Roland Elwood “Rollie” Richardson was born at Goldboro, Guysborough County, on February 21, 1921, the son of Howard Edwin and Clara (Cottie) Richardson. Howard Edwin was a native of Isaac’s Harbour on November 4, 1890, the son of Howard Ephraim Richardson and Clarinda—sometimes recorded as Clorinda, Corlinda or Carlinda—Giffin.
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| Lance Corporal Roland Elwood Richardson |
A prospector by occupation, Howard Ephraim was a native of Sydney, NS. His grandfather, Rev. George Richardson, established parishes across the province and built the first Baptist Church at Isaac’s Harbour around 1840. While Rev. Richardson’s extended family settled at Sydney, his grandson eventually relocated to Guysborough County, where he did extensive prospecting.
In 1862, Howard Ephraim located quartz veins in the Isaac’s Harbour anticline. Thirty years later, he began mining gold in an argillite belt, located at Upper Seal Harbour, that still bears his name. Howard Ephraim operated the Richardson Gold Mining Company until his untimely death at age 60 on October 18, 1903. The mine continued to operate as the Boston - Richardson Mining Company until 1908, and was later taken over by the New England Mining Company. Activity continued at the site in some capacity well into the late 1930s.
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| Howard Ephriam Richardson |
Clarinda Giffin was the daughter of George Giffin, Louis Head, Shelburne County, and Matlida J. Langley, an Antigonish County native. The 1871 Canadian census lists George and Matilda living at Isaac’s Harbour, where 18-year-old “Corlinda” was the oldest of their nine children. Howard Ephraim and Clarinda were married at St Mary’s Baptist Church, Melrose, on October 27, 1871, and established residence at Isaac’s Harbour.
Howard Edwin Richardson was the youngest of Howard Ephriam and Clarinda’s six children. He married Clara Cottie, daughter of Joseph Cottie [sometimes recorded as Coady or Cody] and Margaret Walsh, at Goldboro on August 12, 1920. Clara was living there at the time of the marriage, and the newlyweds established residence in the community, where they raised a family of nine children.
Roland Elwood “Rollie” was Howard Edwin and Clara’s eldest child. According to his military service file, Rollie left public school at age 14. He was employed as a truck driver at Seal Harbour Gold Mines from 1936 until April 1939, at which time he left Goldboro. Before year’s end, he arrived in Timmins, Ontario, where his father was working as a “steel sharpener” at Delnite Gold Mines. Available records indicate that Clara remained at Isaac’s Harbour with the rest of the Richardson children, suggesting that lack of local employment opportunities drew both father and eldest son to the Ontario hard rock mines.
On July 26, 1940, Rollie enlisted with the 1st Battalion Algonquin Regiment’s “D” Company at Timmins. While he stated his occupation as “truck driver,” he was “not working” at the time, which may have been the motivation for his enlistment. Rollie listed his mother Clara as his next of kin and gave her address as Isaac’s Harbour.
The Algonquin Regiment had officially mobilized four days prior to Rollie’s enlistment. Its 1st Battalion recruited its personnel from the areas north of Toronto, Ontario—North Bay, Muskoka, Huntsville, Haileybury, Cobalt, New Liskeard, Kirkland Lake and Timmins. Recruits initially trained in the Timmins area for several weeks, departing for Camp Borden on September 6 and arriving at their destination the following morning.
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| "D" Company, Algonquin Regiment, Timmins, ON |
That same day, Rollie was admitted to Camp Military Hospital, Camp Borden, suffering from appendicitis. Within 24 hours, he was transferred to Christie St. Hospital, Toronto, where he presumably underwent surgery. Discharged from hospital on September 14, Rollie returned to Camp Borden, where he made a full recovery.
Crowded conditions at the camp prompted military authorities to relocate the Algonquin Regiment to Port Arthur, ON, on October 9. A new camp was nearing completion at nearby Current River and personnel occupied the barracks upon arrival. The remaining construction was completed before year’s end and the unit settled in for the winter.
The battalion spent eight months training at Current River. On January 11 1941, Rollie was admitted to Port Arthur Isolated Hospital with a case of the measles, a common affliction in crowded military barracks. Discharged one week later, he returned to duty. Rollie received two week’s leave in mid-April, although there is no indication as to where he spent this time.The Algonquin Regiment remained in the Port Arthur area until June 4, when personnel travelled by train to Camp Shilo, Manitoba.
The prairie circumstances were not particularly attractive to men used to the wooded environment of Northern Ontario, but the camp’s proximity to Winnipeg offered some consolation while on leave. The summer heat made for uncomfortable days and nights. Nevertheless, the unit’s officers put the soldiers through their paces, moving into advanced training by August. The following month, the battalion participated in a series of combat schemes, including night exercises and dawn attacks.
On November 19, personnel bid adieu to Camp Shilo and travelled by train to Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, where the Algonquin Regiment was tasked with guarding the strategically important Welland and Niagara canals. By this time, the unit had been assigned to the 14th Infantry Brigade, where it served alongside two other Ontario units—the Kent Regiment (Chatham, ON) and the Midland Regiment (Cobourg, ON). The area around the canals was divided into three sections, with each unit assuming responsibility for patrolling one area.
The Algonquins remained at Niagara-on-the-Lake for the duration of the year. The entrance of the United States into the conflict following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, Hawaii (December 7, 1941) changed the complexion of the war significantly and resulted in a re-organization of Canada’s North American defences.
Following the outbreak of war in Europe, the government of Canada agreed to assume responsibility for the defence of strategic assets in Newfoundland, which was a British colony at the time. As a result, Canadian infantry, artillery, air force and navy personnel were deployed at various locations across the island.
In January 1942, the Algonquin Regiment received notice of its transfer to Newfoundland. Later in the month, Rollie enjoyed one week’s “embarkation leave” as the regiment prepared to depart for the island. He was also promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal, an indication that he had impressed his superiors with his leadership potential.
On February 2, 1942, the first group of Algonquin personnel departed Niagara-on-the-Lake for Halifax, where they boarded the Lady Nelson and departed for St. John’s. The party arrived at their destination on February 7. One week later, a second contingent departed Halifax and made its way into St. John’s harbour the following day.
The soldiers were initially deployed at strategic locations in the St. John’s area, guarding a nearby airport and the harbour entrance. Within a month, however, the unit boarded the famous “Newfie Bullet” and travelled to Botwood for their primary assignment. The community is located on the western side of the Bay of Exploits, which stretches for 35 miles before reaching the ocean.
Located between Grand Falls - Windsor and Gander, Botwood possessed an airfield that hosted two squadrons of PBY Canso flying boats. Equipped with torpedoes and depth charges, the planes that patrolled the shipping lanes east of the island, in search of German U-boats lying in wait for Allied trans-Atlantic vessels. The nearby deep natural harbour also provided facilities for the export of ore for the production of base metals, as well as pulp and paper.
A new camp had recently been constructed to the west of the town, sufficient to house half of the battalion, while the remainder occupied an older camp on its eastern side. Specific tasks were assigned to each of the battalion’s four companies. One company provided infantry protection to the heavy gun crews located along the shore of Bay of Exploits and maintained a post at Leamington, to the northwest. A second outpost was established at Lewisporte to the northeast, while a small force was maintained at Notre Dame Junction and Bishop’s Falls.
A second company remained ready to move immediately as a counter-attack force, in the event of a German attack on the area. While U-boat activity highlighted the ever-present danger of an assault from the water, the unit had no direct contact with the enemy during its time on the island. On one occasion, however, an observant sentry spotted a U-boat resting on the surface of the bay. By the time he covered a distance of 12 miles on foot to alert his superiors and returned with reinforcements, the submarine had departed.
A third company underwent drill and training at Botwood, while the fourth acted as a “duty” company at battalion headquarters. The companies rotated through these four tasks every two weeks, ensuring that all personnel received a balanced exposure to each.
A document in Rollie’s service record describes a minor incident in which he injured his right knee during routine drill. In his own words, at 12:24 pm May 18, “while undergoing training near Canning Rock, at the sound of the instructor’s whistle, I dropped and in doing so struck my right knee on a stone. I then proceeded back to the Regimental Aid Post at camp myself, arriving there about 13.30 hours [1:30 pm].” The report indicates that Rollie was “sick in quarters” following the injury, but was not admitted to hospital.
Regular duty and training continued throughout the spring, with Rollie playing an active role assisting instructors. While most firing drills involved the use of “dummy” ammunition, it is relevant to note that all soldiers were issued two cartons of live ammunition, each containing 24 rounds. The men carried the cartons in an ammunition pouch that was a standard part of their daily equipment. Over time, the cartons broke apart, resulting in loose rounds sitting in the pouch. Occasionally, when a soldier lay on the ground during training, live ammunition fell out of the pouch and onto the ground.
On the morning of June 18, 1942, “D” Company’s Lieutenant W. T. Bater was supervising a squad of six men as they completed a “TOETs” (test of elementary training) in Bren Gun operation. On this occasion, Rollie assisted Lt. Bater, drawing the required supplies—four empty Bren Gun magazines and six clips of “dummy” ammunition—from “D” Company’s stores and proceeding to the Bayonet Course, north of the camp.
As another group of soldiers was “doing [a] Bayonet Fighting exercise,” Lt. Bater moved his charges “off the course to the West.” The tests then commenced, the men completing the first four of six stages on a rotating basis. Each soldier placed “dummy” rounds into a magazine, loaded the Bren Gun, set the sight, aimed and fired at an “aiming disc,” a device used to determine accuracy.
After prolonged firing, the Bren Gun was prone to jamming, requiring the operator to adjust its four-position regulator to feed more gas to the weapon’s piston. This increased the pressure, ensuring that the weapon would continue to fire. As a result, the fourth test involved having soldiers adjust the weapon’s gas regulator before firing a “dummy round” from each of two of the magazines.
For this stage of testing, Lt. Bater instructed Lance Corporal Richardson to use “a bayonet [as a target] in lieu of an aiming disc.” He later explained: “My reason for the use of the [bayonet] as an aiming disc [in this exercise] was because I found that men do not align on their original target on completion of [the] test and an aiming disc assists the instructor in correcting this fault.”
The first four men completed the fourth stage without incident. The last, Private G. A. Lacombe, later recalled what happened when he assumed operation of the gun:
“We were using six clips and 29 rounds of dummy ammunition with two magazines for the test. During my test[,] two rounds were ejected, one from each magazine[,] which I had changed on the gun. When I had finished my test[,] I left one magazine on the gun and the other was on the ground, I do not know if the first magazine had been refilled. I was not wearing my equipment at the time. Pte. [A. R.] Knott was the only man in the squad wearing equipment. He had fired his tests before me. I did not see any ball [i.e., live] ammunition around. I did not refill the magazines I used after the test.”
The fifth soldier, Pte. A. T. Ryan, then commenced his test. He later described what happened:
“L/Cpl Richardson was lying facing me about five feet away holding a bayonet, the point of which was stuck in the ground and I was aiming at a small hole in the handle of the bayonet, as I had been instructed by Lt. Bater that morning. I cocked the gun and pulled the trigger on the command ‘Fire’—a dummy round was ejected. I then took off [the] magazine and immediately replaced it [with the second magazine] without examining it. I re-cocked the gun and pulled [the] trigger again. I heard the report of a round being fired and felt the shock of explosion in the gun. L/Cpl. Richardson rolled over and I saw blood on one of his wrists. I did not touch the gun after that—neither did anyone in the squad. I saw an empty cartridge lying near the gun but I did not pick it up.”
At the sound of gunfire, Lt. Bater observed Rollie immediately turn over and noticed blood on his cheeks. Rollie was conscious and lay still as Lt. Bater examined him. As the only visible wound was to his wrist, the officer assumed that he could walk to the Regimental Aid Post (RAP) with assistance and immediately dispatched him with an escort. Lt. Bater then went to the RAP, where he reported the accident to the Corporal in charge and the Officer Commanding (OC), “D” Company.
Rollie’s injuries were more serious than first appeared. At 11:20 am, he was admitted to Botwood Military Hospital, where Captain H. E. Fox, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps, examined him. He first observed that Rollie was “suffering from GSW [gunshot wound] left hand, left shoulder and chest, and from shock.” The bullet had apparently passed through his wrist and struck his upper body. Captain Fox immediately administered “sedatives, intravenous fluids and supportive treatment to combat the shock.”
Dr. Fox soon realized that the bullet had penetrated Rollie’s chest cavity, causing “lacerations to the left lung and concealed haemorrhage. Blood transfusion was prepared but death occurred from haemorrhage at 1450 hours [2:50 pm] before the blood could be given. Death was due to haemorrhage and shock resulting from laceration of the lung.”
A Court of Inquiry, convened that same day, heard evidence from Lt. Bater, Private Knott, Private Adams, Private Lacombe and Captain Fox, as it attempted to determine what had transpired. During his testimony, Private Knott acknowledged that he “filled magazines with dummies before I was tested[,] but I do not know who filled them before Ryan. [Pte. Lacombe, who fired after Pte. Knott, stated that he did not fill either magazine after his test.]”
Pte. Knott continued:
“I was wearing battle order [dress] and had ball [i.e., live] ammunition in the pouches. I had five clips charged and the rest was loose. I had been issued with 48 rounds and do not think I had 48 rounds that morning as I had lost some during battle drill training about five weeks ago. Lt. Bater did not examine my ammunition before the test. After the accident, Lt. Bater examined my ball ammunition and I then knew that I had only 44 rounds. I cannot account for the four missing rounds. I did not notice any fall out of the pouches during the tests. I had not been warned not to carry ball ammunition on parade that morning.”
After hearing the testimony, the Officers conducting the inquiry concluded that “L/Cpl. Richardson died of a gun shot wound accidentally received while conducting the TOETs.” Major-General L. F. Page, General Officer Commanding, Canadian Troops Newfoundland, concurred, adding:
“In my opinion[,] this fatality would not have occurred had the Officer in charge of the test ensured that the safety procedures laid down were being followed. Private Knott should have been checked for live rounds and as dummy rounds were being used during Test No. 4 no aiming disc should have been used.”
Lance Corporal Roland Elwood Richardson was laid to rest in Botwood Protestant/United Church Cemetery, Botwood, NL. Military authorities initially attempted to contact his mother Clara at Isaac’s Harbour, but soon learned that she and her children had joined Howard in Timmins. After receiving notice of their son’s tragic death, both parents wrote several notes to military officials, inquiring about Rollie’s personal effects. A note from Howard, dated July 29, 1942, stated: “We know that he was banking money as his mother’s allowance was stopped in December 1941[,] as he planned on being married and wanted to save his money.”
While Rollie’s parents continued to communicate with military officials throughout the remainder of the year and contacted them again in 1945 and 1946, no documents in his service file indicate that any savings were ever located. Howard and Clara did receive their son’s “Last Pay Certificate”—the sum of $64.71—and in July 1945 officials forwarded Rollie’s service gratuity, a total of $172.50.
Special thanks to Rollie's niece Julia Lockie, Sarnia, Ontario, who provided the portrait of Rollie and photograph of his funeral included in this blog post.
