Gordon Melvin Newell was born in Canso, Guysborough County, on May 14, 1924, the son of Mansfield and Lila Louella (Feltmate) Newell. Mansfield was also a Canso native, the son of James Reynolds and Agnes J. (Rossong) Newell, while Lila was the daughter of Walter and Ellen Feltmate, Whitehead. Mansfield and Lila were married in Canso on November 5, 1912, and established residence along the Tickle, a two-kilometer channel between the mainland and Durrell’s Island, located on the outskirts of Canso.
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| Private Gordon Melvin Newell |
The Newell household gradually expanded to include nine children—sons Coleman, Gordon, Stanley, and Douglas, and daughters Edna, Amanda, Leona, Bertha and Jean. Gordon, the second-oldest of the boys, completed five years of school before leaving to work in the local fishery. At the time of his military enlistment, he was working as a fish cutter in a Canso plant operated by Harry James.
On December 3, 1942, Gordon enlisted with the Canadian Active Service Force at No 6 District Depot, Halifax. At that time, the 18-year-old indicated that he was “sole support” for his mother. In late January 1943, Gordon was assigned to No. 61 Canadian Army Basic Training Centre, New Glasgow. Upon completing the six-week introductory infantry program, he reported to Camp Aldershot for advanced training on April 14, 1943.
In early July 1943, a large Allied force landed on the southern shores of Sicily, an event that marked the commencement of a major military campaign against Italy, Germany’s Axis ally. The 1st Canadian Division was part of the invading force. Initially attached to the British Army, its units proceeded across the Italian island throughout the summer of 1943.
The first major Allied campaign of the war quickly created a significant demand for infantry reinforcements. As a “general list” soldier, Gordon was not attached to a specific unit. As a result, he became one of thousands of young Canadians placed in the reinforcement stream.
Gordon departed for overseas on July 18, 1943, and disembarked in the United Kingdom 10 days later. He was immediately assigned to No. 7 Canadian Infantry Reinforcement Unit (CIRU), where he continued to train while awaiting a transfer to an active combat unit. While Gordon initially selected his father Mansfield as next of kin, he changed this designation to his mother Lila in early August.
After four months’ training in the UK, Gordon was assigned to the Mediterranean Force’s reinforcement pool on October 25, 1943. He departed for the region the following day and set foot in Italy on November 9. By that time, his name had been added to the reinforcement list for the Carleton & York Regiment (New Brunswick).
In 1937, two New Brunswick militia units—the Carleton Light Infantry and the York Regiment—amalgamated to form the Carleton & York Regiment. The new unit drew its members from the counties of Carleton and York, which included the Woodstock and Fredericton areas respectively. The regiment mobilized at Woodstock on September 1, 1939. Following Canada’s declaration of war on Nazi Germany, the Carleton & Yorks were assigned to the 1st Canadian Division’s 3rd Infantry Brigade, where they served alongside the West Nova Scotia Regiment and the Royal 22e Régiment, Quebec’s famous “Vandoos.”
The Carleton & Yorks departed for overseas on December 9, 1939. After three and a half long years of training and defensive duties in the UK, its soldiers headed for the Mediterranean theatre, landing on the shores of Sicily with Allied forces on July 10, 1943. Canadian units fought alongside British and American forces throughout the following month, pushing German and Italian troops from the island by mid-August.
On September 3, 1943, Canadian units were the first Allied soldiers to cross the Strait of Messina to the Italian mainland, landing at Reggio on the peninsula’s southern tip. Within a week, a second, larger British and American force came ashore at Salerno, south of Naples. Over the next four months, the two Allied armies fought their way northward across mountainous terrain. While Italian forces officially surrendered in mid-September, German reinforcements quickly dispatched to the Italian peninsula fiercely resisted the Allied invasion.
The Carleton & York Regiment and its 3rd Brigade mates initially advanced with Canadian forces up the centre of the Italian peninsula, veering eastward toward the Adriatic Sea in early December. The landscape along the coastal plain differed significantly from the mountainous terrain the Canadians had encountered after landing on the mainland. Rivers running from the peninsula’s central mountains to the Adriatic carved deep gullies into the terrain, which was covered by farmland and vineyards. Stone houses and structures were spread across the landscape, providing ideal cover for enemy positions.
By the time the 1st Canadian Division arrived in the area, Allied forces had crossed the Sangro River, forcing German units to retreat to the Moro River, 16 kilometers to the north. The area saw the fiercest fighting the Canadians had experienced since landing in Italy. It took 12 days to dislodge German forces from a location known as “the Gully,” west of the coastal town of Ortona. All of the 3rd Infantry Brigade’s regiments saw combat, suffering their worst casualties to date.
Altogether, the Carleton & York Regiment reported a total of 88 casualties—19 soldiers killed and 69 wounded—from its September 3 landing at Reggio to its December 5 deployment in the Moro River sector. By comparison, four weeks of service in the Gully cost the regiment 248 men—77 killed and 171 wounded.
Throughout the month of December 1943, the 1st Canadian Division received approximately 2,400 reinforcements. While that number replaced most of the month’s battlefield casualties, it did not address pre-existing shortages or losses due to sickness. The Division found itself 1,000 soldiers short of full strength as the New Year arrived and was particularly lacking in non-commissioned officers. The new arrivals required additional training before they would be effective in the field, limiting the Division’s effectiveness.
The Carleton & Yorks were relieved from front line duty on January 4, 1944, and remained in reserve until mid-month, when the entire 3rd Brigade retired to the San Vito - Treglio area for rest and training. While Private Gordon Newell was officially transferred to the regiment on December 31, 1943, he likely joined its ranks sometime during the first weeks of January 1944.
The next four months were divided between training and holding the existing line during a period of static operations that stretched through the winter into early spring. During this time, both sides dispatched nightly patrols, probing one another’s defences. Occasionally, the small groups sought to capture prisoners in an effort to identify the units occupying the opposite line.
During this time, the 1st Canadian Division was attached to I Canadian Corps, which was responsible for a 12 kilometre section of the front line north of Ortona. As spring approached, Allied commanders turned their attention to a planned offensive on the Italian peninsula’s western coast. Prior to its commencement, however, it was important to maintain a regular routine in the Adriatic sectors, to prevent the transfer of German units to the western sectors of the line.
The Carleton & Yorks returned to front line duty along the Arielli River on February 7. The 3rd Brigade battalions rotated in and out of the line approximately every five days, their operations confined to patrolling in snow or rain into mid-March. The heavy clay under foot soon became a muddy quagmire. Water filled slit trenches and temperatures regularly dropped below freezing at night.
Conditions improved during the last two weeks of March and the mud gradually diminished. The better weather allowed battalions in reserve to complete route marches for physical conditioning, as the men had been largely inactive throughout the winter. April brought warm and sunny weather as Canadian units prepared to leave the eastern Adriatic sectors for an assignment on the Italian peninsula’s western coast.
While Canadian and British forces spent the winter on the eastern Arielli front, a stalemate had also emerged in the western sectors. A large American force had landed at Anzio Beach on January 2, 1944, hoping to outflank German forces and force their retreat. While the Allied units successfully established a beach-head, they were unable to advance inland. Efforts in March to break through the German line in the Liri Valley to the east of Anzoio also failed.
In response, Allied commanders planned to concentrate the bulk of their forces in western sectors, with the goal of breaking through German defences and advancing toward the Italian capital of Rome. The focus was an area in front of the town of Cassino and the entrance to the Liri Valley to its west, a stretch of flat agricultural land several kilometers in width flanked by steep mountains on either side.
The valley extended in a northwesterly direction parallel to the coast, the main road to Rome passing through its centre. At its entrance lay the Gustav Line, a series of defensive positions situated along three sections of the same river—the Rapido, Gari and Garigliano—running from Cassino in the east to the Liri River in the west. Above the town of Cassino sat a monastery called Monte Cassino. The location provided German forces with a vantage point from which they could observe the movement of Allied units as they assembled along the valley’s entrance.
Approximately 12 kilometers behind the Gustav defences lay the Hitler Line, a second system that ran from Pontecorvo on the western side to Aquino and Piedemonte in the east. Between the two lines lay the Forme d’Aquino, a deep gully with two streams at its bottom. It was hoped that successful penetration of the Gustav and Hitler Lines would break the stalemate along the coastline, allowing American forces to advance inland from Anzio Beach.
Prior to its deployment in the Liri Valley, the Carleton & York Regiment enjoyed a three-week break from active operations, training with its 3rd Brigade mates in the Campobasso and Lucera areas. On May 8, personnel moved to a location near Montesarchio, where the 3rd Brigade assembled for a final series of maneuvers. Meanwhile, the Allied offensive into the Liri Valley commenced with a preparatory artillery bombardment on May 11. That same day, the Carleton & Yorks set off for their final training exercise—a mock attack on a ridge northeast of Aurora—at 0530 hours.
British and Commonwealth forces occupied the central sectors of the line, with II US Corps on their left flank. To their right, II Polish Corps, was given the unenviable task of dislodging German forces from their positions atop Monte Cassino. As the operation commenced, I Canadian Corps waited in reserve. Once British and Indian units breached the Gustav defences, the Canadians would move forward and press onward to the Hitler Line.
By May 15, only sectors of the Gustav Line around the town of Cassino and the monastery above it remained in German hands. As British and Indian forces had made significant progress, I Canadian Corps was ordered into the line to exploit the gains. On the night of May 15/16, 1st Canadian Division infantry units relieved British and Indian soldiers in the left portion of the line. The following night—May 16/17—the 3rd Infantry Brigade occupied the remaining sectors on the right.
After moving forward to the vicinity of Pignatoro by transport on May 15, the Carleton & York Regiment relieved the 8th Indian Division’s Maratha Light infantry on the evening of May 16. German artillery and mortar fire struck the unit’s sectors periodically as the men settled into the line. The 3rd Brigade had received orders to prepare for a three-battalion attack, which would involve a “triple leap frog” maneuver. The Carleton & Yorks were the third component, assigned the objective of establishing control of a road running north-south about 800 meters in front of the Forme d’Aquino.
At 0630 hours May 17, the Royal 22e Régiment, supported by a 12th Canadian Tank Regiment squadron, commenced the attack and reached its objective by 0940 hours. The West Nova Regiment then passed through the VanDoo’s line and continued the advance, securing its objective by mid-afternoon. The Carleton & Yorks joined the fighting around 1600 hours and secured its objective “against light opposition” by 1900 hours, suffering only four casualties.
Allied commanders then instructed the Carleton & Yorks to continue the advance throughout the night. Its soldiers pushed across the Forme d’Aquino under cover of darkness and established a new position on the gully’s western side by first light May 18. As the 3rd Brigade had advanced beyond the formations on each of its flanks, its units held their positions until 0900 hours, by which time Allied forces had once again established a straight defensive line.
The attack then resumed, the Royal 22e Régiment and the Carleton & Yorks advancing toward an area of high ground four kilometers west of the Forme d”Aquino. Control of the area was essential prior to an Allied attack on the Hitler Line. The operation commenced at 1130 hours May 18, the VanDoos leading the way with the Carleton & Yorks on their left and the West Novas in reserve.
While the New Brunswickers advanced through several vantage points with little opposition, they soon encountered heavy mortar, artillery and machine gun fire, which wounded three “other ranks” (OR). As evening arrived, the unit consolidated its position and awaited the arrival of tank support. Throughout the night, the location was subjected to steady artillery and mortar fire.
The attack resumed at 0800 hours May 19, the Carleton & Yorks once again on the left and the VanDoos on the right. A squadron from the 51st Royal Tank Regiment supported each battalion as it moved forward. The first stage of the operation called for the two units to advance to a north - south track about one kilometre in front of the Hitler Line. Once the German defences were breached, the second phase called for the 3rd Brigade to secure the Pontecorvo - Aquino Road behind the Hitler Line.
After an opening bombardment, the Carleton& Yorks’ “A” and “C” Companies led the attack’s first phase, securing the first objective with little resistance. As the men prepared for the second stage, heavy artillery. mortar and rocket fire struck their location. When the soldiers attempted to move forward, they encountered stiff resistance from snipers in trees and riflemen in a wooded area through which they had to pass.
Despite incurring casualties, the battalion continued forward, “B” and “D” Companies spearheading the attack with support from a tank squadron. As the two battalions emerged from woods in front of the Hitler Line, both were greeted by heavy, accurate machine gun fire. While the Carleton & Yorks prepared to resume the attack, the Royal 22e’s soldiers on the right encountered significant enemy resistance. In response, Allied commanders postponed any further advance.
The Carleton & Yorks set about consolidating their position atop the last ridge in front of the Hitler Line, approximately 800 meters from the first German defences. It was apparent that enemy forces intended to strongly resist any attempt to breach their positions, meaning that a significant artillery bombardment prior to an infantry attack would be required.
Meanwhile, German artillery and mortar fire rained down on the Carleton & Yorks’ location throughout the night. The unit later reported one officer wounded, eight “other ranks” (OR) killed and 20 OR wounded during the day’s action. The next two days were devoted to reorganization, patrolling, and reconnaissance as the Carleton & Yorks prepared for the attack’s final phase.
The unit’s war diary noted that May 20 was “particularly hard on the nerves, as the whole battalion area was plastered from dawn to dusk by mortars, “Nebelwerfers” [rocket-propelled explosives] and artillery of all calibres, killing five ORs and wounding 14.” The bombardment disrupted the evacuation of the previous day’s fatalities, as well as the day’s wounded.
Private Gordon Newell was among the day’s casualties, suffering a severe shrapnel wound in the abdomen. Captain E. W. MacQuarrie, Carleton & York Chaplain, later sent a letter, dated May 31, 1944, to Mansfield and Lila, providing a detailed description of what transpired that day:
“During the day of the 20th of May, we had been brought to a halt a few hundred yards from the Hitler Line, which… we stormed and broke on the 23rd. The companies were ‘dug in’ in shallow slit trenches where they were mercilessly shelled all day long, as they had been also on the previous day.
“Rather late in the afternoon of the 20th, your son was brought in on a stretcher. I was just coming in, carrying a lad who had been killed and near the R. A. P. [Regimental Aid Post] we met the bearers with your son. One of those lads came over and whispered to me that if I wanted to see your son before he died, I had better hurry right in. I did so… [and later] learned that even when the lads were lifting him out of his slit trench, before he had had any morphine or sedative, he never so much as whispered.
“Entering the R. A. P., I went to him, and as soon as he saw me, he grasped me by the hand and said, ‘I believe every word you say.’ Well, I knew at once [what] he meant by that. He was referring, of course, to the beliefs deep within his soul, which he found represented so weakly by me, as a minister of Christ. I consoled him as best I could. Such a time is no time for trivialities, and our words on both sides were simple, deep and sincere. I tried to reassure him, a labour that I know was unnecessary, that he who died doing his duty, serving high and noble ideals, need have no fear….
“By and by he murmured to me, ‘I know I am not going to live.’ It would have been cruel to make light of his wounds and deny it. So I said, ‘If you do not live, is there anyone to whom you would like me to remember you?’ ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘my mother.’ ‘Is there special message you would want me to tell her?’ ’Tell her I love her.’
“On his birthday, May 14, we had had our last church service together. On Mother’s Day. And how his concern was for you. What a gallant little hero he was. Never a whisper, never a cry, never a restless movement. He knew whom he trusted and whom he loved and seemed content….
“Just then the doctor had to put a man to sleep in order to set and bandage his shattered arm. When he came to, we asked if he had a good sleep. He was surprised to learn that he had been under. His stretcher lay next to your son’s and your son overheard the words. He murmured something, and I turned around, and he said, so quiet and pathetically, ‘I wish you would put me to sleep too.’ Almost I longed to be able to do so….
“A few minutes later, the doctor [said] he was ready to evacuate him to the Field Ambulance. I was a bit surprised as I felt he had no chance, but the doctors helplessly and notably replied, ‘Far be it from me to decide if a man has a chance to live.’ Certainly he had no chance if we held him. So off he went quietly, and I am sure inwardly at peace, on his last ride. When he got to the Field Ambulance, a mile or so away. his spirit had gone home.
“A fellow padre, Captain Larry Wilmot… of the West Nova Scotia Regiment, buried him at the care post [near Pontecorvo] that evening. From there, his body will be later taken to a proper Canadian Military Cemetery and re-buried alongside his fellow soldiers.”
Enemy shelling diminished on May 21, allowing hot meals to be brought forward. Monte Cassino had fallen to Polish forces three days earlier and French units managed to penetrate the Gustav Line’s western flanks during the previous night, setting the stage for an Allied assault on the Hitler Line that commenced with a massive artillery bombardment at 0500 hours May 23.
The Carleton & Yorks crossed the start line 30 minutes later, following in the wake of an artillery barrage. By day’s end, the 3rd Infantry Brigade’s units had broken through the Hitler Line, creating a breach for the 5th Canadian Armoured Division to exploit. The 1st Canadian Infantry Division later reported 42 officer and 832 OR casualties during the day’s fighting. The Carleton & Yorks suffered one officer and 13 OR fatalities, along with 46 wounded OR. Two other soldiers later died of wounds received in the breakthrough.
On February 8, 1945, Private Gordon Newell was re-interred in Cassino Military Cemetery, Casino, Italy. His death at age 20 was the first of two losses for the family that year. Gordon’s father Mansfield passed away in a Dartmouth, NS, hospital on July 12, 1944, the cause of death identified as “chronic nephritis.”
Gordon’s younger brother Stanley served as a military policeman with the Canadian Provost Corps during the Second World War. He later married Elizabeth Janie “Beth” Hattie and established residence in New Glasgow, where Stan worked as a commercial painter and meat cutter. He passed away in Aberdeen Hospital, New Glasgow, on September 7, 2009.
Photograph of Private Gordon Melvin Newell and letter from Chaplain E. W. MacQuarrie to his parents courtesy of Gordon's niece, Sheila Newell-Fagan, New Glasgow, NS.
