Private Edison Reynolds Smith—Killed in Action October 16, 1944

 Edison Reynolds Smith was born on May 11, 1924, on Port Hood Island, Inverness County. Edison’s father, Henry Guy Smith, was also a Port Hood Island native, the son of Joshua and Sarah Smith. His mother, Emma Grace, was the daughter of Hugh and Ada Watts, Port Hood. 26-year-old Guy was working as a fish merchant on Port Hood Island when he married 19-year-old Emma in Port Hood on January 9, 1918.

Private Edison Reynolds Smith

Guy and Emma’s first child, Sarah May, was born on Port Hood Island on January 13, 1919. A second daughter, Ruth Emeline, arrived on February 9, 1920. The following decade brought the birth of three more children—Edison (1924), Dorothy Ellen (c. 1926) and Wesley Guy (c.1927).

The 1920s also saw a series of deaths that eventually led to the family’s dissolution. On January 23, 1928, Edison’s mother Emma passed away in St. Martha’s Hospital, Antigonish, after a four-week battle with septic pneumonia. His older sister Ruth succumbed to scarlet fever on December 23, 1928, while his father Guy died from “acute encephalitis”—inflammation of the brain caused by infection—on January 3. 1929.

In the aftermath of their parents’ and sister’s deaths, the remaining Smith children—Sarah, Edison, Dorothy and Wesley—were taken in by Elsie Smith, their father Guy’s sister. Elsie had married Roland Morton Myers, son of George W. Myers and Abigail Atwater, Cook’s Cove, in December 1920. At the time of the 1931 census, the four Smith children were living in the Myers’ Cook’s Cove home with their aunt Elsie, her husband Roland, and the their daughter Abigail Lillian, age six.

Edison attended school in Cook’s Cove, completing Grade VIII. He left at age 14 to work on the Myers farm and in the local woods. “Coming of age” in the midst of a global conflict soon impacted Edison’s life. On August 24, 1942, he enlisted with the Non-Permanent Active Militia of Canada at Guysborough. Edison served with the Pictou Highlanders in the Mulgrave area for one year before he was “called up” under the National Resources Mobilization Act. Upon reporting to No. 6 Military District, Halifax, he attested with the Canadian Active Service Force on August 31, 1943.

Edison commenced instruction at No. 60 Canadian Army Basic Training Center, Yarmouth, in mid-September and proceeded to A14 Canadian Infantry Training Center, Aldershot, for advanced instruction in mid-November. With the exception of five days’ leave for the Christmas holiday and two weeks pre-embarkation leave in late January/early February, he remained at Aldershot until February 19, 1944, when he was transferred to the 1st Canadian Training Brigade, Debert.

Edison proceeded overseas on April 5 and arrived in the United Kingdom seven days later. He was immediately assigned to No. 4 Canadian Infantry Reinforcement Unit (CIRU), where he awaited a transfer to an infantry battalion. As preparations for the impending D-Day landings continued, Edison was placed on the reinforcement list for the North Nova Scotia Highlanders on May 8, 1944. However, he did not join the unit’s ranks prior to D-Day.

One day after Allied forces landed in Normandy, Edison was transferred to the Canadian Scottish Regiment and joined its ranks in France on June 8, 1944. It is not clear when he landed in France. The speed with which he joined his new unit suggests that he had arrived with a group of infantry reinforcements on or immediately after D-Day.

The Canadian Scottish Regiment (CSR) traces its roots to the 88th Regiment, Victoria Fusiliers, Victoria, BC, authorized on September 3, 1912. After the First World War, the unit amalgamated with the 50th Regiment (Gordon Highlanders of Canada), Victoria, BC, to form the Canadian Scottish Regiment. The unit mobilized a battalion for overseas service in 1940 and trained in Debert, NS, until August 1941. Its personnel then departed for the United Kingdom, where the unit was assigned to the 3rd Canadian Division’s 7th Brigade.

On the morning of June 6, 1944, CSR’s C Company came ashore on Juno Beach, Normandy, during the first wave of landings. The remainder of the unit followed in the second wave, wading ashore in chest-deep water under German mortar and machine gun fire. By day’s end, the unit’s A Company had advanced almost 10 kilometers inland, where its soldiers “dug in” and sent out patrols.

A total of 22 CSR soldiers were killed and another 61 wounded during and shortly after the D-Day landings, creating a need for reinforcements. Private Edison Reynolds Smith was part of a group that joined the unit’s ranks on June 8. Later that day, a major German counter-attack near Putot-en-Bassin threatened to break through the Allied forward line.

During the night of June 8/9, Canadian Scottish soldiers engaged the attackers, preventing them from advancing toward the newly established Normandy beach-head. According to his service file, Edison was wounded during the fighting and evacuated to hospital on June 9. His injuries appear to have been slight as he rejoined the unit two days later. While Edison remained with the CSR in the Normandy beach-head for the rest of the month, he was transferred to the North Nova Scotia Highlanders on June 30.

Initially established as a machine gun unit in 1936 following the amalgamation of militia units from Cumberland, Colchester and Hants Counties, the North Nova Scotia Regiment established its headquarters in Amherst after the outbreak of war overseas. The unit was subsequently re-designated an infantry battalion and assigned to the 3rd Canadian Division’s 9th Brigade, where it served alongside the Highland Light Infantry of Canada (Waterloo, ON) and Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry Highlanders (Cornwall, ON).

The “North Novas” departed for overseas on July 18, 1941, and spent almost three years in the United Kingdom training and supporting British “home defence” efforts. On June 6, 1944, its personnel came ashore in the second wave of D-Day landings. Similar to the Canadian Scottish Regiment, the Nova Scotians advanced a considerable distance inland the following day. Its soldiers reached the village of Authie, approximately 17 kilometers from the beaches, before they encountered stiff resistance and were forced to retreat to Villons-les-Buissons.

At the time of Edison’s arrival, the North Novas were still located in the vicinity of the village. He had requested a transfer partly because two Cook’s Cove acquaintances—Percy Lumsden and George Myers,  his uncle Roland’s nephew—were serving with the unit. When Edison connected with George, he was shocked to learn that his younger brother Wesley had drowned on May 27, 1944, when the lobster boat on which he was working sank in Tracadie Harbour.

Edison was assigned to the unit’s C Company. He saw his first combat with the North Novas on July 8 as the unit secured the villages of Authie and Franqueville on the outskirts of Caen. The engagement proved costly as the unit suffered 53 fatalities and another 88 soldiers wounded during the operation. Personnel subsequently assisted in clearing enemy forces from suburban areas around Caen before retiring from the line for a brief rest.

Ten days later, the North Novas helped 7th Brigade units secure Faubourg de Vaucelles, south of Caen. Sergeant George Myers was among the soldiers reported “missing in action” following the operation. Months passed before his family in Cook’s Cove received word that he had been “killed in action.”

On July 25, the North Novas participated in a large-scale attack on Verrières Ridge, an area of high ground south of Caen. The failed effort proved to be one of the costliest Canadian engagements of the war. The Nova Scotian unit recorded 58 fatalities and another 44 wounded, while approximately 30 of its soldiers were taken prisoner.

Edison came through the July engagements without injury and retired to Cormelles with his comrades for a period of rest and reorganization. At month’s end, a group of 210 much-needed reinforcements arrived in camp. During the month of August, the North Novas participated in two major advances along the Caen - Falaise road as Allied forces attempted to close the “Falaise gap.” While casualties continued throughout both operations, the numbers were significantly lower than the previous month.

By August 20, the North Novas had reached Trun, close to the location where the remnants of the German army had escaped before Allied forces closed the Falaise pocket. Three days later, the unit began an advance northward toward the Seine River in a pursuit of retreating enemy forces. Personnel crossed the famous water course near Elbeuf on August 29 and established camp on the outskirts of the city of Rouen, where they remained for several days.

As British and American units veered eastward toward Paris, Canadian forces pushed northward to the French coast for their next assignment—clearing German forces from the “Channel Ports.” After securing Dieppe without a fight, the Canadians moved on to the Boulogne area, where they encountered considerable German resistance. The port was finally secured during a four-day operation that commenced on September 18. The North Novas were actively involved in the fighting, suffering a total of 97 casualties.

While a large Canadian force continued northward toward Calais, the North Novas were assigned the task of capturing several large coastal artillery guns located at Cap Gris-Nez, north of Boulogne. The operation commenced on September 28 and stretched into the following day, resulting in another 25 casualties. The North Novas and their 9th Brigade mates then headed northeast, crossing the border into Belgium and establishing camp in Desteldonk, five kilometers northeast of Ghent, on October 3.

While Allied forces had successfully secured the city of Antwerp, Belgium, in early September, German forces still controlled the northern and southern banks of the West Scheldt, a water passage that connected the large port to the North Sea. Securing access through the inlet would allow Allied forces to use its facilities as a much more efficient supply line for units deployed in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Allied military commanders divided the task into two separate campaigns, both of which involved Canadian formations. The North Novas’ 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and part of the 4th Canadian Armoured Brigade received orders to clear the “Breskens pocket,” a large section of Belgian and Dutch territory northeast of Brugge, Belgium. Named for a town on the West Scheldt’s southern bank, the German-occupied area stretched from Zeebrugge, Belgium, in the west to Braakman Inlet in the east.

While the 3rd Canadian Division focused on the Breskens pocket, the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division and the remainder of the 4th Canadian Armoured Division would secure the South Beveland peninsula and the island of Walcheren, located along the West Scheldt’s northern bank. 4th Canadian Armoured units would  cover the 2nd Division’s eastern flank while its infantry brigades first concentrated on securing the isthmus leading to the peninsula.

The Battle of the Scheldt commenced on October 6, 1944, as soldiers from the 3rd Division’s 7th Brigade crossed the Leopold Canal north of Maldegem, Belgium. Simultaneously, units from the 2nd Division’s 4th and 5th Brigades began an advance northward from the outskirts of Antwerp, with the objective to securing the isthmus leading to South Beveland. While the 7th Brigade managed to establish a small bridgehead on the Leopold Canal’s northern side, its units were unable to advance further inland. Within days, the focus shifted to an impending 9th Brigade assignment.

While their Canadian comrades commenced the  Scheldt offensives in other locations, the North Novas and their 9th Brigade comrades prepared to launch an amphibious landing across the mouth of the Braakman Inlet, north of Ghent. A canal leading to Terneuzen, the assignment’s departure point, was located near Desteldonk. The 9th Brigade would be transported to the location and across the inlet in newly acquired British amphibious LVTs—“landing vehicle tracked”—known as “Buffaloes.”

Each LTV had sufficient room for one platoon of soldiers. As a significant number of 9th Brigade soldiers had not participated in the D-Day landings, a flotilla of Buffaloes gathered in the canal before the operation. Non-commissioned officers (NCOs) received a tour of the vehicles on October 6 and trained their men in the process of loading and unloading the following day. The North Novas’ war diary commented, “The men [were] rather impressed with what [the Buffaloes] will do.”

On October 7, the three 9th Brigade units assembled along the canal late in the day and boarded their assigned landing crafts. At 1930 hours, the flotilla proceeded northward toward Terneuzen. A series of obstacles in the water course caused delays, particularly near Terneuzen, where a sabotaged lock required the vehicles to climb out of the canal onto land and re-enter the water on the other side.

As a result, the operation, originally scheduled for early morning October 8, was postponed for 24 hours. The 9th Brigade spent the day “getting… straightened around ready to make another start tonight.” Several vehicles stranded atop obstacles were freed and the North Novas’ Buffaloes “proceeded to the point where the rest of the vehicles were in the harbour.”

At 2240 hours October 8, the column of Buffaloes made its way into Terneuzen harbour. Once assembled, the vehicles departed shortly after midnight for their destination—two beaches on the western side of Braakman Inlet. The North Novas’ war diary described the journey as “rather cold and eerie” as the LVTs made their way toward a landing area several kilometers east of the village of Hoofdplaat.

Supporting artillery marked the two landing areas with red flares as the North Novas and their Highland Light Infantry (HLI) comrades prepared to land on their respective beaches. Shortly after 0200 hours October 9, the Nova Scotians came ashore on Green Beach, closer to Hoofdplaat. German forces in the area were completely taken by surprise and offered no resistance. As HLI soldiers landed on Amber Beach on the North Nova’s left flank, they were met with small arms fire but were soon safely ashore.

According to the North Novas’ war diary, “the beach was a hive of industry, the great motors roaring and those huge amphibious monsters crawling like great reptiles from the sea, out over the dyke [while] spitting flame from their exhausts.” All was quiet while the soldiers established a defensive perimeter, but enemy artillery shells soon struck the area and German soldiers launched several small counter-attacks on the unit’s positions later in the morning. The unit war diary commented, “Companies are well dug in but shelling fairly heavy. The beach is getting quite a pasting.”

A firm beach-head having been established, the 9th Brigade’s third unit, the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders—known as “the Glens”— were soon ashore, along with machine gun and mortar support units. By dawn, German guns on the West Scheldt’s northern bank soon targeted the entire area with artillery fire that continued throughout the day. While the Glens advanced westward toward the village of Hoofdplaat, their two Brigade comrades began to push inland in a southward direction.

The battlefield over which the invading force began its advance was unlike any other the soldiers would encounter during their service in Western Europe. Dykes criss-crossed the entire landscape, dividing the flat, reclaimed land into fields called “polders.” With the exception of farm buildings built adjacent to the dykes, there was no shelter for advancing infantry. The ground was so saturated that shallow slit trenches normally dug for protection quickly filled with water.

Any advance required the soldiers to clear the entire perimeter of each rectangular polder before moving on to the next field. The process was slow, one Company advancing a short distance and establishing a defensive position, a second Company then passing through its line. This “leap-frog” pattern continued throughout the offensive. To make matters worse, the entire campaign was fought in cold, wet weather that created very uncomfortable conditions.

Enemy forces concentrated their defensive positions in the corners of each dyke and at strategic crossroads where dykes intersected. The only available roads ran atop the dykes, exposed to enemy fire and strewn with land mines. While the landscape was not suited for “all-out” tank warfare, M-10s—self-propelled, tracked, three inch guns—and “Wasps”—tracked carriers armed with flame throwers—were eventually used in support of infantry attacks.

The North Novas’ first objective was the village of Drievegen, the first “outer bastion” of the Breskens defences, located approximately five kilometers from the beach. Attempts to move inland on the first day were largely unsuccessful. A second advance launched at dawn October 10 made some headway but progress was slow. By the morning of October 13, the unit had reached the outskirts of Drievegen and managed to secure what had become a “heap of rubble” before day’s end.

The advance continued, moving from one farm to another, systematically clearing each polder before moving on to the next. On October 14, the unit’s HLI comrades relieved the North Novas, allowing the weary soldiers to retire to an area behind Hoofdplaat for a good meal and few hours’ rest. During the day, the arrival of four M-10s bolstered the unit’s available weaponry, the first armoured vehicles to land in the beach-head. The soldiers returned to the line before day’s end, their push inland benefiting from the newly arrived armour.

The following day, the advance resumed in damp, cool conditions. A small party of reinforcements bolstered the unit’s ranks as the North Novas made gradual progress. The leap-frog pattern continued into October 16, 1944, A and D Companies leading the attack down opposite sides of a polder. While B Company successfully passed through its comrades, C—Edison’s Company—was forced back by a well-fortified position in its first attempt to advance. A second attempt almost succeeded when machine gun fire forced the soldiers to retreat once more.

Officers then organized a third attack with support from mortars and the flame-throwing Wasps. German soldiers were dug in beneath piles of hay piled atop a dyke to dry. The Wasps moved forward and hit each pile, creating a row of fire that forced enemy personnel to abandon the positions. C Company’s Lieutenant George A. Gibson then quickly advanced with his platoon to round up the German soldiers as they surrendered.

During the process, a quick burst of machine gun fire from a position approximately 1,000 meters away struck and killed Lt. Gibson. The remainder of C Company moved forward and established a defensive perimeter at the troublesome corner before pushing toward its final objective, a nearby crossroads. The soldiers were quickly pinned down by the same machine gun fire that had struck their Lieutenant.

The Highland Light Infantry, located in positions on the North Novas’ flank, called in artillery support and pushed its M-10s forward to assist. C Company then rushed the crossroads, overcoming its occupants and consolidating the position.

The day’s fighting proved costly. Besides Lt. Gibson, one non-commissioned officer and seven “other ranks” (OR) were killed. Private Edison Reynold Smith was one of the day’s fatalities, killed during C Company’s difficult advance. A later letter to his aunt Elsie, written by his Company’s second-in-command, described the circumstances in which he died:

“…the Company was leading the battalion in an attack along a stubbornly defended dyke. The going was slow and difficult but owing to the courage and determination of your nephew and his pals, the position was eventually taken. It was after we had reached our first objective and your nephew was bringing in some prisoners, that a burst of machine-gun fire from another direction hit him and instantly killed him. The same burst of fire killed his platoon officer [Lt. Gibson] and another one of his pals who were with him.”

Edison and his fallen comrades were buried in a temporary cemetery near Hoofdplaat, Netherlands. On October 30, unaware that Edison’s next of kin had died in late May 1944, military authorities send a telegram to his younger brother Wesley, informing him of his sibling’s death.

By November 1, Canadian units had cleared enemy forces from the entire Breskens pocket. Three days later, the North Novas moved out to Ghent, having recorded a total of 31 soldiers killed and another 95 wounded during the campaign.

On June 13, 1945, Private Edison Smith’s remains were re-interred in Adegem Military Cemetery, Adegem, Belgium. Edison’s aunt Elsie (Smith) Myers passed away in Guysborough Memorial Hospital, Guysborough, on July 3, 1956, and was laid to rest in Evergreen Cemetery, Guysborough. Her husband Roland died in Weir’s Nursing Home, Salmon River, Colchester County, on September 2, 1967, and was buried beside her.

Both of Edison’s remaining siblings married and settled in Nova Scotia. Sarah May Smith married Cameron Scott Williams, son of Howard and Emma (Chisholm) Williams, Antigonish, in Halifax on January 15, 1941. Scott was an electrical engineer and Army Officer at the time of the ceremony, while Sarah was employed as a school teacher. The couple were living in Port Shoreham, Guysborough County, at the time of Edison’s death.

After the war, Edison’s sister Dorothy “Dot” married Elliott Stephen Morrow, son of Benjamin and Carrie (Myers) Morrow, Boylston, in New Glasgow on April 15, 1948. Dorothy was employed as a Registered Nurse, while Elliott was working as a “sawyer” at a local lumber mill at the time of their marriage, which took place in New Glasgow.

Photograph of Private Edison Reynolds Smith courtesy of Lisa (Morrow) De Coste, Tracadie, NS. Details on the circumstances of Private Smith's death obtained from Pieter and Daria Valkenburg's "On the War Memorial Trail" blog, which contains excerpts from letters written to the Smith family during Edison's time overseas. The information is available in two separate posts—Part I and Part II.

Private Norwood Kitchener Leslie—Killed in Action October 13, 1944

Norwood Kitchener Leslie was born in Sherbrooke, Guysborough County, on November 10, 1914. Kitchener’s parents were John Wilbur Leslie and Beatrice Alexandra “Beatty” Suttis, daughter of John H. and Martha Agnes (Murdoch) Suttis, Stillwater. John Wilbur’s family roots are less clear. According to the couple’s  marriage record, he was the son of John Leslie and Kate McFarland. No documentation of John and Kate’s marriage can be located in available documents.

Norwood Kitchener Leslie in civilian life

 

At the time of the 1891 Canadian census, “John W. Leslie,” age 16, was living in Sherbrooke, as the “adopted son” of Allan McQuarrie, age 61, farmer, and his wife Margaret, age 55. Earlier census entries identified Allan’s occupations as “trader” and “livery stable,” suggesting he operated a local business. The 1901 census identifies “John W. Leslie,” age 25, “druggist,” as a “lodger,” still residing with Allan and Margaret. A comment in the census form’s “Note” section states that Allan was “blind.”

The circumstances of John Wilbur and Beatrice’s marriage are also peculiar. 1902 Port of Boston passenger manifests indicate that 19-year-old  Beatrice arrived in the Massachusetts city aboard the vessel Boston on April 24, 1902. One week later, John Wilbur landed in the same port aboard the vessel Halifax. The couple were living at addresses in close proximity on Staniford St., Boston, when they married on June 4, 1902.

It is not clear whether John Wilbur and Beatrice had travelled to Boston with the intention of permanently residing there or only to marry. Whatever the case, their first child, John Douglas, was born in Sherbrooke, NS, on February 6, 1903. The birth registry describes John Wilbur’s occupation at the time as “merchant” and lists his birthplace as Oxford, NS. Other documents from subsequent years identify his place of birth as Pugwash, Pictou, Sherbrooke and Goldenville.

By the time of the 1911 Canadian census, four more children were part of the Leslie’s Sherbrooke household—Margaret Agnes (DOB May 4, 1904); Catherine Augusta “Kitty” (DOB September 25, 1905); Robert Laird “Buster” (DOB April 21, 1907); and James Murdoch (DOB August 30, 1910). Over the next decade, Beatrice gave birth to another five children—twins Olaf and Elizabeth (DOB April 5, 1913); Eric Raymond (DOB April 14, 1914); Norwood Kitchener; George Logan (DOB July 25, 1917); and Wilbur Claire (DOB October 14, 1920). The youngest Leslie child, “Hugh Allan “Buddy,” was born around 1923.

Kitchener attended public school in Sherbrooke. According to his military service file, he left at age 14 after completing Grade 9. For four years, he worked as a stevedore at an unspecified location—possibly Halifax— before heading to Timmins, Ontario, around 1934. For nine years prior to his enlistment, Kitchener was employed as a machine operator in the MacIntyre and Venture hard rock mines.

During his time in Timmins, Kitchener met Mary Alice Nowland, a native of Pokemouche, New Brunswick. Alice had married Joseph Adelard Salvail in May 1929 and subsequently gave birth to three children. According to a later statement in Kitchener’s service file, he made Alice’s acquaintance in early 1938. Kitchener claimed that she had left her husband “on grounds of adultery” and that he was her sole support for 15 months before the couple entered into a common law relationship.

On July 16, 1942, Kitchener enlisted with the Canadian Active Service Force at Timmins. His attestation papers identify his common law wife, “Mrs. Alice Leslie,” Mattagami Heights, Timmins, as his next of kin. At month’s end, Kitchener headed to No. 26 Basic Training Centre, Orillia, ON, for infantry instruction and remained there for the duration of the summer.

In mid-September, Kitchener received five days’ embarkation leave. He returned to Orillia for a brief period before receiving a transfer to the Princess Louise Fusiliers (PLF), a Halifax-based unit, on September 28. According to his military file, Kitchener had requested the assignment, as one of his brothers was serving with the Halifax-based unit. He immediately departed for Debert, NS, where the Fusiliers were encamped.

The PLF departed for overseas on October 26 and disembarked in the United Kingdom nine days later. Kitchener spent the next 10 months training with the unit before a major change in its military assignment resulted in adjustments in its personnel. In early August. the Fusiliers were re-designated the 11th Canadian Infantry Brigade Support Group and attached to the 5th Canadian Armoured Division’s 11th Infantry Brigade.  

Solders selected for service with the re-structured PLF were assigned to one of three machine gun platoons or one of two mortar companies. Approximately 250 of its soldiers were transferred to one of the 11th Infantry Brigade’s three battalions. Kitchener was among the transfers, assigned to the Irish Regiment of Canada on August 20, 1943.

Kitchener spent two weeks with the Irish Regiment before he was reassigned to the 1st Canadian Engineer Reinforcement Unit on September 4. According to information in his service file, he had expressed interest in serving as a “tunneller,” a role in keeping with his mining experience. Throughout the winter of 1943-44, Kitchener completed the required trained for service with the Royal Canadian Corps of Engineers (RCE). On April 13, 1944, he was assigned to No. 11 Field Park Company, RCE.

Each Canadian Infantry Division contained three Field Companies of “sappers” that provided engineering services to its three Brigades. In addition, one Field Park Company transported the required construction and bridging equipment. Kitchener spent six weeks training with No. 11 Field Park Company before he was placed on the RCE’s general reinforcement list in late May 1944.

As Kitchener awaited orders to report to an active RCE unit, broader developments on the battlefield led to significant adjustments in military assignments. By mid-1944, Canadian infantry and armoured units had been fighting in Italy for one year. The Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, and subsequent combat in France significantly increased the need for infantry reinforcements.

On the basis of his previous training, Kitchener was transferred to the Canadian Infantry Corps on August 11, 1944. He crossed the English Channel to a reinforcement camp in France in late September 1944 and was assigned to the Royal Highlanders of Canada (Black Watch) on October 7, 1944.

The Royal Highlanders of Canada traces its origins to the 5th Battalion, Volunteer Militia Rifles of Canada, formed in Montreal, Quebec, on January 31, 1862. At that time, Brtish colonial authorities were concerned about colonial defence as the American Civil War had broken out during 1861. The unit underwent several name changes before it was designated the 5th Regiment, Royal Highlanders of Canada (RHC), on October 1, 1906.

During the First World War, the RHC raised three battalions—13th, 42nd and 73rd—for overseas service.
An unofficial affiliation with the famous Scottish Black Watch Regiment resulted in the phrase “Black Watch” being associated with all three units. On January 1, 1930, the unit officially adopted the title “The Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) of Canada,” which was amended to “The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada” in 1935.

On September 1, 1939, the regiment mobilized its 1st Battalion for overseas service. The unit served in Newfoundland for six weeks before departing for overseas on August 25, 1940. Upon arriving in the United Kingdom, the unit was assigned to the 2nd Canadian Division’s 5th Infantry Brigade. While the unit spent most of the next four years training, three Black Watch platoons participated in the ill-fated Dieppe Raid (August 16, 1942), but suffered only minor casualties.

The entire 1st Battalion, Black Watch of Canada, landed in Normandy, France, with the 2nd Canadian Division on July 6, 1944. The unit suffered its first major losses during the Canadian attack on Verrières Ridge, south of Caen. Of the 325 soldiers who advanced up the ridge on July 25, 1944, only 15 survived the day without injury. The remainder were either killed or wounded during the unsuccessful engagement. After rebuilding its ranks, the unit participated in the remainder of the Normandy campaign and the subsequent clearing of the Channel Ports along the French coast.

By early October 1944, Canadian units found themselves in Belgium, preparing for their next major assignment. While Allied forces had successfully captured the Belgian port of Antwerp, German forces controlled the northern and southern banks of the West Scheldt, the water passage that connected the port to the North Sea. Securing access to Antwerp would allow Allied forces to use its facilities as a much more efficient supply line for units deployed in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Allied commanders assigned the task of securing the West Scheldt estuary into two separate campaigns and assigned the task to several Canadian formations. The 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and elements of the 4th Canadian Armoured Division received orders to clear the “Breskens pocket,” a large area of Belgian and Dutch territory northeast of Brugge, Belgium, named for a town on the West Scheldt’s southern bank. The German-occupied area stretched from Zeebrugge, Belgium, in the west to Braakman Inlet in the east.

While the 3rd Canadian Division cleared German personnel from the Breskens pocket, the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division and the remaining 4th Canadian Armoured Division units received orders to secure the South Beveland peninsula and the island of Walcheren, located along the West Scheldt’s northern banks. The Black Watch’s 5th Brigade, which also included Les Fusiliers Mont Royal and Le Régiment de Maisonneuve, two other Montreal-based units, would play a significant role in securing the isthmus leading to the peninsula.

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

The Battle of the Scheldt commenced on October 2, 1944. While 3rd Division units began their push into the Breskens pocket, 2nd Division battalions advanced northward from the Antwerp area, with the initial goal of cutting off any exit from South Beveland. The soldiers encountered stubborn resistance, but made steady progress toward their first objective—the town of Woensdreht, directly east of the isthmus leading to South Beveland.

By October 6, the town was within striking distance, only five kilometers away. Securing it, however, turned into a costly operation that required more than a week of hard fighting. The initial attack plan called for the Black Watch’s 5th Brigade to pass through the 4th Brigade’s lines, which stretched from Ossendrecht to the Antwerp - Bergen highway. While 5th Brigade units advanced up the main road to Korteven, beyond Woensdrecht, the 6th Brigade would move forward on its right flank.

The operation commenced on October 7, the 6th Brigade’s Calgary Highlanders attacking on the left while the 5th Brigade’s Maisonneuve Regiment moved forward on the right. While the Highlanders managed to reach Hoogerheide, Netherlands, less than two kilometers from Woensdrecht, the Maisonneuves could advance no further than a location southwest of Huijbergen, six kilometers east of the main objective.

 During the morning of October 8, the Black Watch passed through the Calgary Highlanders’ line and advanced toward Korteven. The attack quickly met stiff resistance that pushed the attackers back to their starting positions. During the day, local Dutch citizens and aerial reconnaissance reported the presence of a large German force, equipped with field guns and tanks, gathered in a wooded area between Lorteven and Bergen-Op-Zoom to the north of Woensdrecht.

Anticipating a major counter-attack, officers immediately ordered all 2nd Division units to establish defensive positions. The German offensive commenced during the night of October 8 and lasted into the following day. The Calgary Highlanders, deployed near Hoogerheide, were hardest hit as the German manoeuvre temporarily secured the Woensdrecht and the adjacent isthmus.

The Black Watch’s war diary observed that the attacking forces were “definitely the cream of the crop…. They range in age from 20 to 26 years, are fine physical specimens, keen to fight and with excellent morale.” The assessment reflected the challenge that lay ahead.

Heavy enemy mortar and artillery fire continued into October 10 as the Black Watch was relieved around mid-day and retired to re-organize its ranks. That same day, the 4th Brigade’s Royal Regiment of Canada (RRC) crossed a wet polder—an area of reclaimed lowland protected by dykes— south and west of Woensdrecht and reached the southern side of a railway embankment. The advance placed the unit’s soldiers close to a location where the rail line crossed the narrowest part of the South Beveland isthmus.

While the RRC’s advance severely restricted the main German route into South Beveland, it did not sever it completely. The following day, its soldiers launched an afternoon attempt to close the isthmus but were driven back after suffering heavy losses. Despite a series of German counter-attacks, the unit held its ground, setting the stage for a second attempt to secure the strategic location.

Meanwhile, the Black Watch’s soldiers “had their first full night’s sleep in four nights and felt and looked much better for it.” The unit’s war diary reported the arrival of “104 OR [other ranks] for replacements” since October 6. Private Norwood Kitchener Leslie was one of the new arrivals, all of whom found themselves thrust into a precarious situation.

On October 12, the Black Watch completed its re-organization and re-equipped its personnel in preparation for their next assignment. Before day’s end, the 5th Brigade received orders to “seal off the isthmus of South Beveland from the mainland, and to enlarge present gains.” The assignment, given the codename Operation Angus, was slated to commence the following morning.

The RHC was instructed to pass through the Royal Regiment of Canada’s lines and seize several objectives along the railway embankment, as far as the Woensdrecht Station, west of Korteven. Opposite the RRC’s positions, German soldiers were securely “dug in” along and beyond the embankment. In the words of military historian C. P. Stacey, the attack that unfolded the following morning quickly became “a day of bloody fighting and failure.”

Operation Angus commenced at 0615 hours Friday, October 13, 1944, the Black Watch’s B and C Companies moved forward with the support of heavy artillery and mortar fire. The soldiers passed through the RRC’s line along dykes, their start line “approximately 1200 yards short of cutting off the causeway completely.” C Company immediately encountered fierce opposition, while B Company was “heavily mortared.” Both Company commanders were wounded early in the attack.

By 0730 hours, the first casualties “started to come back.” While the Black Watch war diary reported that “the battle was progressing slowly in the face of a very heavy opposition,” the lead companies were soon “pinned down again by mortar fire.” By 0850 hours, B and C Companies were back at the start line, having taken heavy casualties.

Around mid-day, air support in the form of 12 Spitfires engaged German positions. By that time, 25 Black Watch casualties had been evacuated for treatment while many more remained on the battlefield, impossible to extract. Fighter aircraft engaged enemy positions again at 1430 and 1500 hours as the battalion’s officers met to organize a second attack.

At 1700 hours, A and D Companies moved forward, under cover of heavy machine gun and artillery fire. Several tanks and flame throwers accompanied the attacking force. Enemy soldiers once again held their ground as both Company commanders were wounded and evacuated for treatment. A Company in particular suffered heavy losses.

Exchanges of fire continued throughout the evening. In the early hours of October 14, activity on both sides “quietened down” as Black Watch personnel searched the area for wounded comrades. At 0100 hours October 14, Brigade command issued orders for a complete withdrawal. “The weary and nearly exhausted men rode back in carriers and jeeps to the positions they had left barely 24 hours earlier, though to them it had seemed days.” By first light, all wounded personnel had been evacuated for treatment.

According to the Black Watch war diary, the unit lost a total of 183 men during the October 13 attack. Initial reports listed three “other ranks” (OR) killed, three officers and 91 OR wounded, and three officers and 84 OR missing. Many of the latter group were later deemed “killed in action.” Military historian C. P. Stacey’s comprehensive volume on the Second World War states that the battalion lost a total of 145 men—56 killed or died of wound, 62 wounded, and 27 taken prisoner—during the failed attack.

In the annals of the Black Watch, the October 13, 1944 engagement became known as “Black Friday,” the second worst day of its Second World War service. The regiment was reduced to a total of 379 men all ranks, only 159 of whom had three months of infantry training. Regardless, its soldiers continued to fight throughout the remainder of the West Scheldt campaign.

In the early hours of October 16, Canadian forces launched a second attack on the embankment. With the assistance of heavy artillery and tank support, the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry secured Woensdrecht by nightfall. Nine days later, the advance into South Beveland commenced. It required another two weeks of hard fighting for Canadian units to secure the peninsula and adjacent island of Walcheren by November 8.

In the aftermath of the unsuccessful October 13, 1944 attack, Private Norwood Kitchener Leslie was initially reported missing. His common-law wife Alice received notice of the situation from military officials. Alice passed the information on to Kitchener’s father John Wilbur, who wrote to Colonel J. L. Ralston, Minister of National Defence, on October 30, seeking information on his son’s fate. John Wilbur had received a letter from Kitchener dated October 11, and was aware that he was serving in Belgium with the Black Watch but had heard nothing since that time.

Following the Allied advance into South Beveland, the remains of many missing soldiers were located. According to Commonwealth War Graves Commission records, Kitchener’s body was interred in Ossendrecht Civil Cemetery, Ossendrecht, Netherlands, on October 27. An Official Canadian Army Overseas Casualty Notification form was completed on November 4.

Two days later, a letter to Kitchener’s mother Beatrice informed her of Kitchener’s death: “It is presumed that in the confusion that must prevail in the battle area, your son became missing and on further investigation of the field his body was located and he was officially reported as killed in action.” Kitchener’s common-law wife Alice received the same news from military authorities.

On May 16, 1945, Kitchener’s remains were re-interred in Bergen-Op-Zoom Canadian Military Cemetery, Bergen-Op-Zoom, Netherlands. His common-law partner Alice passed away in Timmins, ON, on November 21, 1958. Only 45 years old at the time of her death, she was laid to rest in Timmins Memorial Cemetery.

Kitchener’s father John Wilbur died in Sherbrooke on December 17, 1954, and was interred in Riverside Cemetery, Sherbrooke. His widow Beatrice passed away in Sherbrooke on September 26, 1979, and was laid to rest beside him.

According to a November 11, 1944 letter Beatrice wrote to the Director of Records, Department of National Defence, three of Kitchener’s brothers enlisted with various units during the Second World War. Hugh Allan “Buddy,” his youngest brother, served overseas as a Driver with the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps for three years. He was then transferred to the West Nova Scotia Regiment and departed for Italy as an infantry reinforcement. George Logan, the second youngest of the Leslie boys, served with the Royal Canadian Air Force for four years and was “an Instructor in Wireless at No. 2 ITS [Initial Training School], Regina” at the time of Kitchener’s death.

John Douglas, Kitchener’s oldest brother, was living in Hamilton, ON, when he crossed the United States border at Buffalo, NY., on January 11, 1927, and was “admitted for permanent residence.” He settled in Meriden, north of New Haven, Connecticut, where was employed as a furniture salesman at the time of the 1930 US census.

On November 10, 1939, John Douglas married Louise Marie Hill in Meriden. Their son Ernest Garry—the couple’s only child—was born in 1939. Following the United States’ entrance into the Second World War, John Douglas registered for the United States military draft at Meriden on February 15, 1942. At the time, he was employed by the International Silver Company.

According to his mother Beatrice’s letter, John Douglas Leslie served with the United States Air Force during the war. The exact nature of his service is not known. John Douglas died in Florida in 1968 and was interred in Walnut Grove Cemetery, Meriden, Connecticut.

Photograph of Norris Kitchener Leslie courtesy of Kathryn Leslie, Dartmouth, NS.

Private Lawrence Patrick "Pat" MacPherson—Died of Sickness October 5, 1944

 Lawrence Patrick “Pat” MacPherson was born in St. Martha’s Hospital, Antigonish, NS, on November 18, 1919. Pat’s father Alexander was the son of William and Isabel MacPherson, Riverside, Guysborough County, while his mother Isabella was the daughter of David and Margaret (Marr) O’Connor, Guysborough Intervale.

Private Lawrence Patrick MacPherson

Alex and Isabella married in Guysborough Intervale on April 15, 1901. Their first child, Eunice Margaret, was born in their North Riverside home in June 1901, while a second daughter, Helena Elizabeth, arrived on May 29, 1907. A son David Alexander joined the family in May 1910. By the time of the 1921 Canadian census, another four children were part of the MacPherson household—Mary Alice (YOB c. 1914); James Bernard (DOB May 13, 1917); Lawrence Patrick (DOB November 18, 1919); and Jerome Joseph (DOB December 9, 1920). Alex and Isabella’s youngest child, John Tompkins, was born around 1924.

Pat attended the local public school for seven years. After completing Grade VII, he left school to drive a truck for one of his older brothers, who had to restrict his activities due to illness. Only 14 years old at the time, Pat hauled lumber to Antigonish on a two-ton truck for several years and also worked on the family farm. Around 1938, he went to work as a truck driver for Brookfield Construction, Halifax, and was employed there at the time of his military enlistment.

On April 14, 1941, Pat married Florence Mary Hall, daughter of Howard and Catherine (Flavin) Hall, Boylston, in a ceremony took place in St. Mary’s Cathedral, Halifax. According to the marriage license, Pat was residing in the city at the time, while 20-year-old Florence was living at home. Three days later, Pat enlisted with the Canadian militia at New Glasgow, NS, under the terms of the National Resources Mobilization Act (NRMA).

The proximity of the two events suggests that Pat had been “called up” for military training under the terms of the NRMA and decided to marry prior to commencing military service. Over the next two months, he completed basic infantry training in New Glasgow and proceeded to Camp Aldershot for advanced instruction in late June. On August 28, he was assigned to the Halifax Rifles and reported to Mulgrave, NS, for duty.

After spending one month in the Canso Strait area, Pat enlisted with the Canadian Active Service Force on September 27, 1941. The second attestation meant that he was eligible for overseas service. Pat served in the Mulgrave and Sydney areas for the next seven months. During that time, he was hospitalized for treatment of tonsillitis, military surgeons performing a tonsillectomy in late January 1942. He also qualified as a Driver (Internal Combustion) Class III (Motor Transport) in early April 1942.

Later that same month, Pat relocated to Camp Borden, ON, for training. During his time there, he spent five days in hospital for treatment of functional dyspepsia, a chronic gastrointestinal disorder that causes upset stomach or upper abdominal discomfort.

Pat’s move to Ontario was the result of a significant change in the Halifax Rifles’ military assignment. On May 26, 1942, the unit was re-designated the 23rd Army Tank Battalion (Halifax Rifles) and commenced the transition to an armoured unit. One week later, Pat was formally transferred to the Canadian Armoured Corps’ 2nd Reinforcement Battalion and attached to the Corps’ Advanced Training Centre, Camp Borden, for duty. Granted leave in late July, he headed to Nova Scotia for a brief visit before returning to duty.

During the autumn of 1942, Pat’s father Alexander fell ill. Previously diagnosed with prostate cancer, he developed a kidney infection and was under doctor’s care for several months. On October 26, Pat was granted a two-week furlough, suggesting that he returned home to visit his ailing father. Alexander passed away at home in North Riverside on November 2, 1942, and was interred in St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cemetery, Guysborough Intervale.

One week after his father’s death, Pat returned to Ontario. In late January 1943, he was “absorbed” into the Advanced Training Centre’s Home War Establishment, suggesting he was destined to serve in Canada only. On April 1, he was transferred to No. 2 Transit Camp, Owen Sound, ON. In mid-May, he received two weeks’ leave and returned home to meet his new-born son, Alexander James, who was born in Antigonish on April 24, 1943.

While Pat’s former Halifax Rifles comrades departed for overseas in mid-June 1943, he spent the summer months in Ontario. On August 9, he was transferred to No. 2 District Depot, Toronto, a posting that indicates he had been selected for overseas infantry service. At month’s end, he departed for No. 1 Transit Camp, Windsor, NS. On September 13, he left for overseas and set foot in the United Kingdom six days later.

Upon arriving in the UK, Pat was immediately assigned to No. 7 Canadian Infantry Reinforcement Unit (CIRU). He spent the autumn and winter of 1943-44 in England, qualifying as a Motorcycle Driver in mid-February 1944. One month later, he was transferred to No. 4 CIRU, the next step toward service with an active infantry unit.

By the spring of 1944, Canadian personnel had been fighting in Italy for eight months. A steady stream of casualties created a demand for replacements. Pat was assigned to the Mediterranean Force’s reinforcement pool on May 2, 1944, and departed for Italy the same day. Two weeks later, he disembarked in Naples and was immediately placed on the West Nova Scotia Regiment’s reinforcement list.

By coincidence, his younger brother Jerome Joseph “Jerry” had enlisted with the Canadian Army earlier in the war and was serving in Italy with the same unit at that time. Early in his military service, Pat had expressed interest in serving alongside his brother. On May 28, his request was fulfilled when he officially joined the West Novas’ ranks.

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

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

In mid-April 1944, the unit completed its last tour in the Adriatic sector and retired to a nearby rest camp. Over the next several weeks, the 1st Canadian Division made its way westward to an area south of the Liri Valley, where its units prepared for their next combat assignment. German forces had established two major defensive networks—the Gustav Line and the Hitler Line—in the strategic valley, which ran in a northwesterly direction toward Rome. A multinational Allied army was assigned the task of securing the valley, thus opening the pathway to the Italian capital.

Canadian units remained in reserve during the first phase of the campaign. On May 11, British, Italian and Polish forces launched an attack on the Gustav Line, located along the valley’s entrance, and broke through German defences after two hard days of fighting. At mid-month, the West Novas and other Canadian battalions entered the line near Pignatoro and pursued enemy forces as they retreated to the Hitler Line.

On May 23, the West Novas and their 11th CIB comrades were among the Canadian units that successfully pierced the Hitler Line’s defences. Two days later, the West Novas crossed the Melfa River as Allied forces pursued retreating enemy soldiers toward Rome. On May 26, the unit set up camp near Pontecorvo, having suffered 48 fatalities during its 10-day Liri Valley combat tour.

Private Lawrence Patrick MacPherson was part of a group of 91 “other rank” reinforcements that arrived in the West Novas’ camp on the evening of May 28, 1944. Three days later, the unit relocated to a camp in the Pofi region, along the banks of the Sacco River. On June 4, British and American forces liberated the Italian capital of Rome. Two days later, news of the Allied landings in Normandy raised hopes that an end to the war might be on the horizon.

On June 9, the entire 1st Canadian Division relocated to camps near the town of Piedimonte d’ Alife in the Volturno valley for an extended period of rest and training. Within one week of arriving in the area, Pat fell ill and was admitted to No. 9 Canadian Field Ambulance on June 15. Transferred to a second field ambulance the same day, he was evacuated to a casualty clearing station on June 22 and admitted to No. 15 Canadian General Hospital, Caserta, the following day.

Pat spent almost three weeks in hospital before military authorities sent a telegram to his wife Florence. Dated July 12, 1944, the message stated that Pat “had been officially reported seriously ill[,] diagnosis suffering from staphylococcal septicaemia,” a life-threatening infection that occurs when staph bacteria enters the bloodstream. Documents in Pat’s service file provide no information on how he may have developed this condition.

Three days after receiving the news, Florence wrote a brief letter to military authorities, stating that she had been in touch with her husband since his hospitalization: “I have had letters from him since he took sick. The last one [was written] June 30 and he did seem to be improving by his letters. Did my husband’s condition get worse after that time?”

Military authorities responded to Florence’s letter in a telegram dated August 1, 1944:

“Your husband… was first reported seriously ill on the 8th of July, 1944, which would be just over a week after his last letter to you. We have no additional information from the Overeas authorities… but in order that you may be kept constantly informed, we are today despatching a cable requesting further information.”

Florence subsequently received regular updates on Pat’s condition via telegram. An August 5 message stated that he was “still seriously ill[,] condition unchanged.” A second despatch three days later reported that while he was “still seriously ill,” his condition was “improving.” More than a month passed before a September 10 telegram informed Florence that Pat was now “officially reported dangerously ill.” Two messages sent later in the month indicated no change in his condition.

Private Lawrence Patrick MacPherson died of sickness in hospital on October 5, 1944. A post-mortem examination identified the cause of death as “multiple amoebic liver abscesses”—collections of pus in his liver—that develop in response to an intestinal parasite called “entamoeba histolytic.” The most common means of acquiring the parasite is through consumption of “fecally contaminated food or water.” Symptoms develop within two to four weeks, indicating that the infection had occurred in Italy. Dysentery, diarreah a variety of other health issues related to unsanitary conditions were common among soldiers who served in Italy.

On October 8, Florence received a telegram from the Department of National Defence (DND), informing her that her husband “has now been officially reported died fifth October 1944.”  Pat was interred in the British Allied Cemetery, Caserta, Italy, three days after his death. The graveyard was later renamed Caserta Military Cemetery, one of many in Italy placed under the authority of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission after the end of hostilities.
 
Pat’s older brother Jerome Joseph “Jerry” completed his overseas service in Italy and Western Europe without injury. Upon returning home, he wrote to DND officials on February 20, 1946:

“I have just returned from overseas having been with my brother in Italy while serving with the West Nova Scotia Regiment [and] would like to know where his body is buried at the present and if it has been moved…. I am also quite interested in knowing if it is possible to get a map of the country in which he is buried.”

Military authorities quickly responded to Jerry’s inquiry, stating that Pat was interred in Caserta Military Cemetery, “a recognized military burial ground which will receive care and maintenance in perpetuity. A marked map is enclosed.”

In December 1949, Jerry became a permanent resident of the United States. One of his sisters, Helena Elizabeth, had moved there prior to Pat’s death, married and established residence in Ogden, Pennsylvania. Jerry settled in nearby Upper Chichester Township, where he married Myrtle Elaine Downie in 1956 and raised a family of two daughters. Jerry passed away there on April 2, 1990, and was interred in Lawn Croft Cemetery and Mausoleum, Linwood, PA.

Pat’s oldest brother David Alexander was also serving overseas with the Canadian army at the time of his death. No details are available on his service. Prior to enlisting, David married Margaret Elizabeth Ferguson, daughter of Samuel and Sara (Leet) Ferguson, North Riverside, Guysborough County, on September 2, 1940. David was working as a deck hand on the SS Harold, a Maritime Towing Company vessel, at the time of his marriage.

After returning from overseas, David was employed at Canada Post. He and Margaret raised a family of three children—one daughter and two sons—in their Halifax home. David passed away in Victoria General Hospital, Halifax, on January 11, 1987, and was laid to rest in Fairview Cemetery.

Pat’s mother Isabel MacPherson passed away on April 15, 1975, and was interred in St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cemetery beside her husband Alexander. Pat’s widow Florence married Victor Tompkins Shea, son of Patrick and Eva Johanna (Bates) Shea, Guysborough, on November 25, 1946. Victor had served overseas with the North Nova Scotia Highlanders and was wounded in the Netherlands during the later months of the war.

Victor and Florence resided in Guysborough for a period to time, as Victor was employed at the Dickie’s Brook power plant. Work later took the couple to Head of St. Margaret’s Bay, Halifax County, where Victor worked in a nearby power plant. Over the years, Victor and Florence raised a family of six—three boys and three girls—into adulthood, while three other children—a son and two daughters—died in infancy. Florence Hall passed away at Head of St. Margaret’s Bay on February 1, 2006, and was  interred in St. Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church Cemetery, Simms Settlement, Halifax County.

Special thanks to Private Lawrence Patrick MacPherson's son Alex, Halifax, NS, who provided a photograph of Pat and reviewed the MacPherson family information presented in this story.

Lance Corporal Austin Edward Ryan—Accidentally Killed September 30, 1944

According to his military service file, Austin Edward Ryan was born in Mulgrave, Guysborough County, on May 11, 1923. A later letter written to family in Canada while Austin was serving overseas states that he was actually born in 1924. Family descendants also recall stories that he lied about his age at the time of enlistment.

While Austin’s father James Edward Ryan was born in Port Hawkesbury on June 13, 1899, his paternal grandfather Edward—James Edward’s father—was a Mulgrave native. Austin’s mother Florence Eloise was the daughter of William and Sarah (Worth) Cunningham, Havendale, Guysborough County.

James Edward Ryan served overseas with the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) during the First World War. On December 7, 1915, he enlisted with the 106th Battalion (Nova Scotia Rifles) at Antigonish, NS. His attestation papers list his year of birth as 1897, making his apparent age 18. In fact, James was only 16 years old at the time.

Private James Edward Ryan, 106th Battalion (Nova Scotia Rifles)

James crossed the North Atlantic to the United Kingdom with the 106th in mid-July 1916. In the aftermath of significant losses during the CEF’s September and October 1916 service at the Somme, the unit was disbanded and its ranks were redistributed to other infantry battalions. James, however, remained in the UK throughout the winter of 1916-17. Finally, on March 5, 1917, he was assigned to the Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR) and crossed the English Channel to France the following day.

James was two months shy of his 18th birthday when he joined the RCR in the field on April 12, 1917, only days after the battle of Vimy Ridge. He served with the unit at the front for seven months before military authorities discovered his actual age. On November 14, 1917, he was re-assigned to the 4th Canadian Infantry Base Depot, where he remained for 10 months.

On September 8, 1918, 19-year-old James rejoined the RCR’s ranks during a crucial stage of the 100 Days campaign that brought fighting to an end. On October 1, he was exposed to mustard gas on the battlefield and was evacuated to No. 7 Convalescent Camp, where he made a full recovery.

James rejoined the RCR in Belgium on December 11, 1918, and returned to the UK six weeks later. He departed for Canada aboard SS Adriatic on March 1, 1919, and arrived in Halifax after a seven-day voyage. At mid-month, he was officially discharged from military service and returned to the Ryan family home in Mulgrave.

James soon secured employment with the Intercolonial—later Canadian National—Railway, working as a freight porter at the Mulgrave terminal. On August 4, 1920, he married Florence Cunningham in a ceremony that took place in Guysborough. The couple’s first child, Adeline Sarah, was born in Mulgrave on February 22, 1921. A second child, Joseph William “Joe,” joined the family on April 15, 1922. Austin arrived in March 1924, while Louis Anthony, James and Florence’s youngest child, was born around 1930.

Tragedy struck the Ryan family on April 5, 1930, when Florence succumbed to pneumonia at Riverside, Guysborough County, following a brief illness. Almost 30 years old at the time of her passing, she was interred alongside her father and mother in St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cemetery, Guysborough Intervale.

Florence’s untimely death eventually led to the dissolution of the Ryan family unit. According to a June 1945 letter in Austin’s service file written by his foster-mother, Mrs. Johanna MacDonald, North Riverside, James left the youngest, Louis Anthony, in the care of “a Mrs. Ryan down there [Mary Kathleen “Kay” Carter, wife of William Clarence Ryan, Mulgrave],” and took the three older children to Point Tupper. A short time later, he “left the three [older] children at the door of his step-mother-in-law’s” in Havendale.

Florence’s mother Sarah (Worth) Cunningham had passed away in September 1923. The following year, her father William married Bridget Doyle, a native of Glencoe. After William’s death in 1926, Bridget remained in the Cunningham home, where she now assumed responsibility for three young children who were not blood relatives. Bridget took Adeline into her home and arranged for Joe to be placed with Margaret “Maggie” MacDonald, Port Hawkesbury. The local parish priest found a temporary home for Austin.

Around 1933, Mrs. Johanna MacDonald, a North Riverside widow, took Austin into her home as a foster child. A later letter written to military authorities described Austin as “a very delicate child when I took him [in] but [he] grew up to be a strong, hearty boy [who] got over all his sickness and attended school until he was 16 years of age.”

Upon completing Grade VIII, Austin “stayed at home with [Johanna].” From 1939 to 1942, he was employed by Alexander “Sander” MacMullin, Springfield, Antigonish County, as a “woodsman” from the autumn to the spring of the year. During the summer months, he worked on the MacDonald farm. After the outbreak of war overseas, Austin’s older brother Joe enlisted with the Pictou Highlanders. According to Johanna, Joe “always came [to the North Riverside farm] to spend his vacation and made it his home.”

Perhaps inspired by his brother’s example, Austin enlisted with the Canadian Active Service Force at New Glasgow, NS, on July 7, 1942. Ten days later, he departed for No. 62 Training Centre, Charlottetown, PEI, where he received basic infantry instruction. On September 12, Austin was assigned to the Princess Louise Fusiliers (Motor), and joined the unit at Camp Debert, where it was preparing for its overseas departure.

The Princess Louise Fusiliers regiment traces its origins to a Halifax militia unit established by Sir Edward Cornwallis, the city’s founder, on June 18, 1749. Following Confederation, the regiment was officially constituted as the Halifax Battalion of Infantry in November 1869. It was re-named the 66th Battalion “Princess Louise” Fusiliers in November 1879, in honour of Queen Victoria’s daughter, who was also the wife of the Marquess of Lorne, Canada’s Governor-General at the time.

In 1885, soldiers from the Halifax regiment joined an armed force dispatched to Western Canada to deal with the North-West Rebellion. The Fusiliers also provided a Company of soldiers for service with the 2nd (Special Service) Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, during the Boer (South African) War (1899 - 1902).

In May 1900, the unit changed its title to the 66th Regiment “Princess Louise”Fusiliers. During the First World War, it provided soldiers for several locally recruited infantry battalions and was re-designated the Princess Louise Fusiliers (PLF) in 1915.

During the Second World War, the Fusiliers were initially called to duty as a “Motor” battalion. Each Armoured Brigade contained one such unit, so designated because it possessed sufficient motorized transport to accommodate all of its soldiers. While the PLF carried this designation during its training in Canada, the unit’s role changed significantly following its overseas arrival.

Nine days after joining the PLF’s ranks, Austin received four days’ special leave and likely visited Johanna in North Riverside before returning to Debert. On October 26, 1942, he departed for overseas with the unit and disembarked in the United Kingdom nine days later. The PLF trained throughout the winter and spring of 1942-43, in preparation for active duty on the European continent.

When the Allies launched an invasion of Italy—Germany’s Axis ally—in early July 1943, the 1st Canadian Infantry Division was the only Canadian component of the force that landed in Sicily. The invading units fought their way across the island throughout the summer months. During that time, military authorities in the United Kingdom prepared a second Canadian unit—the 5th Canadian Armoured Division—for service in the Mediterranean campaign after the invasion of the Italian mainland.

The preparations led to a significant change in the Princess Louise Fusiliers’ role. On August 12, 1943, the unit was re-designated the 11th Canadian Infantry Brigade Support Group—also described as the 11th Canadian Machine Gun Company (Princess Louise Fusiliers)—and was assigned to the 5th Canadian Armoured Division (5th CAD).

As part of the reorganization, 250 of the unit’s men were transferred to infantry battalions in the 5th CAD’s 11th Canadian Infantry Brigade (11th CIB). The PLF’s remaining personnel were divided into three machine gun platoons, each equipped with four Vickers or Browning heavy machine guns, and two mortar companies, each equipped with four 4.2” heavy mortars mounted on two-wheeled carriages.

Military authorities described the Support Group’s sub-units as “heavy direct-fire support units.” Their role on the battlefield was to provide “fire support” for the 11th CIB’’s three infantry battalions—the Cape Breton Highlanders, the Perth Regiment (Ontario), and the Irish Regiment of Canada (Toronto, ON).

After the restructuring, Austin remained with the PLF, where he was assigned to one of its two mortar companies. The unit trained at Hampden Park, Eastbourne, for seven weeks in preparation for its new role. During that time, Austin found a few minutes to write to his foster-mother Johanna on October 15, 1943:

“I will be over here a year [on] the 5th of November. I hope I won’t be here another year. I’m pretty sure I won’t. I was away for two months. I was out of this country [England] altogether and quite a ways away. I would like to tell you but I can’t…. I guess I will be leaving again pretty soon… so don’t worry if you don’t hear from me for a couple of months. I will be all right. Well, maybe, it’s awful the places a fellow sees in his life. I wish I was back in Canada. I think I am getting a stripe [promotion in rank] pretty soon…. I will write and tell you if I do…. With love from your boy, Austin Ryan.”

One week later, the PLF’s 390 men all ranks travelled to Liverpool by train and boarded SS Monterey the following morning. The vessel left the dock at 0730 hours October 24 and dropped anchor in the mouth of the River Clyde, near Gourock, Scotland, that evening. Over the next several days, numerous vessels gathered in the same location.

The convoy carrying the 5th Canadian Armoured Division departed for the Mediterranean theatre in the early morning hours of October 28 and passed through the Straits of Gibraltar one week later. After a brief stop in Philippeville, Algeria, the Monterey and its convoy compatriots arrived in Naples, Italy, on November 10, 1943.

The PLF’s personnel disembarked in mid-afternoon and marched to Afragola, a suburb on the outskirts of Naples, where the unit resumed training. Personnel broke camp on November 19 and during the next 48 hours made their way to Altamura, approximately 250 kilometers east of Naples. The following day—November 23, 1944—Austin wrote a letter to Johanna, providing an update on his situation:

“I suppose you’ve been wondering why I haven’t written you lately. I have moved from England [and] am down in Italy….The weather is very cold [but] there is no snow over here. I don’t know whether they have snow or not [but] I don’t want to find out either. I got your money… and received [the] cigarettes from you before I left [England]. Thanks a lot for everything.”

For the next two months, the entire 5th CAD trained in the area in preparation for deployment at the front. During that time, Austin sent several more letters home in which he commented on his new circumstances:

“It’s not too bad here but I just as soon… be home…. This Italy is an awful dirty place. There is quite a bit of fruit over here but that’s all. You can’t buy cigarettes at all…. [W]ith all the places I [have seen], there is none like dear old Canada. I was in Scotland, England and Wales. The only place I saw like Canada was Scotland. The Scotch people [are] awful nice. They would give you anything. I guess that’s why you were so good-hearted. Only for you, ma, God only knows where I would be now... because you brought me up and fed me. I can see a lot of things now that you said when I was home that [are] coming [true]. I was in a lot more places but I can’t tell you. I hope I will be able to someday when I return, that’s if I do....Write soon… because this is an awful lonesome place.”

On January 10, 1944, 5th CAD units began the trek northward toward Ortona, an ancient town located on the Adriatic Sea. The PLF’s machine gun platoons and mortar companies were deployed in front line positions by mid-month, in support of the 11th CIB’s battalions. Initial reports indicated that “all [was] quiet in their areas.” While serving in the line north of Ortona, Austin was promoted to the non-commissioned rank of Acting Lance Corporal.

During the month of February 1944, Austin wrote at least four letters to Johanna, describing various aspects of his experiences in Italy. The first letter, dated February 7, 1944, was written “in a slit trench. It isn’t too bad. My two chums and I are asleep under the ground. It is fairly warm. We have a lot of fun talking about home. There is a little snow but not very [much].”

A second letter, written 10 days later, provided more details on Austin’s comrades:

“We are in [sic] the front. There are four of us sleeping in an old house. We have a lot of fun. Two of them are from Cape Breton and one from Halifax. We have fun talking about where we were from and talking about home. I suppose there is a lot of snow around home. Well, there isn’t any here now but lots of mud…. I will drop [you] a line every chance I get and don’t worry about me.”

A third letter, dated February 22, 1944, mentioned recent correspondence with Austin’s sister Adeline, who “told me Joe was coming overseas. I hope he does because he’s been in the Army about four years and hasn’t gone anywhere, so I hope he gets a taste of it too.”

In mid-March 1944, the PLF travelled southward to Casalnuovo Monterotaro, Foggia, for a period of rest and training. During his time there, Austin once again found time to write to Johanna on April 1:

“Well. ma, you told me one time to try and be something. Well, I have made a little start ha ha, but I don’t know how long it’s going to last. I am a Lance Corporal, so the next time you write put that on my letters… It will soon be my birthday. I will be 20, if I remember right….I wrote to you the other day and sent you a picture and also Adeline…. I hope you get them all right…. It will soon be summer here. It’s likely awful hot. I suppose there is a lot of snow around home yet.”

Lance Corporal Austin Edward Ryan in Italy, April 1944

After three weeks in Foggia, Austin and his PFL comrades commenced a three-day trek to Aquafondata, Frosinone, 25 kilometers northeast of Cassino, where they relieved the Northumberland Fusiliers, a British unit, on April 13. Over the next several weeks, Allied forces prepared for their first major combat assignment of the year—an attack on the Gustav and Hitler Lines, two heavily fortified defensive positions located in the strategic Liri Valley.

5th CAD units remained in reserve during the initial phase, which commenced on May 11. During four days of hard fighting, British, Canadian and Polish forces breached the Gustav Line, the 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade providing crucial support to the 1st Canadian Division’s infantry units. Allied forces then pushed northwestward toward the Hitler Line, located in the valley’s northern end.

5th CAD was assigned the task of piercing the Hitler Line, after which its 11th Infantry Brigade was to exploit the breakthrough, with the support of the PLF’s mortar companies and machine gun platoons. As PLF personnel entered the front lines on May 22, its war diary reported the unit’s first combat fatality when enemy artillery fire struck one of its positions.

The attack on the Hitler Line commenced the following day, 1st Canadian Division units breaking through the Hitler Line during two days of combat. The 11th CIB entered the line on May 25, pursuing German forces northwestward as they retreated toward Rome. By month’s end, the Italian capital was within striking distance. During that time, the PLF’s war diary reported another three fatalities, all the result of intense enemy artillery fire.

On the day the PLF entered the line in the Liri Valley, Austin was formally promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal. As other Allied forces liberated the city of Rome on June 4, 5th CAD moved out to a rest area near Ceprano. Two days later, news of the D-Day landings in Normandy generated great excitement among its personnel. At mid-month, the unit relocated to a camp near Caiazzo, Caserta, for a period of rest and training that lasted six weeks.

On August 1, 5th CAD broke camp and headed northward, passing through Rome the following day and moving on to a location south of Perugia. PLF personnel spent several days encamped on a local estate before moving to an area near Trevi for another period of training. The weather was hot and dry, its war diary describing particularly high temperatures at mid-month.

On August 26, 5th CAD units began the trek to a new area along the Adriatic coast. Canadian units there had already crossed the Metauro River in the first stage of a campaign to break through the Gothic Line, another massive German defensive network. The PLF’s mortar companies and machine gun platoons were “up with [the] infantry” as the Division pushed northward, in the wake of attacking Canadian units.

By August 31, the PLF was encamped on a “forward high slope of [a] high feature near Sant’ Angelo [in Vado],” where personnel has a “wonderful view of [the] battle of the Foglia River and Gothic Line. Casualties very slight. Many fires at night from burning houses, tanks, machines, etc.” The unit remained in the location for several days, its mortars “firing past [the] Gothic Line while its machine gun platoons supported 11th CIB units fighting in the valley below.

Canadian units were focused on securing Coriano Ridge, a key area of high ground held in numbers by German forces and blocking the Allied advance. The PLF’s war diary described the situation on September 6 as “very sticky,” German forces inflicting heavy casualties on Canadian infantry units fighting in the “Coriano bowl.” Two days later, the unit reported five casualties—one soldier killed and another four wounded—when its positions were “heavily shelled and mortared.”

The bombardment continued throughout the next several days, reaching a peak on September 10, when two more soldiers were killed and another 10 wounded. Three days later, 11th CIB units finally secured Coriano Ridge during an early morning attack. The following day—September 14—5th CAD retired to a rest camp near San Giovanni after a hard two weeks in the line.

On September 19, news reached the PLF camp that a Greek unit had secured the coastal town of Rimini, while Canadian units had crossed the Bologna - Rimini Road, finally pushing the front line beyond “all mountain barriers leading to the Lombardy Plains” of northern Italy. Four days later, PLF personnel moved out to an area west of Rimini as Canadian units prepared to advance into the historic region of Romagna.

Personnel endured several days of “heavy intermittent shelling” while 11th CIB units awaited orders to relieve the 12th Canadian Infantry Brigade positions across the Uso River. Finally, on September 27, 11th CIB received orders “to form up against [the] Salto [River] preparatory to [a] set piece attack on [the] Divisional axis.” The PLF’s mortar companies were to move forward “when [the] situation permits.”

Two machine gun platoons also stood by, ready to move forward in support of the Cape Breton Highlanders and Perth Regiment. During the day, all three 11th CIB units pushed forward to the banks of the Rubicon River, where they established defensive positions. The PLF received orders to “push [its] platoons forward with [a] view to support [a] crossing of the Rubicone.” By day’s end, however, military commanders cancelled plans for a night-time river crossing. All three 11th CIB units, having already suffered significant casualties during the day’s advance, breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving the news.

11th CIB units and PLF platoons held their positions along the Rubicone during two days of cloudy, wet weather. September 30, 1944, started as a “bright and warm” day with “few clouds.” As 5th CAD units maintained their positions along the Rubicone, the two mortar companies fired into enemy territory across the river. The PLF’s war diary described a tragic incident that occurred during the day: “Lieutenant Bookbinder’s [mortar] platoon had a premature charge blow a barrel, kill[ing] two and wound[ing] three.”

Lance Corporal Austin Edward Ryan was one of the two PLF soldiers killed in the accidental explosion. Austin and his comrade, Sergeant Ross Glendon Turnbull, Digby, NS, were initially buried in Military Cemetery No. 7, San Mauro. On June 5, 1945, their remains were re-interred in Cesena British Military Cemetery, Cesena, Italy.

On October 10, 1944, Austin’s foster-mother Johanna received a telegram from military authorities, informing her that her foster-son had been killed overseas “as a result of an accidental bomb explosion.” Johanna passed away in Sydney, NS, in 1957 and was laid to rest in St. Ann’s Roman Catholic Cemetery, Guysborough. Austin’s father James Edward Ryan died in 1985. No details are available on his later life.

Austin’s older brother Joseph also enlisted with the Canadian Army. Prior to heading overseas, Joe married Roxie Acker, daughter of Ezekiel and Radie (Woodworth) Acker, Lawrencetown, Annapolis County, on June 16, 1942. Joe subsequently served overseas and safely returned home. After his discharge, he worked at the Department of National Defence’s Halifax Dockyard for 35 years.

Joe and Roxie raised a family of four children—two sons and two daughters—in their Dartmouth home. Joe passed away in Camp Hill Veterans’ Memorial Building, Halifax, on February 25, 2015, at age 92 and was laid to rest in Dartmouth Memorial Gardens.

Photographs of Lance Corporal Austin Edward Ryan and excerpts from his letters to his foster-mother Johanna MacDonald courtesy of Phyllis Hart, Guysborough Intervale, NS.

Private Henry Edward "Harry" Smith—Killed in Action September 28, 1944

Henry Edward “Harry” Smith was born in Canso, Guysborough County, on March 30, 1913. Harry’s father, James Edward, was the son of William and Sabine Lavinia (Boudreau) Smith, East Port Medway, Queens County. His mother, Teresa Etta, was the daughter of Martin and Phoebe Murphy, Tangier/Spry Bay, Halifax County. James and Teresa married in Canso on February 14, 1912, and made their home in the coastal community, where James worked in a local fish plant.

Private Henry Edward "Harry" Smith

Harry was the oldest of James and Theresa’s eight children. By the time of the 1921 Canadian census, three more children—William George “Bill” (DOB February 11, 1915); Katherine Elvina (DOB August 17, 1917); and Robert Lawrence “Bob” (DOB February 2, 1920)—had joined the household. Another three Smith children were born prior to the next decennial census—Nora Mary (DOB September 13, 1921); Howard James (DOB May 8, 1923); and Lillian Constance “Connie” (DOB February 9, 1931). The couple’s youngest child, Edmund Joseph, was born on March 1, 1936.

Harry Smith left public school after completing Grade IV. In later years, he attended night classes during military training for three hours each week to upgrade his education. Upon entering the work force, Harry was employed as a general labourer for 14 years and as a carpenter for two years. Around 1939, he purchased property at Milford Haven Bridge, where he operated a mixed farm.

On December 11, 1942, Harry reported to No. 6 District Depot, Halifax, having been “called up” under the terms of the National Resources Mobilization Act (NRMA). The 1940 federal law required all men of military service age to register with the government. They were then randomly selected for a compulsory three-week military training program.

A week and a half after reporting to the Depot, Harry enlisted with the Canadian Active Service Force. He remained in Halifax for the rest of the month and proceeded to No. 14 Infantry Training Centre, Aldershot, for basic training on January 8, 1943. Granted “agricultural leave” from May 1 to June 11, 1943, Harry returned to Aldershot, where he spent the summer before departing for overseas on September 13. Six days later, he disembarked in the United Kingdom.

Harry was immediately assigned to No. 7 Canadian Infantry Reinforcement Unit (CIRU), where he awaited assignment to an active infantry unit. During his time in the UK, he was attached for duty to Canadian Army Headquarters for one week in late October. Harry then moved on to No. 1 Canadian General Reinforcement Unit, where he was assigned to “regimental watch duties” for three months.

On February 4, 1944, Harry was transferred to No. 2 CIRU, the next step toward service with an active infantry unit. Ten days later, his name was placed on the Mediterranean theatre’s reinforcement list. He embarked from the UK on February 17 and landed in Italy two weeks later. In early March, Harry’s name was placed on the 1st Canadian Division’s active reinforcement list.

On April 5, 1944, Harry was assigned to the Princess Louise Fusiliers’ reinforcement list. The Halifax-based militia unit had recruited two machine gun companies for service with the 5th Canadian Armoured Division, which was part of the Allied force fighting in Italy. Throughout the spring and summer months, Harry awaited orders to report for duty.

As Canadian units in Italy spent much of the summer training, there was little demand for reinforcements until they returned to combat in late August 1944. Within weeks, fighting in northeastern Italy resulted in significant casualties. As a result, Harry was re-assigned to the Cape Breton Highlanders on September 16, 1944, and joined its ranks in the field the following day.

The Cape Breton Highlanders (CBH) regiment traces its roots to the Victoria Provisional Battalion of Infantry, established in Baddeck, NS, on October 13, 1871. Re-designated the 94th Victoria Regiment, Argyll Highlanders, in 1900, the militia unit was placed on active service on August 6, 1914, and later provided recruits for the 185th Battalion, Cape Breton Highlanders. While the 185th crossed the North Atlantic to the United Kingdom in October 1916, the unit never saw active service on the continent. Instead, it remained in the UK, where it served as a reinforcement unit for Nova Scotia battalions in France and Belgium.

Officially disbanded in November 29, 1918, CBH was reconstituted as a Canadian militia unit on November 1, 1920, and was called to active service on August 26, 1939. The regiment subsequently mobilized the 1st Battalion, Cape Breton Highlanders, for service with the Canadian Active Service Force on January 1, 1941. Ten months later, the unit departed for overseas.

After arriving in the United Kingdom, CBH was assigned to the 5th Canadian Armoured Division’s 11th Infantry Brigade, where it served alongside the Perth Regiment (Ontario) and the Irish Regiment of Canada (Toronto, ON). Its soldiers spent two years training in the United Kingdom before landing in Italy with the 5th Canadian Armoured Division (5th CAD) in November 1943.

In mid-January 1944, CBH commenced active service in sectors north of Ortona. The unit relocated to the front lines near the entrance to the Liri Valley in early April, in preparation for an Allied offensive against the Gustav and Hitler Lines, two German defensive networks located in the strategically important valley.

5th CAD was not involved in the initial attack, which commenced on May 11. During two weeks of hard fighting, Allied forces penetrated both lines. On May 25, 5th CAD entered the line during the “break out” phase as Allied forces advanced toward Rome. CBH’s week-long Liri Valley tour resulted in 30 combat fatalities and 126 wounded.

On June 3, CBH moved out to Ceprano for an extended period of rest and training. Three days later, news of the Allied landings in Normandy raised hopes that an end to the war was not far away. At mid-month, CBH relocated to Caiazzo, where the highlight of the summer was a July 30 visit to the unit’s camp by King George VI. Three days later, the battalion travelled through Rome to a staging area along the shores of Lake Bolsena, 130 kilometers north of the Italian capital.

Over the next three days, 5th CAD units made their way northeastward to an area near the Adriatic coast south of Pesaro. The Canadians’ next assignment was an assault on the Gothic Line, a German defensive network that stretched across the entire Italian peninsula, from the Adriatic coast through mountains north of Florence to a location on the Tyrrhenian Sea south of Spezia.

The British 8th Army, to which the Canadians were attached, was given the task of penetrating the line’s eastern sectors adjacent to the Adriatic Sea. The mission proved to be one of the Italian campaign’s most challenging assignments. While Allied forces managed to break through the Gothic Line during the last week of August, combat losses were significant. During a three-day tour in late August, CBH suffered 19 soldiers killed and another 44 wounded.

Canadian units then advanced northward toward the Rimini Line, a new defensive system hastily established by retreating German forces. While CBH was involved in a successful September 5 attack on San Andreas Ridge, the unit suffered another 11 fatalities and 40 wounded during its four days on the ridge. After a brief rest, personnel returned to the line on the night of September 12/13, its soldiers launching an early morning attack on Coriano Ridge.

CBH and its 11th Brigade mates successfully secured the ridge by late afternoon September 13 and retired to a rest camp near San Giovanni on the evening of September 14. Two and a half weeks of combat in the Rimini area had taken a severe toll on its ranks. CBH had suffered a total of 57 fatalities, while another 241 men were wounded during that time. As a result, the battalion commenced the process of rebuilding its depleted companies as soon as it withdrew from the line.

Private Henry Edward Smith was among the reinforcements who joined CBH’s ranks during its nine-day stay in rest camp. Harry commenced his first tour in the front line when the unit briefly relieved British units near Santa Giustina in the early hours of September 23. Prior to that date, the 12th Canadian Infantry Brigade managed to cross the Usi River and establish defensive positions to the left and right of the village of San Vito. Upon relieving its 12th Brigade comrades, CBH’s 11th CIB received orders to advance to the Rubicone River and establish a bridgehead at Fiumicino. Its units were then instructed to seize control of crossings over the Scolo Rigosso, a large drainage ditch, at Sant’ Angelo.

At 1340 hours September 26, CBH’s A Company led its personnel to a concentration area, from where the soldiers proceeded to relieve 12th CIB’s Westminster Regiment (British Columbia) at La Torre, near the Usi River. The Cape Bretoners now found themselves 20 kilometers north of their last combat assignment at Coriano Ridge. The battalion’s D Company moved into position at 2210 hours, the entire unit settled into the line by 0400 hours September 27.

Night patrols soon reported that a bridge across the Salto River at La Torre had been destroyed and the river was not fordable at that location. During the afternoon of September 27, CBH personnel advanced through severe artillery and mortar fire to the Vena River, where German small arms fire prevented further progress. By 1800 hours, the entire unit had managed to cross the Salto River at another location and held its ground in the face of heavy machine gun fire.

Throughout the night of September 27/28, German mortar and artillery fire struck CBH’s location, impacting B and D Companies in particular. Around 0700 hours September 28, D Company commenced a move forward toward the Rubicone, with orders to “consolidate along the river and secure [a] bridge” that was still believed to be intact. The soldiers “had not gone too far when they met considerable mortar and machine gun fire.”

At 0915 hours, CBH received word that enemy forces had destroyed the bridge. Artillery and mortar shelling continued throughout the morning as officers re-assessed the situation. While the unit initially received orders to conduct a night-time crossing of the Rubicone, the operation was cancelled in late afternoon. Meanwhile, D Company continued its advance toward the river, reaching its banks before midnight and establishing a defensive position. During that time, B Company also encountered significant enemy fire and called the unit’s Medical Officer forward “to attend to some casualties.”

For the remainder of September, CBH held its positions along the Rubicone River. The unit reported a total of 352 casualties during the month—two officers and 50 “other ranks” (OR) were killed, while 14 officers and 286 OR were wounded. Losses on September 28, 1944, were particularly severe. According to Commonwealth War Graves Commission records, a total of 10 CBH soldiers died that day.

Private Henry Edward Smith was one of the September 28, 1944 fatalities, killed in the exchanges of fire as CBH personnel advanced to the banks of the Rubicone. The exact circumstances of his death are unknown. Harry was initially buried in the 5th Canadian Armoured Division Cemetery, Cesena, Italy. In early October 1944, Harry’s mother Teresa received official notice of his death in combat. His remains were re-interred in Cesena British Cemetery, Cesena, Italy, on June 5, 1945.

Harry father’ James died at Boylston, NS, on October 13, 1956. He had resided in the community for approximately 16 years and was 77 years old at the time of his passing. James was laid to rest in St. Ann’s Roman Catholic Cemetery, Guysborough. His wife Teresa passed away in 1984 and was buried beside her husband.

Three of Harry’s brothers were in uniform at the time of his death. William George “Bill” was serving overseas with the Canadian Army. Bill had enlisted during the first months of the war and was stationed in Halifax when he married Lavinia Armsworthy, daughter of William A. Armsworthy and Hannah L. Feltmate, Queensport, in a ceremony that took place in the Baptist Parsonage, Halifax, on October 11, 1940.

The details of Bill’s overseas service are unknown, although it appears that he served in Western Europe. After the war, he and Lavinia established residence in Côte-Saint-Luc, Montreal, QC. No information is available on his civilian life. Bill passed away in Montreal on October 14, 1996, at 81 years of age.

Gunner Howard James Smith (kneeling) and unidentified comrade

Howard James Smith served in Canada with a Royal Canadian Artillery unit during the war. After his discharge, he returned to Canso, where he worked in the local fishery. Howard fell ill in early 1955 and was diagnosed with reticulo-sarcoma, a form of malignant lymphoma. He died in Victoria General Hospital, Halifax, on March 2, 1955, two months shy of his thirty-second birthday. Single at the time of his passing, Howard was interred in Star of the Sea Cemetery, Canso, NS.

Private Robert Lawrence "Bob" Smith (left) and unidentified soldier

 

Robert Lawrence “Bob” also enlisted with the Canadian Armed Forces during the war. On June 4, 1946, Bob marriage Evelyn May Swaine, daughter of Walter Swaine and Mary Spears, Upper Tickle, in a ceremony held in Canso. While Bob was working in a local fish plant at the time, he later re-enlisted with the Canadian Armed Forces and served for 24 years. After retirement, he and Evelyn resided in Dartmouth. Bob passed away in the Halifax Infirmary on April 24, 2011, at age 81.

Special thanks to Wendy (Smith) Wellwood, New Bandon, NB, for providing photographs of Harry, Howard and Bob Smith for this post.