Sapper Neil Trueman Sponagle—Accidentally Killed March 18, 1945

 Neil Trueman Sponagle was born in Coddles Harbour, Guysborough County, on May 11, 1919. Both of Neil’s parents were Guysborough County natives. His father, George Roy Sponagle, was the son of John Sponagle, Coddles Harbour, and Hannah Gillie, New Harbour. Neil’s mother, Clara May Jones, was the daughter of Jeremiah C. Jones, Cooks Cove, and Ada J. Strople, Manchester.

Sapper Neil Trueman Sponagle

Roy and Clara were married in Cooks Cove on December 24, 1913, and established residence in Coddles Harbour, where Roy worked in the local fishery. The couple’s first child, Annie May, was born in Cooks Cove on May 29, 1915. Their three remaining children were born in Coddles Harbour. Earle Bartlett joined the family on November 25, 1916, while Neil arrived in May 1919. Ward Densmore, the youngest of the Sponagle children, was born on February 25, 1921.

Neil attended the local public school, completing Grade VIII before leaving at age 15. Over the next four years, he worked in the local fishery for “broken periods” and helped out on the family’s mixed farm. He soon developed an interest in diesel mechanics, completing a correspondence course in diesel engineering offered by Nova Scotia Technical College over a six-month period in 1937.

Neil put his newly acquired knowledge to use servicing marine engines on local fishing boats. His mechanical skills may have landed him a job with Locarno Mines, Goldboro, as a “powerhouse [diesel engine] operator” for four months in 1939. In July 1942, Neil commenced work as a “rivet tester” in Pictou Shipyards. He also completed two months of apprenticeship training in “acetylene cutting” while working there.

In late 1942, Neil was “called up” for service under the National Resources Mobilization Act (NRMA). The federal law required all men of military service age to register, after which they could be required to complete a six-week training program. Neil underwent a medical examination at No. 6 District Depot, Halifax, NS, on December 29, 1942, and was “taken on strength” as an “NRMA soldier” the following day.

Less than one week later—January 5, 1943—Neil enlisted with the Canadian Active Service Force (CASF) at Halifax. A note in his service file states that he “was turned down in 1940, [but] got called again in 1943 [and] went active.” Documents in his file contain no details on the earlier rejection.

On January 29, 1943, Neil reported to No. 60 (Basic) Training Centre, Yarmouth, NS, for initial instruction. While there, a case of mumps in late March resulted in a three-week stay in a hospital isolation unit. Discharged in mid-April, Neil moved on to A14 (Advanced) Infantry Training Centre, Aldershot, NS, on May 14, 1943.

Shortly after arriving at Aldershot, he received permission to marry school teacher Naomi Gertrude “Goldie” Hayden, daughter of Edmund James Hayden and Sarah Atwater, Boylston. Neil had met Naomi around 1940, when she arrived in Coddles Harbour to teach in the local school. In fact, she boarded with Neil’s uncle and aunt, who happened to live just “down the hill” from his family home. 

On July 3, Neil was awarded six days’ leave. Two days later, he and Naomi were married in the United Church Manse, Guysborough. Following his leave, Neil briefly returned to duty at Aldershot before proceeding overseas on July 18. Upon arriving in the United Kingdom 10 days later, he was posted to No. 7 Canadian Infantry Reinforcement Unit (CIRU).

Neil and Naomi (Hayden) Sponagle on their wedding day

Prior to being assigned to active units, all “general reinforcement” personnel underwent an interview and assessment to determine where their skills could be best utilized. An interview report in Neil’s service file, dated September 9, 1943,  identified his civilian occupation as “diesel operator” and indicated an interest in “diesel work” while in uniform. The officer completing the assessment described Neil in these words: 

“Youthful, ambitious and willing…. He would be useful to RCE [Royal Canadian Engineers] as a diesel maintenance man. Very interested in diesel work…. [He] made trips on boats from harbour to harbour to gain experience. Has good educational level and high learning ability. Would possibly make good NCO [non-commissioned officer] material.”

As a result of the assessment, Neil was transferred to No. 1 Canadian Engineers Reinforcement Unit (CERU), Royal Canadian Engineers, on September 27 and re-mustered as an “electrician.” In mid-November, he commenced a course on pump operation, qualifying as an “Engineer Hand I/C [internal combustion], Category C” one month later. On December 23, 1943, Neil was assigned to the 11th (Lambton) Field Company, RCE.

The 11th Field Company traces its origins to the First World War’s 15th Field Company, Canadian Engineers (CE), organized in Ottawa, ON, in March 1916. The unit arrived in the United Kingdom on May 31, 1916, and was re-designated the 11th Field Company the following day. Its personnel landed in France with the 4th Canadian Division in mid-August 1916 and served on the European continent for the remainder of the war.

In May 1918, the 11th Field Company was absorbed into the 11th Battalion, Canadian Engineers, which also included personnel from the 124th Pioneer Battalion and 4th Canadian Engines Brigade. While the 11th Battalion was disbanded in November 1920, the 11th Field Company continued to operate, initially establishing its Headquarters in Windsor, ON, before relocating to Walkerton in 1924.

Due to a lack of financial resources, the 11th went dormant three years later but returned to active status shortly after the Lambton Regiment, a Sarnia artillery unit, began a transition to infantry service in late December 1936. At that time, a group of the Regiment’s personnel formed the 11th (Lambton) Field Company, RCE. Two other engineering units—the 7th Field Company and 1st Field Park Company—also operated in the same military district.

The 11th (Lambton) Field Company mobilized following the outbreak of war overseas. In 1940, all three of its military district’s engineering units were assigned to the 2nd Canadian Division. The 11th departed for overseas on July 22, 1940, and immediately resumed training. During their first year in the United Kingdom (UK), personnel spent one month at a “bridging camp” located in Pangbourne, Reading, on the banks of the Thames.

When the 2nd Canadian Division was assigned to home defence duties in October 1941, the 11th Field Company spent the winter of 1941-42 in Seaford, located on the southern coast of England. During home defence service, its “sappers” constructed beach obstacles, pill-boxes, anti-tank ditches and minefields in preparation for a possible German invasion. Other tasks during its time in the UK included adapting British roads to heavy military traffic and building military facilities, hospitals and airfields.

In May 1942, the 2nd Division entered reserve as several of its units prepared for their role in Operation Jubilee, an amphibious attack on the French port of Dieppe. 11th Field Company contributed 65 men to the ill-fated August 16, 1942 raid. During the months after the operation, its personnel completed courses at the School of Military Engineering, Ripon.

The remainder of the 11th’s time in the UK was divided between training and military exercises as Allied forces prepared for an invasion of the European continent. Due to its losses at Dieppe, the 2nd Division was not selected for service in the Italian campaign that commenced in July 1943. Instead, its units continued to train in preparation for an invasion of German-occupied Western Europe.

Sapper Neil Trueman Sponagle served with the unit during the final six months of training, On May 31, 1944, Neil qualified as “Driver Mechanic Class C,” suggesting that he would be involved in maintaining the unit’s equipment after its combat deployment in Europe.

2nd Canadian Division units remained in the UK on June 6, 1944, as an Allied force that included the 3rd Canadian Division landed on the beaches of Normandy, France. At that time, the 11th Field Company was stationed at Old Park Barracks, Dover, where its personnel awaited word on an imminent departure. At 0200 hours July 4, the unit moved out by vehicle to the London area. By mid-day, the convoy had arrived in Epping Forest, London, where the men exchanged their sterling currency for French francs, drew 48 hours’ rations, and were issued “Mae Wests” (inflatable life jackets) in preparation for the Channel crossing.

At 0600 hours July 5, the 11th travelled to East India Docks, where the process of loading equipment commenced. Personnel boarded the Empire Lancaster and headed down the Thames at 1640 hours. The ship anchored off Gravesend, where a convoy gradually assembled. At 1900 hours July 7, a flotilla of 20 vessels departed for the continent, passing through the Straits of Dover at midnight. Personnel first sighted the “shores of France” at 1800 hours July 8 as their convoy anchored off the Normandy coast, near Le Hamel.

The following day, the 11th’s men began clambering into transports at 1300 hours. Once all were ashore, they marched to a concentration area near Buhot. The 11th’s equipment was still aboard transports, heavy seas slowing the unloading process. Finally, at 0030 hours July 11, the Company moved out to a new location near Rots, northwest of Caen. Upon reaching their destination, personnel found themselves “in range of enemy mortars and shell fire” for the first time.

As the 11th commenced its service on the European continent, its composition reflected the standard for RCE Field Companies. At full strength. a Field Company consisted of seven officers and 249 “other ranks,” divided into four platoons—a Headquarters Platoon, consisting of four officers and 46 men, and three “working” platoons, each consisting of one officer and 68 men. Platoons were assigned identifying numbers—1, 2 or 3—and were referred to as such in the unit’s war diary, a daily record of its activities.

While Neil’s service file does not clearly indicate his assignment, a later entry in the war diary suggests that he was assigned to the Headquarters Platoon. His pre-war experience and military training suggest that he was likely part of a team of mechanics who serviced the unit’s diesel-powered equipment, which included bulldozers and heavy equipment trucks.

Before the end of its first day in France, 11th Field Company personnel checked for mines in two nearby areas. The unit was also informed that its personnel would provide support for the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division’s 6th Brigade units in upcoming operations. 

On July 12, the Company’s first full day in the line, two platoons departed at 0730 hours to “clear roads through [recently captured] Carpiquet and bury dead animals in vicinity of village.” A third platoon cleared anti-personnel mines near Villeneuve. By 1400 hours, the “streets [of Carpiquet were] nearly clean for one-way traffic. Thirty dead horses and cows have been pulled out of barns and buried outside the village.” The day’s activities reflect the most common daily RCE Field Company tasks in Normandy at that time. 

Canadian units had liberated Caen as 2nd Canadian Division units were landing in France. On July 18, 11th Field Company relocated to the outskirts of the city, where personnel prepared to ferry Sherman tanks across the Orne River, located along Caen’s southern boundary. 

Over the next 48 hours, the unit’s platoons checked and constructed approaches, taped out a roadway, and assembled a Bailey raft for the ferrying task, which commenced at 0900 hours July 19. By 1800 hours, a total of 40 tanks were transported across a 37-meter-wide section of the river, providing much-needed armoured support for infantry units clearing enemy forces from the river’s southern banks. 

The following day, 11th commenced construction of a Class 30 “double - double” Bailey bridge near the rafting site. When the first attempt “failed,” its nose dropping into the river at 0600 hours July 21, personnel worked in shifts throughout the day and night, disassembling and reconstructing the structure. The unit’s war diary commented, “Everyone is getting very tired after nearly two days of continuous work.” The bridge was completed at 1130 hours July 22 and immediately commenced operation.

The following day, personnel focused on road clearing and repair as Allied units commenced an advance south of Caen. Enemy artillery and mortar fire made conditions “very difficult,” forcing platoons to cease work on at least one occasion. The unit’s war diary reported its first Normandy fatality on July 25, when early morning mortar fire resulting in the death of one sapper. The following day, another two men were killed, a third fatally wounded, and three others injured when an artillery shell landing in the midst of No. 2 Platoon as it carried out road work. The incidents reveal the perilous conditions under which RCE units operated while serving in combat zones.

During the first two weeks of August, Allied forces conducted two major advances southward along the Caen-Falaise road. Prior to and during the attacks, the 11th and its RCE comrades checked for mines, repaired and cleared roads, and established water points. By August 21, Allied units began a northeastward advance toward the Seine River, in pursuit of retreating German units. Among the tasks the 11th’s personnel undertook as they made their way toward the famous French watercourse were construction of two bridges across a river north of Orbec, and a third structure at Brionne.

On September 1, 11th Field Company crossed the Seine near Rouen and headed toward Dieppe with the 2nd Canadian Division. Before day’s end, personnel arrived at Tôtes, south of the coastal town, and moved on to Dieppe the following day. As German forces had abandoned the area prior to their arrival, the Division made a peaceful, triumphant return to the location where its infantry units had lost so many men in August 1942. During the afternoon of Sunday, September 3, a memorial service was held in the cemetery where its fallen soldiers were buried.

After a few days’ rest and maintenance work, the 11th moved off for Calais, France, on September 6, arriving at Gravelines, east of the famous port, early the following morning. Its time there was brief, as personnel headed eastward for Belgium at 0830 hours September 8, passing through St. Omer, Bergues and Hondschoote before crossing the Belgian border at 2100 hours. The following day, the unit set up camp on the outskirts of Vuerne, east of Dunkirk.

Over the next 48 hours, sappers constructed bridges across two canals that intersected in the town. During the ensuing days, the unit removed booby traps along docks in Ostend, removed several rail line blockades, and worked on a third bridge. One platoon cleared mines for the South Saskatchewan Regiment as part of an operation at Bray Dunes, east of Dunkirk.

On September 18, 11th Field Company was on the move again, departing for Antwerp in the early morning hours and arriving on the outskirts of Boechout, 10 kilometers southeast of the Belgian port, shortly after noon. The following day, personnel travelled 15 kilometers northward to ’s-Gravenwezel, in preparation for rafting and bridging work across the nearby Turnhout Canal.

While waiting for 2nd Division units to secure the area, the Company checked local roads for mines and removed road blocks. Finally, at 2115 hours September 30, the task of constructing a bridge across the canal commenced. Shortly afterward, German artillery and mortar fire targeted the work area. A direct hit at 0100 hours October 1 resulted in five fatalities and a sixth sapper wounded.

Despite the losses, work continued at the site, the bridge completed at 2145 hours that day. On October 2, work immediately commenced on a second structure. Two more sappers were killed at the bridge site when a stake they were driving into the ground struck a land mine. Despite several interruptions due to shelling, personnel completed the second bridge by 0900 hours October 3.

Over the next two weeks, 11th Field Company conducted road and bridge maintenance, removed road blocks, checked roads and cleared mines in the area northeast of Antwerp. During a five-day break that commenced October 18, personnel visited Antwerp and Brussels in small groups. In the early hours of October 23, the unit moved northward to Ossendrecht, Netherlands, advancing to Rilland, a village on the South Beveland isthmus, three days later.

Personnel spent the last week of October supporting 2nd Canadian Division units as they advanced westward into German-occupied South Beveland. Their first major task involved construction of two bridges across a nearby canal, a task once again completed once amidst heavy shelling that inflicted eight casualties, one of which was a fatality.

On November 2, the 11th returned to the Antwerp area, entering accommodations in an old chateau near Schelle. Over the next week, personnel spent the morning hours cleaning and repairing equipment and visited Antwerp during the afternoon and evening. Officers also arranged sight-seeing tours to Brussels in small groups.

During the evening of November 9, the Company departed for the Nijmegen area, where it relieved a British engineer unit stationed there. Personnel travelled all night in rain, sleet and cold, reaching their destination at dawn. The unit then made its way to Grave, southwest of Nijmegen, where they entered billets in a large “old age pension house” previously occupied by their British comrades. Within hours of arriving, the men had outfitted each platoon area with a makeshift stove and the required number of beds.

The 11th assumed responsibility for maintaining a Bailey pontoon bridge across the Meuse (Maas) River, approximately two kilometers upstream from Grave. A boom protecting the structure from floating Germans mines had to be moved further upstream. A second major task involved operating sluice gates on a main bridge in Grave that controlled water levels in the local area. Any rapid rise would pose a threat to floating bridges between the town and Mook to the east. A third project involved repairing and widening a local road running northward toward Nijmegen. 

While two platoons focused on road construction, a third tackled the challenge of moving the boom. As personnel attempted to detach and pull the structure upstream, it was quickly apparent that the river’s strong currents would tear it apart once it was disconnected. It was therefore decided to build a new structure further upstream. Before the project commenced, somewhat to the relief of those involved, the 11th was instructed to turn the project over to the 30th Field Company at mid-month.

Work during the second half of November focused on road maintenance and improvement in the Grave area. 50 to 60 truck loads of rubble were hauled by truck daily from Nijmegen as base material. As most construction materials were scarce, personnel scraped ballast off local rail lines to provide a top layer of gravel. Sappers also repaired two roads northeast of Mook in December.

The winter lull in combat provided an opportunity for training in several specific areas—“storm boat” operation, particularly Evinrude motor repair; raft construction; firing range practice; mine warfare and assault demolition. Storm boat and raft training received particular attention, as the crafts were frequently used to transport personnel, vehicles and equipment across the landscape’s numerous rivers and canals.

The unit established a training site on the banks of the Meuse near Gassel, halfway between Grave and Mook. A program commenced on November 25, platoons rotating through the process—one continued road work, a second did storm boat training, and a third focused on raft construction and training. River crossing exercises involving three infantry regiments took place during the first week of December.

At 1430 hours December 25, 11th Field Company held a traditional Christmas dinner, complete with cigars, beer and spirits for the men. New Year’s Day 1945 brought a move to s’Hertogenbosch, southwest of Nijmegen. Throughout the month of January, personnel carried out roadwork in the Groesbeek area, with a particular focus on sanding due to icy winter conditions. While sappers encountered occasional enemy small arms fire, no casualties were reported. During evening hours, the men took in a movie or attended an occasional local dance. Sappers also received leaves to the UK or Brussels in small groups.

Road maintenance and repair continued into early February, the unit’s war diary observing that “roads [were] in bad shape due to heavy traffic.” Work intensified in preparation for an Allied offensive into the Rhineland—“Operation Veritable”—which commenced on February 8, 1945. Three days later, 11th Field Company relocated to Bergen Dal, near Nijmegen. Rising water levels in the Meuse and Rhine Rivers had resulted in local flooding, the sappers kept busy marking affected roads with warning tape.

At mid-month, 11th Field Company retired from the line for a brief rest, having received notice of an impending move in support of a 6th Canadian Infantry Brigade operation. At mid-day February 17, the unit joined a convoy headed to Kleve, Germany. Upon reaching their destination at 1530 hours, personnel established camp “under canvas.” Over the next several days, the Company was once again busy with road maintenance and repair, in preparation for a second Allied push into the Rhineland.

Operation Blockbuster commenced on February 22. Three days later, the 11th’s sappers marked out designated areas for infantry and armoured units participating in the operation’s second stage. At 0430 hours February 26, the attack resumed with a massive artillery bombardment. The 11th’s platoons were on standby near Kalkar, ready to check roads and clear mines as infantry units advanced. The process commenced at 0800 hours, with all 6th Canadian Infantry Brigade units reaching their objectives by 1700 hours.

The following day, the sappers returned to road repair work in the Kalkar area. Damp weather and heavy traffic had made highways “nearly impassable due to mud.” On February 28, the unit relocated to the outskirts of Uedem, where roadwork continued after dark in preparation for another advance. Sappers worked throughout the following day, despite heavy enemy shelling in some locations. Heavy rain turned roads into muddy quagmires, making them virtually impassible. Due to the conditions, all work ceased at 1800 hours.

On March 2, a combination of heavy frost, wind and sun “seemed to be drying up the roads considerably.” 11th Field Company personnel checked and cleared roads through the Hochwald Forest as Allied forces prepared for a final push to the Rhine. Over the next several days, sappers removed rails from a line through the wooded area, converting it into a road that was then widened to permit two-way traffic.

Work on the former rail line was completed on March 8. Three days later, the 11th retired to a concentration area near Kranenbuerg as Allied units had removed enemy forces all the way to the Rhine and no further work was required in the area. At 1530 hours March 11, the Company moved off for Kleve, where personnel entered billets “in a few of the remaining houses still standing” on the town’s eastern side. While German guns across the Rhine “shell[ed] the area periodically,” no casualties were reported.

Heavy artillery fire continued into March 12, but the area where the 11th was billeted was not affected. Personnel spent the day washing clothes, cleaning billets, and attending bath parade. That evening, they enjoyed a movie at a nearby cinema. The following day, a small party did local work while the remainder  of the Company tackled vehicle cleaning and maintenance.

At 1500 hours March 13, the 11th moved off for the Riechswald Forest, where road work was scheduled for the next few days. The Company set up camp under canvas near Kalkar, the location “a well-treed area [that] is nice and clean.” Road building and maintenance work commenced the following morning and continued on a two-platoon rotation for several days.

On March 16, the 11th received a request from the 4th Brigade’s Cameron Highlanders of Canada to clear mines from a nearby area where the unit planned to establish a camp. The following day, as road work continued, Lieutenant Owen Howard Taylor and a small party from Headquarters platoon removed 43 mines from the Camerons’ proposed camp site and placed them “in two dumps[,] well marked by the side of the road,” ready for disposal.

At 0800 hours March 18, two platoons departed for routine road work, while the remaining platoon performed vehicle maintenance and equipment checks. At 1300 hours, Lt. Taylor and a small party from Headquarters headed out to “destroy” the two dumps of mines gathered the previous day. Thirty minutes later, the unit’s war diary reported:

“A terrific explosion shakes [the] camp area and investigation reveals [that the] mine dump has blown up, killing Lt. Taylor, Sgt. C. V. Richards, and Sappers A. Brown, A. A. Steffler, N. T. Sponagle, V. Mayo, E. F. Anderson. H. C. Inkpen, and D. A. McLellan. The cause is unknown.”

At 1500 hours, Honorary Captain (Chaplain) MacRitchie conducted “funeral services for our casualties who are buried at Bedburg. Lieutenants Galway and Redford and a number of men from HQ and 3 Platoon attend[ed] the service.” The accidental deaths of nine men was the 11th Field Company’s worst single-day loss of its Second World War service.

Sapper Neil Trueman Sponagle's headstone, Groesbeek Canadian Military Cemetery, Netherlands

On April 2, 1945, Major-General A. E. Walford, Adjutant General, wrote to Naomi G. Sponagle, Riverton, Pictou County, offering his sympathy of the death of her husband, Sapper Neil Trueman Sponagle.  A second letter to Naomi, dated August 9, 1946, informed her that Neil’s remains had been re-interred in Groesbeek Canadian Military Cemetery, seven kilometers southeast of Nijmegen, Netherlands. In fact, the bodies of the men killed in the March 18 accident had been exhumed and transported to a permanent military cemetery on August 28, 1945.

After Neil’s death, Naomi taught school in Pictou County and years later married Louis W. Hughes. Neither of her marriages resulted in children. Naomi Hughes passed away in Aberdeen Hospital, New Glasgow, on December 20, 1995, and was interred in Heatherdale Memorial Gardens, Westville, NS. Neil’s mother Clara (Jones) Sponagle died in St. Martha’s Hospital, Antigonish, on October 20, 1974, and was laid to rest in Riverside Cemetery, New Harbour. His father Roy passed away in November 1975 and was interred beside his wife.

Ward Densmore Sponagle, Neil’s youngest brother, also served overseas during the Second World War. On August 5, 1942, Ward enlisted with the Halifax Rifles at Halifax, NS. Initially an infantry regiment, the Rifles transitioned to an armoured unit—the 23rd Army Tank Battalion (Halifax Rifles)—in the spring of 1942. Assigned to the 2nd Canadian Army Tank Brigade, the 23rd trained in Camp Borden, Ontario, prior to proceeding overseas in mid-June 1943. Shortly after arriving in the United Kingdom, the unit was disbanded, its personnel becoming a reinforcement pool for existing armoured units.

Trooper Ward Densmore Sponagle

 

Following the 23rd’s overseas departure, Ward remained at Camp Borden, where he qualified as a “Gunner Operator Grade C” on December 11, 1943. He proceeded to the United Kingdom aboard the Île de France on February 16, 1944, and arrived overseas eight days later. Assigned to No. 3 Canadian Armoured Corps Reinforcement Unit, he resumed gunnery training and later completed a wireless operator course.

Ward and his sweetheart Phyllis Graham Giffin, Christmas 1943

 

Placed on the Canadian Armoured Corps’ reinforcement list in mid-June 1944, Ward crossed the English Channel to Normandy, France, on July 2 and was transferred to the 27th Canadian Armoured Regiment (Sherbrooke Fusiliers) on July 27, 1944. He joined the unit in the field during the first week of August.  

27th CAR was one of three armoured regiments assigned to the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade, which landed in Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944. Each armoured regiment consisted of three Squadrons—A, B and C. A Squadron contained four troops, each equipped with four Sherman tanks when the unit was at full operating strength.

The 27th’s first assignment was to support the North Nova Scotia Highlanders’ push inland to Authie, France, during the days following the D-Day landings. The task proved to costly—the unit suffered 28 fatalities during its first three full days in Normandy. Seven of its troopers were among a group of Canadian prisoners of war executed at Abbaye d’Ardenne by German soldiers on June 7 and 8, 1944.

At the time of Ward’s arrival, 27th CAR was located “at the edge of Faubourg de Vaucelles,” directly across the Orne River from Caen, France. Personnel spent the first week of August preparing for “Operation Totalize,” the first of two major advances southward toward the town of Falaise. Each CAR Squadron was to support an attacking 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade battalion during the attack.

In the operation’s opening phase, 2nd Canadian Infantry Division units were to advance southward along the right side of the Caen-Falaise highway, with British units moving forward on their left flank. Once the infantry had pierced German lines, 3rd Canadian Division infantry units, supported by armoured regiments, would pass through their comrades’ lines and “exploit to Falaise and the dominating ground” above the town.

27th CAR provided tanks for two Operation Totalize “attack groups.” The first—a “gapping party”—consisted of three echelons, each supported by two tank troops. A second tank force accompanied the main assault force of three infantry battalions, whose soldiers would be transported in “Priests,” American tracked armoured artillery vehicles refitted as personnel carriers. The entire operation would take place at night, withsearchlights directing the attacking force along the central highway axis.

A 1,000-bomber raid preceded the advance, which commenced in the early hours of August 8. Objectives were “generally reached before first light.” By 0600 hours, 27th CAR “remained in positions and continued to support infantry in forming [a] firm base, finally being withdrawn to [a] fortress area… west of Tactical Headquarters 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade.”

The following day, the Regiment was “still in support [of] 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade [units]…[in a] watching role, [with] little activity.” By 1130 hours August 9, the “front appear[ed] to have jelled” as the advance lost its momentum. During the morning of August 10, one 27th CAR Squadron provided support to 5th Canadian Infantry Brigade units, while remaining personnel “clean[ed] and maintain[ed] all vehicles.”

In preparation for a second push along the Caen - Falaise road, military commanders ordered a 2nd Division Brigade to cross the Laize River at Bretteville-sur-Laize and push southward toward the village of Barbery. The 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade and 27th CAR were tasked with carrying out the maneuver.

In the early hours of August 11, the 4th Brigade and 27th CAR tanks passed through Bretteville, crossed the Laize River and headed southward toward Barbery. The vanguard leading the attack “ran into trouble immediately south of Bretteville and as a result at first light… had only reached the high ground north of Barbery.” Unable to advance any further, 27th CAR’s tanks “remained static [for the] remainder of the day.” 

The following morning—August 12, 1944—the 4th Brigade’s three infantry units resumed the advance. The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry pushed on to Barbery, passing through the village by midday. The Royal Regiment of Canada then swung eastward to the village of Moulines. Meanwhile, the Essex Scottish pushed southeast, toward a wooded area of high ground. Throughout the day, 27th CAR tanks supported each advance.

The attack was soon “held up… [[by] heavy mortar and shell fire.” Fighting continued throughout the day as the units attempted to advance through an area of “extremely heavy bush and low ground.”  The engagement proved costly in terms of both equipment and personnel. A significant number of tanks were lost and nine 27th CAR personnel, including one officer, were killed during exchanges of fire with enemy forces. 

Trooper Ward Densmore Sponagle was among an unknown number of 27th CAR casualties during the day’s fighting. Enemy fire—most likely a German 88 mm. anti-tank gun—recorded a direct strike on the tank in which he was the gunner, killing one crew member and fatally wounding another. Instructed during training never to exit through the tank hatch head first, Ward put his left hand through the opening, prompting enemy fire that tore off the tips of his middle three fingers. As he pulled his arm back into the tank, the hatch slammed closed, breaking his little finger.

Ward and several comrades made a second, successful attempt to exit the tank. As the group scrambled into a nearby gully, a bullet struck one of Ward’s legs. When the exchanges of fire ceased, the regiment’s Padré and a party of troopers searched the area for casualties. Upon locating Ward and his comrades, the Padré administered morphine and the wounded Troopers were transported a nearby first aid station. 

Ward and his injured comrades were dispatched to No. 12 Canadian Field Ambulance, where staff administered another dose of morphine to those in pain. In the midst of the turmoil, Ward did not realize that a piece of shrapnel had pierced his uniform’s left breast pocket, striking a metal cigarette case where a photograph holder was also stored. As a medic examined his body for other injuries, he pulled the case from Ward’s pocket and realized the object had likely prevented a potentially fatal chest wound. More remarkable was the fact that a burn mark caused by the projectile stopped on the picture of Ward’s sweetheart, Phyllis Giffin, who later became his wife. 

As soon as his condition was stable, Ward was transported by ambulance to No. 75 British General Hospital, Bayeux, France. The following day—August 13,  1944—he was invalided to No. 24 Canadian General Hospital (CGH), Horley, Surrey, UK. According to family, Neil visited his younger brother in hospital, but it is not clear whether the visit took place in France or the UK. Surgeons at No. 24 CGH repaired his severed finger tips and did their best to return his little finger to its previous position. In the end, a family member recalls, it was “a bit crooked but functional.”

Ward in England, following his discharge from hospital

Ward  spent two and a half months under medical care before being transferred to No. 4 Canadian Convalescent Depot, Hunmanby, North Yorkshire,UK. Discharged from medical care on January 9, 1945, he was posted to No. 2 Canadian Armoured Corps Reinforcement Unit later that month. During his time there, Ward was promoted to the rank of Acting Lance Corporal on May 31 and advanced to the full rank of Corporal on November 15, 1945.

In mid-January 1946, Ward reported to a Dispersal Depot in preparation for his return to Canada. He left the UK aboard SS Aquitania on January 27, 1946, and arrived in Halifax eight days later. Discharged from military service within a month of his return, he went to work as an electrician at Stellarton Armature Works. His older brother Earle owned and operated the business, which rewound electric motors.

Ward and Phyllis (Giffin) Sponagle on their wedding day

 

On August 4, 1948, Ward married his sweetheart Phyllis Graham Giffin, daughter of Roy and Elsie (Wishart) Giffin, Goldboro. The couple established residence in Stellarton, Pictou County, where they raised a family of two children—one son and one daughter. Ward later worked as a tool maker at Trenton Steel Works until retirement. He also served with the Canadian Army militia from January 1957 to March 1967, attending five annual training camps during his decade of service. 

Ward Densmore Sponagle died on November 25, 1994, and was interred in Brookside Cemetery, New Glasgow, NS. His wife Phyllis passed away on November 23, 2004, and was laid to rest beside him.

Trooper Ward Densmore Sponagle's foot stone, Brookside Cemetery, New Glasgow, NS

Photographs of Neil Trueman, Ward Densmore and Phyllis Graham (Giffin) Sponagle courtesy of Ward's daughter, Joyce MacPherson, MacLellan's Brook, NS. Joyce and her brother David, Greenwood, NS, also provided background information on the Sponagle family and details of the incident in which their father Ward was wounded in August 1944.