Allan Cantley Cameron was born in New Glasgow, NS, on October 16, 1921, the son of Alexander Christopher and Queenie Mae (Fanning) Cameron. Alexander was the son of Allan and Annie (Dort) Cameron, Canso, while Queenie was the daughter of Andrew and Isabella (Davidson) Fanning, Drum Head.
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| Gunner Allan Cameron's headstone, Fourth Hill Cemetery, Canso, NS |
According to census records, Alexander Cameron spent his early life in Canso, where his father Allan worked as a stone mason. Sometime after 1911, Alexander moved to Pictou County. He was working as a baker at the time of his December 24, 1920 marriage to Queenie Fanning in a ceremony that took place at the United Church Baptist Parsonage, New Glasgow.
Alexander and Queenie’s first child, Allan Cantley, was born at New Glasgow on October 16, 1921. Two more children—Cyril (c. 1925) and Isabelle (c. 1930)—later joined the household. At an unknown date, the family returned to the Canso area. Allan left school at age 16, having completed Grade VIII. He was working for A. E. Cousins, Canso, as a “truck driver’s helper” when he enlisted with the 86th Heavy Battery, 6th Coastal Brigade, Royal Canadian Artillery, at Antigonish, NS, on October 11, 1939.
In fact, Allan’s service record indicates that he joined the unit’s ranks on September 20, only 11 days after Canada’s declaration of war on Nazi Germany. He was five days shy of his 18th birthday at the time, which may explain the incorrect birth year of 1920 recorded on his attestation. Two later documents in Allan’s service file indicate that he was born in 1921.
The 86th Heavy Battery, a Canadian militia unit, was officially established at Antigonish in 1920 as a field artillery battery. Its predecessor, the 18th Field Battery, had operated in the community since 1905 and was responsible for coastal defences in the Strait of Canso area. The 18th was dissolved in a post-war reorganization of Canada’s militia. Its replacement, the 86th, was a sub-unit of a newly created 16th Coastal Artillery Brigade, headquartered in Sydney. The battery consisted of two sections, each armed with three 18-pounder field guns.
In June 1938, the unit was redesigned the 86th Coastal Battery and was outfitted with a four-inch naval gun. At the same time, military authorities developed plans in the event of war to establish two batteries on the mainland side of the Strait of Canso. The rail terminals and ferry operation located there were considered vital transportation links, as coal and steel produced in Sydney would be critical wartime resources.
While hostile surface vessels were not expected to enter the Strait of Canso in wartime, submarines posed a real threat. In response, following Canada’s September 12, 1939 declaration of war on Nazi Germany, military authorities responsible for home defence established two batteries on the mainland. Beacon Battery, equipped with two four-inch guns, was located at Auld’s Cove to defend the Northumberland Strait entrance and commenced operation on October 1, 1939. The second battery, located at Melford, overlooked the Atlantic entrance and entered service three days later.
To provide the required personnel, the 86th expanded its manpower to 180 men. Each battery also possessed two long-range search lights, while the Canadian Navy provided patrol vessels. Radar defence systems were also placed at Auld’s Cove and Sand Point to guard against air attack. While anti-submarine netting was discussed, military authorities considered its use in defending Sydney and Halifax harbours a higher priority. In any case, the strong currents passing through the Strait would have made installation difficult.
Following his enlistment, Allan served with the 86th Battery in the Sydney and Strait of Canso areas. He spent several days in Sydney Military Hospital with influenza in early February 1940 and was granted two weeks’ furlough at Melford on April 30, 1940. He also spent several days in Port Hawkesbury Military Hospital in late June for treatment of influenza.
Allan served in the Strait area until October 11, 1940, when he was transferred to No. 6 District Depot, Halifax. One month later, he departed for overseas and disembarked at Gourock, Scotland, on November 28, 1940. The following day, he was assigned to No. 1 Canadian Artillery Holding Unit (CAHU), Bordon, UK.
Established as reinforcement pools for active artillery units, holding units were not intended to function as training centres. However, many of the recruits arriving overseas were not ready for active duty. As a result, holding units established an “instructional wing” with “training batteries,” each connected to an active field unit.
Following a 10-day landing leave, Allan was admitted to British Isolation Hospital, Bordon, on December 14. Documents in his service file provide no details as to the reason. Discharged after a two-week stay, Allan remained with No. 1 CAHU until mid-February 1941, when he was transferred to No. 2 CAHU. Among its responsibilities was anti-aircraft defence.
On March 15, Allan was attached to No. 1 LAA (Light Anti-Aircraft) Regiment, based at Colchester, UK. During the war’s first months, the unit had served in France and Belgium with the British Expeditionary Force. Its personnel saw combat during the German invasion of France and Belgium in May 1940 and were evacuated from Dunkirk in late May and early June. Following its return to the United Kingdom, No. 1 LAA re-formed with personnel from the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Light Anti-Aircraft Batteries and was assigned to “Home Defence Duties” during the Battle of Britain.
Allan’s time with No. 1 LAA would have provided valuable instruction from experienced gunners. He received one week’s “privilege leave” in early May 1941 and once again was hospitalized for a week after returning to duty. His service file provides no information as to the nature of his illness. On September 20, 1941, Allan was awarded a Good Conduct Badge, having completed two years of military service without a disciplinary infraction.
Throughout the autumn and winter of 1941-42, Allan remained on duty in the United Kingdom. On July 1, 1942, he was issued an identification card for “Mechanical Transport Drivers,” indicating that he had completed a driver’s training course. In September, Allan received a second Good Conduct badge. He spent almost three weeks in hospital in November, again for reasons that are not explained in his service file.
Following a week’s leave in late January 1943, Allan returned to duty on February 4. One month later, he was admitted to Military Hospital, Reading. An entry on a later “Medical Report on Death” states that he was diagnosed with “ptosis left eyelid” on March 3, 1943. The medical term describes a “drooping” of the eyelid, caused by damage to the nerve that controls its muscles.
On March 24, Allan was transferred to No. 4 Casualty Clearing Station (CCS). Two days later, he was admitted to No. 1 Neurological Hospital. A comment on his “Medical Report on Death” form states that medical staff had determined “involvement [of] both third, both fourth, both seventh cranial nerves” in causing Allan’s eye condition.
Allan spent six weeks at the neurological facility, departing the United Kingdom for Canada on May 13, 1943. Upon disembarking, Allan travelled by train to Toronto, where he was admitted to Christie St. Hospital on May 23. An examination at the time of his admission “showed cranial nerves involved as above, with periods of drowsiness or lethargy of variable degree and duration.”
While Allan’s condition initially improved, a June 14 entry on his medical records reported a “very obvious relapse, with increasing temperature and pulse rate, marked increase in drowsiness.” Over the next several days, his “condition rapidly progressed with marked morning temperature and increasing pulse rate.”
Gunner Allan Cantley Cameron passed away at Christie St. Hospital, Toronto, on June 20, 1943. His Ontario death certificate lists the cause of death as encephalitis (inflammation of the brain caused by an infection). Allan’s remains were transported home to Canso, where he was laid to rest in Fourth Hill Cemetery. Queenie Cameron passed away at Canso in 1979, while her husband Alexander died the following year. Both were laid to rest in Fourth Hill Cemetery, near their eldest son’s grave.
