Alphonso Avery was born in Larry’s River, Guysborough County, on December 26, 1921. His parents, Abraham and Martha (Avery) Avery, were also Larry’s River natives. Abraham was the son of George Avery and Celeste Levandier, while Martha was the daughter of Philip Avery and Mary Richard.
At the time of the 1921 Canadian census, the Avery household consisted of Abraham, occupation fisherman, his wife Martha and their five oldest children—sons David (DOB May 21, 1913), Charles (DOB July 14, 1914), Paul Domine (DOB June 7, 1917), Joseph (DOB November 22, 1918), and daughter Celeste (DOB July 14, 1914). Alphonso joined the family before year’s end.
The first of several family tragedies struck the family on October 30, 1924, when two Avery children—David and Celeste—died from diphtheria on the same day. A seventh child, David, was born on October 13, 1926. At the time of the 1931 census, Abraham was employed as a labourer aboard a dredge. Charles, age 16, was working in a local lobster factory, while his four younger brothers were attending school.
A second tragedy struck the family on April 14, 1935, when Abraham succumbed to pneumonia after a nine-day illness. Within a year of his father’s death, Alphonso left school and entered the labour force to help support the family. For several years, he worked in a local lumber yard. Around 1941, he moved to Colchester County, where he was employed in Brookfield Creamery’s milk bottling operation. He worked there for approximately one year before deciding to enlist with the Canadian Army at Halifax on April 23, 1942.
Alphonso may have been influenced by the example of his older brother Paul, who had joined the Canadian Army. Joseph, the oldest of the Avery brothers, was a sheet metal worker in the Halifax Shipyards, an essential wartime industry whose employees were exempt from compulsory military service. Charles, the second-oldest, had worked in the local fishery until 1941, when poor health ended his employment. He passed away from tuberculosis in Larry’s River on October 28, 1943.
Alphonso Avery commenced his service at No. 60 (Basic) Training Center, Yarmouth on May 19, 1942. Upon completing the six-week course, he was assigned to the Canadian Artillery’s ranks and departed for Petawawa, ON for training in mid-July. Awarded the standard 10-day pre-embarkation leave on September 1, he may have returned home to Larry’s River for a few days before departing for overseas in late September.
Alphonso disembarked in the United Kingdom on October 8, 1942, and reported to the 2nd Canadian Artillery Reinforcement Unit. He spent the next four months in training while awaiting assignment to an active artillery unit. On February 11, 1943, he was transferred to the Royal Canadian Artillery’s 2nd Anti-Tank Regiment.
While the tank made its military debut during the latter stages of the First World War, it was not an effective weapon at that time, due in large part of mechanical imperfections. Developments during the post-war years transformed the tank into a formidable weapon that played a critical role on the Second World War’s battlefields. Both sides established armoured units and employed them in support of virtually every infantry attack.
Similarly, both sides developed weapons and units to counter the other side’s mobile armoured weapons. A the time of the outbreak of war in Europe, Canada’s military was ill-prepared for such a task. Its arsenal included only 29 Bren guns, 23 anti-tank rifles, and four two-pounder anti-tank guns. Over the first two years of the war, plans to prepare the Canadian military for combat on a European battlefield gradually took shape.
In January 1942, the Canadian government adopted a plan to overhaul its artillery resources to address the threat that tanks posed to infantry units on the battlefield. The first step was to replace its anti-tank regiments’ two-pounders with six-pounder guns. As time progressed, the units were also equipped with 17-pounder guns.
By the time Canadian units entered combat in France in mid-1944, American self-propelled three-inch M-10 guns and some self-propelled 17-pounders were available for use. While some ani-tank regiments still retained “towed” six- and 17-pounders, the mobile American weapons gradually proved to be the most effective on the battlefield.
The 2nd Anti-Tank Regiment—Alphonso’s unit—consisted of four batteries that initially mobilized as field artillery units in September 1939. Two months later, their personnel commenced the transition to an anti-tank role. All four units were from Western Canada—the 18th Anti-Tank Battery (Regina, SK); the 20th Anti-Tank Battery (Lethbridge, AB); the 23rd Anti-Tank Battery (Calgary, AB); and the 108th Anti-Tank Battery (Kelowna, BC).
Each Canadian Division included one anti-tank regiment, to be deployed on the battlefield in support of its infantry units. The 2nd Anti-Tank Regiment was assigned to the 2nd Canadian Division, which crossed the North Atlantic to the United Kingdom in August 1940. Two years later, its infantry units participated in the ill-fated Dieppe Raid, an assignment that cost the Division almost half of its infantry strength.
Upon returning to the UK after the raid, the 2nd Canadian Division spent the next two years rebuilding its ranks. The 1st Canadian Division departed for the Mediterranean theatre in July 1943 and participated in the Allied invasions of Sicily and Italy. Meanwhile, the 2nd and 3rd Canadian Divisions remained in England, where they prepared for an eventual Allied invasion of Western Europe.
On June 6, 1944—D-Day—the 3rd Canadian Division’s units landed on Juno Beach, Normandy, with British and American forces on their left and right flanks respectively. Its infantry and artillery units assisted in establishing the beach-head and made modest inland gains during the invasion’s first month.
The 2nd Canadian Division crossed the English Channel to Normandy at the end of the first week of July. Its units entered the front lines near Caen, France, on July 11, 1944. The 2nd Anti-Tank Regiment and all other 2nd Division artillery units received their first combat experience in Normandy.
By the time the 2nd Division landed in France, Allied commanders had devised a large-scale plan intended to break the stalemate that developed in Normandy after D-Day. While Canadian and British units occupied the bulk of German forces by pushing inland toward the city of Caen and beyond, an American force would attempt to break through German lines on the Allied western flank, along the French coast.
Once the Americans reached the vicinity of Avranches, they would push eastward inland toward Argentan and then turn northward toward Falaise, in an effort to encircle German forces in the “Falaise pocket.” Meanwhile, British and Canadian forces would continue to push southward from Caen to Falaise, hoping to close the “Falaise gap” and entrap enemy forces in Normandy.
The British and Canadian part of the plan commenced south of Caen in mid-July. While the city was under Allied control when the 2nd Canadian Division units entered the line, territory south and east of the Orne River, which ran through Caen, was still in German hands. The first stage of the British and Canadian operation commenced with attacks across the Orne on July 18 and 19. The initial advance brought the Allied forces to within striking distance of Verrières and Bourgébus ridges, two strategic areas of high ground between Caen and Falaise.
The Canadian attack on Verrières Ridge commenced on July 20, with infantry units from the 2nd Canadian Division’s 4th and 6th Brigades given the assignment. Atop the ridge were German forces from the 1st SS Panzer and 2nd Panzer Divisions, supported by an estimated 100 tanks. Allied commanders arranged for a series of strategic artillery and air strikes on selected targets around mid-day, hopefully “softening up” enemy forces prior to the infantry attack.
Around mid-afternoon, the 2nd Canadian Division infantry units commenced their advance toward Verrières Ridge, while two British Armoured Divisions launched an attack on Bourgébus Ridge on their left flank. The Canadians made good progress until they reached the ridge’s lower slopes. A violent late-afternoon thunderstorm prevented rocket-firing Typhoons from providing air support targeting German artillery batteries. As a result, the soldiers were subjected to intense shelling.
The 2nd Anti-Tank Regiment advanced behind the two Canadian infantry brigades and was in the process of setting up its weapons when a small group of German tanks launched an attack on the advancing soldiers. Before the regiment’s gunners were ready to fire, the tanks had disabled four of their guns and began sweeping the attackers with machine gun fire. The 2nd Anti-Tank Regiment suffered the majority of the day’s casualties—12 gunners killed and eight wounded.
Fighting continued into the following day, during which another four men were killed and 15 wounded. By that time, the attack had lost its momentum, prompting German forces to launch a series of counterattacks. On July 21, enemy units managed to regain much of the ground lost over the previous two days until a late push by Allied infantry and armoured forces managed to recover the lost ground and establish a stable front just short of the ridge’s base.
Exchanges of fire from July 21 to 23 cost the 2nd Anti-Tank Regiment another 22 men—six killed and 16 wounded—as its batteries managed to eliminate seven German tanks. During that time, the unit played a crucial role in defending the village of St. André-sur-Orne from an attack by a troop of Panzer tanks.
The gunners had set up their 17-pounder beside a disabled Sherman tank, in full view of enemy forces. It commenced fire on the attackers, prompting the Germans to target the tank, which they assumed was the source of the shells. Despite the burning tank beside them, the gunners continued to operate their weapon, eliminating three Panzer tanks before a German shell struck the gun’s breech, disabling it. Despite the strike, personnel managed to get the weapon back in operation, taking out a fourth tank before the attacking enemy force retreated.
After the failed July 20 attack on Verrières Ridge, Allied commanders set about planning a second assault, scheduled for July 25. Code-named Operation Spring, it proved to be the Canadian Army’s second-costliest day of the war, surpassed only by its losses at Dieppe. The plan called for simultaneous attacks by Canadian infantry brigades astride the Caen - Falaise Road, the 2nd Division’s units on the right side and the 3rd Division’s soldiers on the left.
The 2nd Division was given the task of capturing the villages of May-sur-Orne and Verrières, while the 3rd Division was to secure Tilly-la-Campagne. Both would then push further south, securing Fontenay-le-Marmion on the right, Rocquancourt in the centre and Garcelles-Secqueville on the left. Altogether, the operation called for Canadian forces to advance three kilometers from their starting positions.
H-Hour was set for 0330 hours July 25, 1944. While supporting artillery fire commenced 30 minutes prior to the attack’s commencement, the 2nd Division’s 5th Brigade on the right flank had to fight its way to its start line, delaying its attack. As a result, its soldiers did not benefit from the timed artillery support.
A threat from German tanks delayed the 4th Brigade’s attack by 40 minutes, meaning that its supporting artillery barrage had also concluded before its advance commenced. As units from the two 2nd Division brigades made their way up the ridge. they encountered a hailstorm of machine-gun fire from German tanks and infantry. Accurate shooting from one of the 2nd Anti-Tank Regiment’s 17-pounders eliminated four tanks, which helped the 4th Brigade’s Royal Hamilton Light Infantry secure Verrières.
The 5th Brigade’s Royal Highlanders of Canada (Black Watch), further to the right, suffered heavy losses as it advanced toward Fontenay-le-Marmion. While 60 of its soldiers reached the top of the ridge, enemy fire made it impossible for them to hold their position and they were forced to retreat. The unit suffered 300 casualties, 23 of which were fatalities, during the day’s fighting.
The 4th Brigade’s Royal Regiment of Canada (RRC), advancing in the center of the Canadian line, was unable to push forward to Rocquancourt, after its Royal Hamilton Light Infantry comrades secured Verrières. The RRC’s soldiers managed to cover only 400 meters before enemy fire halted their advance. Meanwhile, their RHLI mates managed to hold on to Verrières in the face of fierce enemy fire, but suffered 200 casualties during the day. Around 1800 hours, eight German tanks penetrated their right forward line but were driven back.
The 3rd Canadian Division’s advance on the other side of the Caen - Falaise Road also encountered determined resistance. While the 9th Brigade’s North Nova Scotia Highlanders (NNSH) managed to establish a foothold in Tilly-la-Campagne and held on throughout the day, its soldiers were unable to expand into the rest of the village. After suffering 139 casualties, the North Novas were forced to withdraw to Bourgébus.
While Allied commanders planned to resume the assault the following day, reconsideration resulted in the cancellation of further operations. German forces still held a large area of land west of the Orne River and used the location to launch heavy mortar and artillery fire on Allied positions in front of Verrières Ridge. Until these guns were removed, Allied commanders concluded that a resumption of the attack would only result in significant casualties.
Altogether, the July 25 attack on Verrières Ridge resulted in British and Canadian forces suffering an estimated 1,500 casualties, 450 of which were fatalities. In fact, units continued to report casualties—wounded or killed—from July 26 to 28, despite the fact that no major operations took place on those days. Canadian military historian C. P. Stacey later concluded, “Most of these casualties were certainly actually suffered on the 25th.”
Gunner Alphonso Avery was one of the post-July 25 casualties, reported to have been “killed in action” on July 26, 1944. Over the two days—July 25 and 26—the 2nd Anti-Tank Regiment recorded eight fatalities among its ranks, a statistic that indicates the ferocity of the fighting at Verrières Ridge.
Documents in Alphonso’s service file contain conflicting information as to his initial gravesite. One states that he was buried at a location “250 yards southwest of Caen.” A second claims that he was buried in a cemetery at Fleury-sur-Orne, while a third places the grave ”200 yards southwest of a crossroads near the village of Ifs.”
On July 31, 1944, Alphonso’s mother Martha received a telegram from Canadian military authorities, stating that her son had been killed in action in France. On December 30, 1944, Alphonso’s remains were re-interred in Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian Military Cemetery, Bretteville-sur-Laize, Normandy, France.
While the July 25 British and Canadian attack on Verrières Ridge failed to achieve its objective, that same day American forces on the western flank broke through German lines and commenced a rapid southward advance. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, German commanders quickly transferred units from the area south of Caen to the American front but failed to bring the advance to a halt.
The reduced number of German forces opposite their lines enabled British and Canadian forces to finally secure Verrières Ridge after a three-day campaign that commenced August 7. Following its capture, the units continued to push southward along the Caen - Falaise Road, hoping to eventually connect with their American allies as they pushed northward.
Three of Alphonso’s siblings also served during the Second World War. His older brother Joseph enlisted for military service on an unknown date—likely sometime in early 1944—but was discharged on July 22, 1944, “for reasons of being unable to meet the required military physical standards.” David, the youngest of the Avery brothers, was conscripted into service late in the war but was not deployed overseas.
Paul Avery was “called up” for compulsory military training under the National Resources Military Act (NRMA) and opted to enlist in the Canadian Active Service Force upon completing the program. He was assigned to the Princess Louise Fusiliers and served with its machine gun company in Italy.
After returning to Canada, Paul lived in Halifax, where he initially worked as a “pantryman” with the Canadian National Railway. On September 17, 1946, he married Edith Elizabeth Leahy, daughter of Patrick M. Leahy and Edith Blanche Schnare, Halifax, on September 17, 1946. After retiring from a lengthy career with Canadian National, Paul relocated to Vancouver, BC, where he passed away on November 7, 2000.
In May 1946, Alphonso’s mother Martha relocated to Halifax, where her three surviving sons resided. She passed away in Halifax County Hospital, Cole Harbour, on July 17, 1953, and was laid to rest in Larry’s River.
Photograph of Alphonso Avery's headstone courtesy of the War Graves Photographic Project.
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