pont-de-L’Arche on August 29 and 30. While the 2nd and 3rd Canadian Infantry Divisions swung northwest to clear German forces from the “Channel ports,” 4th CAD units began a rapid advance northward toward the Belgian frontier.

5th Anti-Tank crossed the Somme River at Pont Remi, the 14th Battery’s M-10s providing support for the South Alberta Regiment’s tanks, which encountered German “rear guard” forces along the way. As the speed of the advance soon exceeded the reach of Allied supply lines, units paused north of the Somme for several days of rest and equipment maintenance.

On September 4, 5th Anti-Tank’s Batteries assembled southeast of Abbeville and moved out two days later. Personnel reached Saint-Omer, 30 kilometers east of the Belgian border, at dawn September 7. The unit then swung eastward to avoid high velocity German guns at Dunkirk and crossed into Belgium at Oost-Cappel, where personnel once again paused for rest and maintenance.

Despite covering 160 kilometers in less than two days, the men were rested and in good spirits, ready to move at short notice. Belgium’s clean, paved highways replaced France’s muddy roads, making travel much easier. 5th Anti-Tank continued to advance northeastward toward Bruges, 4th Canadian Armoured Brigade’s infantry and tank units reaching the Belgian city on September 11.

Meanwhile, 5th Anti-Tank personnel encamped in a wooded area at Jabbeke, 15 kilometres west of Bruges, for another period of rest and maintenance. By this point in the war, the unit was 15 to 20 % under-strength, due to losses incurred since its arrival on the continent. The disbandment of a Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment deemed no longer necessary provided 50 much-needed trained artillery reinforcements. 

By mid-September, 5th Anti-Tank’s Batteries were deployed in various roles in the Bruges area. 3rd Battery supported 10th Infantry Brigade units fighting German forces near Eeklo, 30 kilometers east of Bruges. 14th Battery’s M-10s supported the Lake Superior Regiment’s tanks in defensive positions along the Leopold Canal, with their 65th Battery comrades deployed to their left.

4th CAD’s initial task was to prevent German forces north of Ghent from retreating eastward. During the third week of September, its armoured units crossed the Ghent Canal at Moerbrugge, south of Bruges, and pushed eastward through Maldegem and Eeklo. The units then turned northward toward the Braakman Inlet, located on the southern coast of the West Scheldt estuary. 

Earlier in the month, Allied forces had secured the Belgian port city of Antwerp. Their immediate goal was to clear German forces from the northern and southern banks of the West Scheldt estuary that connected the strategic port to the North Sea. Once the areas north of Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp were secured, the Allies could use the undamaged port facilities as a much-needed a supply line for units deployed in Belgium and later in the Netherlands.

While 4th CAD units pushed northward toward the West Scheldt, the 1st Polish Armoured Division on their right flank cleared enemy forces north of a highway running from Ghent to Antwerp. By September 20, Polish units reached the estuary’s southern banks. That same day, 4th CAD’s Algonquin Regiment and 22nd Canadian Armoured Regiment advanced to Isabella Polder, located at the southern tip of Braakman Inlet. The following day—September 21—4th CAD’s Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders reached Terneuzen, east of the inlet, completing a defensive line that prevented German forces north of Bruges and Ghent from retreating eastward.

German units now found themselves trapped in what became known as the “Breskens pocket,” an area along the West Scheldt estuary stretching from Zeebrugge, north of Bruges, Belgium, to the Braakman Inlet, Netherlands. The area consisted of reclaimed agricultural land called “polders,” surrounded by dykes. As the geography and soft conditions were not suitable for armoured units, the 2nd and 3rd Canadian Infantry Divisions focused on clearing the area, while 4th CAD guarded the eastern boundary.

While 2nd and 3rd Division infantry units commenced the Scheldt campaign in early October, 4th CAD units gathered near Eeklo for a period of rest, training and maintenance, their first extended break since landing in France. On October 16, the unit moved out to a 4th CAD assembly area east of Antwerp. Three days later, the Division commenced an advance to the north-northwest, protecting the flank of an infantry advance toward Woensdrecht.

On October 21, 4th CAD units reached Eschen, approximately 15 kilometers west of Woensdrecht. Four days later, personnel crossed the border into the Netherlands, clearing German forces from Bergen-Op-Zoom before month’s end. The advance continued northward, reaching an estuary connected to the Maas River by November 4. Throughout the operation, 5th Anti-Tank Batteries supported specific infantry units as they attacked and cleared enemy positions.

5th Anti-Tank remained in Bergen-Op-Zoom until November 8, when 4th CAD relocated to an area along the Maas River, east of Tilburg. After relieving a British Division, personnel occupied an eight-kilometre section of the line, where they fulfilled an infantry role, conducting regular night-time patrols. 5th Anti-Tank’s Batteries rotated in and out of the line in pairs, patrolling an area along the Maas near Lith.

During the last week of November, 4th CAD units entered reserve, gathering in the villages of Poppel and Weelde, Belgium, for a planned two-week rest period. On December 4, however, personnel returned to sectors along the Maas for duty, amid growing concerns of a German attack across the river. As cold weather set in, fuel was scarce as personnel resumed regular patrols in uncomfortable conditions.

The launch of a major German counter-offensive through the Ardennes forest on December 16 prompted Allied commanders to order 4th CAD to gather in the area of Vught, Boxtel, Best and Tilburg. 5th Anti-Tank arrived on the outskirts of Tilburg on December 21. Three days later, 4th CAD received notice to prepare to move out within 24 hours.

At 1420 hours December 25, the Division’s units followed a circuitous route to an area south of Breda, with instructions to counter any German attack launched from the north toward Antwerp. Despite the circumstances, personnel gathered for a Christmas dinner later in the day. After a tense 24 hours, the threat receded. On December 27, 5th Anti-Tank moved into Breda, where they remained into the New Year, training and participating in several recreational events.

On January 8, 1945, 5th Anti-Tank returned to duty with their 4th CAD comrades along the Maas near Lith. Personnel received white coveralls for use during winter patrolling. During the first week of February, Allied aircraft conducted intensive patrols north of the Maas, while 4th CAD personnel constructed “dummy” batteries along the river. Supporting artillery guns also fired rounds across the Maas, actions designed to create the impression of an impending Allied offensive across the river.

Persuaded that an attack was imminent, German forces destroyed dykes in the area, causing water levels to rise almost two meters overnight. When the Allied offensive was launched on February 8, 1945, however, it took place east of Nijmegen, where British units launched an invasion of German territory between the Rhine and Maas Rivers.

While 2nd and 3rd Canadian Infantry Division units soon joined the Allied advance into the Rhineland. 4th CAD remained in its positions along the Maas for the first 10 days of the offensive, On February 19, 1945, 5th Anti-Tank moved out to a concentration area near Helvoirt and Vught, where battle groups assembled for an upcoming operation south of Kleve, Germany.

“Operation Blockbuster” commenced in “abominable weather” at dawn February 26. Heavy rains resulted in muddy conditions that made it impossible for 5th Anti-Tank to transport and operate its 17-pounder guns. Fortunately, British command provided its “assaulting formation” with several dozen Crusader Tower gun tractors and drivers. The large vehicles “did outstanding work… as armoured troop carriers to get infantry through heavy fire on their objectives, and then… to move casualties and supplies.” Several were lost due to direct hits, while others were disabled by mines. A total of 16 survived the day’s advance without damage.

During the operation’s initial stage, 5th Anti-Tank’s 14th Battery was placed under the command of 4th CAD’s 10th Infantry Brigade. Two of its Troops moved out to a concentration area in convoy formation at 0745 hours February 26. The “cross country route [was] very tough going [and the] forward concentration area [was] shelled occasionally by enemy.” Fortunately, the Troops suffered no casualties.

At 1800 hours, 14th Battery moved out with the South Alberta Regiment, travelling for approximately two kilometers before digging in for the night. The Battery’s war diary reported “very heavy gun fire all night - mostly outgoing” as the unit’s guns targeted enemy positions.

The morning February 27, 1945, was cloudy and overcast, with fair visibility. 14th Battery’s Headquarters and two Troops “proceeded forward” to an area near Keppeln, approximately four kilometers north of Uedem, Germany. The Battery’s war diary summarized the events that took place that morning:

“On route to battery area convoy fire on by snipers…. Gunner Rudolph # 52353 was killed and died instantly. Bombardier Lawhead was wounded and taken to Casualty Clearing Station. Battery arrived [in] designated area, but [was] forced to move several times by enemy shelling.”

Gunner Lawrence Arthur Rudolph was initially interred in a temporary cemetery along the Kappeln - Kalkar road, Germany. On March 7, 1946, his remains were re-interred in Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery, 10 kilometers southeast of Nijmegen, Netherlands. Lawrence’s death was the second tragedy to impact the Rudolph family during the winter of 1944 - 45. On December 4, 1944, Lawrence’s 14-year-old brother, Basil Norman, had died in Little Liscomb, the result of an “accidental discharge of [a] gun containing shot.”

According to several Ancestry family trees, Basil Rudolph died in Little Liscomb around 1975. No further details are available on his death or final resting place. Elsie (Walters) Rudolph passed away in Herring Cove, Halifax County, on December 17, 1987, and was laid to rest in St. Luke’s Anglican Cemetery, Liscomb.

Photograph of Gunner Lawrence Arthur Rudolph courtesy of Irvin Hartling, Liscomb, NS. 

Sergeant William John Anderson "Bill" Dunning—Accidentally Killed February 15, 1945

 William John Anderson “Bill” Dunning was born in Heart’s Content, Newfoundland, on November 19, 1915, to John Carmichael and Jessie Emma (Cook) Dunning. Bill’s father John was a native Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire, Scotland, born on September 1, 1882, the son of William Dunning and Janet Carmichael.

Sergeant William John Anderson "Bill" Dunning

John C. Dunning arrived in Newfoundland in 1901 to work as a telegraphist at the Anglo-American Telegraph Company’s Heart’s Content cable station. The steam vessel Great Eastern had brought the first successful trans-Atlantic cable ashore in the small Newfoundland community on July 27, 1866.

The Anglo-American Telegraph Company established a cable operation in Heart’s Content that expanded to include more than 200 telegraphists and support staff. In 1912, Western Union Telegraph Company acquired the Anglo-American Telegraph Company and integrated its assets into its communication network.

Bill’s mother, Jessie Emma Cook, was born in Heart’s Content on January 14, 1887, the daughter of John and Emma Amelia Cook. John was employed as a telegraphist at the local cable station. His presence there likely explains how his daughter Jessie and John Dunning made one another’s acquaintance. The couple married in Heart’s Content on September 20, 1905.

By the time of their marriage, John had relocated to the Commercial Cable Company’s telegraph station in Hazel Hill, Guysborough County. The newlyweds took up residence in the community, where their first child, Jean Carmichael, was born on June 20, 1906. A second daughter, Mary Elizabeth, joined the family on July 30, 1910. For unknown reasons, Jessie was in Heart’s Content, Newfoundland, at the time of Bill’s November 1915 birth. John and Jessie’s youngest child, Margaret, was born in Hazel Hill on July 30, 1918.

Bill Dunning commenced public school in Hazel Hill in 1920 and completed high school in nearby Canso in the spring of 1934. The following year, he obtained a position as a salesman with Mutual Life Assurance Company, a general insurance agency. He also did “general construction and repair work” at the Commercial Cable Company station. A later letter in Bill’s military service file, written by a former Superintendent, provided this assessment of his work there:

“I engaged [Bill] on several occasions to assist the Chief Engineer and found him upright, honest and a willing worker. He learned quite a lot about running gas engines under expert tuition. As he is mechanically inclined I have no hesitation in recommending him for a position where a knowledge of mechanics is required.”

By September 1939, Bill’s mechanical interests prompted him to relocate to Halifax, NS, where he landed a job “servicing… cars” at Hubley’s Imperial Service Station, Spring Garden Road. During the winter of 1939-40, he completed “short courses on Diesel Engines, Welding, machine tool operations and electricity” at Nova Scotia Technical College (NSTC), Halifax.

On February 5, 1940, Bill applied for admission to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). He described himself as “mechanically inclined. Have had practical experience in car mechanics” and specifically requested consideration for “ground duties.” Several recommendations, including the former Commercial Cable Company Superintendent’s letter, accompanied his application. Correspondence from one of his NSTC professors described Bill as “industrious and a good worker, with a great keenness for machinery.”

Following an April 25, 1940, interview, an RCAF recruitment officer described Bill as “keen…[and] intelligent,” and recommended that he be accepted for “Machinist or Armourer training.” A second comment stated that he might make a suitable Instructor at a later date and recommended him for acceptance as a “Standard Trainee.”

On July 22, 1940, Bill Dunning attested with the RCAF at Halifax, NS, commencing service with the rank of Aircraftman Class 2 (AC2). While awaiting training, he was assigned to “temporary duty” at RCAF Station Dartmouth, NS, on August 16. One month later, he reported to Military District No. 1 Toronto. On September 28, Bill was posted to the Canadian Air Armament School (CAAS), Trenton, ON, where he commenced Armourer training three days later.

RCAF “Armourers” were responsible for the overall maintenance and repair of aircraft, including armaments, weapons systems and communication equipment. In a general sense, their primary duty was to ensure that planes under their supervision were “mission ready,” whatever their assigned task.

Bill spent almost three months at CAAS. An assessment document in his service file, dated December  23, 1940, states that he achieved an overall grade of 66.5 % in the School’s No. 22 Armourers Course, placing 23rd in a class of 42 participants. A comment on the evaluation form noted, “He has worked well, but [is] especially good at workshops. He will be a good Flight Armourer.”

On December 26, 1940, Bill was transferred to No. 9 Standard Flight Training School, Summerside, PEI, for further training. The facility officially opened the following month. Following the outbreak of widespread German U-boat activity in the North Atlantic in 1941, the base transitioned to a “General Reconnaissance School,” training personnel for coastal air patrols.

Bill worked with ground crew at the Summerside base for seven months. During that time, he advanced to the rank of Leading Aircraftman (LAC) on April 1, 1941. In early August 1941, he was transferred to No. 10 Air Observer School, Chatham, NB. The facility had also recently commenced operation, training Air Navigators aboard Avro Anson aircraft.

Within a month of his arrival in Chatham, Bill was promoted to the rank of Acting Corporal, the first indication that his performance had impressed his supervisors. A note in his file provided this assessment: “His armour training and experience warrants promotion…. This airman [is] responsible and diligent to a marked degree. Deportment good.”

During Bill’s time in New Brunswick, he continued to progress through the non-commissioned ranks . On November 14, 1941, he was recommended for advancement to the rank of Temporary Sergeant: “This NCO is hard-working, steady, and deserving of promotion…. Recommended for training as a Senior Armament Instructor.” A second recommendation, dated April 30, 1942, stated: “This NCO takes a great deal of interest in his work, assumes responsibility easily, and is deserving of promotion.” The following day, Bill was awarded the rank of Temporary Sergeant.

On July 7, 1942, Bill was posted to No. 2 Operational Training Unit (OTU), Pennfield Ridge, NB. Located in southwestern New Brunswick, close to the village of St. George, the site included the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan’s standard three runways, laid out in triangular formation.

The variety of aircraft operating out of Pennfield Ridge provided an excellent training environment for Armourers. At various times, No. 2 OTU personnel flew the British single-engine Westland Lysander, the twin-engine Avro Anson and Bristol Bolingbroke. Several American models—the twin-engine Lockheed Ventura and Douglas Dakota, and the four-engine B-24 Liberator—were also part of its fleet at various times.

On August 10, 1942, Bill was transferred to RCAF Station Sydney, NS. Located on the site of the present-day airport, the base was established in 1937 and became No. 8 (Bomber Reconnaissance) Squadron’s initial station after the outbreak of war. Its personnel operated Bristol Bolingbroke two-engine aircraft while conducting anti-submarine duty off the eastern Canadian coast.

In December 1941, No. 8 Squadron relocated to RCAF Station Sea Island, near Vancouver, BC, where it served with RCAF Western Air Command for the duration of the war. No. 116 (Bomber Reconnaissance) Squadron took its place, conducting anti-submarine patrols out of Dartmouth and Sydney, NS, as well as Gander, Newfoundland. No. 116’s pilots operated Consolidated PBY Catalina and Canadian-built Canso aircraft on their assignments. The Catalina was a “flying boat,” while the Canso was equipped with a retractable wheeled undercarriage, allowing it to land on both water and land.

Three months after arriving in Sydney, Bill underwent an assessment. He received “excellent” ratings in appearance and bearing, energy and persistence, accuracy and reliability, and loyalty, and “very good” ratings in mental alertness, power of expression, self-confidence, interest in station activities, initiative, leadership, service knowledge, and administrative ability. His “trade proficiency” rating was “superior.”

On February 23, 1943, Bill “proceeded on temporary duty” to Ben Eoin, NS, the first of seven such assignments over the next 15 months. Each time, he remained there for approximately four weeks before returning to RCAF Sydney. According to family sources, the RCAF had deployed targets on the Bras d’Or Lakes for bomb training and personnel were dispatched to Ben Eoin to maintain the targets.

The spring of 1943 brought another significant event in Bill’s life. On April 27, 1943, he officially requested permission to marry Eva Clara Fulton. Born in Truro, NS, on April 19, 1912, Eva was the daughter of Scott and Carrie (Knight) Fulton, Bass River, NS. After graduating from Dalhousie University, she pursued a career in education.

Sergeant Bill and Eva (Fulton) Dunning, May 10, 1943

Around 1938, Eva had arrived in Canso, where she accepted a teaching position in the local public school. Upon completing her first term of service, “she was called back to accept the position of Principal,” a capacity in which she served for three years. During her time in the community, she met Bill and their relationship progressed to a marriage proposal.

On May 10, 1943, Bill and Eva were married in a ceremony that took place in Truro, NS. Following the ceremony, Eva replaced Bill’s father John as his next of kin and established residence in Hazel Hill, while Bill returned to duty at RCAF Sydney in late May. During the summer months, Eva relocated to Sydney, where she and Bill cleaned out a chicken coop along the shoreline near Ben Eoin as a temporary residence during Bill’s tours there. The couple’s first and only child, John Scott Dunning, was born in Truro on February 17, 1944.

Sgt. Bill and Eva Dunning with son John

During the month of July 1944, Bill spent two weeks in Summerside, PEI, and a third week in Moncton, NB, before returning to Sydney. On August 3, 1944, he was officially posted to No. 116 Squadron, Sydney, with the rank of Sergeant. Bill’s duties involved directing and overseeing ground crew as they maintained the Squadron’s fleet of Canso aircraft. The base contained four large hangars, each housing four of the large planes.

With the exception of a brief hospitalization in mid-January 1945, Bill served in Sydney without incident for the next six and a half months. The morning of February 15, 1945, began quietly. As pay parade was scheduled for personnel, most were standing in line to collect their wages before reporting for duty. As a result, only an estimated 30 men were on duty in Hangar No. 4.

Each Canso in the hangar was outfitted with four bomb racks, two under each wing. Each rack held a depth charge for use during anti-submarine patrols. Shortly after 0900 hours, one of the mechanisms holding a depth charge in place approximately three metres above the floor inexplicably released. The bomb struck the concrete, bounced and detonated, creating a fire that quickly spread to the remaining three aircraft.

Within minutes, the entire structure was engulfed in flames. Gasoline from ruptured fuel tanks flowed across the floor and quickly ignited, spreading the fire to storage facilities. Small explosions continued as the fire reached rounds of gun cartridges in an ammunition room. While the Station’s fire crew quickly arrived on the scene, the force of the initial explosion completely destroyed the hangar and the resulting fire was beyond control.

The majority of the personnel in the hangar miraculously managed to escape from the burning structure. The initial explosion and fire, however, resulted in four fatalities—LAC Herbert William Collins, Belleville, ON; LAC Herbert Frederick Hicks, Buckingham, QC; LAC Roy Richard Whiteside, London, ON; and Sergeant William John Anderson Dunning, Hazel Hill, NS.

Bill’s remains were transported to Hazel Hill, where he was interred in All Saints Cemetery. He was 29 years old at the time of his death. Bill’s father John passed away at the family’s Fox Island Main cottage on October 31, 1948, and was buried near his son’s final resting place. John’s widow Jessie passed away on January 26, 1968, and was laid to rest beside him.

After her husband’s death, Eva and her son John remained in Canso, where she taught school for several years before accepting a teaching/principal position in Bass River. In 1961, Eva left the classroom to become Supervisor of Schools for Colchester-East Hants, a position she held until her 1972 retirement. After leaving Canso, Eva maintained a connection to the area, purchasing a cottage beside the Dunning summer residence in Fox Island Main. She and her son John spent their summers there until the structure was destroyed in a fire.

In 1969, Eva married widower David Keith Corbett, another Bass River native. She actively supported several charitable organizations and became a devoted grandmother to three grandchildren and their families. In 2004, Eva and Keith moved to Parkland Estates Assisted Living Facility, Truro. Eva passed away in Colchester Regional Hospital, Truro, on December 19, 2004, and was laid to rest in the United Baptist Church Cemetery, Bass River, Colchester County, NS.

A special thank you to John Dunning, Bass River, son of Sgt. Bill and Eva (Fulton) Dunning, for contributing photographs and valuable family information for this blog post.