Harvey Donald MacHattie was born in Weihui, Henan, China, on June 6, 1920, the third of James Blake “J. B.” and Janet Sutherland (Macdonald) MacHattie’s five sons. Janet was the daughter of William Hugh MacDonald and Ellen Hattie, Sherbrooke, Guysborough County, while J. B. was the son of John Lauchlin Hattie and Elizabeth Sutherland, Upper Caledonia, Guysborough County.
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| Lieutenant Harvey Donald MacHattie |
J. B. and Janet both traced one side of their ancestral roots to Guysborough County’s Hattie/MacHattie pioneer, Alexander MacHattie. Born around 1757 in Banffshire, Scotland. Alexander was one of three brothers who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1786. A stonemason by trade, for unknown reasons Alexander dropped the use of “Mac” in his surname sometime after arriving in the colony. One brother, William, settled in Barney’s River, Pictou County, and never married. A second brother, George, established residence in Newport, Hants County, where he raised a family of four daughters.
Alexander initially joined his brother William in the Barney’s River area. In 1795, he relocated to West River, Pictou County, before moving on to East River St. Mary’s, Guysborough County, in 1813. During his lifetime, Alexander was a stonemason, farmer, lumberman and mill owner, reflecting the diverse skills required in establishing a new life in an undeveloped wilderness.
In 1790, Alexander married Catherine McDonald, who was born in Scotland in 1774. The couple raised a family of 12 children—eight sons, one whom died in infancy, and four daughters. John, the second son to bear that name, was born in West River, Pictou County, on July 22, 1803, and married Annie MacQuarrie, a native of the Isle of Rùm, Small Isles, Scotland, on September 28, 1826. John and Annie initially lived in East River St. Mary’s, Guysborough County, where five of their six sons were born. In June 1840, the family relocated to Caledonia.
Daniel Hattie, one of the sons born in East River St. Mary’s, married Janet Sutherland (DOB July 28, 1832), a native of Caledonia, in a ceremony that took place in Janet’s home community on September 15, 1855. Daniel was deeded half of his father’s Caledonia property, including the family home, and later built a new house near a mill located on the property. Daniel and Janet raised a family of four daughters, one of whom was Helen Agnes Hattie, born on January 4, 1858.
Helen married William Hugh Macdonald, a Sherbrooke blacksmith, on November 4, 1879. The couple raised a family of three sons and four daughters. Janet Sutherland Macdonald, their fourth child and youngest daughter, was born in Sherbrooke on July 18, 1889. After completing her public school studies, Helen attended Dalhousie University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the spring of 1913. On November 11, 1913, Janet departed from San Francisco, California on a passage to China, where her fiancé, James Blake “J B.” MacHattie, was a working as a Presbyterian missionary.
J. B. traced his paternal lineage to Daniel Hattie, another of Alexander “Pioneer” MacHattie’s sons. Born in West River, Pictou County, on April 6, 1810, Daniel married Mary MacQuarrie, who was born in Scotland on October 31, 1813. Mary’s sister Annie later married Daniel’s younger brother John. Daniel and Mary raised a family of 10 children—five sons and five daughters—in their Upper Caledonia home.
John Laughlin Hattie, Daniel and Mary’s second child and oldest son, was born on August 19, 1836, and married Elizabeth Sutherland, a Lower Caledonia native, on February 13, 1862. Religion played an important role in Laughlin’s life and family. He was selected as an elder in the Presbyterian Church, a position also held by three of his seven sons.
James Blake “J. B.,” Lauchlin and Elizabeth’s youngest child, was born in Upper Caledonia on December 24, 1881. J. B. went on to attend McGill University, graduating in May 1910 with a Bachelor of Science degree and an Engineering diploma. After a year’s employment in Canada, he was designated a Presbyterian missionary in Knox Church, Montreal, QC, on October 18, 1911, and departed for China as part of a Presbyterian Church of Canada mission in early 1912.
Throughout his time in Asia, J. B. put his engineering skills to work, beginning in the area of Changde, Hunan. In late November 1913, J. B.’s fiancée, Janet Sutherland Macdonald, arrived in China. The couple married in Shanghai on December 15, 1913, and then travelled to Changde. Lloyd Elliott, J.B. and Janet’s first child, was born there on January 8, 1915.
In April 1915, the family relocated to Weihui, Henan Province, China, which was located in one of several “British concessions”—numerous areas of China occupied and governed by foreign powers. J. B. oversaw the building of a school and a medical clinic, road construction and other similar projects during his time there. Contagious diseases—diphtheria, dysentery, mumps, measles, whooping cough, scarlet fever—were common in the area, impacting both the local population and missionary families at various times.
Leslie Blake, J. B. and Janet’s second son, was born in Weihui on January 29, 1917. That spring, J. B. departed for France as a commissioned officer with the Chinese Labour Corps. Recruited in the British-leased territory of Weihaiwei, China, in late 1916, its purpose was to allow men serving in British labour units to be transferred to infantry duty. J.B.’s unit, the first of many, consisted of 1,086 labourers under the command of six British officers and one Medical Officer.
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| James Blake "J. B." MacHattie in First World War uniform |
The initial British plan called for the recruitment of 10,000 labourers, divided into approximately 20 Companies. By November 1918, approximately 195 Chinese Labour Companies containing almost 100,000 men were working in France and Belgium under the British flag. J. B.’s engineering skills and mastery of the Chinese language made him an excellent candidate for overseeing the unit’s work. It would be two and a half years before he would reunite with his wife and children.
Following J. B.’s departure, Janet, Leslie and Lloyd remained in Weihui until November 1918, when word arrived that Janet’s father, William Hugh Macdonald, was seriously ill. The trio made their way across the Pacific Ocean to British Columbia, travelled by train to Antigonish, and then by horse and sleigh to Sherbrooke, where they spent the winter of 1918-19.
William Hugh Macdonald passed away in Sherbrooke on May 1, 1919. Rather than return to China, Janet and her sons remained there until J. B.’s overseas military discharge. He arrived in Halifax on August 24, 1919, and travelled home to Caledonia for a visit. Two months later, the family commenced the long trek back to China, spending time with relatives in Toronto and British Columbia before departing from Vancouver, BC, aboard the Empress of Japan on December 18, 1919. Three weeks later—January 8, 1920—the MacHatties landed in Shanghai and returned to Weihui shortly afterward.
J. B. and Janet’s third son, Harvey Donald, was born on June 6, 1920. During her time in Weihui, Janet taught reading in the mission school and helped local women learn to read while raising her three young sons. A fourth child, Graham, joined the family in February 1923. Two and a half months later, J. B., Janet and their two youngest children returned to Changde, while the two older boys remained in Weihui, where they continued to attend the mission’s Canadian school.
J. B. and Janet’s youngest child, Lorne, was born in April 1925, during their time in Changde. The mid-1920s was a period of increasing political turmoil and instability in China. As the situation became increasingly unsafe, the missionaries and their families, now working under the auspices of the United Church of Canada, were offered the opportunity to relocate. In November 1925, the MacHattie family left China on leave and once again travelled to British Columbia, where they spent the holiday season with relatives before moving on to Martintown, near Cornwall, ON, for another family visit.
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| Janet and J. B. MacHattie and their five sons in China (date unknown) |
The MacHatties visited Nova Scotia the summer and early autumn before relocating to Weston, ON, in November 1926. Early the following year, J. B. officially changed his surname to “MacHattie” by act of the Nova Scotia Legislature. In February 1927, he departed for China, leaving Janet and their five sons behind as the situation there was still unstable. By year’s end, the United Church of Canada decided to relocate its missionary work to Korea, where Japanese control provided stability.
In May 1928, Janet and her boys headed back to Asia, arriving in Kobe, Japan, early the following month. Janet enrolled Lloyd, Leslie and Harvey in a Canadian Academy located there and then headed for Hamhung, Korea, with her two youngest sons. Unlike China, the trains in Korea followed a regular schedule, and law and order prevailed throughout the Japanese colony.
The United Church missionaries returned to Henan Province in September 1929. While Lloyd and Leslie remained in Kobe to complete their secondary studies, Harvey returned to Weihui, where he and his two youngest siblings attended the Canadian mission school. In May 1932, the family moved to Tianjin, southeast of Beijing, where the three youngest boys enrolled in the Municipal Grammar School, which taught a British curriculum.
In autumn 1933, Lloyd, the oldest of the MacHattie boys, returned to Canada, where he commenced studies at Dalhousie University, Halifax. That same season, Harvey headed to the Canadian Academy in Kobe, Japan, with Leslie while his parents and two youngest brothers returned to Weihui. 1934 was a “furlough year,” the family first travelling to Honolulu, Hawaii, to visit a relative in mid-June and then moving on to Vancouver, BC, for another train trip across the country.
After visits to Sherbrooke and Caledonia, the family rented a house in Halifax in late summer 1934. Harvey enrolled in Halifax Academy for the school year, while Lloyd and Leslie attended Dalhousie University. In August 1935, the family prepared to return to China. Lloyd and Leslie remained in Halifax, while Harvey and Graham returned to the Canadian Academy, Kobe, to finish their secondary studies. Meanwhile, J. B., Janet and Lorne travelled to Weihui.
In July 1937, Japan launched an invasion of Chinese territory south of Beijing, the first of several military incursions into the country. Extensive flooding in Henan Province that summer and the arrival of refugees fleeing Japanese forces further complicated the situation there. The family remained in Weihui for the time being, Harvey spending his last summer in China before departing for Canada in August 1938 to join his brothers at Dalhousie University. As J. B. and Janet said goodbye to their third son, none gave a thought to the possibility that they would never see one another again.
Following in his father’s footsteps, Harvey Donald MacHattie completed the requirements for a Bachelor of Science degree and Civil Engineering diploma, graduating from Dalhousie University in the spring of 1942. The outbreak of war during his second year of studies prompted Harvey to enlist with the school’s Auxiliary Training Corps during the 1940-41 academic year and join Dalhousie’s Canadian Officers’ Training Corps (COTC) program during his senior year.
On May 14, 1941, Harvey formally enlisted with the Non-Permanent Active Militia of Canada at Halifax, and trained with Dalhousie and Kings Universities COTC Contingent throughout the 1941-42 academic year. On June 6, 1942, he was appointed to the commissioned rank of 2nd Lieutenant with the Canadian Army and was “taken on strength’ by No. 6 Military District, Halifax. One month later, Harvey attested with the Canadian Active Service Force (CASF) and was placed on the “General List” for service with the Royal Canadian Engineers (RCE).
On June 12, 1942, Harvey was posted to the Officers Training Centre, Brockville, ON. After five months of extensive training, he qualified for the rank of 2/Lieutenant (RCE) and was posted to A-5 Royal Canadian Engineers Training Centre, Petawawa, ON. In mid-October, he qualified as “Driver I/C [internal combustion], Class III.” On December 5, 1942, “having obtained Grade ‘C’ at course held at (A5) CETC from 14-9-42 to 5-12-42 [Harvey] qualified for the rank of Lieutenant and [was] promoted as such.”
After two weeks’ leave, Harvey returned to Petawawa. In mid-January 1943, he was posted to the Advanced Driving and Maintenance School, Woodstock, ON, for a course in “Wheeled Vehicles.” Upon completing the requirements for “Driver IC [internal combustion] Class II, [and] M/C [motorcycle] Grade II,” he returned to Petawawa on February 12, 1943. Six weeks later, Harvey “proceeded overseas,” arriving in the United Kingdom (UK) on April 5.
Harvey was initially assigned to No. 1 Canadian Engineers Reinforcement Unit (CERU), where he awaited further orders. On August 9, he was transferred to No. 9 Field Squadron, Royal Canadian Engineers (RCE). Initially organized at Camp Petawawa in September 1940, the unit had arrived in the UK in June 1942 and spent the two years there, building Bailey bridges, learning to deploy and defuse personnel mines and booby traps, and building various fortifications. Personnel also assisted in clearing damage caused by German bombing raids.
Breaking into the officers’ ranks of engineering units stationed in the UK for a lengthy period while awaiting deployment in Western Europe was not an easy task. Harvey spent two months training with No. 9 Field Company before returning to No. 1 CERU for the remainder of the year. In early 1944, he was assigned to No. 9 Field Squadron’s “Rear Party” before returning to its regular ranks in early May.
In late July 1944, Harvey returned to No. 1 CERU, where he remained for the summer. On September 2, he was “struck off strength” and commenced a six-week “Officers Conversion” course for service with an infantry unit. Comments on his assessments describe Harvey as having “good initiative” and showing “plenty of leadership. “Cool-headed [and] reliable,” he “grasp[ed] new ideas fairly quickly” and “with more practical experience should make a good platoon commander.”
On October 14, 1944, Harvey was formally transferred to the Canadian Infantry Corps and assigned to No. 4 Canadian Infantry Reinforcement Unit (CIRU). Two weeks later, he was transferred to No. 1 CIRU, a sign that a posting to an active was imminent. On November 3, Harvey left the UK for the Mediterranean theatre. Two weeks later, he disembarked in Italy and was placed on the general reinforcement list. On December 8, he was assigned to the West Nova Scotia Regiment and joined the unit in northern Italy one week later.
The West Nova Scotia Regiment was created in 1936 when the Lunenburg and Annapolis Regiments amalgamated to form one militia unit. The battalion officially mobilized for service on September 1, 1939, and departed for overseas before year’s end. After arriving in the United Kingdom, the “West Novas” were assigned to the 1st Canadian Division’s 3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade (3rd CIB), where they served alongside the Carleton & York Regiment (New Brunswick) and the Royal 22e Régiment (Quebec’s “VanDoos”).
The 1st Canadian Division was part of an Allied force that invaded Sicily in early July 1943 and crossed the Strait of Messina to the Italian peninsula’s southern tip two months later. After advancing northward through the mainland’s mountainous central region, the Division spent the winter of 1943-44 in sectors north of Ortona, a historic town located on Italy’s Adriatic coast.
The following spring, the 1st Canadian Division participated in the Liri Valley campaign during the month of May 1944, after which its units retired to reserve for several months of training. In late August 1944, the Division returned to duty in sectors south of Rimini, a town on northern Italy’s Adriatic coast. Three months of hard fighting followed as Allied forces pushed northwestward toward the Lombardy plain beyond Bologna, suffering significant casualties during several hard-fought operations.
At the time of Harvey’s arrival, the West Novas were in reserve positions near the village of Russi, west of the coastal town of Ravenna. In mid-December, the unit’s Commanding Officer was informed that German forces were in the process of retreating northward across the Senio River, and “it is expected that he will withdraw from this area very shortly.”
The following day, the West Novas relieved the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada in positions along the Canale Naviglio, near Bagnacavallo. Fighting in the area settled into a “static” phase as both sides prepared for winter. A similar lull had occurred during the previous year, resulting in a return to a pattern of regular “recce”—reconnaissance—and fighting patrols in the forward area. The “No Man’s Land” separating the two sides was particularly active at night-time, each army probing the other’s defences, often in search of prisoners of war for interrogation.
By December 21, it was apparent that the “enemy has withdrawn to [the] far side of [the] Senio River.” The exception was a small crescent of land between the Canale Naviglio and a bend in the Savio River north of Bagnacavallo. Both sides were dug into an area that Thomas Raddall, the renowned Nova Scotian author, described in his regimental history of the West Nova Scotia Regiment as:
“…an expanse of muddy fields and vineyards laid off in neat squares by a series of parallel farm lanes, some running north-east along the inner curve of the Senio, others crossing them at right angles toward the south-east. The usual shattered farmhouses, barns and sheds were dotted along these lanes, each a potential strong-point and each a target for the opposing mortars and artillery…. [I]n winter, when the leaves were gone and the [grape] vines cut back for next year’s growing, the landscape was a monotony of bare poles and wires staggering across the flat wet fields, of naked pollard trees standing like worn-out shaving brushes along the muddy lanes, and in the distance the long steep dikes [along] the Senio like a Roman wall barring the way [to the northwest].”
On December 23, the West Novas retired from the line. Two days later, “a very fine Christmas dinner was enjoyed by all ranks of the unit.” After a four-day break, personnel relieved the 48th Highlanders of Canada near Granarolo. The unit immediately commenced recce patrols along the Canale Naviglio, as German forces still occupied its northern bank. The routine continued into the New Year, the West Novas’ 3rd Brigade holding positions close to the canal while its 2nd Brigade comrades occupied nearby Granarolo.
During the first days of January 1945, Allied commanders formulated plans for an operation across the canal, with the goal of pushing German forces back across the Senio River. On the morning of January 4, the West Novas’ D Company moved forward with artillery and mortar support. Once the soldiers had established a firm position, A Company passed through their comrades’ line and reached its objective by 1300 hours. Heavy retaliatory machine gun fire, however, forced the soldiers to retreat within an hour.
The West Novas regrouped and launched a second attack at 2000 hours. On this occasion, the two attacking Companies succeeded in reaching the banks of the Senio River and set about consolidating their positions. Simultaneously, the Carleton and York Regiment (New Brunswick) secured the banks opposite the village of Cotignola, on the West Novas’ right flank.
Reece patrols immediately resumed to determine the exact location of German forces across the river. Having advanced into new positions, the West Novas also set about reinforcing their defensive line. Much of the task was the responsibility of the unit’s “pioneers,” under the direction of its RCE officer, Lieutenant Harvey MacHattie. Work took place at night and involved placing anti-personnel mines and wiring in front of all forward positions.
At 0210 hours January 8, Harvey notified Battalion Headquarters that the “mining job” in front of B Company’s positions had been completed. The pioneers finished the same task along D Company’s section by 2345 hours that evening. Work continued over the next several days. Wiring and mining in front of an outpost near a railroad bridge across the river was completed at 0130 hours January 10.
That same night, mines were also placed on the river side of the dike in front of A and D Company’s positions, a particularly hazardous task as enemy forces occupied the opposite bank. The West Novas’ war diary commented: “Great credit is due to the Pioneer Officer [Lt. Harvey MacHattie] and his Sergeant who carried out this difficult task under the very nose of the enemy.”
In the early morning of January 11, work in front of B Company’s position was halted “for a short while” at 0530 hours “due to enemy mortar fire.” Later that day, the 48th Highlanders relieved the West Novas and its personnel retired to Russi for a brief rest. Five days later, the unit move to a reserve area at Mezzano, located along the eastern flank of the Canadian sector. Personnel trained there for several days before relieving the Loyal Edmonton Regiment in front of the town of Bagnacavallo during the evening hours of January 19.
Recce patrols immediately resumed while the West Novas established several new forward outposts in its sector over the ensuing days. With German forces still in close proximity across the river, the possibility of attack was always present. At 0225 hours January 26, a large enemy patrol of 15 to 20 men wearing white suits attacked C Company’s forward outpost. Its camouflage meant that the party was not noticed until very close to the West Nova position.
The attacking force opened fire, forcing its occupants to abandon the post and retreat to C Company’s main area. Officers immediately called in artillery and machine gun fire on the enemy party, forcing them to retreat. By 0710 hours, C Company personnel had re-established the post. The incident was a reminder of the dangers the soldiers faced while occupying front line positions.
Later that evening. German machine gun fire disrupted a wiring party in front of A Company’s position around 2230 hours. Retaliatory machine gun and mortar quickly extinguished the threat and work resumed. According to Raddall’s regimental history, “a flood of moonlight illumined the battlefield and most patrol activities had to be cancelled in response. The West Nova pioneers under Lieut. H. D. MacHattie continued their perilous work of mining and wiring the front of ‘A’ Company in spite of [the danger].”
At 0050 hours January 27, an exploding enemy mortar shell wounded one pioneer. Two hours later, the wiring party was forced to discontinue its work due to “the brightness of the moon.” At 0320 hours, Battalion Headquarters received word that the “Pioneer officer had been wounded in A Company area while supervising mining and wiring.”
Harvey was immediately rushed to a nearby field ambulance for initial treatment of a penetrating gunshot wound to his left chest. He was then evacuated to the Regimental Aid Post (RAP), arriving at 0400 hours. Notes on his hospital field card describe his respiration as “a bit fast. No pain in chest. Condition fair.” Within an hour, however, his condition worsened. Lieutenant Harvey Donald MacHattie “died of wounds” in the RAP at 0510 hours January 27, 1945.
An entry in the unit’s war diary, made at 1800 hours that day, reported: “This HQ has been informed that Lt H D MacHattie, pioneer officer, who was wounded last night while on a working party with A Company, has died as a result of his wounds.” Randall’s regimental history described Harvey as “a courageous and skilful officer who had been transferred from the RCE to the West Novas early in the winter fighting… [H]is death was a great loss to the Regiment.”
Harvey’s parents were in China during much of Harvey’s time in uniform. In March 1943, J. B. and Janet left on furlough, flying to Calcutta [Kolkata], India, before travelling by train to Bombay [Mumbai], where they boarded a Norwegian freighter destined for Canada. To avoid sections of the Pacific made hazardous by wartime conditions, the vessel sailed south of Australia and across the ocean to the west coast of South America. The ship then headed north along the west coast, passing through the Panama Canal and sailing northward along the Central American coast. J. B. and Janet disembarked in New York, NY, on June 6, 1943, after a 77-day journey.
The couple then travelled by train to Toronto, where they rented a house. After a summer visit to Nova Scotia, they returned to Ontario. In September 1943, Harvey’s younger brother Lorne commenced post-secondary studies at the University of Toronto. Graham had suspended his studies at the same institution to enlist in the Royal Canadian Air Force and was stationed in Toronto while training.
During the first week of February 1945, J. B. and Janet received a telegram, informing them of Harvey’s death in northern Italy. He was initially buried in a small cemetery near the Regimental Aid Post where he died. On March 6, 1946, Harvey’s remains were re-interred in Ravenna British Empire Cemetery, Ravenna, Italy. He was the second Hattie/MacHattie fatality of the war. Harvey’s cousin, Bert McIntosh Hattie, was killed in action in Italy on May 20, 1944, while serving with the West Nova Scotia Regiment. Bert’s story is also available on this blog.
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| Lt. Harvey Donald MacHattie's headstone, Ravenna British War Cemetery |
At the end of February 1945, J. B. departed for China, enduring another arduous trek. He first travelled by train to Galveston, Texas, where he boarded a freighter for a journey across the Atlantic. The ship made its way through the Mediterranean Sea and Suez Canal to Calcutta, India. J. B. then travelled to Chungking, China, by air. He worked in a hospital there until early October before setting out for Henan Province, finally arriving at his destination on November 1. The following spring, Janet left Vancouver and arrived in Shanghai on May 14, 1946. She rejoined her husband in Weihui shortly afterward.
During the following year, China slid deeper into war. The conflict between Nationalist forces led by Chiang Kai-shek and Communist forces under Mao Zedong had been underway since the mid-1920s and broke out into a full-fledged war after Japan’s August 1945 defeat. As Communist units approached Henan Province in early 1947, J. B. and Janet travelled west to Changte, then moved on to Zhengzhou in the summer. In late September, 1947, they relocated to Chongqing, where they resumed missionary work.
Finally, in early December 1949, Communist forces assumed control of the area where J. B. and Janet were living. The transition was relatively peaceful, although all “foreigners” residing in the country had to register with the government and complete a lengthy questionnaire before receiving a one-year residential permit.
The following year, J. B. and Janet were eligible for furlough. The new Communist government, however, required all foreign citizens to apply for “exit permits,” a process that involved considerable “red tape.” Eventually, the permits arrived and the couple made their way to Hong Kong, where they boarded an American cargo ship on July 3, 1950, and left Chinese soil for the last time.
The freighter made several stops in Japan before sailing out of Yokohama Harbour on July 12, 1950, destined for North America. J. B. and Janet arrived in San Francisco, California, after a 10-day passage and made their way to Toronto, where they settled into retirement. James Blake MacHattie passed away there on January 21, 1975, and was interred in Mount Pleasant Cemetery. His widow Janet died in Beamsville, Ontario, on February 17, 1977, and was laid to rest beside him.
Information on the MacHattie family's time in China and images included in this post obtained from Janet Sutherland MacHattie's memoir, "Family Chronicles of MacHatties in China," available online at Amazon.ca .
