Private Howard Leslie "Ted" Pye—Died of Illness January 24, 1943

 Howard Leslie “Ted” Pye was born in Liscomb, Guysborough County, on December 8, 1913, the fourth of Leonard Whitman and Ida Alexandra “Lexie” (Hartling) Pye’s seven children. His nickname apparently derived from a pyjama or play suit known as a “teddy” that Ted wore as a child.

Pte. Howard Leslie "Ted" Pye

Ted had deep historical connections to the Liscomb area on both sides of his family. His mother Lexie was the grand-daughter of John Frederick Hartling, a descendant of “Foreign Protestant” settlers who came to Nova Scotia in the aftermath of the Acadian Expulsion (1755). It is believed that the family surname derived from the German “Hirtle.” John Frederick, known locally as “Fritz,” was born around 1816 and eventually settled in Spanish Ship Bay, where he married Sophia Walters and raised a family of nine children.

One of Fritz and Sophia’s six sons, Jacob, born in 1859, married Caroline “Carrie” Crooks. Jacob became Spanish Ship Bay’s first postmaster, a position he held from 1897 until his resignation in April 1931. Among his other endeavours, Jacob and his brother John operated a small water-powered mill in Bay Brook, producing laths and lumber for local construction. He and Carrie raised a family of five children in Spanish Ship Bay. Ida Alexandra “Lexie”—Ted’s mother—was their second child and eldest daughter.

On his father’s side, Ted had deep connections to Pye’s Head, the body of land that lies between Spanish Ship Bay and the eastern portions of Liscomb Harbour. Ted was a direct descendant of Thomas Pye Sr. and his wife, Bessie Aubold (Hawbolt). Born in Exeter, southwest England, around 1758, Thomas Sr. immigrated to Nova Scotia in 1773 and settled in Marie Joseph, Guysborough County, around 1789. In subsequent years, he and his sons submitted petitions for land grants in the Ecum Secum, Marie Joseph and Liscomb areas. In 1818, the applicants received grants that totalled 1,200 acres, divided into several parcels.

Two of Thomas Sr.’s sons, Charles and Leonard Pye, received a grant of 200 acres on Liscomb Harbour that included the major portion of the Pye’s Head peninsula. The brothers formally divided the land in 1822 and established family residences on the location, which provided easy access to the ocean and featured several sites suitable for the construction of wharves.

When Charles passed away in 1853, his land was purchased by Eben Jacob Locke, husband of Leonard Pye’s daughter Mary Jennet. Eben later sold most of the property to Mary Jennet’s brother, William Henry Pye.

Leonard Pye was active at sea for over 30 years. In May 1825, he registered the Lunenburg-built schooner Sally in his name and personally operated the vessel. After the Sally was lost at sea in December 1827, Leonard purchased and operated the 36-ton schooner Mary Jane, which he registered in November 1836.

By June 1844, Leonard was master of the British Queen, a two-masted, 54-ton schooner that he had built in Liscomb. The vessel was owned and operated by James and John Henry McNab, two Halifax merchants. Leonard purchased the ship from the McNab brothers in April 1849. By that time, he was active in coastal trade routes established between Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and the coast of Labrador, where he traded goods with the native population, in exchange for fish.

Leonard’s son, William Henry, sailed with his father and later became a coastal trader himself. According to family lore, he went to sea at age eight and took charge of the British Queen at age 14. William Henry received navigation instruction from a Mr. McDaniel, a Sherbrooke resident, and successfully completed the examinations for his Master Mariner’s certificate in Halifax.

Leonard passed away in the spring of 1852 at age 55. William Henry, administrator of his estate, equitably divided his father’s assets among family members. In subsequent years, William Henry purchased his mother’s share and as much of his sisters’ properties as he could acquire. The year prior to his father’s death, he had married Jane Eliza Davis, a resident of Ecum Secum West, and the couple built a home on a section of Pye’s Head overlooking Liscomb Harbour.

In 1857, William Henry served as a coastal pilot aboard the Gulnare, a surveying vessel hired by the Royal Navy to map the Nova Scotia coastline for the British Admiralty. A flat rock near the family home served as a survey reference point and still bears the appropriate carved markings.

William Henry continued to operate the British Queen, and later purchased another merchant schooner, the Agility, built in Port Medway in 1858. Family lore claims that the vessel operated as a blockade runner during the American Civil War, slipping through the North’s naval blockade to deliver British goods to Southern Confederate ports.

In May 1874, William Henry sold the Agility and the following year acquired the newly constructed A. M. Payne, named for a prominent Halifax merchant. He operated the new vessel for eight years. After selling the ship to a Shelburne County mariner, he “came ashore.” In his retirement years, William Henry operated the local customs house at times, and opened a store that provided the local community with basic goods.

In August 1910, William Henry deeded all of his property to his son Leonard Whitman Pye, who eventually dismantled his father’s Cape Cod house and built a new residence on the same foundation. Leonard had married Ida Alexandra “Lexie” Hartling, a Spanish Ship Bay native, in 1908 and the couple raised a family of seven children—daughters Alma Kathleen, Amy Rebecca, Leone Ida, Caroline Davidson, and Margaret Jane, and sons Stuart Allison and Howard Leslie “Ted.”

Leonard pursued a livelihood at sea for several years. Like his father, he operated the customs house and maintained a sustenance farm on Pye’s Head. He also left home for seasonal work, managing a lobster factory at Malagash in the spring and supervising apple harvesting in the Annapolis Valley in the autumn. The family briefly moved to Halifax in the early 1920s, but finding suitable accommodations for a large household was a challenge and they soon returned to Pye’s Head.

Leonard’s sons Allison (DOB July 18, 1910) and Ted were determined to go to sea. As the family no longer operated its own vessels, 17-year-old Allison made his first voyage to the West Indies aboard the schooner Esthonia in 1928, likely accompanied by 14-year-old Ted. The vessel, under the command of Howard Hartling—a relative of their mother’s—departed from Halifax on March 27 and safely returned to Nova Scotia after a five-month voyage.

Ted later sailed to the Turks Islands aboard the vessel Cape LaHave, only to become stranded when the vessel ran aground and was lost. Although news of the wreck soon reached the family, Ted’s whereabouts remained a mystery for some time. His youngest sibling, Margaret, recalled that he “just came walking down the road” one day.

Allison continued to work at sea, completing a total of four voyages on the Esthonia in 1928 and 1929. He made another schooner voyage to the Turks Islands aboard the James E. Newsome. While sailing vessels experienced a modest resurgence during the Great Depression, due in part to lower operating costs and fuel shortages, their use declined as the decade passed and steamships assumed the bulk of the Caribbean routes.

Allison made the transition to the new technology, joining the crew of the Lady Somers, one of Canadian National Steamships Company’s famous “Lady Boats,” for two voyages in 1930. He also served aboard its sister ships, the Lady Nelson and the Lady Rodney, from 1935 to 1939, logging a total of 23 voyages. In 1939, he gave up going to sea as “there was no future in it.” The timing of his decision proved fortuitous—during the Second World War, three of the four Lady Boats fell victim to German U-boats.

Allison completed the accounting program at the Maritime Business College and found work in Halifax. During the Second World War, he enlisted for service with the Royal Canadian Air Force and served as an accounts clerks with 11 Technical Service Unit, Montreal. Upon returning to civilian life, he worked for the Colonial Fertilizer Company in Windsor, NS. When Canada Packers purchased the company in the 1960s, he returned to Halifax, where he worked as an accountant.

Stuart Allison Pye in RCAF uniform

 Meanwhile, the episode aboard the Cape LaHave persuaded Ted to abandon seafaring in favour of safer pursuits ashore. He remained at home for a period of time, briefly returning to school before going to work with his father on Pye’s Head. Leonard owned a small boat that they used for lobster fishing.

After Leonard’s death in 1935, Ted may have worked in the Halifax dockyards for a while. He eventually returned to Pye's Head, although the exact date is unknown. Ted did some farming, maintaining a vegetable garden and tending livestock, particularly a large ox named Babe that he used for ploughing and hauling. At the time of his enlistment, Ted gave his address as Liscomb and listed his occupation as fisherman.

On June 26, 1941, Ted answered the call to military service, enlisting with the Canadian Active Service Force at Antigonish, NS. One week later, he reported to No. 61 Basic Training Centre, New Glasgow. On August 19, he completed his initial training and was assigned to the Vocational Wing, No. 6 District Depot, Halifax. Over the next three months, he took a trades course and was certified as “a qualified oxyacetylene welder” on November 25.

In early February 1942, Ted was transferred to the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps Training Centre (RCOTC), Barriefield, Kingston, ON, for the next stage of his military service. On March 28, he was assigned to the Canadian Army Training School, Hamilton, and in mid-June returned to RCOTC Barriefield, where he remained throughout the summer.

On September 1, 1942, Ted received permission to marry Miss Elizabeth Violet “Lizzie” Knight “on or after 1 - 11 - 42.” Ted had known Lizzie for some time. She was born in Halifax, but her mother, Elizabeth Ethel Morris, was from West Liscomb. Lizzie met Ted while she was visiting her grandmother, Bertha Elizabeth (Berrigan) Morris. His sisters recalled Ted rowing across the harbour to meet her at the Morris family home.

While Lizzie and Ted’s marriage was initially scheduled for November, events moved more rapidly than anticipated. Ted officially qualified as “Welder Group ‘B’ Grade I” on September 19, and four days later received 10 days’ leave. A note in his service file, dated September 24, 1942, states:

“Having been granted permission to marry on or after 24/9/42, was married on the 24/9/42 to Miss Elizabeth Violet Knight [at Halifax]. New address - 206 Grafton St., Halifax, NS.”

Lizzie and Ted

Upon returning to duty on October 1, Ted was officially “struck off strength” by the Canadian Ordnance Corps Training Centre and awaited orders to proceed overseas. He departed Halifax in late October and disembarked in the United Kingdom on November 5, 1942.

As with all arrivals, Ted was assigned to the Canadian Ordnance Reinforcement Unit. The Corps was responsible for procuring all material items required by the Canadian Army, such as weapons, clothing and mechanical transport. Until 1944, its personnel also maintained and repaired Army equipment.

On November 25, Ted was assigned to the newly created 1 Canadian Ordnance Beach Detachment (COBD), whose personnel would assist infantry units in beach landings as part of an invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe. Their mission involved establishing assembly areas for men and vehicles arriving on shore and overseeing their movement inland. The unit was also responsible for creating storage areas for fuel, ammunition, rations and other supplies as they came ashore. As infantry units proceeded inland, the unit would supervise the evacuation of the dead and wounded, prisoners of war, and salvaged equipment.

Well before Ted’s arrival in the United Kingdom, Canadian units had transitioned from defensive roles to training for an invasion of the European continent. Personnel rehearsed scrambling from naval vessels into landing craft and making their way ashore. These exercises began in England but later shifted to Scotland, where sandy beaches and mountainous terrain provided ideal staging grounds for large-scale operations that preceded the Allied landings at Dieppe (August 1942), Sicily (July 1943) and Normandy (June 1944).

On December 7, 1942, Ted was attached “for all purposes” to the 11th Base Ordnance Depot, Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC). He probably spent the month training with British soldiers who shared their expertise with the inexperienced Canadians. The first indication of Ted’s involvement in practical training occurred on January 10, 1943, when he was sent with his unit to CTC [Combined Training Centre] Castle Toward, Scotland. Built in 1820 to replace a medieval structure that was the home of Clan Lamont, the castle is located in the Argyll and Bute district of Scotland, on the shores of the Upper Firth of Clyde, approximately 70 kilometres west of Glasgow.

During the war, the British military requisitioned the castle and its grounds and awarded it the Royal Navy commission of HMS Brontosaurus. Personnel stationed at the location learned how to operate a variety of landing craft, and rehearsed the loading and unloading of men, tanks and armoured vehicles. British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill and Rear Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten were among the prominent figures who visited the location during the war.

British and Commonwealth soldiers trained in landing operations staged on the Isle of Bute, to the west of Castle Toward. The men were billeted in private homes in Rothesay, the island’s largest town. After the war, residents fondly remembered the Canadians, particularly their unusual accents and generosity in sharing chewing gum, chocolate bars and sports cards from their cigarette packages with local children.

On January 22, 1943, Ted was admitted to Rothesay Memorial Hospital, Scotland, where he was diagnosed with a cerebral haemorrhage. His service file does not describe its cause. A later document stated that he had suffered a “heart attack during combined operations on training.” Unfortunately, there are no medical documents in his service file to provide further details.

Two days later, perhaps due to worsening health, military authorities decided to transfer Ted to a military hospital on the outskirts of Glasgow. An “Extract from an Entry in a Registry of Deaths” for the District of Buchanan, County Sterling, Scotland, states that Ted died at 5:22 pm January 24, 1943, “in an ambulance on a journey between Rothesay and Military Hospital, Buchanan.” The entry identifies the cause of death as septicaemia, a conclusion repeated in several other official documents.

That same day, military authorities sent a telegram to Ted’s wife Lizzie, informing her: “Regret deeply F88060 Private Howard Leslie Pye officially reported died twenty-fourth January 1943 as result of cerebral haemorrhage.” Ted’s remains were transported to Surrey, UK, where he was buried in Brookwood Military Cemetery, Woking, Surrey, on February 2, 1943.

Details on the Pye and Hartling genealogies was obtained from Ruth Legge’s detailed work, “Shreds and Nooks of Land—A History of Liscomb, Spanish Ship Bay and Geggogin, Guysborough County.” Special thanks to Ted’s nephew and nieces who helped assemble his story. Don Hatton and Muriel Elliott, Pye’s Head, NS, and Margaret Pye Arnaudin, St.-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC, provided details on Ted and Allison Pye’s personal lives. Denise McMurtry, Carp, Ottawa, ON, shared a photograph of Ted in uniform and a picture of Ted with his wife Lizzie. Margaret Pye Arnaudin provided a photograph of her father, Stuart Allison, in uniform.

Flight Sergeant Douglas Seaman Cameron—Accidentally Killed January 3, 1943

 Douglas Seaman Cameron was born at Aspen, Guysborough County, on June 18, 1917, the oldest of George Leibert and Alma (McKeen) Cameron’s five children. Douglas was a direct descendant of Dougal Alistair Cameron, born at Kilmallie, Argyllshire, Scotland, on June 18, 1786. Dougal immigrated to Nova Scotia between 1825 and 1835, and was head of one of Cameron Settlement’s founding families.

Flight Sergeant Douglas Seaman Cameron

Among Dougal’s children was a son, John Dougal “Short John,” born at Fort William, Lochaber, Scotland, in 1827 or 1828. John Dougal accompanied his father to Nova Scotia. At the time of the 1871 Canadian census, he was residing at Caledonia, Guysborough County. Later records identify his place of residence at Forks of St. Marys. John Dougal passed away at Aspen in 1892, and was laid to rest in Evergreen Cemetery.

John Dougal’s son, Dougal/Dougald Archibald “Archie,” was born at Caledonia or Aspen on October 15, 1864. Archie married Margaret Isabelle “Maggie” McDonald, daughter of Hugh and Catherine McDonald, Lochaber, on June 11, 1894. Archie and Maggie’s oldest child, George Leibert, was born at Aspen, Guysborough County, the following year.

On October 27, 1916, Leibert married Alma Margaret McKeen, daughter of Samuel and Eliza McKeen, Aspen. While Alma’s family also traces its roots to the British Isles, her ancestors followed a much longer and different route before arriving in Nova Scotia. The family’s North American pioneer, John McKeen, was born at Londonderry, Ireland, in December 1700 and immigrated to the American colonies with his family, arriving at Boston Massachusetts, on August 4, 1718.

Around 1741, John married Martha Cargill at East Darby, New Hampshire. The couple eventually settled close to the mouth of the Connecticut River—across Long Island Sound from Long Island, New York—where four of the couple’s five children were born. John established a shipping and supply company that operated routes to Boston, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and St. John, New Brunswick.

In 1760, the family relocated to Truro, where they were among the community’s earliest settlers. John and two of his sons—William and John Jr.—were also “grantees” of the township established there, receiving adjoining lots. At the time, the community consisted of 60 families. John Sr. and his wife Martha both passed away at Truro on the same day—December 30, 1767—and were laid to rest in the old Presbyterian Cemetery.

Following his father’s passing, John Jr. assumed operation of his supply vessel. He married twice—first to Rachel Johnson, a marriage that resulted in the birth of three sons and two daughters, and then to Rachel (Duncan) Archibald, a union that produced one son. John Jr. made frequent trips to St. Marys, NS, where four of his sons—John, Samuel, Adam and William—eventually settled, along with his brother David and sister Margaret.

After his second wife’s passing, John Jr. moved to St. Marys, where he resided with his youngest son William until his passing.  Born at Truro on September 13, 1857, William married Catherine Kirk, daughter of William and Catherine (McDonald) Kirk, Pictou, and established residence on “McKeen Hill,” Aspen, where the couple raised a family of 15 children.

One of William and Catherine’s children was a son, Samuel G. McKeen, born on May 26, 1825. Samuel G. married Margaret Taylor McKeen, daughter of Samuel and Margaret (Glencross) McKeen, in 1852. Samuel G. and Margaret’s son, Samuel Thomas, was born at Melrose around 1865. Samuel Thomas married Elizabeth “Eliza Bessie” Carthew and raised a family of three children—two sons, Clarence and William, and a daughter, Margaret “Alma.”

Alma McKeen married George Leibert Cameron in a ceremony held at East River St. Marys on October 27, 1916. The couple’s first child, Douglas Seaman, was born at Aspen the following year. A daughter, Olive Mildred, joined the household on February 14, 1919. At the time of the 1921 Canadian census, the family of four was living at Aspen, with Leibert’s occupation listed as “farmer.” His parents, Dougal and Margaret Cameron, resided next door.

Sometime shortly after 1921, the Cameron family relocated to Iroquois Falls, ON, where Leibert went to work for Abitibi Power and Paper Company. Established in 1914, its Iroquois Falls plant quickly became a major supplier of newsprint to the Canadian market. Three more children were born after the couple’s move to Iroquois Falls—sons George Bruce (YOB 1924) and John Leibert “Jack” (DOB May 31,1932) and a daughter Margaret (YOB 1933).

Douglas Seaman Cameron attended Iroquois Public School from 1924 to 1934 and went on to complete two years of studies at Iroquois Falls High School. Upon leaving school in 1936, he commenced employment at Abitibi Power and Paper, but left in 1938 because the “paper mill began running short time.”

Douglas then secured a job as a “diamond driller” [miner] with Pamour Gold Mines, Iroquois Falls, but left the position after 18 months because the “paper mill began to run full time.” During his employment underground with Pamour, Douglas was “hit on [the] left temple with [a] wrench.” The employment record in his service file provided further details:

“Knocked over but not unconscious. No headache or nausea following this. X-ray negative for fracture. Off work (underground) for four weeks but not confined to bed or house at all.”

In mid-1939, Douglas returned to work at Abitibi Power and Paper. In late September 1940, he submitted an application to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), requesting a “flying duties” assignment. At the time, Douglas made reference to participating in a school cadets program, particularly pins that he earned “for shooting.”

On October 19, Douglas completed an interview at an RCAF Recruitment Centre at North Bay. The interviewer provided a brief assessment of his suitability for service: “Bright… seems very willing, should be o.k. after some training for air gunner.” Douglas returned to Iroquois Falls for several months before attesting with the RCAF at Hamilton, ON, on January 29, 1941, with an initial rank of Aircraftman Class II. Two days later, he departed for Brandon, MB, for basic training.

Douglas returned to Toronto, ON, in early March and remained there until April 20, when he was assigned to No. 5 Equipment Depot, Moncton, NB. He spent three months at the depot, awaiting orders to resume his courses.

On July 20, Douglas commenced wireless operator training at No. 1 Wireless School, Montreal, QC. After successfully completed the course, he was promoted to the rank of Leading Aircraftman on August 21. Douglas remained in Montreal throughout the autumn months, logging flying time and completing additional ground training courses. During that time, he placed 44th in a class of 139 recruits, with an overall grade of 81 %, and received authorization to wear a Wireless Operator’s badge.

On December 7, Douglas was “taken on strength” at No. 1 Bomber & Gunnery School, Jarvis, ON, for the final Canadian phase of his training. Over the next four weeks, he completed ground training courses, placing 32nd in a class of 50 cadets. Douglas also logged approximately 10 hours’ flying time, earning a grade of 77.7 % and placing 21st in his air training assessment. His performance warranted an “above average” rating. One instructor commented that he was “[a] hard worker, attentive at all times. Eager to make good.” Another described Douglas as “[a] popular man, reliable and trustworthy.”

Douglas earned his Air Gunner’s badge on January 3, 1942, and was promoted to the rank of Temporary Sergeant with pay. Three days later, he received two weeks’ embarkation leave and likely returned home for a visit. In mid-January, Douglas was attached to No. 3 Y Depot, Debert, NS, where he awaited orders to depart for overseas. He left Halifax on January 24, 1942, and arrived in the United Kingdom two weeks later.

On February 10, Douglas reported to No. 3 Personnel Centre, Bournemouth, UK. One month later, he “remustered” as a Wireless Operator/Air Gunner Class 2, and was assigned to No. 1 Signals School for further training on March 17, 1942. He then proceeded to No. 3 (O) Air Observers School on May 11, and commenced the final phase of his overseas training at No. 3 Radio School on June 10.

Having successfully completed the requirements for active duty, Douglas was promoted to the rank of Temporary Flight Sergeant on July 5. Following a 12-day leave at mid-month, he departed for No. 5 (C) Operational Training Unit (OTU), Turnberry, Scotland, on July 28.

OTUs provided RCAF personnel with their first opportunity to train aboard the aircraft in which they would serve. Air crews were also assembled at this stage, allowing the men to form a cohesive team during training before entering active service. Douglas’s crew mates were all Canadians—Pilot Sgt. Gilmar Innis Morrison, Vancouver, BC; Navigator Pilot Officer Thomas Harold O’Neil, Hamilton, ON;  and Wireless Operator/Air Gunner Sgt. George Ernest Walker, Outremont, QC.

On September 22, 1942, the crew was assigned to a Torpedo Training Unit located at Abbotsinch, UK. One month later, the four men proceeded to 201 Group for active service. Formed in September 1939 from the Royal Air Force’s Middle East General Reconnaissance Group, the unit was responsible for coastal surveillance and provided vital information to strategic and tactical Allied units during the 1942 North African campaign.

On January 1, 1943, Douglas and his crew mates were attached to No. 39 Squadron, an active operating unit, for torpedo training. A regular bombing squadron at the time of the war’s outbreak, No. 39 Squadron was posted to the Mediterranean theatre in the spring of 1940 and transitioned to a maritime reconnaissance and anti-shipping role.

Following Italy’s entry into the war, No. 39’s aircraft conducted several bombing raids in Italian East Eritrea, after which its crews converted to operating Bristol Beaufort torpedo-bombers in August 1941. The Squadron’s personnel participated in anti-shipping operations for the remainder of the year and conducted their first torpedo attack on enemy shipping in late January 1942.

While No. 39 took part in a mid-June 1942 attack on the Italian battle fleet, its primary duties were mine-laying sorties and torpedo attacks on enemy shipping. Later that year, the Squadron provided support for Operation Torch—the allied invasion of North Africa. Briefly located in Egypt during the autumn and winter of 1942-43, the Squadron mainly operated out of the island of Malta until February 1943.

Two days after joining No. 39 Squadron—January 3, 1943—Douglas’s crew climbed aboard Beaufort DW 825 for a routine torpedo-training exercise in the Gulf of Suez, southwest of Cairo, Egypt, with HMS Arpha—a British naval vessel—playing the role of “target ship.” Documents in Douglas’s service file provide details on the subsequent events. A “Report on Flying Accident or Forced Landing Not Attributable to Enemy Action” states:

“This was the pilot’s first trip since completing a short torpedo course at Abbotsinch. He was detailed to complete two circuits and bumps prior to re-accustoming himself to flying low over the seas in the Low Flying Area. He was briefed not to fly dangerously low, not to attack the target or other shipping, and not to carry out any steep turns over the water.”

At approximately, 10:50 am, “a muffled explosion was heard and a Beaufort was observed about two miles from the ship flying close to the sea, and apparently in difficulties.” The aircraft plunged into the sea, prompting HMS Alpha and a nearby RAF launch to immediately proceed to the crash site. One crew member—Pilot Sgt. G I. Morrison—“was picked up alive, but badly injured. [Navigator] P/O O’Neil was picked up dead. The remaining two crew members [wireless operators/air gunners] were not located.” Sgt. Morrison was rushed to 13th General Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries the following day.

The Report, dated the same day as the incident, proceeded to assess possible reasons why the aircraft struck the water:

“This may have been caused (1) by engine or other failure[,] but as the aircraft completed a satisfactory sortie prior to this sortie and was a most dependable aircraft, this is thought unlikely. (2) An error of judgement by the Pilot in that he completely misjudged his height or flew dangerously low, or (3) He failed to screw his throttles up and they slipped back[,] causing the aircraft to sink and hit the water.”

Wing Commander A. M. Taylor, who compiled the report, stated that he considered number two “the most likely reason” for the accident. Station Commander G. M. Knocker agreed, commenting:

“The pilot Sgt. Morrison came out to M. E. [The Mediterranean Expeditionary Force] by Sea and West Coast air route. Instructions have been given that in future pilots reporting straight to 5 METS [Meteorological Squadron] who have not flown aircraft out are to do at least two hours local flying before recommencing low flying [training] over the sea.”

Pilot Sgt. Morrison and Navigator Pilot Officer O’Neil were laid to rest in Suez War Memorial Cemetery, Suez, Egypt. The remains of the other two crew members—Wireless Operators/Air Gunners Sgt. George Ernest Walker and Douglas Seaman Cameron—were never recovered.

On October 29, 1943, Leibert Cameron received an official RCAF casualty notification telegram, informing him that his son Douglas, “previously reported ‘missing’ believed killed 3-Jan-43 as a result of a flying accident (overseas) (operations over the Gulf of Suez, Egypt) [is] now ‘presumed dead’ 3-Jan-43 for official purposes.” A subsequent letter from RCAF Records Officer T. K. McDougall, dated October 18, 1944, informed Leibert that Douglas has been posthumously promoted to the rank of Flight Sergeant, effective July 5, 1942.

Flight Sergeant Douglas Seaman Cameron’s name is engraved on the Alamein Memorial, located at the entrance to Alamein War Cemetery, Alamein, Egypt. The Land Forces panel contains the names of 8,500 military personnel who died in the Mediterranean theatre and have no known graves. The Air Forces panel displays the names of more than 3,000 Commonwealth airmen who died during Mediterranean operations and have no known final resting place.

Photograph of Flight Sergeant Douglas Seaman Cameron courtesy of Brenda (Cameron) & Pat Britton, Iroquois Falls, ON. Genealogical information on the McKeens of Aspen courtesy of Gerry & Melodie (McKeen) Madigan, Shubenacadie East, NS. Genealogical information on Douglas's Cameron ancestors courtesy of David Brown, Lochaber, NS.

Private Edward James McIntosh—Died of Illness December 24, 1942

Edward James “Ted” McIntosh was born at Stillwater, Guysborough County, on November 29, 1898, the fifth of William and Olive (Hingley) McIntosh’s eight children and the third oldest of their six sons. As was common at the time, Ted left school at age 10 to work on the family farm and in the local woods.

Pte. Edward "Ted" McIntosh's 193rd Battalion Portrait

 Following the outbreak of the First World War, military recruiters initially focused their recruitment efforts on Nova Scotia’s larger communities. In the spring of 1916, however, efforts to raise a Nova Scotia Highland Brigade consisting of four battalions—85th (Nova Scotia Highlanders), 185th (Cape Breton Highlanders), 193rd and 219th—significantly impacted rural areas of the province. For the first time since the war’s outbreak, military recruiters visited such Guysborough County locations as Sherbrooke, Canso and Guysborough town, in search of volunteers.

Many of the province’s young men were enticed into enlisting with the Highland Brigade, and young Ted McIntosh was no exception. On July 7, 1916, Ted attested for overseas service with the 193rd Battalion at Camp Aldershot, NS. He was almost five months shy of his eighteenth birthday at the time, and listed his occupation as “lumberman.”

Ted departed for overseas with the 193rd aboard SS Olympic on October 12, 1916. Also on board the vessel were the three other Nova Scotia Highland Brigade battalions. Shortly after arriving in the United Kingdom, two of the Brigade’s units—the 193rd and the 219th Battalions—were dissolved and their members dispersed to other units or branches of military service.

Four days prior to departing Halifax, a medical examination revealed that Ted had “flat feet.” This diagnosis, perhaps combined with his young age and pre-service occupation, resulted in a decision to transfer him to the Canadian Forestry Corps (CFC). On January 17, 1917, Ted was “taken on strength” at CFC Base Depot, Sunningdale, where he remained for almost four months before being assigned to duty at CFC Headquarters. On December 1, 1917, Ted was posted to No. 53 District CFC’s “Tech. Warehouse” at Egham, where he served for two and a half months.

With a new fighting season fast approaching and Allied commanders anticipating a major German offensive, military authorities combed the ranks of non-combat units, in search of infantry reinforcements. In mid-February 1918, Ted was transferred to the 17th (Nova Scotia) Reserve Battalion. Stationed at Camp Bramshott, UK, the unit provided infantry reinforcements for the 25th (Nova Scotia Rifles) and 85th (Nova Scotia Highlanders) Battalions serving at the front.

On April 7, 1918, Ted was assigned to the 85th Battalion and immediately proceeded to the Canadian Corps Reinforcement Centre (CCRC) in France. Five weeks later, he left CCRC for the forward area on May 14 and joined his new unit in the field the following day. Ted remained at the front with the 85th throughout the final months of the war, as its soldiers participated in the “100 Days” campaign that brought fighting to an end.

The Allied offensive commenced with the Battle of Amiens (August 8 - 11) and continued for three months. In early September, the 85th was involved in the “Scarpe Operation” near Arras, during which Allied forces broke through the famous German Hindenburg defensive line and advanced toward the strategic city of Cambrai. Ted’s unit saw particularly intense action at Bourlon Wood and Canal du Nord in late September, and was among the Canadian units that pursued retreating German forces into Belgium in early November.

Ted remained with the 85th throughout these events, an experience that exposed the 19-year-old to some of the war’s most fierce fighting. Following the November 11, 1918 Armistice, the 85th remained in Belgium until early May 1919, when the unit returned to the United Kingdom. At month’s end, its soldiers boarded HMT Adriatic for the journey home and arrived in Halifax on June 7. Eight days later, Ted was formally discharged from military service and returned to the Sherbrooke area.

One of Ted’s older brothers, Donald Murdock McIntosh, also served with the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Canada. Drafted under the Military Service Act (1917) at Halifax on March 25, 1918, Donald was “struck off strength” at Camp Aldershot, NS, on September 17, 1918. He remained in the Halifax area, where he married Margaret Winnifred Kelly, daughter of George and Laura (Fulton) Kelly, Caledonia, in a ceremony held at 317 Barrington St., on December 5, 1919.

In June 1922, Donald emigrated to the United States and Margaret followed shortly afterward. They initially resided in Waltham, MA, where Donald’s half-brother, John William McIntosh—a child from William McIntosh’s 1879 marriage to Catherine Leslie—resided. One year later, the couple relocated to Everett, MA, where Donald was hired as shipping foreman at a newly-opened Beacon Oil Company distillation plant. The site contained 20 still houses for processing crude oil and 10 storage tanks that held 400,000 gallons of gasoline and inflammable by-products.

On February 10, 1928, a low-pressure vaporizer located in one of the still houses exploded, triggering a series of smaller explosions. Donald was working at the time of the incident, only minutes from the end of his shift. A contemporary news item in the Boston Herald describes his actions in the immediate aftermath of the blast:

“[McIntosh was] in charge of the valves which fed the scores of huge tanks which covered the 100-acre lot of the company. As the first half dozen stills and tanks blew up, McIntosh, terribly burned and suffering intensely, turned his back on the single opening where he might crawl for safety and be rescued[,]… deliberately crawled on his hands and knees through a wall of solid flame and shut off each of the valves of the other tens of huge tanks. Had these valves not been shut off[,] the entire city of Everett, Mass., would have been blown to bits, [an] explosive expert…states…. The State Fire Mashal, Neal, told The Herald’s correspondent the result of the explosion, had not McIntosh shut off the score of valves, would have been the greatest catastrophe in the history of New England.”

One of Donald’s co-workers, John J. Thompson, survived the explosion and recalled his last glimpse of his “old pal”:

“We watched him, begging, pleading and crying for him to come back…. You see, he realized, he knew what he was doing and he didn’t stop to think…. As we shrieked like crazy men, he just turned with the faintest of smiles on his face and waved his hand. Then he went through that wall of flame, hellish searing fire of burning oil and we never saw him alive again.”

Later that evening, Donald’s remains were discovered in the ruins and identified by a ruby ring he always wore. At least 13 other co-workers were reported killed in the immediate aftermath of the explosion, with several others still missing. Donald was survived by his wife, Margaret, and a four-year-old daughter, Dorothy.

After returning to civilian life in Sherbrooke, Ted quickly established a reputation as an experienced outdoorsman. An unpublished local history compiled by the Sherbrooke Women’s Institute states that Ted, a “popular guide,” set a record for a daily catch on April 16, 1942—the first day of the year’s angling season—landing “five salmon weighing from 16 to 23 pounds each.” The following year, a record catch of 1,005 salmon was landed along the river.

Ted with trapped wild cat pelts

The abundant stock created a valuable seasonal source of employment for local guides. Visiting anglers made their way by train to Antigonish, where they arranged for ground transportation to Melrose, Waternish or Sherbrooke. Employment information in his Second World War service file states that Ted worked for 30 years as a guide along the St. Mary’s River.

At that time, commercially-produced salmon fishing accessories were virtually non-existent. As a result, local fishers and guides were constantly on the lookout for materials that could be used to make salmon flies. Jack Anderson, a long-time Sherbrooke merchant, recalled that the tobacco cans common in the area during the pre-war years came with a pull-tab top, “very much like a sardine can. The top was very, very thin. I remember Ted McIntosh picking’ up… tobacco-can covers he’d find around the country and takin’ scissors and slicing’ that off in little thin strips to get tinfoil for salmon-fly bodies.” Deer hair strands from white, grey, brown and black buck-tails were used to create the final product, attached to a manufactured hook. Ted’s brother Dan is credited with developing and perfecting the popular “MacIntosh salmon fly.”

Ted MacIntosh fishing the St. Marys River

Jack Anderson also recalled that the five McIntosh brothers—Arch, Alex, Clarence, Dan and Ted—“all did some guiding. Perhaps the most famous of the five was Dan. They spent all their time on the river and were very accomplished salmon fishermen… from the late 1920s up… until the late 1970s.” During that time, the river’s abundant fish stock attracted recreational fishers from near and far. Jack described one such party that consisted of “an American doctor who was born near here [and]… a friend of his by the name of… Charlie Am. They were great Yankee ball fans, and this particular year, they brought Babe Ruth up with them on a fishing trip.”

Jack described an incident that occurred while the trio were fishing on the river:

“[O]ne day they were fishing… at the Flat Rock Pool. The river was very high early in the spring, Dan [McIntosh] was there, and Babe Ruth was sitting in the center of the punt, fishing away. Babe, I think, leaned too far over to one side and over he went, plunk-o, into the river. Now Babe Ruth was a very big man at that time. I would say he weighed two hundred and thirty or forty pounds, maybe. Dan, he was a kind of small little fellow who could curl up on the back seat of the punt and haul his legs underneath him. He got a hold of Babe by the scruff of the neck when Babe was going’ by him in the current. Well, Babe wasn’t able to crawl in over the side of the punt because the side boards on them were only about nine inches. And Dan wasn’t able to haul him over it at that stage, wet clothes and all. So the situation ended up that Dan had to hold onto Babe with one hand, pull up the anchor rope, and pole the boat ashore with [the other] hand. Eventually he made it and after he rolled him around in the rocks there a little bit, he made it up to the car. He had quite a stay here that time, and he went back to New York with a dozen or so cans of Pictou Twist [a popular local chewing tobacco brand to which Babe took a liking] and a dozen big salmon. But the salmon, I don’t think he ever caught one himself.”

The interest in the outdoors appears to have run in the family. Like his five sons, William McIntosh was an accomplished salmon fisher. While census records consistently listed his occupation as “farmer,” William’s September 26, 1922 death certificate gives his last source of employment as “guide” and identifies his former occupation as “guide and fishing.”

Ted also turned his hand to several other trades. He was a skilled welder, and his Second World War enlistment papers identify his occupation at the time as “pipe fitter.” He also expressed an interest in pursuing training as an “electrician.” The wide range of Ted’s skills is impressive, particularly considering his lack of formal training.

Ted remained a bachelor well into his 30s. On August 18, 1936, he married Anna Beulah Jack, daughter of William F. and Nora (Coles) Jack, Sonora. Over the ensuing years, five children joined the MacIntosh household—James Calvin, Dorothy Ann, Margaret, Clara Bonita and Helen Viola.

The outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939 no doubt stirred memories in the minds of First World War veterans like Ted. While recruiters told the “old soldiers” that their age made overseas service impossible, many were determined to serve their country in some capacity. Their persistence eventually persuaded the Canadian government to put their military experience to use.

In May 1940, the federal government established the Veterans’ Home Guard, later renamed the Veterans’ Guard of Canada (VGC). Modelled on the British Home Guard, the organization was initially created as a defensive force against a possible German—and later Japanese—attack on Canadian soil.

The VGC was organized into numbered Companies of 250 men, and included both active and reserve units. Active Companies served full-time at various locations across the country, while Reserve Companies fulfilled roles similar to militia units, training in the area where their personnel resided. At its peak in June 1943, a total of 451 Officers and 9,806 other ranks were on active service with the VGC.

One of the primary duties assigned to VGC active units was guard duty at prisoner of war and internment camps established across the country during the war. Other units protected military property on Canadian soil. The vast majority remained in Canada, although several companies were dispatched to British colonies for specific duties and one was attached to Canadian Military Headquarters, London, UK.

By late 1942, Ted was head of a household consisting of a wife and five young children. Despite these family obligations, he felt compelled to serve his country in its time of need. On December 7, 1942, Ted travelled to New Glasgow NS, and enlisted for active duty with the VGC, No. 6 District Depot, Canadian Army. A medical examination conducted after his enlistment reported only one minor issue—an “injury to left ankle in 1934. Ankle weak after walking long distance.” Otherwise, Ted displayed no significant health issues at the time.

Ted spent the next two weeks settling into the VGC routine. On December 23, he was granted five days’ Christmas leave and returned home to Sherbrooke. His service file makes no reference to any health concerns prior to his departure. The day after his leave commenced—December 24, 1942—Ted passed away suddenly at home.

Available documents suggest some confusion as to the cause of death. A casualty notification in his service file states: “Cause not known. Investigation under way.” Subsequent documents provide different assessments as to the reason for Ted’s passing. A “circumstances of casualty” form identifies “acute bronchitis and laryngitis” as the cause, while a “Report on Death of a Soldier” gives “myocarditis” (inflammation of the heart muscle) as the reason. An obituary published in a local newspaper informed readers that the “well-known guide of St. Mary’s River… died of pneumonia.” The official province of Nova Scotia death certificate combined factors mentioned above, attributing the main cause of death to myocarditis, while listing acute bronchitis and laryngitis as contributing factors. Ted’s younger brother, Archibald “Archie”, was the informant.

Pte. Edward James McIntosh was laid to rest “with full military honours” in Waternish Cemetery. Ted was survived by his wife Beulah and his five young children, brothers Archie (Sherbrooke), Alex (Ecum Secum), Dan (Sherbrooke) and Clarence (Dartmouth), and sisters Sarah C. Lowe (Dartmouth) and Laura MacInnis (Dartmouth). On August 7, 1943—almost eight months after Ted’s passing— Beulah gave birth to a sixth child, a son Edward Roy “Eddie” McIntosh.

Ted’s nephew, Burns—a son of his older brother Archibald Henry “Arch”—also enlisted for service during the Second World War. After training at New Glasgow, Camp Borden and Aldershot, Burns proceeded to the United Kingdom. He served with the Canadian Army in Italy, where he was wounded twice. Transferred to the Carleton & York Regiment following his recovery, Burns saw action in France, Belgium and Holland before returning home to Canada, having risen to the rank of Sergeant. After his discharge, Burns found employment with the Canadian Veneer Co., Saint John, NB. He later retired to New Glasgow, NS, where he spent his final years.

NOTE: Ted’s family surname was consistently spelled “McIntosh” in all available Canadian census documents (up to 1921) and throughout his First and Second World War military service records. Most family descendants adopted the spelling “MacIntosh” during subsequent years.

Special thanks to Mae MacIntosh, Sherbrooke, NS, and Michelle Wilmott, Calgary, AB, who provided information on the McIntosh family, particularly the lives of Ted’s brothers Donald and Dan, and the family’s connections to the recreational salmon fishery. Thanks as well to Sherbrooke Village for providing a salmon fishing photograph of Ted from the John Cameron Collection.