Private Joseph Harry King—Killed in Action June 28, 1944

 Joseph Harry King was born in Minto, New Brunswick, on November 14, 1921, the eldest of Murray Kitchener and Edith E. (Beal) King’s five children. Murray’s father and Joseph Harry’s namesake, Joseph Henry “Harry” King, was born in Redditch, on the outskirts of Birmingham, England, and immigrated to Canada at an unknown date. By the mid-1890s, Harry was residing in Saint John, NB, where he worked as a clerk.

A young Harry King (left) and the Cummings family, Eight Island Lake

On November 26, 1896, Harry married Vinney [Vinnie/Viney] Sarah Green, daughter of Willet and Margaret Green, Coles Island, NB, in a ceremony that took place at 185 Victoria St., Saint John, NB. Harry was 26 years old at time, while Vinney was 24 years old. Over the next 10 years, the couple welcomed three sons into their home—Murray Kitchener (DOB December 26, 1900), Frank Harold (DOB January 19, 1903) and George Temple (DOB January 1906).

Tragically, Harry King passed away suddenly on October 20, 1910, after a very brief illness. His death certificate provides no specific cause of death. Left on her own to care for three young children, Vinney married Charles E. Johnstone, a native of Great Falls, Montana, in Saint John West on November 21, 1910. At the time of the 1911 Canadian census, the Johnstone family—Charles, Vinney and her three sons—was living at 76 Forrest St., Saint John.

Murray was the first to leave home, relocating to Minto, NB, where he worked as a railway section man. Despite his young age, he was keen to serve during the First World War, enlisting with the 7th Battalion, Canadian Garrison Regiment, at Saint John on July 29, 1918. Six months shy of his 20th birthday at the time, Murray advanced to the rank of Acting Corporal during his time in uniform. The November 11, 1918 Armistice ended any chance of overseas deployment. Murray’s First World War military service concluded on February 19, 1919, when he was discharged as the Canadian Expeditionary Force demobilized.

Murray returned to Minto, where he resumed employment as a section man. On June 8, 1921, he married Edith E. Beal, a native of Battersea, London, England, at Chipman, NB. Around 1915, Edith had immigrated to Canada with her parents, William and Elizabeth (Wourl) Beal, and was living in Sackville, NB, at the time of the marriage. The young couple established residence in Minto, where their first child, Joseph Harry, was born later that year.

By 1924, the family had relocated to West River Station, Pictou County, where Murray continued to work as a railway section man. The couple’s second child, James Harold, was born there on August 29, 1924. At the time of the 1931 census, the King household included Murray, Edith, Harry, age eight; James Harold, age six; John McNabb, age two; and Charles A., age two months. A fifth son, Walter Murray, joined the family on January 1, 1935.

Tragedy struck the King household on December 6, 1935, when Edith passed away at age 36, the result of myocarditis. In the months following her death, the family unit appears to have disintegrated, the five boys being dispersed among several families. The youngest, Walter Murray, appears to have been born with a disability of some kind, as he later resided in the Pictou County Home for the Disabled, Riverton. James Harold, the second-oldest, was taken in by a family at nearby Lansdowne Station. The fate of the other two sons at the time of Edith’s death is not known, although John McNabb later reunited with his father.

Harry, the eldest of the five King boys, took up residence with John Ivan Cummings, who operated a farm at Eight Island Lake, Guysborough County. At the time of the 1931 census, the Cummings household had consisted of Ivan, age 36; his wife Louise Dora, age 34; and three young children—Mary Macintosh, age six; Ivan Albert, age four; and Margaret Isabelle, age three. Harry, who was 14 years old at the time of his mother’s death, was likely “taken in” to help out on the farm.

Two years after his wife Edith’s death, Murray married Jessie Elva Burns, daughter of Hugh and Anna Bell (Dunn) Burns, Kennetcook, NS. The wedding took place in Truro NS, on June 19, 1937. Both Murray and Jessie were living at West River Station at the time of the ceremony.

According to information in his military service file, Harry completed eight years of public schooling, leaving around the time of his mother’s death. He then worked on the Cummings farm for five years. On June 7, 1940, Harry enlisted with the Canadian Active Service Force at Halifax, NS, and was taken on strength by the Halifax Rifles, a Canadian militia unit. Six months shy of his nineteenth birthday at the time, he gave his address as Eight Island Lake, Guysborough County, but identified his father, Murray King, who was living in Dorchester, NB, at the time, as his next of kin.

Harry spent the first two years of his military service in Halifax. During that time, two significant events impacted his life. On May 5, 1942, Harry married Mildred Eileen “Millie” Hicks, daughter of Nathaniel and Georgie (Robinson) Hicks, Bayfield, NB. He immediately changed his next of kin to his young wife, who was residing in Bayfield with her parents.

The second event was military in nature. On May 26, 1942—only three weeks after Harry’s marriage—the Halifax Rifles was absorbed into the 23rd Army Tank Regiment as the unit commenced conversion to an armoured unit. The transformation may have prompted Harry to consider other options. It is also possible that a new opportunity arose during his first months with the tank regiment.

Whatever the cause, Harry was “struck off strength” by the 23rd Tank Regiment on October 26, 1942, and transferred to No. 4 Military District, Montreal, QC, where he remained for one week. On November 5, Harry was dispatched to Fort Benning, Georgia, where he was “taken on strength” by the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion.

Canadian military authorities had discussed the formation of a parachute battalion as early as November 1940. Their motivation was the dramatic success of German airborne units’ during the rapid invasions of Belgium and the Netherlands earlier in the year. No firm decision was made until after the British government approved the formation of an entire airborne division on November 1, 1941. Seven months later, Canadian authorities finally decided to recruit and train a Canadian paratroop unit.

The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion (CPB) was formally authorized on July 1, 1942. At full strength, the unit consisted of 26 officers and 590 other ranks (OR), divided into a battalion headquarters, three rifle companies and one headquarters company. While recruitment of a 2nd CPB was approved later in the year, its members were eventually re-assigned to a joint Canadian - American special forces unit.

Some members of the battalion were recruited from units already overseas and therefore trained with British paratroopers in the United Kingdom. Others were recruited from units still in Canada and completed their initial training in North America. The rationale was to expose personnel to two different regimens. As a Canadian volunteer, Harry proceeded through the North American program and commenced his training at Fort Benning, GA,in mid-November 1942.

The Fort Benning program combined the use of jump towers erected at the camp with aircraft drops. On December 5, Harry “qualified as a Parachutist having completed Packing instruction and Jump training.” By mid-January 1943, he had “completed the prescribed course in Parachute Rigging and Maintenance at the US Parachute School, Ft. Benning, Ga., [and] is qualified as Parachute Rigger.” Trainees were received basic airman, commando and engineering instruction. The goal was to provide the soldiers with the skills required to tackle a variety of tasks on the battlefield, such as demolishing bridges, overcoming barbed wire obstacles and attacking fortified pillboxes.

Harry returned to Canada in late February 1943. After enjoying two weeks’ furlough in early April, he reported to Camp Shilo, Manitoba, where the battalion continued training on its jump towers and made “live jumps” in a Douglas C-47 Dakota aircraft.

On June 7, Harry was granted the standard one-week embarkation leave. Upon returning to duty, he and his comrades made final preparations for their overseas departure. A total of 31 officers and 548 OR left Canada on July 23, 1943, and landed in Greenock, Scotland, five days later. The soldiers immediately reported to the Canadian Base Training Camp, where they spent the summer months training.

After arriving overseas, 1 CPB was assigned to the 6th Airborne Division’s 3rd Parachute Brigade, where it served alongside the British 8th and 9th Parachute Battalions. On September 21, the Canadian unit was attached to the Airborne Force Depot & School, Derbyshire, England. Personnel who had trained exclusively in North America underwent a one week “conversion course,” as British units followed different training techniques.

Unlike their American counterparts, British paratroopers jumped with only one parachute, eliminating the use of a reserve chute. Instead of exiting the aircraft through a door, the men jumped through a hole in the bottom of the aircraft’s fuselage, usually a refitted bomb door. The British ground training program did not employ jump towers. Instead, men completed practice jumps from air balloons. This technique required the men to “free fall” for a distance before opening their chute, in order to gain sufficient velocity for their parachute to open.

The most common aircraft used for training drops was the Armstrong Whitworth AW 38. The pre-war two-engine bomber was transitioned out of its initial role following the adoption of four-engine heavy bombers. The aircraft was employed as a tow plane for gliders as well as a jump plane for paratroopers.

While all officers and 97 percent of 1 CPB’s “other ranks” (OR) had qualified as parachutists prior to arriving overseas, the unit had not undergone instruction in infantry tactics and procedures. This became the primary focus after the men completed their training at the Derbyshire Airborne Force School in late September 1943. Other than one week’s leave in late October 1943, Harry’s trained at Camp Bulford, England, throughout the remainder of the year and into the spring of 1944.

As summer drew near, the unit commenced final preparations for the Allied invasion of France. The British D-Day operation focused on three Normandy beaches, given the codenames Gold, Juno and Sword. Located on the left side of the Allied force, the beaches stretched from Port-en-Bessin on the right to Merville on the left.

In an effort to protect the invading force’s left flank from enemy attack, the British 6th Airborne Division was instructed to “drop” several paratrooper units on the eastern flank of the Allied invading force, near the city of Caen. The primary objective was to capture two strategic bridges over the Caen Canal and Orne River, which Allied forces planned to use during their inland advance. Other units were assigned the task of destroying key bridges and strategic defensive positions, as well as securing several strategic villages. A particularly important target was a German gun battery located at Merville, which Allied intelligence believed contained artillery pieces capable of shelling Sword beach.

Once all objectives were achieved, the Airborne units were instructed to establish a bridgehead around the locations they had secured and await the arrival of the infantry units that landed on the beaches. The 6th Airborne Division’s 3rd and 5th Brigades were assigned to complete these tasks and received detailed briefings on their specific objectives. As a result of its inclusion in the operation, 1 CPB was the first Canadian unit to set foot in France during the D-Day operation.

On June 3, 1944, 1 CPB’s personnel proceeded to Down Ampney Airfield, Cirenster, where they drew and fitted their parachutes and examined the Dakota C-47 aircraft that would transport them to France. The following day, the aircraft crews stationed at Bulford Camp met with the “sticks”—a group of paratroopers transported in one plane—they would transport to France.

All ranks rested on the morning and afternoon of June 5 before assembling in full gear for final inspection at 1930 hours. A and B Companies proceeded to Down Ampney Airfield, where each stick reported to its assigned aircraft. C Company, which was given the task of securing the drop zone prior to their comrades’ arrival, departed from another airfield in an Albemarles aircraft at 2230 hours. The remainder of the unit’s paratroopers boarded their C-47s at 2245 hours and were in the air 15 minutes later.

Each Company had a specific assignment. After securing the drop zone, C Company was to destroy a German signal exchange and bridge, then neutralize any enemy positions in the village of Varraville. A Company was to protect the left flank of the 9th Para Battalion as it captured the Merville Battery. B Company was given the task of destroying two bridges over the River Dives and securing the hamlet of Robehomme, located on an area of high ground in the middle of a swampy area.

Map of I CPB's June 6, 1944 Operations

The flight was uneventful until the planes encountered light “flak” as they approached the French coast. The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion was dropped in France between 0100 and 0130 hours June 6, 1944. Poor visible and adverse weather conditions meant that some of the unit’s sticks were scattered over a wide area, in some cases a considerable distance from the drop zone.

C Company, the first group on the ground, was dropped west of the Dives River, some of its sticks landing a considerable distance away. As a result, the paratroopers did not head for a designated rendezvous point, opting instead to immediately secure the village of Varraville and a nearby chateau while a small group established defensive positions around a bridge across the Divette River.

While the village was quickly secured and the bridge successfully destroyed by Royal Engineers, a group of German soldiers in a pillbox located inside a chateau held out until 1030 hours before finally surrendering. German artillery targeted the village early in the afternoon, but the paratroopers held their ground until British commandos arrived at 1500 hours. The paratroopers then headed to Le Mesnil, where they were to meet the rest of the battalion.

A Company was dropped around 0100 hours but its paratroopers were also scattered. A group large enough to undertake its objectives had gathered by 0600 hours and moved out toward the Merville battery, encountering no opposition en route. The soldiers secured the 9th Parachute Battalion’s flank until its personnel had secured the battery and then headed toward the strategic Le Mesnil - Bavent crossroads, arriving at their destination at 1530 hours.

In the early hours of June 7, a party of German infantry, supported by several Mk. IV tanks, had attacked A and C Company’s positions at the Le Mesnil - Bavent crossroads. The paratroopers employed several mortars they had brought with them to inflict significant casualties on the enemy, forcing them to withdraw.

Two platoons of B Company landed in marshy ground south and west of Robehomme and proceeded toward their objective. A local French woman guided the paratroopers through the marshes and around German mine fields to a bridge near Robehomme. Upon reaching their destination, the soldiers met a second group of comrades. When the Royal Engineers designated to destroy the bridge failed to arrive, the men gathered whatever charges were available and demolished the structure.

A guard remained at the bridge while the main party retreated to Robehomme. While there were no enemy soldiers in the hamlet, the soldiers encountered German patrols attempting to infiltrate the area. A firefight ensued, during which the Company took several casualties before the enemy party retreated. The paratroopers then established an observation post in the church spire, which provided an excellent view of a road from Port de Vacaville to Varraville.

B Company remained in Robehomme throughout the following before moving off toward the Le Mesnil crossroads at 2330 hours June 7. By that time, its numbers had increased to 150 “all ranks” as stragglers joined their comrades. The men arrived at their objective at 0330 hours June 8, bolstering the battalion’s strength. During the day, 1 CPB managed to neutralize a group of German soldiers firing at their positions from several nearby structures. Personnel also repelled a second attack on their location later in the day.

By June 9, the situation stabilized, the paratroopers enduring only nuisance fire from several snipers. The majority of the men had the first opportunity to rest since landing in France. Throughout the following week, the battalion held its positions at Le Mesnil. While German artillery, mortar and machine gun fire struck the area and enemy ground units made several attempts to launch a major counterattack, supporting Allied artillery fire dispersed each effort.

By mid-month, the threat of attack had disappeared and exchanges of fire diminished considerably. On June 17, the British 5th Para Brigade assumed responsibility for the Le Mesnil crossroads and 1 CPB retired to the Ranville area, near the Orne River. During its first days in the line, the unit suffered a total of 10 fatalities and 109 men wounded.

June 18 was the unit’s first full day of rest since the D-Day landings. The only enemy action was sporadic shelling of the main road passing through Ranville, with the occasional aircraft above. The battalion remained in the area until 1100 hours June 20, when it relocated to a rest camp beside the River Orne. While the area was subjected to occasional shelling, the men were comfortably settled in by evening.

Hot weather arrived on June 21, prompting the unit to organize bathing parties in the river. For the first time in several days, the men donned clean clothes. Over the next few days, personnel visited an Army Cinema at Lac Sur Mer and strolled the beaches at nearby Ouistreham. At 1000 hours June 25, the battalion formed up and set out for the Le Mesnil crossroads, where it relieved the 13th Parachute Battalion.

Wet weather set in the following day as enemy mortar and artillery fire sporadically struck 1 CPB’s positions. Personnel carried out rigorous patrolling of the area in an attempt to identify all enemy positions. A light rain continued into June 27, when a platoon was dispatched to B Company’s positions to assist in establishing a “strong point” in one of the buildings located there. The activity prompted enemy mortar and sniper fire that killed one OR.

At 1200 hours June 27, Brigade Command informed the unit that information gathered by patrols was not sufficient to clearly identify and locate enemy units. As a result, plans were formulated for an attack on a known German headquarters, with the goal of capturing prisoners and locating enemy machine gun and mortar positions.

At 2230 hours June 27, the 8th Para Battalion on the Canadians’ right flank conducted the raid, while 1 CPB’s A and B Companies provided covering fire. The maneuver proved successful, securing the much-needed information. Only one officer and one OR were slightly wounded during exchanges of fire with enemy forces.

On June 28, Royal Engineers were busy reinforcing B Company’s forward position. Intermittent artillery and mortar fire throughout the day kept the soldiers on the alert. Forward observation posts successfully identified several German strongpoints and roadblocks being established in front of the battalion’s position.

At 1200 hours, German artillery targeted B Company’s positions, inflicting several minor casualties. The remainder of the afternoon was quiet, with minor patrol activity. At approximately 1800 hours, a lone German artillery shell struck the unit’s location. Private Joseph Harry King, who was manning the location as part of the unit’s PIAT [Projector Infantry Anti-Tank] platoon, was instantly killed in the explosion and a second soldier was wounded.

Another shell later struck Battalion Headquarters, wounding four personnel. A visiting Royal Engineers Captain was killed by a third shell that landed in the same area. While the unit’s mortar battery provided effective counter-fire. limited long-range visibility prevented the soldiers from pinpointing the exact location of the artillery fire.

The following day, Private Joseph Harry King was buried in a cemetery at Le Mesnil. A letter to Millie from Canadian military authorities, dated July 31, 1944, informed her that her husband “was killed in action against the enemy” in France on June 28, 1944. Harry’s remains were re-interred in Ranville British Cemetery, Ranville, France.

The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion remained in Normandy until August 26, 1944, when the 6th Airborne Division was relieved and returned to the United Kingdom. During its first tour in France, the battalion suffered a total of 367 casualties, a statistic that included five officer and 76 OR fatalities. After reinforcing its ranks, the unit returned to Europe in late December 1944 and later saw action in the Ardennes as a ground unit during the following month’s Battle of the Bulge.

1 CPB later served as a ground infantry unit in the Netherlands and completed its last air drop near Hamminkeln, Germany, on March 24, 1945. The paratroopers fought on German soil throughout the final days of the war and was the first Canadian unit to return home, arriving in Halifax on June 21, 1945.

At the time of Harry’s death, his father Murray was serving overseas as a Lance Corporal with the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals. The exact details of his time in uniform are unknown. Murray safely returned to Canada and passed away in Camp Hill Hospital, Halifax, on September 19, 1958. His remains were interred in Camp Hill Cemetery.

Harry’s younger brother James Harold also served overseas during the Second World War. James enlisted with the Canadian Active Service Force at Halifax on March 29, 1943, and proceeded overseas on April 30, 1944. James crossed the English Channel to France in late August and was assigned to the Essex Scottish Regiment (Windsor, ON) on September 1, 1944.

Slightly wounded on October 5, James was admitted to hospital, where he made a full recovery and subsequently returned to action on November 28, 1944. He spent the winter of 1944-45 in the Netherlands, enjoying nine days’ personal leave to the United Kingdom in mid-January 1945. He rejoined his Essex Scottish comrades in the Netherlands as fighting continued. Tragically, Private James King was killed in action near Xanten, Germany, on March 8, 1945. Initially “buried with religious rites in a temporary grave located on the western outskirts of Xanten,” James was re-interred in Nijmegen Canadian Military Cemetery, on August 21, 1945.

In the late 1940s, Harry and James’ younger brother John McNabb King reunited with his father Murray in Halifax. Sadly, he died at 844 Barrington St., Halifax, on November 5, 1949, one month shy of his 21st birthday, the cause of death listed as “congenital heart disease.” A fourth King sibling, Walter Murray, died in the Pictou County Home for Disabled, Riverton, on April 13, 1972, at 37 years of age, the result of a brain tumour.

Viney Sarah Johnston, grandmother to the King siblings and mother of their father Murray, passed away in Victoria General Hospital, Halifax. on December 3, 1958, one month shy of her 94th birthday. Viney was interred in Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery, Lower Sackville. The fate of Murray’s fifth son, Charles A., is unknown.

Thanks to Jean Cumnings, Eight Island Lake, Guysborough County, for providing a photograph of Harry King after he was taken in by the Cummings family. Special thanks to Frank Streicher, Halifax, NS, for enhancing the image. Individuals in photograph (left to right): Harry King; Isabella Cummings; mother Dora Cummings (hidden in back); Mary Cummings; Albert Cummings (front); and Russell behind his father Ivan Cummings.