Douglas Albert Hadley was born in New Waterford, NS., on December 26, 1920. Both of Douglas’s parents were natives of Oyster Ponds, Guysborough County. His father Lewis Osborne was the son of Joseph and Eliza (Grant) Hadley, while his mother Elizabeth May “Lizzie” was the daughter of Joseph and Catherine “Kate” Jamieson. Lewis and Lizzie were married in Glace Bay, NS, on January 22, 1914. At the time, Lewis was living in Dominion, where he was employed as a section foreman on the local railway.
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| Private Douglas Albert Hadley |
The young couple established residence in Dominion, where five children joined the household over the next seven years. Their first child, Charles Joseph, was born on January 25, 1915. A daughter Dorothy Evelyn joined the family on December 18, 1915, while a second daughter, Hilda May, arrived on August 13. 1917. Douglas, the couple’s fourth child and second son, was born on December 26, 1920, while Lillian Jemima, the youngest of the Hadley children, arrived on July 17, 1921.
Tragedy struck the young family on August 2, 1923, when Lewis passed away in Glace Bay General Hospital. Only 43 years old at the time of his death, he had been under medical care for three months before succumbing to osteomyelitis. After her husband’s untimely death, Lizzie remained in Dominion, where she somehow managed to care for her five young children.
Four years after Lewis’s death, Lizzie developed an ovarian cyst that required medical attention. While the problem subsided, another cyst was detected in early May 1929 and became cancerous. Lizzie’s health quickly deteriorated and she passed away in St. Joseph’s Hospital, Glace Bay, on July 29, 1929. She was 35 years old at the time of her death.
In the aftermath of their mother’s passing, the Hadley children were dispersed to various locations. Charles was taken in by Fenwick Hadley and his wife Annie. A native of Manchester, Guysborough County, Fenwick was working as a carpenter in New Waterford at the time of Lizzie’s passing. While he may have know Lizzie and Lewis prior to their deaths, there are no genealogical documents that connect him to either of Charles’ parents.
Dorothy was taken in by Hugh Jameson, Melford. Also in the home at the time of the 1931 Canadian census was Hugh’s mother, Mary Catherine, age 60. The census entry identified Dorothy as Hugh’s “cousin,” but census and marriage records suggest that Hugh may have been her mother Lizzie’s first cousin. For unknown reasons, Dorothy’s sibling Hilda was sent to the Nova Scotia Training School, Bible Hill. Lillian, the youngest of the sisters, was taken in by James Joseph Wallace Carr, age 68, Mulgrave, and his wife Martha Clarice Grant. Census records also describe Lillian as a “cousin,” but no clear relationship can be established.
Douglas Hadley initially resided in the home of Joseph Delbert Hunson, Milford, and his wife Harriet Marcella “Hattie” Grant. Once again, census records refer to Douglas as a “cousin.” Hattie was the daughter of William and Elizabeth Grant, Oyster Pond, and thus may have been a relative of Douglas’s paternal grandmother, Eliza (Grant) Hadley. However, there are no documents to support this connection.
Sometime after 1931, Douglas relocated to West River, Pictou County, where he was taken in as a foster child by George and Bertha Seaman. He attended public school for seven years, completing Grade VI. He left school at age 13 and worked as a farm labourer for four years, quite possibly on the Seaman family farm. Douglas then found employment with a lumbering operation in the Charlos Cove area. In late 1940, he moved to Oxford, Cumberland County, where he worked as an “edger” in a local lumber mill.
In the spring of 1941, Douglas was “called up” under the National Resources Mobilization Act (NRMA). Upon completing a mandatory training program, he enlisted with the Canadian militia at Halifax on May 20, 1941. He completed his basic training in Yarmouth and proceeded to Camp Aldershot in late July for advanced infantry instruction.
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| Private Douglas Albert Hadley at the time of his enlistment |
On December 5, 1941, Douglas was assigned to the Pictou Highlanders, a Canadian militia unit. Three days later, he was posted to the garrison at Devil’s Battery, located near the entrance to Halifax harbour. After only six weeks of militia service, Douglas attested with the Canadian Active Service Force (CASF) at Dartmouth on January 19, 1942. At that time, he listed his older brother Charles Hadley, Melford, as his next of kin.
Under the terms of his NRMA enlistment, Douglas could be assigned only to “home defence” duties. His CASF enlistment meant that he was now eligible for overseas service. Despite the change in status, he remained in Canada for almost two years. Posted once again to the Pictou Highlanders’ “D” Company, he was assigned to one of its officers as a “batman.” In early May, he was transferred to the Lawlor’s Island battery, located off Eastern Passage, near the mouth of Halifax Harbour. Briefly hospitalized on June 9 for treatment of cellulitis in his left thumb—probably the result of a cut—he returned to duty 10 days later.
On August 9, 1942, Douglas was transferred to the Pictou Highlanders’ Halifax detachment. In early December, he proceeded to Sussex Camp, NB, for training. On March 2, 1943, he was once again assigned to “batman” duty and shortly afterward departed for coastal fence duty in Newfoundland with a detachment of Pictou Highlanders. He spent six months on the island before returning to Nova Scotia.
On September 14, Douglas reported to Camp Debert on September 14 and received the standard two-week pre-embarkation leave. Upon returning to duty, he remained in Debert for one week before relocating to No. 1 Transit Camp, Windsor, on October 8. He waited there for six weeks before departing for overseas on November 25. One week later, he disembarked in the United Kingdom and was immediately assigned to No. 7 Canadian Infantry Reinforcement Unit (CIRU).
Douglas arrived overseas during a lull in the Allied Italian campaign. A large force of British, American and Commonwealth units had invaded Sicily in early June 1943 and moved on to the southern tip of the Italian mainland in early September. Canadian units were part of an Allied battle group that advanced up the central part of the Italian peninsula before swinging eastward to the coastal plain along the Adriatic Sea.
Following a costly but successful operation against German forces in the Moro River area and the capture of Ortona in late December 1943, Canadian units spent the winter of 1943-44 in the front lines north of the town. Both sides settled into a period of “static warfare” that extended into the spring of 1944. During that time, Allied reinforcements made their way to a camp at Avellino, approximately 100 kilometers east of Naples.
On February 18, 1944, Private Douglas Albert Hadley was assigned to the Mediterranean theatre’s reinforcement pool and departed for Italy the following day. He disembarked at Naples on March 3 and made his way to Avellino, where he awaited orders to report to an active unit. In mid-March, Douglas was placed on the Cape Breton Highlanders’ reinforcement list and was officially “taken on strength” in the field on April 7, 1944.
The Cape Breton Highlanders (CBH) regiment traces its roots to the Victoria Provisional Battalion of Infantry, established in Baddeck, NS, on October 13, 1871. Redesignated the 94th Victoria Regiment, Argyll Highlanders, in 1900, the militia unit was placed on active service on August 6, 1914, and later provided recruits for the 185th Battalion, Cape Breton Highlanders. While the 185th crossed the North Atlantic to the United Kingdom in October 1916, the unit never saw active service on the continent. It remained in the UK, where it served as a reinforcement unit for Nova Scotia battalions in France and Belgium.
Officially disbanded in November 29, 1918, CBH was reconstituted as a Canadian militia unit on November 1, 1920, and was called to active service on August 26, 1939. The regiment subsequently mobilized the 1st Battalion, Cape Breton Highlanders, for service with the Canadian Active Service Force on January 1, 1941, and departed for overseas on November 10, 1941
Upon arriving in the United Kingdom in late November, CBH was assigned to the 5th Canadian Armoured Division’s 11th Infantry Brigade, where it served alongside the Perth Regiment (Ontario) and the Irish Regiment of Canada (Toronto, ON). Its soldiers spent two years training in the United Kingdom before arriving in Italy with the 5th Canadian Armoured Division (5th CAD) in November 1943.
CBH commenced active service in sectors north of Ortona in mid-January 1944 and relocated to the forward area near the entrance to the Liri Valley in early April. Private Douglas Albert Hadley likely joined its ranks there as personnel prepared for their role in the upcoming Allied offensive against the Gustav and Hitler Lines, two German defensive networks located in the strategically important valley.
5th CAD was not involved in the initial attacks on the defensive systems, which commenced on May 11. During two weeks of hard fighting, Allied forces broke through both lines. On May 25, 5th CAD entered the line during the “break out” phase as Allied forces advanced toward Rome. CBH’s week-long Liri Valley tour resulted in 30 combat fatalities and 126 soldiers wounded.
On June 3, CBH moved out to Ceprano for an extended period of rest and training. Three days later, news of the Allied landings in Normandy raised hopes that an end to the war was not far away. At mid-month, CBH relocated to Caiazzo, where the highlight of the summer was a July 30 visit to its camp by King George VI. Three days later, the unit travelled through Rome to a staging area along the shores of Lake Bolsena, 130 kilometers north of the Italian capital.
Over the next three days, 5th CAD units made their way northeastward to an area on the Adriatic coast south of Pesaro. The Canadians’ next assignment was an assault on the Gothic Line, a German defensive network that crossed the entire Italian peninsula, stretching from the Adriatic coast through mountains north of Florence to a location on the Tyrrhenian Sea south of Spezia. The British 8th Army, to which the Canadians were attached, was given the task of penetrating the line’s eastern sectors adjacent to the Adriatic Sea. The mission proved to be one of the Italian campaign’s most challenging assignments.
The attack’s first phase commenced on August 26 as British, Polish and 1st Canadian Division units crossed the Metauro River and advanced northward to the Foglia River during three days of hard fighting. Beyond the Foglia lay the Gothic line itself, an objective assigned to 5th CAD and its 1st Canadian Division comrades.
In the early morning hours of August 29, CBH personnel entered front line positions north of Monteciccardo and crossed the Foglia at 1730 hours. During the following two days, the unit made three unsuccessful attempts to break through the German line. Its Perth Regiment comrades to the unit’s right finally reached their objective during the morning of August 31. Later in the day, the Irish Regiment of Canada passed through the Perths’ line and secured CBH’s objective. CBH was relieved in the line that evening, having suffered 19 fatalities and another 44 soldiers wounded during its first Gothic Line engagement.
Canadian units continued their advance northward toward the Rimini Line, a new line of defence hastily established behind the Gothic Line by retreating German forces. On September 4, 5th CAD assembled in a concentration area in preparation for an attack on San Andreas Ridge, one of several strategic areas of high ground located in front of the Rimini Line.
At 0200 hours September 5, two CBH Companies moved forward with support from a troop of New Brunswick Hussars tanks and successfully secured the ridge three hours later. The soldiers quickly dug slit trenches for shelter before first light. They spent the next three days on a downward slope, in full view of the town of Coriano, which was still in German hands. During that time, personnel endured relentless mortar and artillery fire that inflicted 11 fatalities and wounded 40 others. By the time the unit withdrew from the position at 2355 hours September 9, the soldiers had nicknamed the location “Graveyard Hill.”
CBH personnel retired to a rest camp near San Giovanni for a much-needed rest. No further advance was possible in its sector until Coriano Ridge and the town of the same name atop the feature was in Allied hands. During the unit’s time in rest camp, British soldiers launched a series of unsuccessful attacks on the location. In response, Allied commanders selected 5th CAD and its 11th Brigade units to complete the task.
The plan called for a night-time attack on the ridge along a two-battalion front. CBH would occupy the right flank, with the Perth Regiment on its left. The operation was scheduled for 0100 hours September 13 and would be supported by a squadron of New Brunswick Hussars tanks and several mobile artillery units. During the initial stage, the two units were to isolate the town of Coriano by securing the areas on its flanks. The Irish Regiment of Canada would then pass through CBH’s lines at first light and clear enemy forces from the town.
At 2230 hours September 12, CBH’s soldiers commenced a three-kilometre trek to their assembly area. All units were in position by midnight, the advance commencing one hour later. Despite significant enemy fire and a perilous anti-personnel minefield, two CBH Companies advanced up the slope, arriving at the top of the ridge around 0400 hours. Thirty minutes later, the Perths had secured their objective, allowing the Irish Regiment to move forward at 0600 hours and reach the ridge one hour later.
With assistance from the Westminster Regiment (British Columbia), the Irish secured the town by late afternoon. That night, the units dispatched patrols down the ridge’s slopes as German artillery and mortars targeted the entire ridge. The three regiments nevertheless held their ground, finally commencing relief procedures at 1700 hours September 14.
CBH once again retired to the San Giovanni rest camp, where it began rebuilding its ranks. During 17 days along the Gothic Line, the unit had suffered 57 fatalities, while another 241 men had been wounded. The soldiers enjoyed nine days of much-needed rest before relieving British units near Santa Giustina in the early hours of September 23.
Prior to CBH’s return to the line, the 12th Canadian Infantry Brigade managed to cross the Usi River and establish defensive positions to the left and right of San Vito. Upon relieving its 12th Brigade comrades, 11th CIB received orders to advance to the Rubicone River and establish a bridgehead at Fiumicino. Its units were then instructed to seize control of crossings over the Scolo Rigosso, a large drainage ditch, at Sant’ Angelo.
At 1340 hours September 26, CBH’s A Company led the unit’s personnel to a concentration area prior to relieving the 12th CIB’s Westminsters at La Torre, near the Usi River. The soldiers now found themselves 20 kilometers north of Coriano Ridge. D Company moved into position at 2210 hours and the entire unit had settled into the line by 0400 hours September 27.
Night patrols soon reported that a bridge across the Salto River at La Torre had been destroyed and the river was not fordable at that location. During the afternoon of September 27, CBH advanced through severe artillery and mortar fire to the Vena River, where German small arms fire halted further progress. By 1800 hours, the entire unit had managed to cross the Salto River at another location and held its ground in the face of heavy machine gun fire.
Throughout the night of September 27/28, German mortar and artillery fire struck CBH’s positions, impacting B and D Companies in particular. Around 0700 hours, D Company moved forward toward the Rubicone with orders to “consolidate along the river and secure [a] bridge” that was still believed to be intact. The soldiers “had not gone too far when they met considerable mortar and machine gun fire.”
At 0915 hours, CBH was informed that enemy forces had destroyed the bridge. Artillery and mortar shelling continued throughout the morning as officers assessed the situation. While the unit initially received orders to prepare for a night-time crossing of the Rubicone, the action was cancelled in late afternoon. Meanwhile, D Company continued to advance toward the river, reaching its banks before midnight and consolidating their position. In the meantime, B Company also encountered enemy fire and called the unit’s Medical Officer forward “to attend to some casualties.”
For the remainder of the month, CBH held its positions along the Rubicone River. The unit suffered a total of 352 casualties during September—two officers and 50 “other ranks” (OR) were killed, while 14 officers and 286 “other ranks” were wounded. The losses on September 28, 1944, were particularly severe. According to Commonwealth War Graves Commission records, a total of 10 CBH soldiers died that day.
Private Douglas Albert Hadley was one of the September 28, 1944 fatalities, killed in combat as CBH soldiers advanced to the banks of the Rubicone. The exact circumstances of his death are unknown. Douglas was initially buried in the 5th Canadian Armoured Division Cemetery, Cesena, Italy. On June 5, 1945, his remains were re-interred in Cesena British Cemetery, Cesena, Italy.
All of Douglas’s siblings married and remained in Nova Scotia. Charles, Dorothy and Lillian established residence within minutes of one another in or near Mulgrave, while Hilda made her home in Dartmouth. Despite being separated for several years after their mother’s tragic death, the Hadley siblings maintained close bonds with one another throughout their adult lives.
Special thanks to Angel Scott-Skinner, Port Hawkesbury, who provided pictures of her great-uncle, Private Douglas Albert Hadley, and reviewed the information on the Hadley family. In November 2024, eight decades after Douglas's death, Angel received his service medals from his foster family. The story of the medals' journey home to Hadley family descendants is available online at CBC News Nova Scotia's website.
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