Royal Cdn Legion

A special happy birthday to Peter Goodwin Chance from Vancouver Island, a World War II veteran who is celebrating his 100th birthday today! Our Sidney/North Saa...nich frontline officer Cst. Gubbins had the honour of meeting Peter who requested a photo with her and shared his love for the RCMP and told her that his son was a RCMP member for 34 years. Thank you for your service and our freedom! We wish you the happiest of birthdays and hope you have the most wonderful day! #Veteran #Veterans100Birthday #100Birthday #VeteransBirthday #ServedInWWII #WWII #HappyBirthday #100Years #SpecialDay #SpecialHonour #ConnectedToOurCommunities #YourBCRCMP

This is a letter my Dad Major John R Cameron West Nova Scotia Regiment wrote to his sister Nina from Italy. Nov 16 , 1944

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A Legion membership honours and supports Canada's Veterans, including still serving military and RCMP, and makes a difference in communities across Canada! Join the Legion today: https://legion.ca/join-us

A view of the interior of Arras Cathedral. Amiens. August, 1918. https://amzn.to/2STuoxT

78 years ago today, the Newfoundland passenger ferry SS Caribou was sunk by the German submarine U-69 on 14 October 1942. At 3:40 a.m. of October 14, 1942, acco...rding to escort vessel HMCS Grandmere's log, a lone torpedo hit the SS Caribou on her starboard side. Of the 237 people aboard the Caribou when she left North Sydney, 136 had perished. Fifty-seven were military personnel and 49 were civilians. See more

2020 We Will Remember Them Project #71 of 100: Private Foster O. Eldridge, Carleton & York Regiment: Foster was born in Beaver Harbour and worked as a fisher...man before enlisting in 1942. He served with the Carleton & York Regiment in Sicily and Italy in 1943. In March 1945 the Regiment moved into the North-West Europe theatre and Foster served there until the end of the war. After the war Foster worked as a Stationary Engineer at the Saint John DVA Hospital on Prince Street. He was a member of the Blacks Harbour Legion Branch #39 and attended Beaver Harbour United Baptist Church. Foster died in 1997. The 2020 We Will Remember Them Project marks the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, and the 100-day countdown leading to Remembrance Day on 11 November. This years project recognizes 100+ Saint John area veterans who served during that war. If several members of the same family served, their stories will be all told in one post. The daily post, until 11 November 2020, is a joint initiative of Lt. (ret.) Bernard J. Cormier and Saint John historian Harold E. Wright.

Reading Shirley Gervais post from yesterday about anti tank gunners from the RCA I thought I'd share the following anecdote about the anti tank platoon of the 4...8th Highlanders of Canada. Earlier in the day the 48th Highlanders 16 and 17 Platoon had brazenly attacked and captured a very strongly held enemy position at the Forme d’Aquino. Realizing the importance of the position they prepared for the enemy counterattack that was inevitable. From Dileas (the regimental history) by Kim Beattie, pages 533 to 535. It was a sneak night thrust, without a warning artillery barrage, but the noise of the heavy tracked guns alerted the Highlanders with time to spare. The first hint they had of impending trouble was the metallic clank of an approaching tracked vehicle, and the sound of labouring motors. It was drawing closer along the road, though the SP-guns were coming slowly, feeling their way. It was an exceptionally black, starless night due to an overcast sky. The whole of Dog Company were high in their slits, tensely straining to see into the dark, and listening hard. The sound of the SP-guns carried far in the lulls of the batteries firing at a distance. The noise was soon unmistakable those give-away metallic thumps of heavy vehicles trying to tip-toe, and coming closer and closer. They were sure now that it was a tank thrust. But they lacked rockets, and Dog Company still could not see a target. A few Bren bursts were let go on suspicion. Then Lt. Burke-Robertson’s anti-tank gunners came up with the solution. Sgt. Bob Shaw, in charge of the 6-pounder in the best position, had his crew ready a 2-inch mortar loaded with a parachute light. As they prepared the rocket, Sgt. Shaw set himself to sight his gun in the light. They did not know what would be revealed, and were almost as surprised as the Germans. The mortar whoofed out its bomb, which burst in the air and released a phosphorus light, attached to a tiny asbestos parachute. After opening up, it hung there in a bright revealing spill of light for 30 seconds. For that half minute an almost fantastic scene was abruptly revealed. In a pitiless white glare, one cumbersome SP-gun was already across the bridge on the road. Another was on the bridge. A third was close behind. Their crews were as motionless as statues, and so were the German infantrymen in their bucket helmets, crouched low in the ditches. It was like a battle painting, with all motion suspended. When the blacker blackness fell the Highlanders could hardly believe what they had just seen. Not so, Sgt. Shaw. The frozen surprise of both sides was broken by the startling whang of his 6-pounder. He had sighted and let go just before the light went out. Sgt. Sandy (Alex) Mitchell also brought his 6-pounder into action. Corporals Tommy Kane, Dave Lambie and Doug Hall were shouting at their sections to let everything go. Dog Company opened with a rush, firing Brens, Lee Enfields and Tommy-guns. Pte. Jeff Homolician was heaving grenades record distances. In the suddenly clamorous night, it was shortly seen that Sgt. Robert James Shaw had risen to a peculiar fame while the light of that flare had lasted. Never again was the 48th Anti-tank Platoon to feel useless. They had a resort for all jibes now, for his aim had been unerring. The first SP-gun which all believed was a tank was only 40 yards from him, but he had passed it up in order to hit the gun on the bridge, the second in line. If he could knock it out he would get two, for it would trap the leader between the two bridges. He not only made a direct hit, his shell found such a vulnerable spot that the SP-gun’s petrol tank burst in flames. Its ammunition then exploded to ensure its destruction. The burning derelict completely blocked the leader’s escape route. It had nowhere to turn; ahead was the blown bridge over the anti-tank ditch; behind, the flames from the petrol were providing lots of light for our Bren gunners, who slashed lead into every shadow and crevice. Sgt. Shaw then fired at the trapped SP-gun. It was a miss. He was completely exposed, and both of the remaining 88s were blasting in his direction. Coolly taking aim, he tried a second shell. He missed again, but his third round smashed into the SP-gun and slewed it almost off its tracks. It was wrecked. Its crew were seen to leave, but they fell under a lash of Bren-gun fire. These were brave Germans. The infantry collected themselves from the surprise of the flare, and loss of the guns. They staged one more rush. Sgt. Shaw’s and Sgt. Mitchell’s guns both joined the Brens and grenades of Dog Company, and the attempt was quickly sent to ground. Then it was abruptly all over. The uninjured Germans scrambled out of the heavy fire and vanished into the night. The third SP-gun had been already turned around on the road, and it also escaped. They left an elated Anti-tank Platoon in their wake. Until daylight, the Highlanders thought they had killed two tanks. Even if they were SP-guns, they knew that never again would the jeerers refer to them as excess baggage or Kreuger’s Artillery, or The Popcorn Shooters, a favourite insult. Throughout the entire Sicilian and Italian campaigns, the frustrated Canadian Anti-tank platoons had seen little action. Tanks are offensive weapons: the Germans were on the defensive, and had few tanks, so the anti-tank gunners were generally without targets. Tank killings by the infantry’s anti-tank gun were so rare, the 48th men were sure this was the first time that a Canadian 6-pounder had made a kill. They heard the Patricia’s gunners had killed a tank on the Moro, but they had also heard it was a heavier divisional gun, so they called the report eyewash. At least, they told themselves now, no one else had made a kill under a parachute flare. Tank or SP-gun, first kill or not, it did them a lot of good. Sgt. Bob Shaw, a fine athlete had won the divisional 100 yard dash in England, was awarded the Military Medal, and the Highlanders’ No. 5 platoon lost its sense of futility. Sgt. Sandy Mitchell was Mentioned in Despatches for fine work in the clash. The other companies were to find Dog a bit cocky and trying for a few days, until more grim matters overshadowed their two episodes. See more

In memory of Private Huron Eldon Brant M.M., Mohawks of Tyendinaga Territory and Hastings & Prince Edward Regiment, killed in action in Italy on 14 October 1944 and buried at Cesena War Cemetery.

#CanadaRemembers-11 October 1899-The South African War began. http://ow.ly/7J7N50BMonK The South African War was the first time a large number of Canadians sa...w action overseas. Fought between October 1899 and May 1902, more than 7,000 Canadian soldiers would serve. Some 280 of these individuals died and more than 250 were wounded. Pictured is Nursing Sister Georgina Pope of Prince Edward Island who led the Canadian military nurses overseas during the opening phase of the conflict. Photo: Canadian War Museum #becauseofyou See more