Harold Judson “Judd” Nickerson was born in Canso, Guysborough County, on April 13, 1913, to Carolyn Viola “Carrie’ Nickerson. The identity of his father is unknown. Carrie was the daughter of Reuben and Sarah (Swaine) Nickerson, who raised a family of six children—four sons and two daughters—in the rural fishing community.
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| Pte. Harold Judson Nickerson's headstone, Fourth Hill Cemetery, Canso, NS |
Reuben and Sarah’s youngest son, Wilfred Asa, was conscripted into the Canadian Expeditionary Force in April 1918. While stationed in the United Kingdom after the war, Asa volunteered for service in France with No, 2 Company, Canadian War Graves Detachment. He was accidentally killed while handing an unexploded artillery fuse near Thélus, France, on June 4, 1919. (Asa's story is available online at this link.)
On May 29, 1920, Carrie married George Dobson, son of David Dobson, Half Island Cove, and Lydia Rhynold, in a ceremony held in the Methodist Parsonage, Canso. At the time of the 1921 census, Carrie was living in Tickle with four children—Laura May, age eight; Judd, age seven; Florence Gertrude, age five; and James Burton, age three. Two more children—George Frederick and Benjamin Lawson—joined the household during the early 1920s.
Tragically, Carrie’s husband George perished at sea while fishing off Lockeport, Shelburne County, on January 4, 1924. The oldest of four boys in the household, Judd left school at age 14 to work in the local fishery. A later document in his service file explained that the school was one mile from the family home, and added, “He did not have much chance to go to school due to depressing [i.e., poor economic] conditions at home and [in the] community.” Judd “started fishing with other shore fishermen and then got his own boat and gear.” At the time of the outbreak of war overseas, he was “a self-employed fisherman.”
On July 20, 1940, Judd enlisted with the Pictou Highlanders, a Canadian militia unit, at Mulgrave, NS. Military service promised a steady, year-round source of income, a fact that was attractive to young men earning a living in the unpredictable seasonal fishery. Upon completing basic training, Judd was posted to the Strait of Canso, where the Highlanders provided guards at several military installations in the area.
In late January 1941, Judd was transferred to Dartmouth. During his time there, his mother Carrie’s health declined. She passed away at Tickle, near Hazel Hill, on May 2, the result of “cardiac congestion with asthma.” Judd was the informant on her death certificate.
With the exception of a period of training at Point Petri, Valcartier, QC, in July 1941, Judd served in the Halifax area for the next year and a half. During that time, he completed a tour of duty with 10th S/L (Searchlight) Battery, McNab’s Island, and was posted to Devils’ Battery, Hartlen Point, Eastern Passage, during the winter of 1941-42.
On October 1, 1942, Judd was reassigned to “B” Force, a detachment of Pictou Highlanders selected for garrison duty in Bermuda. The group departed for the island on November 6 and returned to Halifax in late December 1943. Following two weeks’ leave in late January 1944, Judd returned to duty in Halifax. On March 4, 1944, he proceeded to Camp Aldershot, NS, where he completed an “advanced infantry training refresher course.”
Judd received a two-week embarkation leave in late April and reported to No. 1 Transit Camp, Windsor, on May 29, 1944. Two days later, he departed for overseas and set foot in the United Kingdom (UK) on June 11, 1944. He was immediately assigned to No. 4 Canadian Infantry Reinforcement Unit (CIRU), where he awaited assignment with an active unit.
In mid-July, Judd left the UK for the Mediterranean theatre, setting foot on the Italian mainland on July 29, 1944. He was immediately placed on the infantry reinforcement list and proceeded to the 4th Reinforcement Battalion in mid-August. On September 2, 1944, Judd was assigned to the Cape Breton Highlanders. He joined the unit in the field the following day.
The Cape Breton Highlanders (CBH) Regiment traces its roots to the Victoria Provisional Battalion of Infantry, established in Baddeck, NS, on October 13, 1871. Re-designated 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. Instead, it remained in the UK, where it provided reinforcements for Nova Scotia battalions in France and Belgium.
Officially disbanded on 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. Ten months later, the unit departed for overseas.
After arriving in the United Kingdom, 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 landing in Italy with the 5th Canadian Armoured Division (5th CAD) in November 1943.
In mid-January 1944, CBH commenced active service in sectors north of the town of Ortona. The unit relocated to the front lines near the entrance to the Liri Valley in early April, in preparation for an Allied offensive against the Gustav and Hitler Lines, two German defensive networks located in the strategically important area.
5th CAD was not involved in the initial attack, which commenced on May 11. During two weeks of hard fighting, Allied forces penetrated both defensive networks. 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 wounded.
On June 3, 1944, 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, the unit relocated to Caiazzo, where the highlight of the summer was King George VI’s July 30 visit to its camp. Three days later, the battalion travelled through Rome to a staging area along the shores of Lake Bolsena, 130 kilometers north of the Italian capital.
Over the next several days, 5th CAD units made their way northeastward to a location south of Pesaro, near the Adriatic coast. The Canadians’ next assignment was to break through the Gothic Line, a German defensive network stretching across the entire Italian peninsula, 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 toughest assignments. While units managed to break through the Gothic Line during the last week of August, combat losses were significant. During a three-day tour in late August, CBH suffered 19 soldiers killed and another 44 wounded.
On September 2, CBH personnel gathered in a concentration area near the Conca River, where they remained for two days while awaiting orders. Private Harold Judson Nickerson joined the unit’s ranks during that time. The battalion moved out to an assembly area on September 4, in preparation for an attack on San Andreas Ridge. The objective was one of several strategic areas of high ground in front of the Rimini Line, the latest German defensive position, located to the north across the Ausa River.
The plan of attack called for CBH to pass through the Irish Regiment’s lines and occupy the ridge. Two Companies were selected for the attack, with support from a troop of New Brunswick Hussars tanks, a troop of M-10 anti-tank guns, and a troop of anti-tank six-pounders. When the advance commenced at 0200 hours September 5, the soldiers encountered no significant resistance. Within three hours, personnel had reached the top of the ridge and immediately commenced establishing defensive positions.
An effort by a patrol to advance to an adjacent ridge drew immediate enemy fire, forcing the unit to remain atop San Andreas for three days. During that time, personnel were in full view of the town of Coriano, which remained in German hands. As a result, the men endured constant artillery shelling, an experience that Cape Breton Private Ignatius MacNeil later described after safely returning home:
“None of us realized as we dug our slit trenches and weapons pits that… we would receive the worst shelling any Canadians had received in the whole of the Italian campaign…. [For the next several days] we lay in our trenches hardly daring to move while artillery from 12 enemy Divisions shelled us unceasingly. During the nights under cover of darkness hot meals were brought in, the dead were buried and dozens of other jobs were attended to. Every move above ground was on the double because it did not pay to linger about. As each day dawned we could see more new crosses on the hill as our little cemetery began to fill up. Someone named it Graveyard Hill, [and] the name stuck.”
During four days atop the ridge, CBH suffered 11 fatalities, while another 40 men were wounded. Finally, during the night of September 9/10, the unit was relieved and retired to San Giovanni for several days’ rest. No further Allied advance was possible in the area until Coriano Ridge was secured. While CBH’s soldiers were out of the line, British units launched a series of unsuccessful attacks on the location. Their failure prompted Allied commanders to assign the task to the 5th Canadian Armoured Division’s 11th Infantry Brigade.
The plan called for the 11th Brigade to carry out a night-time attack on the ridge along a two-battalion front. CBH would proceed up the ridge on its right, northern flank, while its Perth Regiment Brigade mates would advance up its left, southern flank. A squadron of New Brunswick Hussars tanks and a six-pounder anti-tank troop would support the advance. The operation was scheduled for 0100 hours September 13.
The plan was to isolate the town of Coriano atop the ridge by first securing the flanks. The 11th Brigade’s Irish Regiment of Canada would then pass through CBH’s lines at first light and secure the town. C and D Companies would lead the CBH attack, the remaining two Companies following in support. During the early evening of September 11, a reinforcement draft of 50 men joined CBH’s ranks. Several would not survive the upcoming attack.
At 2230 hours September 12, CBH’s soldiers commenced a three-kilometre trek to their designated assembly area. Everyone was in position by midnight as the men prepared to clamber down the slope of San Andrea ridge into the valley below, cross the Besanigo River, and then advance up Coriano Ridge. As the operation commenced, supporting artillery guns would target the river area for nine minutes, then focus on targets along the slope and ridge for 10 minutes.
The CBH attack commenced at precisely 0100 hours September 13 and immediately encountered enemy artillery fire. Several factors made the situation worse. Guides first led the soldiers in the wrong direction. Once back on track, the men encountered a large anti-personnel minefield located across the entire line of attack. Despite the obstacles, the two forward Companies made their way through the minefield as enemy machine gun, mortar and artillery fire targeted the advance.
Within 30 minutes, the leading groups had reached the valley and were “proceeding well.” The advance up the slope of Coriano Ridge continued throughout the early morning, C Company reaching the top around 0400 hours and immediately commenced consolidating its position. The Perths were “firm on [their] objective” by 0430 hours, setting the stage for the Irish Regiment to pass through CBH’s lines and secure the town.
At 0600 hours, the Irish commenced their advance and closed in on the ridge within an hour. As the soldiers proceeded into Coriano, they encountered fierce resistance. In response, Allied commanders ordered the Westminster Regiment (British Columbia), a “motor battalion,” forward to assist. By early afternoon, the Westminsters had secured the right flank as the Irish cleared enemy forces from the town.
Patrols were dispatched into an area beyond the ridge during the night. Meanwhile, the 11th Brigade’s units endured heavy mortar fire while they worked to consolidate their positions. At 1700 hours September 14, CBH was relieved and withdrew to a rest camp at San Giovanni. The battalion lost an estimated 25 % of its fighting strength during the Coriano operation, reporting 57 fatalities and 241 wounded during a 17-day tour in the line.
Private Judd Nickerson was among the CBH soldiers wounded during the attack on Coriano Ridge. Struck by shrapnel from a high explosive shell, he suffered severe damage to his right shoulder and back. Admitted to No. 2 Canadian Clearing Station, Judd was evacuated to No. 24 Canadien Field Ambulance and then transported to 1st Canadian General Hospital that same day. On September 15, he was transferred o No. 5 Canadian General Hospital, Catania, Sicily, where he spent the remainder of the month recovering from his injuries.
On October 1, Judd was placed aboard a hospital ship for transport to the UK. Five days later, his mother Carrie received a telegram from military authorities, containing an update on his condition: “Private Harold Judson Nickerson[,] previously reported wounded in action[,] nature of wounds now reported as severe shell fragment wound right shoulder and back.”
Judd arrived in the UK on October 10 and was admitted to No. 19 Canadian General Hospital, Marston Green, Birmingham. Medical staff there soon discovered that the shell explosion had also perforated his eardrums. Judd spent almost four weeks in hospital before being transferred to No. 4 Canadian Convalescent Depot. Six weeks later, he was discharged from medical care and attached to the 3rd Canadian Infantry Training Regiment (CITR).
Judd spent the winter of 1944-45 with 3rd CITR. A March 4, 1945 assessment of his situation stated, “His usefulness to the Army is limited by a lack of trade qualifications and general knowledge, but he is a willing worker capable of doing some labour work in a static unit.” The report recommended “light labour—runner, hut orderly” or “heavy labour—truck helper/loader” as possible assignments.
On March 29, Judd was transferred to No. 1 Canadian Repatriation Depot, where he awaited return to Canada. He embarked on April 22 and was recommended as suitable for “General Duties Type ‘C’ as batman [an officer’s assistant]” upon arriving in Canada. He remained in uniform until November 15, 1945, when he was discharged from service at Halifax, as he was “unable to meet the required military physical standards.”
At the time of his discharge, Judd was a patient in Aldershot Military Hospital. His service file does not indicate when he was admitted to the facility. A report completed the day after his discharge described his physical limitations as “indefinite at this time,” suggesting that his war wound still seriously impacted his abilities. While he intended to return to Canso, he had “no definite plans.” The assessment described Judd as “a dependable man with regular habits who is willing to do his best at all times. It is considered that he will require special assistance in placement and should be interviewed again on discharge from hospital.”
It is unclear whether Judd was ever released from medical care or returned to Canso after his military discharge. On January 6, 1946. he was admitted to Veterans’ Hospital, Cornwallis, Annapolis County. Its proximity to Aldershot suggests that he may have been transferred there from the previous facility. Documents in his service file do not provide any information on his situation or condition at that time.
Private Harold Judson Nickerson passed away in Cornwallis Veterans’ Hospital on June 18, 1946. His Province of Nova Scotia death registration identifies the cause of death as “miliary tuberculosis,” with “tuberculous pneumonia” listed as a contributing factor. While it is not clear when he was diagnosed with the disease, military authorities agreed that the cause of Judd’s death was “due to service.” Judd’s remains were transported to Canso, where he was laid to rest in Fourth Hill Cemetery.
