William Leland “Bill” Grady was born in Port Shoreham, Guysborough County, on February 22, 1903, the seventh of William Henry and Eliza Sophia (Porper) Grady’s 10 children. William Henry was the son of William and Elizabeth Grady, St. Francis Harbour, while Eliza was the daughter of William and Mary Ann (Lipsett) Porper, Ragged Head. The couple married in Guysborough on December 13, 1892.
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| Sapper William Leland "Bill" Grady |
At the time of the 1901 Canadian census, the Grady household consisted of William, age 47, fisherman, his wife Eliza, age 32, and their five oldest children—Frederick Lewis (DOB June 5, 1893); Mary E. “Mamie” (DOB May 6, 1894); Gordon Elmer (DOB February 29, 1896); Edith L. (DOB June 11, 1898); and Harriet A. “Hattie” (DOB June 11, 1900). Over the next decade, four more children joined the family—Jesse Tobias (DOB June 1902); William Leland; John Cecil (DOB February 1906); Oscar Henry (DOB September 1909). The couple’s youngest child, Urban George was born in 1912.
Midway through the following decade, two tragedies impacted the Grady family. On May 25, 1914, William Henry passed away after a two and a half year battle with tuberculosis and was laid to rest in Manchester Cemetery. Almost exactly one year later—May 23, 1915—William Henry and Eliza’s daughter Hattie succumbed to the same illness.
During the same time period, Eliza’s two remaining daughters married and left the family home. On March 11, 1914, Mamie married Arthur Byron Campbell, a native of Middle Manchester. She later relocated to the United States, where she resided in Gloucester, Massachusetts. On June 19, 1918, Eliza’s youngest daughter Edith married Ross Malcolm Smith, a native of Barneys River, Pictou County, in Truro. Ross and Edith settled in New Glasgow, where Edith died at home on February 3, 1933, the result of pleurperal septicaemia (infection following childbirth).
Eliza remained on the family’s Port Shoreham property, where she cared for a significant number of dependent children. Her oldest son Fred, who worked in the local fishery, also resided there while several of Eliza’s younger sons operated the family farm. At the time of the 1921 census, the Grady household consisted of Eliza, age 48, and six of her seven sons—Fred, age 28; Jesse, age 19, William Leland, age 17, John, age 15, and Oscar, age 14, and Urban, age 13.
Bill left school at age 16, having completed Grade VI. He worked a variety of jobs in the local area—lumbering and carpentry during the winter months, fishing and farming during the summer months—and drove a truck for several years. According to information in his service file, he also worked on wheat farms in Western Canada for a period of time. Family sources state that Bill’s brothers Gordon and John Cecil “Jack” headed west, where they homesteaded. Bill made several trips west on the annual harvest trains for several years, returning home for the winter months. Gordon remained in Alberta, while Jack eventually moved to Ontario, where he established and operated a restaurant in MacTier, near Perry Sound, for years.
Bill eventually returned permanently to Port Shoreham, where he purchased a 20-acre property that included a house, a fishing shed and gear. Focused and hard-working, he established a small mink farm and fished lobster and salmon for six years prior to his enlistment. Bill was also involved in the local forest industry, working with local contractor Edgar Scales, Boylston, when not busy farming or fishing.
According to a family descendant, Bill was engaged to be married until his fiancée ended the engagement. The incident prompted Bill to enlist with the Canadian Active Service Force at Sydney, NS, on October 6, 1942. At age 39, he was considerably older than most of his comrades in uniform. After finishing basic training at No 61 Canadian Army Basic Training Center, New Glasgow, he was selected for artillery service and reported to A2 Training Center, Petawawa, ON, for further instruction on December 1, 1942.
Upon completing his artillery courses, Bill received the standard two-week pre-embarkation furlough on February 21, 1943. He departed for overseas in late March and arrived in the United Kingdom on April 3. Bill initially reported to No. 2 Canadian Artillery Reinforcement Unit, where he awaited orders to report to an active unit. On June 18, 1943, he was assigned to the Royal Canadian Artillery’s No. 5 Anti-Tank Regiment.
While the tank made its military debut during the later stages of the First World War, it was not a particularly effective weapon at that time, due in large part of mechanical imperfections. Developments during the inter-war years transformed the armoured vehicle into a formidable weapon that played a critical role on the Second World War’s battlefields. Both sides established armoured units and deployed them in support of virtually every infantry attack. Similarly, both sides developed weapons and units to counter their opponents’ mobile armour.
At the time of the outbreak of war in Europe, Canada’s military was ill-prepared for armoured warfare. Its arsenal contained 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 overseas combat gradually took shape. In January 1942, the Canadian government commenced an overhaul of its artillery resources in response to the threat that tanks posed to infantry units. The first step involved replacing its anti-tank regiments’ two-pounders with six-pounder guns. As time passed, the units were also outfitted with 17-pounder guns.
By the time Canadian forces entered combat in France in mid-1944, the American self-propelled three-inch M-10 gun—a weapon mounted on a tracked armoured vehicle resembling a small tank—and self-propelled 17-pounders had been developed for battlefield use. While some ani-tank regiments still retained “towed” six- and 17-pounders, the mobile American weapons proved to be the most effective and became the basic anti-tank equipment used in combat.
The 5th Anti-Tank Regiment was authorized on September 10, 1941, and established its initial headquarters at Sussex Camp, NB, in February 1942. The unit initially consisted of three batteries—the 96th (Edmonton, AB); the 65th (Grenfell, SK); and the 3rd (Ganonoque, QC). A fourth battery—the 14th—was added to the unit on January 1, 1943, following its overseas arrival.
Despite a shortage of suitable equipment, the 5th Anti-Tank Regiment trained in Sussex and Tracadie, NB, before proceeding overseas on June 3, 1942. Upon arriving in Liverpool, UK, its personnel travelled by train and road convoy to Dudley Hill Camp, near Dorking, Surrey. The gunners initially trained under British command until the 4th Canadian Armoured Division (4th CAD) arrived in the United Kingdom several months later. On October 1, 1942, the 5th Anti-Tank Regiment joined the 4th CAD at Camp Aldershot in southern England.
The 4th CAD’s composition differed from its infantry comrades. While the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Canadian Infantry Divisions consisted of three Brigades, each containing three infantry regiments, 4th CAD included one Armoured Division, one Infantry Division and several transportation and mechanical support units. Its 4th Armoured Brigade included three armoured regiments—21st Armoured (Governor General’s Foot Guards); 22nd Armoured (Canadian Grenadier Guards); and 28th Armoured (British Columbia Regiment).
The Division’s 10th Infantry Brigade included three Ontario battalions—the Algonquin Regiment, the Lincoln & Welland Regiment and the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise’s). On the battlefield, armoured and infantry units worked in close co-ordination, a tactic employed by both sides.
The 5th Anti-Tank Regiment was 4th CAD’s only anti-tank unit. Each of its four batteries consisted of three “troops” of personnel—the equivalent of infantry companies—equipped with four M-10s. Each troop was assigned a distinctive letter to distinguish it from its comrades. The 96th Battery consisted of Troops A, B and C, while the 65th Battery contained Troops D, E and F. The 3rd Battery included Troops G, H and I, while the 14th Battery, added after the unit’s overseas arrival, was made up of Troops J, K and L. Upon joining the 5th Anti-Tank’s ranks in June 1943, Gunner Bill Grady was assigned to the 14th Battery’s L Troop.
As 4th CAD’s units were among the last to arrive overseas, they were not part of the June 6, 1944 D-Day landings. Allied plans called for their deployment in Normandy once the invading force had established an operating beach-head. In mid-July, the 4th CAD’s units began preparations to depart for France. An advance party made the crossing to the continent on July 18 while the unit’s four batteries gathered their equipment and made their way to Tilbury Docks, a port on the River Thames, over several days.
The departure process stretched over several days as equipment and personnel were assigned to different vessels. On July 24, the 96th, 3rd and 14th Batteries proceeded to France, their vessels dropping anchor off the coast of Normandy. Two days later, the 65th Battery followed in their wake. As with the loading procedure, it was several days before the entire 5th Anti-Tank Regiment was ashore. By July 28, all personnel and gear had landed and the unit began preparations for its first deployment.
On July 28, 4th CAD was notified that its units were to relieve the 7th British Armoured Division in the forward area south of Caen. The following day, an advance party visited the position, while the entire Regiment moved out later in the day. The forward batteries reported some artillery shelling during the evening hours but no casualties resulted. Around 1800 hours, the Regiment’s batteries began the process of relieving their British comrades.
The last of the unit’s personnel and equipment arrived in the forward area on July 30. Later that night, 4th CAD’s infantry units took up positions along the front line. It was not long before the first 5th Anti-Tank Regiment soldiers saw combat. On the last day of the month, the 3rd Battery’s G Troop supported the 2nd Canadian Division’s Calgary Highlanders as they launched an unsuccessful attack on the village of Tilly-la-Campagne, atop Verrières Ridge.
On August 1, all 3rd Canadian Division anti-tank guns withdrew from the line and were replaced by 5th Anti-Tank Regiment personnel and equipment. Before day’s end, the first casualties occurred—one 96th Battery officer and five of the 3rd Battery’s G Troop were wounded by mortar fire while deploying their guns during the late evening.
The following day, the wounded officer succumbed to his injuries, becoming the 5th Anti-Tank Regiment’s first combat fatality. The 3rd Battery’s H Troop also saw its first action, supporting a Lincoln & Welland Regiment attack on Tilly-la-Campagne. On August 3, 5th Anti-Tank Regiment’s officers inspected all gun positions as considerable artillery shelling was reported across the entire area. The following day, personnel installed boiler plates from a locomotive works in Colombelles to create shields over the unit’s gun turrets.
On August 6, the 5th Anti-Tank Regiment received notice of an upcoming “push” along the main highway between Caen and Falaise. The following day, 4th CAD gathered its infantry forces southwest of Caen in preparation for a third attack on Tilly-la-Campagne. At 0200 hours August 8, the 5th Anti-Tank Regiment and other 4th CAD units moved out to a concentration area prior to the commencement of the offensive.
At 0910 hours, the 5th Anti-Tank Regiment once again began to move forward. Near mid-day, an American Fortress bomber that was supposed to strike strategic German targets prior to the attack mistakenly dropped its payload near Caen, killing two of the unit’s “other ranks” (OR) and wounding six others. At 1345 hours, a second “friendly fire” incident killed two OR and wounded three others. The column continued to advance after the incident, arriving at Colombelles at 1900 hours and settling in for the night.
On August 9, the 5th Anti-Tank Regiment distributed its battery troops to several different locations. Two 65th Battery troops assumed positions south of Verrières, while the 14th Battery’s Headquarters, J and K Troops were stationed at Racquincourt. The 3rd Battery’s three troops—G, H and I—assisted the Algonquin Regiment in its assignment. 14th Battery’s L Troop—Gunner Bill Grady’s unit—and the 29th Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment (Southern Alberta Regiment)—SAR—assisted the Lincoln & Welland Regiment in a successful attack on the village of Langanerrie.
At 0500 hours August 10, the SAR’s B Squadron assumed positions in front of the captured village. Two troops of its tanks were dispatched to St. Hilaire, with instructions to guard the Algonquin Regiment’s left flank while it launched an attack on enemy positions. The 5th Anti-Tank Regiment’s L Troop accompanied the two SAR Troops on their mission.
As the approach to St. Hilaire was under enemy fire, a new route was laid out and the two units headed in that direction. The Sergeant in charge made “a miscalculation in map reading,” resulting in a wrong turn. By accident, both units—5th Anti-Tank’s L Troop and the two SAR Troops—moved forward into an enemy trap at Quesnay Wood. German forces immediately opened fire on the group.
The SAR’s war diary entry for August 10, 1944 reported that “the complete troop was knocked out from enemy anti-tank fire.” The 5th Anti-Tank’s14th Battery diary entry provided more details on the incident:
“Very bad news about L Troop. Four M-10s lost[,] two known to have been hit and burned up, two others lost but not known whether hit or captured. Crews all missing with the exception of Sgt. Grey’s crew[,] who escaped after [their] M-10 was hit.”
Gunner William Leland Grady was among the 17 5th Anti-Tank Regiment personnel officially reported “missing” on August 10, 1944. While his service file does not contain a copy of a letter or telegram to Eliza, military authorities would have notified her of the situation within seven to 10 days of Bill’s disappearance. One week after the incident, the remains of 10 L Troop gunners were recovered near Quesnay Wood. There was no trace of Bill or other six gunners.
Months passed with no further information on Bill’s fate. Finally, on April 2, 1945, military authorities wrote to Eliza, informing her that “no further news has been received relative to your son…., who had been officially listed as missing since the 10th day of August, 1944. The Army Council have regretfully constrained to conclude that he gave his life in action against the enemy in the Western European Theatre of War, and it is consequently being recorded that… Gunner William Leland Grady is now for official purposes presumed to have been killed in action on the 10th day of August, 1944.”
In the months after the conclusion of fighting in Europe, Commonwealth War Graves Commission officials erected a Memorial at Bayeux, France, displaying the names of “men of the land forces of the British Commonwealth and Empire two fell in the early stages of the campaign in northwest Europe and have no known grave.” Gunner Bill Grady’s name is among those engraved on the Memorial.
Several of Bill’s brothers served in the Canadian armed forces over the years. Gordon, the oldest of the Grady boys, enlisted during both world wars. On May 1, 1918, he was conscripted into service under the Military Service Act (1917) at Halifax. After completing basic training, Gordon departed for overseas aboard AMT Waimana on June 25.
Upon disembarking in the United Kingdom 12 days later, Gordon was assigned to the 17th (Reserve) Battalion, which provided reinforcements for Nova Scotian infantry units in the field. On October 30, he proceeded to France for service with the 25th Battalion (Nova Scotia Rifles). Gordon remained at the Canadian Base Depot in Le Havre until November 8, at which time he left to join the 25th’s ranks. Five days later, he arrived in its camp near Mons, Belgium.
Gordon remained on the continent for five months. During that time, the 25th relocated to post-war Germany, crossing the Rhine River to Bonn, Germany, with an Allied occupation force. On April 9, 1919, Gordon returned to the United Kingdom, where an unexpected illness kept him in hospital until early August. He departed for Canada aboard SS Minnekahda on September 6, 1919, and arrived in Halifax eight days later. Gordon was formally was discharged from military service on September 20 and returned to Port Shoreham.
During the post-war years, Gordon headed west to the Canadian Prairies, where he homesteaded, eventually settling in Peace River, Alberta, around 1926. During the Second World War, Gordon served in th Royal Canadian Air Force. The nature of his service is not known. He remained out west for the rest of his life, passing away in Nanaimo, British Columbia, on October 3, 1984, at 88 years of age.
The two youngest Grady boys also spent some time in uniform during the Second World War. Oscar was with a unit in the Strait of Canso area—likely the Pictou Highlanders—for several months. The exact details of his service are unknown. Urban, the youngest of William and Eliza’s sons, attempted to enlist but failed the medical examination due to “flat feet.” At a young age, he had suffered an injury to his feet when a horse racing sulky on which he was riding overturned while crossing a narrow bridge. The injury is believed to have caused the foot problem that resulted in his rejection.
Bill’s mother Eliza lived in Port Shoreham for the rest of her years, passing away in her youngest son Urban’s home on August 30, 1954. 86 years old at the time of her death, she was laid to rest in Manchester Cemetery beside her husband William and daughter Hattie.
Special thanks to Floyd Grady, Port Shoreham, NS, for providing information on the Grady family.
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