Private Ray Douglas Uloth—Died of Wounds October 14, 1944

 Ray Douglas Uloth was born in Dort’s Cove, Guysborough County, on March 29, 1925. Both of Ray’s parents were Guysborough County natives. His mother, Anita Louise “Nita,” was the daughter of Percy John Peart and Charlotte Noble “Lottie” Cook, Cook’s Cove. His father, Sylvester Philip, was the son of Adam Caspar Uloth, Cole Harbour, and Mary Elizabeth Dort, Dort’s Cove.

Private Ray Douglas Uloth

Sylvester Uloth was also a First World War veteran. Conscripted into military service at Camp Aldershot, NS, on June 4, 1918, the 22-year-old served with the 6th Battalion, Canadian Garrison Regiment, Halifax, for the month of July before departing for overseas on August 2. Two weeks later, Sylvester disembarked in Liverpool. England, Upon arriving at Camp Aldershot, he was assigned to the 17th Battalion, the reserve unit that provided reinforcements for Nova Scotia’s 25th and 85th Battalions.

On September 5, Sylvester was diagnosed with mumps and placed in an isolation unit for almost three weeks. After returning to duty, he spent four months in camp before he was transferred to the Canadian Army Medical Corps, Shorncliffe. Upon arriving there, he was assigned to Granville Special Hospital, Buxton, where he served in an unknown capacity for five months.

Following a 12-day leave in early July, Sylvester reported to J Wing, Canadian Corps Camp, where he awaited orders to return to Canada. He departed for home aboard SS Saxonia on August 13 and arrived in Halifax 10 days later. Officially discharged from military service on September 28, 1919, he headed to his home in Dort’s Cove.

Upon returning to civilian life, Sylvester worked in the local fishery. He and Nita Peart married in Queensport on December 16, 1924. Ray, their only son, was born the following year. A daughter, Phyllis Mae, joined the family in 1935, while a second daughter, Barbara Louise, was born in 1942.

Ray completed Grade VIII and five months of Grade IX before leaving school at age 15 “to help his father.” During the summer and autumn months, he worked in the local fishery. He then spent the winter in local lumber camps. At the time of his military enlistment, he was employed by Chisholm Brothers, Garden of Eden, Pictou County.

In early 1944, Ray was “called up” under the terms of the National Resources Mobilization Act (NRMA) and enlisted as an NRMA soldier at Halifax on January 28, 1944. Early the following month, he commenced training at No. 60 Canadian Army Basic Training Center, Yarmouth. On April 4, Ray enlisted with the Canadian Active Service Force and reported to No. 14 Canadian Infantry Training Centre, Aldershot, for advanced instruction at month’s end.

On May 23, Ray received permission to marry Marion Winnifred Taylor, daughter of William and Nettie (Spanks) Taylor, Cook’s Cove. Six days later, the couple married in the United Church Parsonage, Guysborough. Ray then returned to duty for four weeks before receiving two weeks’ pre-embarkation leave on June 24.

Ray departed from Halifax on July 20 and set foot in the United Kingdom one week later. He was initially assigned to the reinforcement list for the Prince Edward Island Light Horse, an armoured unit that served as the 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade’s Headquarters Squadron. After arriving overseas, he changed his next of kin from his mother Nita to his wife Marion, Cook’s Cove.

At the time of Ray’s overseas arrival, there was considerable demand for infantry reinforcements, as Canadian units were involved in fierce combat in both France and Italy. As a result, he remained in the United Kingdom for only three weeks before departing for the European continent on August 17. Ray came ashore in Normandy the following day and spent only two weeks in reinforcement camp before he was assigned to the South Saskatchewan Regiment on September 1, 1944.

The South Saskatchewan Regiment (SSR) traces its origins to the 95th Saskatchewan Rifles, an infantry regiment authorized in the Districts of Assiniboia and Saskatchewan on July 3, 1905, two months prior to the formation of the province of Saskatchewan. The unit established its headquarters in Regina, which became the provincial capital shortly afterward.

Following the outbreak of the First World War, the 95th amalgamated with the 60th Rifles of Canada (Moose Jaw) to form the South Saskatchewan Regiment (SSR) The unit provided soldiers for the 4th Canadian Division’s 46th Canadian Infantry Battalion, which commenced service on the European continent in August 1916. During two years of combat, the 46th recorded an astonishing casualty rate of 91.5 %—1,433 fatalities and 3,484 wounded—resulting in the term “Suicide Battalion” being applied to the unit.

After the war, the SSR expanded to include five militia regiments. In 1924, each became a distinct regiment and the title temporarily disappeared, only to be revived when the Weyburn Regiment and Saskatchewan Border Regiment (Estevan) amalgamated to form the South Saskatchewan Regiment on December 15, 1936.

On September 1, 1939, the SSR mobilized an infantry battalion for immediate service. Its personnel departed for overseas in mid-December 1939 and were assigned to the 2nd Canadian Division’s 6th Infantry Brigade. The Regiment served alongside the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada (Manitoba) and Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal (Montreal, QC) throughout the Second World War.

The SSR and its 6th Brigade comrades participated in the ill-fated August 19, 1942 Dieppe Raid. Its personnel came ashore at Pourville, west of Dieppe, and encountered heavy German fire as they attempted to enter the village. The unit suffered 84 casualties during the day’s fighting before the survivors withdrew to safety.

After its Dieppe losses, the 2nd Canadian Division rebuilt its ranks while training in the United Kingdom. Its units remained there during the initial D-Day invasion, crossing the English Channel to France in early July and participating in the final six weeks of the Normandy campaign. At the time of Ray’s transfer, the South Saskatchewan Regiment was encamped on the outskirts of Rouen, having crossed the Seine River in pursuit of retreating German forces.

During the early afternoon of September 1, the Regiment departed for Dieppe. Later in the day, it received word that the town “was clear [and there] was no fighting to be done.” As personnel reached their destination, the “civilian population came out in full strength to cheer them on as they passed.”

The 2nd Canadian Division remained on the outskirts of Dieppe for several days, re-organizing and re-equipping while enjoying a few days’ rest. Some of its veterans “visited the Canadian cemetery where those who had lost their lives in the Dieppe raid [had been] buried by the French [residents].” Personnel who had served in the raid attended a service in the cemetery at 1000 hours September 3, “in remembrance of those who lost their lives in the operation.”

That evening, a reinforcement draft of three officers and 191 “other ranks” (OR) arrived in the South Saskatchewan Regiment’s camp. Private Ray Douglas Uloth was one of the new arrivals, who were distributed among the unit’s four Companies. Three days later, the battalion moved out in late evening and headed toward the location of its next assignment—an area along the Belgian coast east of Dunkirk.

On September 8, personnel arrived in Hondschoote, France, adjacent to the Belgian border. Personnel crossed into Belgium at 1650 hours, passing through Veurne and arriving in Nieuwpoort, approximately 35 kilometers east of Dunkirk. The town “[had] been cleared of Germans by the Belgian White Brigade [a resistance group]” and was secured by 2300 hours.

The South Saskatchewan war diary observed that “the population were vey pleased to see the soldiers and pleased more still that they were Canadians.” The unit quickly learned that approximately 700 German soldiers were located on the town’s outskirts “in a well dug position with reinforced pill boxes and…connecting tunnels to each position.” At 0400 hours September 10, two SSR Companies launched an attack on the enemy force, but were “unable to penetrate the strongpoint…. [A]t first light the Companies had to withdraw,” having suffered only light casualties.

A second attack commenced at 1930 hours and secured the unit’s first objective two hours later. Pausing briefly to reorganize, the advance resumed at 0400 hours September 11. While the soldiers managed to reach the enemy pill boxes within 90 minutes, they were unable to advance any further and withdrew before dawn. An aerial attack on the German positions launched by Typhoon aircraft in early evening “missed the main defence point.”

Fighting resumed the following day, the 4th Canadian Brigade’s Essex Scottish Regiment securing one German strongpoint at 1205 hours. Four hours later, a South Saskatchewan Regiment officer delivered a surrender ultimatum to the remaining strongpoint. After a brief discussion, the officer in charge of German forces agreed to surrender at 0830 hours September 13.

The following morning, the surrender proceeded as agreed. Later in the day, the SSR commenced preparations for a move to Bray-Dunes Place, adjacent to the Belgian border east of Dunkirk. The Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders “were having a sticky time with their objective” and the unit was dispatched to “provide a firm base on the beach” while its Brigade mates attacked enemy positions from the west.

The Camerons’ attack commenced in early evening, but its soldiers found themselves “pinned down” and unable to retreat by 0300 hours September 14. At first light, “they were fighting in a hard, close quarter battle at the crossroads on the outskirts of Bray-Dunes Place.” In response, Brigade commanders assembled plans for a South Saskatchewan night attack across the dunes to relieve the pressure and allow the Camerons to withdraw.

The attack commenced at 0600 hours September 15 and was successful, the only casualties caused by “German wooden shoe mines” planted on the beach, Bray-Dunes was secured by 1500 hours and SSR Companies began to advance eastward along the coast, encountering enemy fire after only 200 meters. Efforts to clear the area stretched into the following day as German forces established a defensive position in a nearby sanatorium.

An SSR platoon that advanced toward the location encountered heavy fire. One officer and nine other ranks “OR” were killed, while another six soldiers were wounded during exchanges of fire, the first significant casualties since Ray joined the unit. By the afternoon of September 17, the SSR received word that German forces were withdrawing from Dunkirk by water as efforts to seize the sanatorium continued into the following day, without success.

During the evening of September 18, the Regiment was relieved and travelled to a concentration area near Kontich, 15 kilometers south of Antwerp, the following morning. Personnel settled into camp for a period of rest, reorganization and training after its Bray-Dunes tour. Over the next several days, the 6th Brigade organized a sports meet and an evening dance attended by locals.

The SSR moved out during the early morning hours of September 23, travelling northward across the Albert Canal to Gravenwezel, east of Antwerp, in late afternoon. Its soldiers then moved into positions along the Antwerp-Turnhout canal as enemy forces entrenched on the opposite bank directed mortar and machine gun fire at the new arrivals.

A 6th Brigade plan called for two units—the South Saskatchewans and Fusiliers Mont-Royal—to cross the canal the following morning and establish a bridgehead on the opposite bank. The operation commenced at 0600 hours September 24, the Fusiliers crossing at Lochtenberg while the SSR made its way across a smaller canal to the west. As its soldiers approached the Antwerp-Turnhout canal’s southern bank, enemy machine gun and sniper pinned them down and prevented further advance.

In early afternoon, South Saskatchewan personnel managed to cross the canal at a location closer to the Fusiliers and began to advance eastward toward their Brigade mates. In early evening, a German force of 200 soldiers and 12 tanks launched a counter-attack on the Fusiliers’ beach-head, requiring the SSR to pause. The presence of enemy tanks and lack of anti-tank guns forced the two battalions to retreat across the canal. The 6th Brigade reported a total of 113 casualties during the failed crossing, the majority of whom were Fusiliers personnel.

Over the next three days, 6th Brigade units rested and re-grouped as plans for a second canal crossing took shape. During that time, Typhoon aircraft and medium-range bombers launched air attacks on the German positions. On September 27, enemy artillery, mortar and sniper fire on the SSR’s location resulted in 10 casualties, including one fatality.

A second crossing attempt by SSR personnel commenced at 1530 hours September 28, under the cover of a smoke screen and with artillery support. The maneuver was actually a diversionary attack as 5th Infantry Brigade units crossed the Antwerp-Turnhout canal to the east of the 6th Brigade’s positions and secured a section of its northern bank near Brecht. Once word of the 5th’s success arrived, the SSR’s men retreated across the canal.

The Regiment endured sporadic enemy artillery fire throughout the night and following morning before moving out to a concentration area near Westmalle, 20 kilometers northeast of Antwerp, in late afternoon September 29. The following day, the unit’s war diary reported a total of 218 casualties—14 officers and 204 OR—during the month. The statistic included a total of six officer and 18 OR fatalities.

On October 1, the South Saskatchewan Regiment relocated eastward to a new concentration area south of St. Leonard. The soldiers found themselves along the banks of the Antwerp-Turnhout Canal once more. Preparations immediately commenced for an attack scheduled for the following morning. Personnel moved out to an assembly area at 0415 hours October 2 and two hours later the advance commenced.

The SSR cleared enemy forces from the village of Lochtenberg before crossing the canal and securing its northern bank. The following day, the unit continued to push southwestward, clearing the area of Brasschaat, northeast of Antwerp, by 2000 hours. On October 4, personnel retired to Brecht during the late evening hours as Canadian units prepared for a major operation north and west of Antwerp.

While Allied forces had successfully captured the Belgian port in early September, German forces controlled the northern and southern banks of the West Scheldt, the water passage connecting Antwerp to the North Sea. Securing access to the port would allow Allied forces to use its facilities as a much more efficient supply line for units deployed in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Allied military commanders divided the task into two separate campaigns, both involving Canadian formations. The 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and part of the 4th Canadian Armoured Brigade received orders to clear the “Breskens pocket,” a large area of Belgian and Dutch territory northeast of Brugge, Belgium. Named for a town on the West Scheldt’s southern bank, the German-occupied area stretched from Zeebrugge, Belgium, in the west to Braakman Inlet, Netherlands, in the east.

While the 3rd Canadian Division focused on the Breskens pocket, the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division and the remainder of the 4th Canadian Armoured Division were to secure the South Beveland peninsula and the island of Walcheren, located along the West Scheldt’s northern bank. 4th Canadian Armoured units would  cover the 2nd Division’s eastern flank while its infantry brigades concentrated on securing the isthmus leading to the peninsula.

The Battle of the Scheldt commenced on October 6, 1944, as 3rd Division units crossed the Leopold Canal north of Maldegem, Belgium. Simultaneously, units from 2nd Division’s 4th and 5th Brigades pushed northward from the outskirts of Antwerp, with the objective to securing the isthmus leading to South Beveland. The units encountered stubborn resistance, but made steady progress toward their first main objective—the town of Woensdrecht, directly east of the isthmus.

The 6th Brigade was not involved in the initial push. The SSR spent several days in Brecht before moving out on October 9. Personnel passed through several recently liberated towns—Lochtenburg, Fort de Shooten and Braaschaet—to the main Antwerp - Bergen-Op-Zoom road, which they followed northward. The unit crossed into the Netherlands and relieved the 4th Brigade’s Royal Highland Light Infantry near Huijbergen in the early hours of October 10.

The 6th Brigade was responsible for protecting the 4th and 5th Brigades’ eastern flank as their soldiers advanced toward Woensdrecht. While military commanders told the SSR “there were next to no enemy in the area we are to occupy,” the assessment soon proved inaccurate. As Allied forces pushed northward, German units nearby were determined to prevent the loss of the strategic isthmus and would soon engage all Canadian forces in the area.

 On October 11, the SSR’s war diary reported mortar and artillery fire on its location throughout the day as three of its Companies—A, B and D—settled into their assigned defensive positions, a triangular formation west of Huijbergen and east of Hoogerheide and Woensdrecht, Netherlands. C Company remained in reserve, ready to assist its comrades should the need arise.

Hoogerheide and Huijbergen, Netherlands (Google Maps image)

The first full day of the assignment was an eventful one. According to the SSR’s war diary, “Throughout the day the enemy sniped and mortared our positions. It was a very tough day for the boys as any movement brought fire on the spot.” At 2230 hours, an enemy party of 35 to 40 soldiers launched a counter-attack on B Company’s positions, but the soldiers held their ground and repelled the attackers with few casualties.

At 0700 hours October 13, a barrage of artillery and mortar fire targeted A and D Companies, but no subsequent attack materialized. The SSR’s positions were subjected to harassing machine gun and sniper fire throughout the day. By 1600 hours, a group of enemy soldiers had passed unobserved through a wooded area west of A Company’s positions. As machine gun fire commenced from that area, it soon became apparent that the Company was “virtually surrounded.”

At 1700 hours, several enemy tanks and a group of infantrymen attacked A Company’s line, but were driven back. The entire group remained on alert throughout the night, a German prisoner or war revealing that three tanks and approximately 80 enemy soldiers had gathered to the Company’s southeast, cutting off any possible retreat.

By morning October 14, the men were “tired but alert” as they awaited the arrival of a support party from the 4th Brigade’s Essex Scottish Regiment. With the assistance of several tanks, the Essex soldiers established contact with A Company around 1100 hours, capturing approximately 100 enemy personnel in the process. As the party made its way forward, “the Germans threw everything they had in the line of artillery and mortar [fire] at the troops. The artillery was big stuff and one of the dozen or so landed on the houses where [the Company] Command Post was located.”

Believing the situation was now stabilized, the Essex Scottish withdrew during late afternoon. Their departure, however, prompted a second counter-attack on A Company’s positions around 1800 hours. Four tanks and approximately 100 enemy soldiers advanced toward the SSR soldiers. The tanks in particular caused considerable confusion, as the six-pounder field guns defending A Company’s location were unable to target the armoured vehicles due to the angle of their approach.

One tank passed through a platoon position, “shooting H.E. [high explosive] shells into the trees and spraying [the] platoon’s positions with machine gun fire. Casualties from the H.E. were heavy.” By that time, the platoon had lost its commanding officer and platoon sergeant, and the remaining soldiers decided to withdraw to a road behind their position.

A second platoon, seeing their comrades retreat, followed suit. An officer attempted to fire at the tank with a PIAT [projectile infantry anti-tank] but was unable to establish a clear line of fire due to thick growth in the area. At this point, with two of its platoons out of position, the entire Company thought it best to withdraw “to prevent encirclement and possible destruction by the enemy.”

The SSR war diary commented, “Fortunately A Company was able to get most of their men out[,] including its wounded personnel.” Altogether, 15 of its soldiers were wounded and another eight missing after the day’s events. It is not clear to which Company Private Ray Uloth was assigned. However, he was among the SSR soldiers evacuated to No. 4 Canadian Field Dressing Station (CFDS) for medical treatment, having received a “high explosive shrapnel wound” to his upper right chest.

No. 4 CFDS records report that Private Ray Douglas Uloth “died of wounds on admission” and was temporarily buried “200 yards northeast of Ravenof Chateau [Castle],” west of the village of Putte, Netherlands. On June 1, 1945, his remains were re-interred in Bergen-Op-Zoom Canadian Military Cemetery, seven kilometers northeast of Bergen-Op-Zoom, Netherlands.

Private Ray Douglas Uloth's headstone, Bergen-Op-Zoom Canadian Military Cemetery

On October 19, Ray’s wife Marion received a telegram from the Minister of National Defence, informing her that “Private Ray Douglas Uloth has been officially reported wounded in action 14th of October 1944, nature and extent of wounds not yet available.” Two days later, a second telegram informed Marion that Ray had “died of wounds 14th October 1944.”

After the war, Marion (Taylor) Uloth married Frederick Godfrey Dort, son of Lewis and Alice Maud Dort, Dort’s Cove, in Guysborough on December 2, 1946. She and Fred raised a family of three children in their West Cooks Cove home. Marion passed away in Guysborough Memorial Hospital, Guysborough, on August 13, 2009.

Ray’s parents Sylvester and Nita Uloth eventually relocated to the Halifax area, where they raised their two daughters. In their later years, the couple returned to Guysborough town, where Nita passed away on May 29, 1986. Sylvester died in Camp Hill Hospital, Halifax, on June 10, 1989, and was laid to rest beside his wife Nita in Evergreen Cemetery, Guysborough.

Photograph of Private Ray Douglas Uloth courtesy of Stephanie (Lumsden) Hall, Guysborough County, NS. Photograph of his headstone courtesy of The War Graves Photographic Project.

Private Norwood Kitchener Leslie—Killed in Action October 13, 1944

Norwood Kitchener Leslie was born in Sherbrooke, Guysborough County, on November 10, 1914. Kitchener’s parents were John Wilbur Leslie and Beatrice Alexandra “Beatty” Suttis, daughter of John H. and Martha Agnes (Murdoch) Suttis, Stillwater. John Wilbur’s family roots are less clear. According to the couple’s marriage record, he was the son of John Leslie and Kate McFarland. No documentation of John and Kate’s marriage can be located in available documents.

Norwood Kitchener Leslie in civilian life

 

At the time of the 1891 Canadian census, “John W. Leslie,” age 16, was living in Sherbrooke, as the “adopted son” of Allan McQuarrie, age 61, farmer, and his wife Margaret, age 55. Earlier census entries identified Allan’s occupations as “trader” and “livery stable,” suggesting he operated a local business. The 1901 census identifies “John W. Leslie,” age 25, “druggist,” as a “lodger,” still residing with Allan and Margaret. A comment in the census form’s “Note” section states that Allan was “blind.”

The circumstances of John Wilbur and Beatrice’s marriage are also peculiar. 1902 Port of Boston passenger manifests indicate that 19-year-old  Beatrice arrived in the Massachusetts city aboard the vessel Boston on April 24, 1902. One week later, John Wilbur landed in the same port aboard the vessel Halifax. The couple were living at addresses in close proximity on Staniford St., Boston, when they married on June 4, 1902.

It is not clear whether John Wilbur and Beatrice had travelled to Boston with the intention of permanently residing there or only to marry. Whatever the case, their first child, John Douglas, was born in Sherbrooke, NS, on February 6, 1903. The birth registry describes John Wilbur’s occupation at the time as “merchant” and lists his birthplace as Oxford, NS. Other documents from subsequent years identify his place of birth as Pugwash, Pictou, Sherbrooke and Goldenville.

By the time of the 1911 Canadian census, four more children were part of the Leslie’s Sherbrooke household—Margaret Agnes (DOB May 4, 1904); Catherine Augusta “Kitty” (DOB September 25, 1905); Robert Laird “Buster” (DOB April 21, 1907); and James Murdoch (DOB August 30, 1910). Over the next decade, Beatrice gave birth to another five children—twins Olaf and Elizabeth (DOB April 5, 1913); Norwood Kitchener (1914); Eric Raymond (DOB April 14, 1916); George Logan (DOB July 25, 1917); and Wilbur Claire (DOB October 14, 1920). The youngest Leslie child, Hugh Allan “Buddy,” was born on February 27, 1923.

Kitchener attended public school in Sherbrooke. According to his military service file, he left at age 14 after completing Grade 9. For four years, he worked as a stevedore at an unspecified location—possibly Halifax— before heading to Timmins, Ontario, around 1934. For nine years prior to his enlistment, Kitchener was employed as a machine operator in the MacIntyre and Venture hard rock mines.

During his time in Timmins, Kitchener met Mary Alice Nowland, a native of Pokemouche, New Brunswick. Alice had married Joseph Adelard Salvail in May 1929 and subsequently gave birth to three children. According to a later statement in Kitchener’s service file, he made Alice’s acquaintance in early 1938. Kitchener claimed that she had left her husband “on grounds of adultery” and that he was her sole support for 15 months before the couple entered into a common law relationship.

On July 16, 1942, Kitchener enlisted with the Canadian Active Service Force at Timmins. His attestation papers identify his common law wife, “Mrs. Alice Leslie,” Mattagami Heights, Timmins, as his next of kin. At month’s end, Kitchener headed to No. 26 Basic Training Centre, Orillia, ON, for infantry instruction and remained there for the duration of the summer.

In mid-September, Kitchener received five days’ embarkation leave. He returned to Orillia for a brief period before receiving a transfer to the Princess Louise Fusiliers (PLF), a Halifax-based unit, on September 28. According to his military file, Kitchener had requested the assignment, as one of his brothers was serving with the Halifax-based unit. He immediately departed for Debert, NS, where the Fusiliers were encamped.

The PLF departed for overseas on October 26 and disembarked in the United Kingdom nine days later. Kitchener spent the next 10 months training with the unit before a major change in its military assignment resulted in adjustments in its personnel. In early August. the Fusiliers were re-designated the 11th Canadian Infantry Brigade Support Group and attached to the 5th Canadian Armoured Division’s 11th Infantry Brigade.  

Solders selected for service with the re-structured PLF were assigned to one of three machine gun platoons or one of two mortar companies. Approximately 250 of its soldiers were transferred to one of the 11th Infantry Brigade’s three battalions. Kitchener was among the transfers, assigned to the Irish Regiment of Canada on August 20, 1943.

Kitchener spent two weeks with the Irish Regiment before he was reassigned to the 1st Canadian Engineer Reinforcement Unit on September 4. According to information in his service file, he had expressed interest in serving as a “tunneller,” a role in keeping with his mining experience. Throughout the winter of 1943-44, Kitchener completed the required trained for service with the Royal Canadian Corps of Engineers (RCE). On April 13, 1944, he was assigned to No. 11 Field Park Company, RCE.

Each Canadian Infantry Division contained three Field Companies of “sappers” that provided engineering services to its three Brigades. In addition, one Field Park Company transported the required construction and bridging equipment. Kitchener spent six weeks training with No. 11 Field Park Company before he was placed on the RCE’s general reinforcement list in late May 1944.

As Kitchener awaited orders to report to an active RCE unit, broader developments on the battlefield led to significant adjustments in military assignments. By mid-1944, Canadian infantry and armoured units had been fighting in Italy for one year. The Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, and subsequent combat in France significantly increased the need for infantry reinforcements.

On the basis of his previous training, Kitchener was transferred to the Canadian Infantry Corps on August 11, 1944. He crossed the English Channel to a reinforcement camp in France in late September 1944 and was assigned to the Royal Highlanders of Canada (Black Watch) on October 7, 1944.

The Royal Highlanders of Canada traces its origins to the 5th Battalion, Volunteer Militia Rifles of Canada, formed in Montreal, Quebec, on January 31, 1862. At that time, Brtish colonial authorities were concerned about colonial defence as the American Civil War had broken out during 1861. The unit underwent several name changes before it was designated the 5th Regiment, Royal Highlanders of Canada (RHC), on October 1, 1906.

During the First World War, the RHC raised three battalions—13th, 42nd and 73rd—for overseas service.
An unofficial affiliation with the famous Scottish Black Watch Regiment resulted in the phrase “Black Watch” being associated with all three units. On January 1, 1930, the unit officially adopted the title “The Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) of Canada,” which was amended to “The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada” in 1935.

On September 1, 1939, the regiment mobilized its 1st Battalion for overseas service. The unit served in Newfoundland for six weeks before departing for overseas on August 25, 1940. Upon arriving in the United Kingdom, the unit was assigned to the 2nd Canadian Division’s 5th Infantry Brigade. While the unit spent most of the next four years training, three Black Watch platoons participated in the ill-fated Dieppe Raid (August 16, 1942), but suffered only minor casualties.

The entire 1st Battalion, Black Watch of Canada, landed in Normandy, France, with the 2nd Canadian Division on July 6, 1944. The unit suffered its first major losses during the Canadian attack on Verrières Ridge, south of Caen. Of the 325 soldiers who advanced up the ridge on July 25, 1944, only 15 survived the day without injury. The remainder were either killed or wounded during the unsuccessful engagement. After rebuilding its ranks, the unit participated in the remainder of the Normandy campaign and the subsequent clearing of the Channel Ports along the French coast.

By early October 1944, Canadian units found themselves in Belgium, preparing for their next major assignment. While Allied forces had successfully captured the Belgian port of Antwerp, German forces controlled the northern and southern banks of the West Scheldt, the water passage that connected the port to the North Sea. Securing access to Antwerp would allow Allied forces to use its facilities as a much more efficient supply line for units deployed in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Allied commanders assigned the task of securing the West Scheldt estuary into two separate campaigns and assigned the task to several Canadian formations. The 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and elements of the 4th Canadian Armoured Division received orders to clear the “Breskens pocket,” a large area of Belgian and Dutch territory northeast of Brugge, Belgium, named for a town on the West Scheldt’s southern bank. The German-occupied area stretched from Zeebrugge, Belgium, in the west to Braakman Inlet in the east.

While the 3rd Canadian Division cleared German personnel from the Breskens pocket, the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division and the remaining 4th Canadian Armoured Division units received orders to secure the South Beveland peninsula and the island of Walcheren, located along the West Scheldt’s northern banks. The Black Watch’s 5th Brigade, which also included Les Fusiliers Mont Royal and Le Régiment de Maisonneuve, two other Montreal-based units, would play a significant role in securing the isthmus leading to the peninsula.

Source: C. P. Stacey, "Introduction to the Study of Military History for Canadian Students"

The Battle of the Scheldt commenced on October 2, 1944. While 3rd Division units began their push into the Breskens pocket, 2nd Division battalions advanced northward from the Antwerp area, with the initial goal of cutting off any exit from South Beveland. The soldiers encountered stubborn resistance, but made steady progress toward their first objective—the town of Woensdreht, directly east of the isthmus leading to South Beveland.

By October 6, the town was within striking distance, only five kilometers away. Securing it, however, turned into a costly operation that required more than a week of hard fighting. The initial attack plan called for the Black Watch’s 5th Brigade to pass through the 4th Brigade’s lines, which stretched from Ossendrecht to the Antwerp - Bergen highway. While 5th Brigade units advanced up the main road to Korteven, beyond Woensdrecht, the 6th Brigade would move forward on its right flank.

The operation commenced on October 7, the 6th Brigade’s Calgary Highlanders attacking on the left while the 5th Brigade’s Maisonneuve Regiment moved forward on the right. While the Highlanders managed to reach Hoogerheide, Netherlands, less than two kilometers from Woensdrecht, the Maisonneuves could advance no further than a location southwest of Huijbergen, six kilometers east of the main objective.

 During the morning of October 8, the Black Watch passed through the Calgary Highlanders’ line and advanced toward Korteven. The attack quickly met stiff resistance that pushed the attackers back to their starting positions. During the day, local Dutch citizens and aerial reconnaissance reported the presence of a large German force, equipped with field guns and tanks, gathered in a wooded area between Lorteven and Bergen-Op-Zoom to the north of Woensdrecht.

Anticipating a major counter-attack, officers immediately ordered all 2nd Division units to establish defensive positions. The German offensive commenced during the night of October 8 and lasted into the following day. The Calgary Highlanders, deployed near Hoogerheide, were hardest hit as the German manoeuvre temporarily secured the Woensdrecht and the adjacent isthmus.

The Black Watch’s war diary observed that the attacking forces were “definitely the cream of the crop…. They range in age from 20 to 26 years, are fine physical specimens, keen to fight and with excellent morale.” The assessment reflected the challenge that lay ahead.

Heavy enemy mortar and artillery fire continued into October 10 as the Black Watch was relieved around mid-day and retired to re-organize its ranks. That same day, the 4th Brigade’s Royal Regiment of Canada (RRC) crossed a wet polder—an area of reclaimed lowland protected by dykes— south and west of Woensdrecht and reached the southern side of a railway embankment. The advance placed the unit’s soldiers close to a location where the rail line crossed the narrowest part of the South Beveland isthmus.

While the RRC’s advance severely restricted the main German route into South Beveland, it did not sever it completely. The following day, its soldiers launched an afternoon attempt to close the isthmus but were driven back after suffering heavy losses. Despite a series of German counter-attacks, the unit held its ground, setting the stage for a second attempt to secure the strategic location.

Meanwhile, the Black Watch’s soldiers “had their first full night’s sleep in four nights and felt and looked much better for it.” The unit’s war diary reported the arrival of “104 OR [other ranks] for replacements” since October 6. Private Norwood Kitchener Leslie was one of the new arrivals, all of whom found themselves thrust into a precarious situation.

On October 12, the Black Watch completed its re-organization and re-equipped its personnel in preparation for their next assignment. Before day’s end, the 5th Brigade received orders to “seal off the isthmus of South Beveland from the mainland, and to enlarge present gains.” The assignment, given the codename Operation Angus, was slated to commence the following morning.

The RHC was instructed to pass through the Royal Regiment of Canada’s lines and seize several objectives along the railway embankment, as far as the Woensdrecht Station, west of Korteven. Opposite the RRC’s positions, German soldiers were securely “dug in” along and beyond the embankment. In the words of military historian C. P. Stacey, the attack that unfolded the following morning quickly became “a day of bloody fighting and failure.”

Operation Angus commenced at 0615 hours Friday, October 13, 1944, the Black Watch’s B and C Companies moved forward with the support of heavy artillery and mortar fire. The soldiers passed through the RRC’s line along dykes, their start line “approximately 1200 yards short of cutting off the causeway completely.” C Company immediately encountered fierce opposition, while B Company was “heavily mortared.” Both Company commanders were wounded early in the attack.

By 0730 hours, the first casualties “started to come back.” While the Black Watch war diary reported that “the battle was progressing slowly in the face of a very heavy opposition,” the lead companies were soon “pinned down again by mortar fire.” By 0850 hours, B and C Companies were back at the start line, having taken heavy casualties.

Around mid-day, air support in the form of 12 Spitfires engaged German positions. By that time, 25 Black Watch casualties had been evacuated for treatment while many more remained on the battlefield, impossible to extract. Fighter aircraft engaged enemy positions again at 1430 and 1500 hours as the battalion’s officers met to organize a second attack.

At 1700 hours, A and D Companies moved forward, under cover of heavy machine gun and artillery fire. Several tanks and flame throwers accompanied the attacking force. Enemy soldiers once again held their ground as both Company commanders were wounded and evacuated for treatment. A Company in particular suffered heavy losses.

Exchanges of fire continued throughout the evening. In the early hours of October 14, activity on both sides “quietened down” as Black Watch personnel searched the area for wounded comrades. At 0100 hours October 14, Brigade command issued orders for a complete withdrawal. “The weary and nearly exhausted men rode back in carriers and jeeps to the positions they had left barely 24 hours earlier, though to them it had seemed days.” By first light, all wounded personnel had been evacuated for treatment.

According to the Black Watch war diary, the unit lost a total of 183 men during the October 13 attack. Initial reports listed three “other ranks” (OR) killed, three officers and 91 OR wounded, and three officers and 84 OR missing. Many of the latter group were later deemed “killed in action.” Military historian C. P. Stacey’s comprehensive volume on the Second World War states that the battalion lost a total of 145 men—56 killed or died of wound, 62 wounded, and 27 taken prisoner—during the failed attack.

In the annals of the Black Watch, the October 13, 1944 engagement became known as “Black Friday,” the second worst day of its Second World War service. The regiment was reduced to a total of 379 men all ranks, only 159 of whom had three months of infantry training. Regardless, its soldiers continued to fight throughout the remainder of the West Scheldt campaign.

In the early hours of October 16, Canadian forces launched a second attack on the embankment. With the assistance of heavy artillery and tank support, the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry secured Woensdrecht by nightfall. Nine days later, the advance into South Beveland commenced. It required another two weeks of hard fighting for Canadian units to secure the peninsula and adjacent island of Walcheren by November 8.

In the aftermath of the unsuccessful October 13, 1944 attack, Private Norwood Kitchener Leslie was initially reported missing. His common-law wife Alice received notice of the situation from military officials. Alice passed the information on to Kitchener’s father John Wilbur, who wrote to Colonel J. L. Ralston, Minister of National Defence, on October 30, seeking information on his son’s fate. John Wilbur had received a letter from Kitchener dated October 11, and was aware that he was serving in Belgium with the Black Watch but had heard nothing since that time.

Following the Allied advance into South Beveland, the remains of many missing soldiers were located. According to Commonwealth War Graves Commission records, Kitchener’s body was interred in Ossendrecht Civil Cemetery, Ossendrecht, Netherlands, on October 27. An Official Canadian Army Overseas Casualty Notification form was completed on November 4.

Two days later, a letter to Kitchener’s mother Beatrice informed her of Kitchener’s death: “It is presumed that in the confusion that must prevail in the battle area, your son became missing and on further investigation of the field his body was located and he was officially reported as killed in action.” Kitchener’s common-law wife Alice received the same news from military authorities.

On May 16, 1945, Kitchener’s remains were re-interred in Bergen-Op-Zoom Canadian Military Cemetery, Bergen-Op-Zoom, Netherlands. His common-law partner Alice passed away in Timmins, ON, on November 21, 1958. Only 45 years old at the time of her death, she was laid to rest in Timmins Memorial Cemetery.

Kitchener’s father John Wilbur died in Sherbrooke on December 17, 1954, and was interred in Riverside Cemetery, Sherbrooke. His widow Beatrice passed away in Sherbrooke on September 26, 1979, and was laid to rest beside him.

According to a November 11, 1944 letter Beatrice wrote to the Director of Records, Department of National Defence, three of Kitchener’s brothers enlisted with various units during the Second World War. Hugh Allan “Buddy,” his youngest brother, served overseas as a Driver with the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps for three years. He was then transferred to the West Nova Scotia Regiment and departed for Italy as an infantry reinforcement. George Logan, the second youngest of the Leslie boys, served with the Royal Canadian Air Force for four years and was “an Instructor in Wireless at No. 2 ITS [Initial Training School], Regina” at the time of Kitchener’s death.

John Douglas, Kitchener’s oldest brother, was living in Hamilton, ON, when he crossed the United States border at Buffalo, NY., on January 11, 1927, and was “admitted for permanent residence.” He settled in Meriden, north of New Haven, Connecticut, where was employed as a furniture salesman at the time of the 1930 US census.

On November 10, 1939, John Douglas married Louise Marie Hill in Meriden. Their son Ernest Garry—the couple’s only child—was born in 1939. Following the United States’ entrance into the Second World War, John Douglas registered for the United States military draft at Meriden on February 15, 1942. At the time, he was employed by the International Silver Company.

According to his mother Beatrice’s letter, John Douglas Leslie served with the United States Air Force during the war. The exact nature of his service is not known. John Douglas died in Florida in 1968 and was interred in Walnut Grove Cemetery, Meriden, Connecticut.

Photograph of Norris Kitchener Leslie courtesy of Kathryn Leslie, Dartmouth, NS.

Private Lawrence Patrick "Pat" MacPherson—Died of Sickness October 5, 1944

 Lawrence Patrick “Pat” MacPherson was born in St. Martha’s Hospital, Antigonish, NS, on November 18, 1919. Pat’s father Alexander was the son of William and Isabel MacPherson, Riverside, Guysborough County, while his mother Isabella was the daughter of David and Margaret (Marr) O’Connor, Guysborough Intervale.

Private Lawrence Patrick MacPherson

Alex and Isabella married in Guysborough Intervale on April 15, 1901. Their first child, Eunice Margaret, was born in their North Riverside home in June 1901, while a second daughter, Helena Elizabeth, arrived on May 29, 1907. A son David Alexander joined the family in May 1910. By the time of the 1921 Canadian census, another four children were part of the MacPherson household—Mary Alice (YOB c. 1914); James Bernard (DOB May 13, 1917); Lawrence Patrick (DOB November 18, 1919); and Jerome Joseph (DOB December 9, 1920). Alex and Isabella’s youngest child, John Tompkins, was born around 1924.

Pat attended the local public school for seven years. After completing Grade VII, he left school to drive a truck for one of his older brothers, who had to restrict his activities due to illness. Only 14 years old at the time, Pat hauled lumber to Antigonish on a two-ton truck for several years and also worked on the family farm. Around 1938, he went to work as a truck driver for Brookfield Construction, Halifax, and was employed there at the time of his military enlistment.

On April 14, 1941, Pat married Florence Mary Hall, daughter of Howard and Catherine (Flavin) Hall, Boylston, in a ceremony took place in St. Mary’s Cathedral, Halifax. According to the marriage license, Pat was residing in the city at the time, while 20-year-old Florence was living at home. Three days later, Pat enlisted with the Canadian militia at New Glasgow, NS, under the terms of the National Resources Mobilization Act (NRMA).

The proximity of the two events suggests that Pat had been “called up” for military training under the terms of the NRMA and decided to marry prior to commencing military service. Over the next two months, he completed basic infantry training in New Glasgow and proceeded to Camp Aldershot for advanced instruction in late June. On August 28, he was assigned to the Halifax Rifles and reported to Mulgrave, NS, for duty.

After spending one month in the Canso Strait area, Pat enlisted with the Canadian Active Service Force on September 27, 1941. The second attestation meant that he was eligible for overseas service. Pat served in the Mulgrave and Sydney areas for the next seven months. During that time, he was hospitalized for treatment of tonsillitis, military surgeons performing a tonsillectomy in late January 1942. He also qualified as a Driver (Internal Combustion) Class III (Motor Transport) in early April 1942.

Later that same month, Pat relocated to Camp Borden, ON, for training. During his time there, he spent five days in hospital for treatment of functional dyspepsia, a chronic gastrointestinal disorder that causes upset stomach or upper abdominal discomfort.

Pat’s move to Ontario was the result of a significant change in the Halifax Rifles’ military assignment. On May 26, 1942, the unit was re-designated the 23rd Army Tank Battalion (Halifax Rifles) and commenced the transition to an armoured unit. One week later, Pat was formally transferred to the Canadian Armoured Corps’ 2nd Reinforcement Battalion and attached to the Corps’ Advanced Training Centre, Camp Borden, for duty. Granted leave in late July, he headed to Nova Scotia for a brief visit before returning to duty.

During the autumn of 1942, Pat’s father Alexander fell ill. Previously diagnosed with prostate cancer, he developed a kidney infection and was under doctor’s care for several months. On October 26, Pat was granted a two-week furlough, suggesting that he returned home to visit his ailing father. Alexander passed away at home in North Riverside on November 2, 1942, and was interred in St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cemetery, Guysborough Intervale.

One week after his father’s death, Pat returned to Ontario. In late January 1943, he was “absorbed” into the Advanced Training Centre’s Home War Establishment, suggesting he was destined to serve in Canada only. On April 1, he was transferred to No. 2 Transit Camp, Owen Sound, ON. In mid-May, he received two weeks’ leave and returned home to meet his new-born son, Alexander James, who was born in Antigonish on April 24, 1943.

While Pat’s former Halifax Rifles comrades departed for overseas in mid-June 1943, he spent the summer months in Ontario. On August 9, he was transferred to No. 2 District Depot, Toronto, a posting that indicates he had been selected for overseas infantry service. At month’s end, he departed for No. 1 Transit Camp, Windsor, NS. On September 13, he left for overseas and set foot in the United Kingdom six days later.

Upon arriving in the UK, Pat was immediately assigned to No. 7 Canadian Infantry Reinforcement Unit (CIRU). He spent the autumn and winter of 1943-44 in England, qualifying as a Motorcycle Driver in mid-February 1944. One month later, he was transferred to No. 4 CIRU, the next step toward service with an active infantry unit.

By the spring of 1944, Canadian personnel had been fighting in Italy for eight months. A steady stream of casualties created a demand for replacements. Pat was assigned to the Mediterranean Force’s reinforcement pool on May 2, 1944, and departed for Italy the same day. Two weeks later, he disembarked in Naples and was immediately placed on the West Nova Scotia Regiment’s reinforcement list.

By coincidence, his younger brother Jerome Joseph “Jerry” had enlisted with the Canadian Army earlier in the war and was serving in Italy with the same unit at that time. Early in his military service, Pat had expressed interest in serving alongside his brother. On May 28, his request was fulfilled when he officially joined the West Novas’ ranks.

The West Nova Scotia Regiment was created in 1936 when the Lunenburg and Annapolis Regiments amalgamated to form one militia unit. The battalion officially mobilized for service on September 1, 1939, and departed for overseas before year’s end. The “West Novas” were assigned to the 1st Canadian Division’s 3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade (3rd CIB), where they served alongside the Carleton & York Regiment (New Brunswick) and the Royal 22e Régiment (Quebec’s “VanDoos”).

The 1st Canadian Division was part of the Allied force that invaded Sicily in early July 1943 and crossed the Strait of Messina to the Italian peninsula’s southern tip two months later. After advancing northward through the peninsula’s mountainous central region, the 1st Canadian Division spent the winter of 1943-44 in sectors north of Ortona, a historic town located on Italy’s Adriatic coast.

In mid-April 1944, the unit completed its last tour in the Adriatic sector and retired to a nearby rest camp. Over the next several weeks, the 1st Canadian Division made its way westward to an area south of the Liri Valley, where its units prepared for their next combat assignment. German forces had established two major defensive networks—the Gustav Line and the Hitler Line—in the strategic valley, which ran in a northwesterly direction toward Rome. A multinational Allied army was assigned the task of securing the valley, thus opening the pathway to the Italian capital.

Canadian units remained in reserve during the first phase of the campaign. On May 11, British, Italian and Polish forces launched an attack on the Gustav Line, located along the valley’s entrance, and broke through German defences after two hard days of fighting. At mid-month, the West Novas and other Canadian battalions entered the line near Pignatoro and pursued enemy forces as they retreated to the Hitler Line.

On May 23, the West Novas and their 11th CIB comrades were among the Canadian units that successfully pierced the Hitler Line’s defences. Two days later, the West Novas crossed the Melfa River as Allied forces pursued retreating enemy soldiers toward Rome. On May 26, the unit set up camp near Pontecorvo, having suffered 48 fatalities during its 10-day Liri Valley combat tour.

Private Lawrence Patrick MacPherson was part of a group of 91 “other rank” reinforcements that arrived in the West Novas’ camp on the evening of May 28, 1944. Three days later, the unit relocated to a camp in the Pofi region, along the banks of the Sacco River. On June 4, British and American forces liberated the Italian capital of Rome. Two days later, news of the Allied landings in Normandy raised hopes that an end to the war might be on the horizon.

On June 9, the entire 1st Canadian Division relocated to camps near the town of Piedimonte d’ Alife in the Volturno valley for an extended period of rest and training. Within one week of arriving in the area, Pat fell ill and was admitted to No. 9 Canadian Field Ambulance on June 15. Transferred to a second field ambulance the same day, he was evacuated to a casualty clearing station on June 22 and admitted to No. 15 Canadian General Hospital, Caserta, the following day.

Pat spent almost three weeks in hospital before military authorities sent a telegram to his wife Florence. Dated July 12, 1944, the message stated that Pat “had been officially reported seriously ill[,] diagnosis suffering from staphylococcal septicaemia,” a life-threatening infection that occurs when staph bacteria enters the bloodstream. Documents in Pat’s service file provide no information on how he may have developed this condition.

Three days after receiving the news, Florence wrote a brief letter to military authorities, stating that she had been in touch with her husband since his hospitalization: “I have had letters from him since he took sick. The last one [was written] June 30 and he did seem to be improving by his letters. Did my husband’s condition get worse after that time?”

Military authorities responded to Florence’s letter in a telegram dated August 1, 1944:

“Your husband… was first reported seriously ill on the 8th of July, 1944, which would be just over a week after his last letter to you. We have no additional information from the Overeas authorities… but in order that you may be kept constantly informed, we are today despatching a cable requesting further information.”

Florence subsequently received regular updates on Pat’s condition via telegram. An August 5 message stated that he was “still seriously ill[,] condition unchanged.” A second despatch three days later reported that while he was “still seriously ill,” his condition was “improving.” More than a month passed before a September 10 telegram informed Florence that Pat was now “officially reported dangerously ill.” Two messages sent later in the month indicated no change in his condition.

Private Lawrence Patrick MacPherson died of sickness in hospital on October 5, 1944. A post-mortem examination identified the cause of death as “multiple amoebic liver abscesses”—collections of pus in his liver—that develop in response to an intestinal parasite called “entamoeba histolytic.” The most common means of acquiring the parasite is through consumption of “fecally contaminated food or water.” Symptoms develop within two to four weeks, indicating that the infection had occurred in Italy. Dysentery, diarreah a variety of other health issues related to unsanitary conditions were common among soldiers who served in Italy.

On October 8, Florence received a telegram from the Department of National Defence (DND), informing her that her husband “has now been officially reported died fifth October 1944.”  Pat was interred in the British Allied Cemetery, Caserta, Italy, three days after his death. The graveyard was later renamed Caserta Military Cemetery, one of many in Italy placed under the authority of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission after the end of hostilities.
 
Pat’s older brother Jerome Joseph “Jerry” completed his overseas service in Italy and Western Europe without injury. Upon returning home, he wrote to DND officials on February 20, 1946:

“I have just returned from overseas having been with my brother in Italy while serving with the West Nova Scotia Regiment [and] would like to know where his body is buried at the present and if it has been moved…. I am also quite interested in knowing if it is possible to get a map of the country in which he is buried.”

Military authorities quickly responded to Jerry’s inquiry, stating that Pat was interred in Caserta Military Cemetery, “a recognized military burial ground which will receive care and maintenance in perpetuity. A marked map is enclosed.”

In December 1949, Jerry became a permanent resident of the United States. One of his sisters, Helena Elizabeth, had moved there prior to Pat’s death, married and established residence in Ogden, Pennsylvania. Jerry settled in nearby Upper Chichester Township, where he married Myrtle Elaine Downie in 1956 and raised a family of two daughters. Jerry passed away there on April 2, 1990, and was interred in Lawn Croft Cemetery and Mausoleum, Linwood, PA.

Pat’s oldest brother David Alexander was also serving overseas with the Canadian army at the time of his death. No details are available on his service. Prior to enlisting, David married Margaret Elizabeth Ferguson, daughter of Samuel and Sara (Leet) Ferguson, North Riverside, Guysborough County, on September 2, 1940. David was working as a deck hand on the SS Harold, a Maritime Towing Company vessel, at the time of his marriage.

After returning from overseas, David was employed at Canada Post. He and Margaret raised a family of three children—one daughter and two sons—in their Halifax home. David passed away in Victoria General Hospital, Halifax, on January 11, 1987, and was laid to rest in Fairview Cemetery.

Pat’s mother Isabel MacPherson passed away on April 15, 1975, and was interred in St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cemetery beside her husband Alexander. Pat’s widow Florence married Victor Tompkins Shea, son of Patrick and Eva Johanna (Bates) Shea, Guysborough, on November 25, 1946. Victor had served overseas with the North Nova Scotia Highlanders and was wounded in the Netherlands during the later months of the war.

Victor and Florence resided in Guysborough for a period to time, as Victor was employed at the Dickie’s Brook power plant. Work later took the couple to Head of St. Margaret’s Bay, Halifax County, where Victor worked in a nearby power plant. Over the years, Victor and Florence raised a family of six—three boys and three girls—into adulthood, while three other children—a son and two daughters—died in infancy. Florence Hall passed away at Head of St. Margaret’s Bay on February 1, 2006, and was  interred in St. Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church Cemetery, Simms Settlement, Halifax County.

Special thanks to Private Lawrence Patrick MacPherson's son Alex, Halifax, NS, who provided a photograph of Pat and reviewed the MacPherson family information presented in this story.