William Alexander “Bill” Malloy was born in Westville, Pictou County, on December 3, 1920. Bill’s parents, George “Geordie” Malloy and Edna Blanche Smith, were Guysborough County natives. Edna was the daughter of Alex Smith and Susan Mason, Country Harbour, while Geordie was the son of Thomas Francis Malloy, Smithfield, and Margaret Catherine “Maggie” Carroll, College Grant, Antigonish County.
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| Private William Alexander "Bill" Malloy |
Bill had strong Irish roots on his family’s paternal side. His paternal grandmother Maggie Carroll was a direct descendant of John Carroll Sr., born in Kerry, Ireland, in 1791. Sometime after 1812, John left his birthplace and settled in College Grant, Antigonish County. His son and namesake, John Jr., was also born in Ireland and arrived in Nova Scotia with his family. John Jr. married Mary Jane MacNeil, who was born in Giant’s Lake, Guysborough County around 1816. The couple established residence in College Grant. Among their children was Bill Malloy’s grandmother, Margaret Catherine “Maggie,” born on May 1, 1859/60.
Bill’s paternal grandfather, Thomas Francis Malloy, traced his ancestry to James Malay, born in Tipperary, Ireland, in 1791. At an unknown date, James immigrated to Nova Scotia, where he married Rosannah Taylor, who was born in Murray Harbour, PEI, on May 4, 1803. James and Rosannah’s son, William John, was born in Nova Scotia in 1819, and died at New Chester, Guysborough County, inland from Ecum Secum, at an unknown date.
William John Malay married Catherine Sullivan, who was born around 1820 in Upper Ohio, Antigonish County, and died in Lochiel Lake, Guysborough County, on December 29, 1908. Among William and Catherine’s children was a son, Thomas Francis Malloy, born in Smithfield, Guysborough County, on October 29, 1860. Thomas married Maggie Carroll and raised a family of seven children—three sons and four daughters—in the Aspen/South Lochaber area.
Two of Thomas and Maggie’s sons married daughters of Alex and Susan (Mason) Smith, Country Harbour. Their oldest son, Thomas Jr., born on April 28, 1882, married Maggie Smith at the Presbyterian Manse, Antigonish, on July 6, 1905. Their second son, George “Geordie,” was born on December 13, 1896, and married Maggie’s sister Edna Blanche at the same location on September 17, 1920.
Geordie and Edna’s 1920 marriage license identified his occupation as “farmer.” At the time of Bill’s 1920 birth, the couple was residing in Westville, Pictou County, where Geordie worked in the local coal mines. By the following summer, the family had returned to the St. Marys census district, where Geordie worked as a “woodsman.” The family resided next door to Geordie’s brother Thomas, whose stated occupation was “miner.”
A second Malloy child, Bernice Elizabeth, was born in South Lochaber on November 16, 1923. At the time of the 1931 census, the family was still living in the St. Marys district, where Geordie was employed as a “woodsman” in local logging operations.
Bill Malloy attended the local public school until Grade VIII, when he “got tired of school and quit.” For several years, he helped his father on the family farm. In 1938, he began to work seasonally, farming with his father each summer while cutting logs and loading pulpwood for Vincent MacLean, East River St. Marys, Pictou County, during the autumn and winter. In the springtime, Bill did “boom work” and “river driving” for Scotia Lumber, Sherbrooke.
Following the outbreak of the Second World War overseas, Bill continued to work in the local area. A comment in his service file later provided an explanation: “Mother and father held him back from joining [the military] until he was called up. Only son.” On July 29, 1940, Bill enlisted with the 2nd Battalion, Pictou Highlanders, at Antigonish. The unit was part of the “Non-Permanent Active Militia of Canada” and trained periodically during the calendar year. A note on Bill’s attestation form stated that he was “willing to transfer to [the] CASF [Canadian Active Service Force].”
By year’s end, Bill completed 30 days of training with the Pictou Highlanders, adding another four days’ training and 26 days of “summer camp” in 1941. The schedule allowed Bill to continue his work at home and in the local woods. Finally, in the spring of 1942, Bill was “called up” under the terms of the National Resources Mobilization Act (NRMA) and completed an initial course of instruction at No. 61 Basic Training Centre, New Glasgow, NS, from May 15 to June 16, 1942. A form in his service file provided an initial assessment of the young recruit:
“Mental ability very high. Learning ability quite high... [He has a] very mild… nature. Clean and neat with a fairly good physique. Has mental ability for an N. C. O. [non-commissioned officer] but [lacks strong] leadership qualities.”
Upon completing basic training, Bill enlisted as an NRMA soldier, limiting his service to “home defence” duties. One month later—July 14, 1942—he attested with the CASF at Halifax and joined the ranks of the Princess Louise Fusiliers, Halifax, two weeks later.
The Princess Louise Fusiliers trace their roots to a Halifax militia unit established by Sir Edward Cornwallis in June 1749, shortly after his arrival in Nova Scotia. Officially authorized as part of the Canadian military in 1867, the unit operated as the Halifax Battalion of Infantry (66th) until November 1879, when it added the title “Princess Louise” Fusiliers to its name, in honour of Queen Victoria’s daughter, who was also the wife of the Marquess of Lorne, Canada’s Governor-General.
The unit served in Western Canada during the North-West Rebellion (1885) and contributed personnel to a special service battalion that served in South Africa with the Royal Canadian Regiment during the Boer War. The Fusiliers also provided soldiers to several Nova Scotian First World War battalions. During the inter-war years, its title was reduced to “Princess Louise Fusiliers.”
Following the outbreak of the Second World War, the Fusiliers recruited and trained two machine gun companies that later served with the 5th Canadian Armoured Division. Bill trained with the unit throughout the summer of 1942. Following a brief leave in early September, he returned to Halifax and departed for overseas with the Fusiliers on October 26. Nine days later, he arrived in the United Kingdom.
Bill spent the next nine months with the Fusiliers. In late June 1942, a large Allied force departed for the Mediterranean theatre as part of an operation to invade Italy, Germany’s Axis ally. While the Princess Louise Fusiliers were selected for service in Italy with the 5th Canadian Armoured Division (5th CAD), the Division was not part of the initial invasion force. As it prepared for departure, the Fusiliers made a number of changes to its personnel, resulting in Bill’s transfer to the Irish Regiment of Canada on August 20, 1943.
The Irish Regiment of Canada traces its origins to the 110th Irish Regiment, authorized on October 15, 1915. Based in Toronto, the unit recruited soldiers for the 180th and 208th Battalions during the First World War. After arriving overseas, both units were dissolved and their personnel dispersed to existing units.
Re-designated the Irish Regiment following the war, the unit expanded its title to “The Irish Regiment of Canada” in 1932. Four years later, it amalgamated with the 1st Machine Gun Battalion, Canadian Machine Gun Corps, to form The Irish Regiment of Canada (MG).
On September 1, 1939, the Irish Regiment was placed on active service for local guard duty and formally mobilized for overseas service in May 1940. Six months later, the Regiment dropped its machine gun designation and transitioned to a regular infantry unit. As a result, it was re-designated “The Irish Regiment of Canada, CASF.”
The unit spent more than two years in Canada before heading overseas. From July 1940 to April 1941, its personnel were stationed at Camp Borden, ON. In late summer 1941, the Regiment travelled by train to Camp Aldershot, NS. By that time, it had been assigned to the 4th Canadian Armoured Division’s 11th Canadian Infantry Brigade.
After arriving in Nova Scotia, the Irish Regiment’s soldiers were assigned to guard duty at various locations around the province. In August 1942, the unit re-assembled in Debert and commenced preparations for its overseas departure. On October 28, personnel headed overseas aboard the Queen Elizabeth and disembarked at Greenock and Gourock, Scotland, one week later.
On January 11, 1943, the Irish Regiment’s 11th Infantry Brigade was transferred to the 5th Canadian Armoured Division. The composition of Canada’s two Armoured Divisions—4th and 5th—differed from their infantry counterparts. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd Canadian Infantry Divisions each contained three infantry brigades, consecutively numbered 1st through 9th. In contrast, Canada’s two armoured divisions initially included only two brigades, one armoured and one infantry.
The 5th Canadian Armoured Division’s 5th Armoured Brigade included the 2nd Armoured Regiment (Lord Strathcona’s Horse); the 5th Armoured Regiment (8th Princess Louise’s Hussars, New Brunswick); and the 9th Armoured Regiment (British Columbia Dragoons). Its 11th Infantry Brigade consisted of the 1st Battalion, Perth Regiment (Ontario); 1st Battalion, Cape Breton Highlanders; and 1st Battalion, Irish Regiment of Canada. The 11th Independent Machine Gun Company (Princess Louise Fusiliers) rounded out its combat personnel.
At the time of Bill’s August 1943 transfer, the Irish Regiment was encamped at Barton Stacey, Winchester, in southern England. Before month’s end, its personnel participated in a training operation simulating an invading force’s troop movements. Preparations for its departure for the Mediterranean theatre continued into early autumn. On October 15, the Regiment travelled to Eastbourne, where the 5th Canadian Division (5th CAD) assembled prior to departure.
Personnel were issued supplies specific to service in a Mediterranean climate—tropical anti-gas ointment, mosquito netting, and anti-malaria tablets, among other items. After a long train journey to northwest England, the Irish boarded the Grace Line vessel Monterey at Liverpool on October 23. Over the next several days, a convoy of 26 vessels assembled in the Clyde River before heading out to sea on October 27.
The ships passed through the Straits of Gibraltar on November 4 and continued eastward toward their destination. The journey was not without its drama. Two days after entering the Mediterranean, a group of German aircraft attacked the convoy, striking two vessels with torpedoes. A Dutch ammunition ship was completely destroyed. while the troop ship Saint Elena remained afloat long enough for the Monterey to pull alongside and evacuate its passengers.
On November 5—the day after the attack—the ships anchored in Philippeville Harbour, Algeria for 24 hours before resuming their journey. Four days later—November 10, 1943—the Irish Regiment disembarked in Naples, Italy, and followed its pipe band through the city’s streets to a camp in the suburb of Afragola.
While the 5th Armoured Brigade’s armoured units awaited arrival of their equipment from the UK, the 11th Infantry Brigade proceeded to Altamura on November 19 and resumed training. Following an exercise near Irsina from December 18 to 23, the units returned to Altamura for a traditional Christmas celebration.
On January 9, 1944, the 11th Brigade relocated to San Vito Chietino, south of Ortona, an ancient town located on Italy’s Adriatic coast. Canadian units had been fighting in the nearby Moro River sector since September 1943, and finally liberated Ortona during an eight-day campaign in late December 1943. With the arrival of winter, the two sides settled into a period of static warfare north of the town.
Bill and his Irish Regiment mates received their first combat experience in the coastal sector of an 80-kilometre front line. The 11th Brigade’s area stretched inland for almost three kilometers, across a piece of high ground between Ortona and the Riccio River. The Irish Regiment entered the area for the first time on the night of January 12/13, 1944. To its left were soldiers from the experienced 1st Canadian Brigade. Its units had landed on the island of Sicily in early July 1943, crossed to the mainland two months later, and fought their way up the Italian peninsula during the autumn months.
Service in the sector was similar to combat during the First World War. Both sides maintained sufficient defensive resources to repel an attack, while conducting “around the clock” observation and listening posts. At night-time, each dispatched patrols to prevent enemy soldiers from infiltrating their positions. The routine continued throughout the 11th Brigade’s two months’ service in the sector.
On March 9, 1944, the Irish Regiment marched out of the line to vehicles that transported them to Guglionesi, approximately 15 kilometers southwest of Termoli on the Adriatic coast. Over the next four weeks, personnel rehearsed river crossings and tank - infantry cooperation. Training culminated in a Divisional exercise held on the outskirts of Lucera, west of Foggia, on April 8.
Following the exercise, the 5th Canadian Armoured Division’s units travelled through the mountains of central Italy toward Cassino. Located approximately 40 kilometers inland from the Tyrrhenian Sea, the location is famous for its monastery, known as Monte Cassino, located atop the mountain behind the town.
Cassino also marked the eastern boundary of the Liri Valley. Allied forces planned to launch a spring offensive into the strategic landform, which runs toward the city of Rome in a northwestern - southeastern direction, with mountains on each side. Aware of its strategic importance, German forces constructed two well-fortified defensive systems—the Gothic Line near its entrance and the Hitler Line further north—to blockt an Allied advance toward the Italian capital.
Canadian forces were not involved in the initial phase of the Liri Valley campaign, which commenced on May 12. During three days of fierce combat, British, Indian and Polish units broke through the Gustav Line near the entrance to the Liri Valley. While British and Indian forces advanced into the valley, it took six days of fighting before Polish forces secured Monte Cassino.
In the meantime, 1st Canadian Division units had entered the line on May 16 and advanced northward from Pignatoro toward the Hitler Line, which stretched from Pontecorvo to Aquino. The following day, the 5th Canadian Armoured Division (5th CAD) moved to a staging area south of Cassino, passing through the destroyed Gustav Line to Pignatoro on May 18. While 1st Canadian Division units prepared to pierce the Hitler Line, 5th CAD units moved into reserve, ready to exploit the breach created by their Canadian comrades.
The 1st Division’s attack on the Hitler Line commenced on the morning of May 23. That night, the Irish Regiment and their 11th Brigade comrades gathered at a “forming up” point. After a preliminary artillery bombardment, 5th CAD infantry units passed through several gaps in the Hitler Line and with the support of armoured regiments pushed northward toward the Melfa River.
Irish Regiment personnel crossed the Melfa at mid-day May 25 as the 11th Brigade advanced toward Ceprano, 110 kilometers southeast of Rome. The town was secured the following day as the advance continued toward Ceccano, 20 kilometres to the west. At month’s end, the Irish Regiment retired from the line, ending its Liri Valley service. During two weeks of fighting, the Regiment recorded 30 fatalities and 84 wounded, losses that were light when considering the ferocity of the fighting.
The 11th Brigade moved out to an area near Ceprano, where its units trained until mid-June. A second relocation brought the Irish Regiment to Caiazzo, north of Naples, where personnel spent the remainder of the summer training while living under canvas on the town’s outskirts. With the arrival of hot weather. reveille took place at 0500 hours and training ceased at 1130 hours. During the afternoon, personnel often swam in the nearby Volturno River. Passes were issued for visits to nearby Capua, Naples and the capital city of Rome, which fell to Allied forces in early June.
The highlight of the Irish Regiment’s time in Caiazzo occurred on July 31, when British King George VI inspected the entire 1st Canadian Corps on an airstrip near Piedimonte Matese. The following day, the unit departed on the first stage of a lengthy move to a sector south of Rimini, located on Italy’s Adriatic coast. Personnel passed through Rome and paused for several days’ rest near Lake Bolsena before moving on to a location near Foligno, where the Irish established camp on August 6.
Two more weeks of training followed, after which the Irish advanced to a concentration area south of the Metauro River on August 21. Five days later, 1st Canadian Division units crossed the watercourse and commenced a push northward toward the Gothic Line, a major German defensive network located south of Rimini. On August 28, the Irish entered the front line near the village of Santa Maria. Its position overlooked the Foglia River, beyond which lay the Gothic Line.
The 11th Brigade attack on the Gothic Line commenced on August 30, units breaking through the formation the following day and advancing northward. Employing a combination of infantry and artillery units, Canadian forces soon reached the Conca River, 18 kilometers south of Rimini. Several strategic ridges, particularly Coriano and San Martino, lay between the watercourse and Rimini, each elevation held in strength by German forces.
West of Rimini, enemy units had hastily constructed the Rimini Line, another defensive network anchored around San Fortunato Ridge. While 5th CAD units were ordered to advance inland, 1st Canadian Division units would proceed along the Adriatic coast toward Rimini. It would require almost three weeks of hard fighting before Canadian units finally overcame the network of German defensive positions.
On September 5, the Irish Regiment made its way up Besanigo Ridge, an elevated area east of Coriano Ridge. Personnel remained there for five days, enduring steady bombardment from German guns atop the neighbouring ridge. When British efforts to secure the troublesome location failed, the task fell to the 5th CAD’s 11th Brigade. The Irish retired from the line on September 10 and spent the next 48 hours preparing for the assault.
At 2200 hours September 12, the Irish moved into position, awaiting an artillery barrage that commenced at midnight. In the early hours of September 13, the Cape Breton Highlanders (CBH) advanced up the northern side of Coriano Ridge while the Perth Regiment ascended its southern edge. The two units secured the areas on either side of the village by dawn, at which point the Irish descended from their positions atop Besanigo Ridge, passed through CBH’s line around 0630 hours, and began to clear the village of Coriano.
Fighting continued into the following day before enemy forces were cleared from the village. That night, the Irish marched out to San Giovanni, where they remained for one week, burying their dead and recovering from an exhausting two days of combat. Meanwhile, British and Canadian units continued the push northward toward the Po Valley.
On September 23, the Irish entered positions along the Uso River, near San Vito. Three days later, the unit pushed forward to a position on the outskirts of the village of San Mauro. Personnel remained in the line until October 1, enduring heavy shelling throughout the tour. Five days later. the unit returned to the line with orders to cross the Fiumicino River. Heavy, steady rain for several days, however, made such action impossible. After a brief rest south of Rimini, the Regiment entered positions along the Savio River, successfully crossing the watercourse in assault boats on October 24.
Two weeks later, the Irish marched out to Urbino, where its soldiers remained for the rest of November. The unit moved forward to Cervia, north of Rimini, on December 1, two of its Companies crossing the Ronco River as part of an operation to isolate the coastal town of Ravenna. Three days later, the Regiment advanced to Mezzano, located on the banks of the Lamone River, 15 kilometers northwest of Ravenna.
On the night of December 10, 1944, The Perths and Cape Breton Highlanders crossed the Lamone and established a bridgehead on its northern banks. The following night, the Irish followed their Brigade mates, passing through their lines and advancing toward Canale Naviglio and establishing positions along its banks. Conditions were muddy and cold as winter began to arrive. The Irish remained in the line until December 14, when personnel retired to Messano for a brief rest.
Five days later, personnel advanced to a location close to the front line, enduring cold rain as they settled into positions near the Fossa Munio canal. The unit slowly advanced over the next 48 hours, reaching the banks of the Senio River on December 21. The Regiment spent Christmas Day in the line, retiring to Ravenna on December 27 for a full regimental dinner in a partly-destroyed building.
On January 1, 1945, Irish Regiment officers received details of an imminent attack across the Lamone River in a sector near Conventello, six kilometers north of Mezzano. At 0430 hours January 2, the Irish Regiment’s C Company assembled at the start line for a direct attack on Conventello. Shortly afterward, a preliminary artillery barrage on the target commenced.
Unfortunately, several shells fell short of the target, landing in the midst of soldiers gathered at the start line, Three were killed and several others wounded in the explosions. As the artillery barrage lifted, D Company moved forward, securing its objective by 0600 hours. C Company, delayed by the “friendly fire” incident, reached its objective two hours later. The remaining Irish Companies then passed through their comrades and “mopped up” as far as a dyke along the Lamone River. D Company then proceeded into Conventello and quickly secured the village.
A total of eight Irish Regiment of Canada soldiers were killed during the January 2, 1945, attack on Conventello, Private William Alexander Malloy, having logged almost one year’s combat service in Italy, was one of the day’s fatalities. The exact circumstances of Bill’s death are not known. He was interred in Villanova Canadian War Cemetery, Ravenna, Italy, the following day.
On January 10, 1945, Geordie Malloy received a telegram from military authorities, informing him that his son Bill “has been officially reported killed in action 2nd January, 1945.” Three days later, what proved to be the Irish Regiment’s last tour of duty in Italy came to an end. The unit moved out to Cattolica on January 16 and remained there until mid-February, when 5th CAD units began the long journey to Western Europe for service in the Netherlands and Germany.
George “Geordie” Malloy died in Two Mile Lake, Guysborough County, in 1983 and was buried in Stewart Cemetery, South Lochaber. His wife Edna passed away in St. Mary’s Hospital, Sherbrooke, on July 15, 1993, and was laid to rest beside her husband.
Photograph of Private William Alexander Malloy courtesy of Marjorie MacHattie, Copper Lake, NS. Picture of Bill's headstone courtesy of the War Graves Photographic Project. Genealogical information on the Malloy family courtesy of David Brown, Lochaber/Antigonish, NS.
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