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.
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| 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.”
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| 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.
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