The 48th Highlanders of Canada
1st Battalion, Europe 1939 - 1945
A historical perspective by Art Johnson
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The 48th Highlanders of Canada 1st Battalion, Europe 1939 - 1945 A historical perspective by Art Johnson |
| ENGLAND 39-43 | |||
| The boarding of the ship was not without problems; four other units were also included on the passenger list - 50th Field Battery, 90th Anti-Tank Regiment, 2nd Field Park R.C.E. and 4th Field Ambulance. | |||
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As the troops came up the gang plank, they were handed a card by the British Transportation Corps personnel. The card gave the location where that group was to be billetted. |
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| HEADQUARTERS COMPANY was allotted “A” deck but somehow ended up in one of the bottom holds of the ship. The hold was barely large enough to house a section, never mind a company. As the companionways began to clog up with troops, the Transportation NCOs began to shout at the Highlanders, the Highlanders shouted back, and the scene was becoming ugly. In the meantime the companionways were becoming so clogged with men that the C.O. who had been appointed O.C. Ship, and the Adjutant, Captain Ian Johnston, were having difficulty getting down to the scene of the problem. Colonel Haldenby calmed the men down and sent for the Senior Transportation Officer. It was decided to open up the drained swimming pool, the lounge and covered promenade deck for sleeping areas. Palliasses were brought on board for those who were to sleep in these areas. The ship moved out to Bedford Basin where it waited for three days for the convoy to form up. The crossing was not pleasant; it was very rough, and some days less than half the men came for meals. The acrid smell of vomit added to the misery. Strangely enough it didn’t seem to bother the gamblers. Craps, cards and Crown and Anchor seem to flourish as they were promoted by the sailors who were the main beneficiaries of the games. One Highlander made a killing as he was able to outsmart them. Christmas Day was to be a joyous occasion for the troops. The officers had brought decorations and goodies on board in anticipation of the event. Unfortunately the weather was so bad that many of the men were not able to take part in the festivities. When the convoy neared Britain the weather moderated and the troops could get out on deck for a breath of fresh air and do a bit of live fire training with the Lewis guns. Finally, they arrived at the Clyde on 30 December 1939 and anchored opposite Greenock. General McNaughton and some of his staff came out to greet them. It wasn’t until sometime later the men found out that the ship had been carrying dynamite as ballast. The next day the 31st was Hogmanay (New Years Eve), a great celebratory time for Highland units... but this year it was not to be, as they were loaded aboard a train for the journey to Aldershot and Corunna Barracks. The 48th were greeted on arrival by the Pipes and Drums of the Toronto Scottish Regiment, who had arrived a week earlier - and the TSR never let them forget it. “We were freezing - you didn’t get enough coal to last all night. During the night we would raid the cook house coal pile so we could get enough to keep the stove going all night.” (Cam Fraser) Training began with drill and route marches to get the men back in shape after the long sea voyage. Then they moved out onto Salisbury Plain to dig trenches as per the 1914-18 war. “Life at Corunna Barracks was very routine, especially that huge parade square at the bottom. Every morning “markers” reported to the R.S.M. On “On Parade!” we marched down to form close column of platoons and then stood and waited for the B.H.Q. to arrive. “Fall in the Officers!” Then we formally marched away to our training. Dig holes in Laffin’s Plain? - play with inflatable boats on the canal? - throwing “dud” hand grenades to learn like cricket rather than baseball, or an all morning route march to get rid of us.” (80 Years under the Kilt, Bill DeHarte) 
The miserable winter of 1940 gave way to a delightful, warm spring. The training picked up as they witnessed a display of Assault Bridging, went to the ranges to fire the Boys Anti-Tank Rifle, and did mock attacks with armour (Matilda tanks). Early in May H.R.H. Princess Alice and the Earl of Athlone arrived to inspect the Battalion. They marched on to Stanhope Field with their Colours as the Pipe Band played “The Haughs of Cromdale”. 
Then on May 10th code word “Julius” was received. This was the signal that the Germans had invaded Belgium and France. The Battalion was issued full scale ammunition and the cooks, storemen and drivers packed up prepared for a move to the coast. As it turned out it was a practice alert. Shortly after the 48th along with the rest of the 1st Division were sent to Salisbury Plain. The 48th were greeted by the Military Band of the 57th Heavy AA Battery. It turned out that the Band Master was the son in law of an old Highlander, Sgt. Bill May. After one night under canvas they were put into trenches to conduct Brigade exercises in attack and counter attack. During this exercise the 48th suffered a casualty. Pte. W.F. Thow, a driver, was killed in a collision with another truck during the night. On May 21 all leaves were cancelled and the Battalion was ordered to “Stand To” and prepare to move to France. “We almost went to France. We didn’t. Then we did. The unusual thing is that the senior ranks were very tense and worried, while the ordinary soldiers seemed to treat that trip as an excursion. I remember being issued a can of diced pineapple as part of the food allotment for my section. I opened it with my trench-knife and we sat in a circle on the train, each man took his spoon and removed 4 cubes; we did this 3 times, then dropped to 2 cubes a couple of rounds, finally 1 cube each, and the juice was poured out spoonful by spoonful. Our first experience of feeding without a company cookhouse. The only other memory of the trip is the fellow who got drunk, climbed up on top of the train-car, fell off and split his chin open.” (80 Years under the Kilt, Bill DeHarte), The movement order came on the 23rd of May and the Battalion proceeded to Aldershot station, entrained and left the station at midnight for Dover. At Dover they were allotted the S.S. Mona Queen, a channel steamer. Under the direction of the R.S.M., the ship was loaded with with stores while the men rested on the dock. The operation, ANGEL MOVE, was called off at 1900hrs on the 24th. The Highlanders unloaded the Mona Queen and packed everything on the train for the return trip to Aldershot. The men went back to their quarters and the train, still packed, was put on a siding in case it was needed again. The brigade was put on eight hours notice for a possible return to Dover. The 1st Division moved to the Midlands on the 29th of May to prepare to repel a possible invasion. The 48th were billeted in the Wellingborough area. The men had hardly gotten used to this idylic part of rural England when they were moved back to Aldershot on the 6th of June. Awaiting them at Aldershot was notice of Royal visit slated for the 9th. The 48th were to line the streets of the Royal Procession, and the Officer’s mess would provide a reception for the King and Queen and their entourage after the parade. On the same day the Carrier and Transport platoons disappeared; they were on their way to Exeter and Fallmouth for loading on to ships. The 10th saw the Battalion packing up again and on the 13th they were in Plymouth boarding the S.S. El Monsour for a rough crossing to Brest. 
On disembarking at Brest there was a lot of confusion; no one seemed to know where they were going. Rail transport was rounded up and the Colonel sent out foraging parties for food. He had been this way before in the last war and wasn’t convinced that the army could uphold their promise to feed them on the way. It was decided that the 48th should head for Sable-sur-Sarthe. Upon arrival they were met by a British R.T.O. by name of Oates, and he said they should get out as soon as possible and that the 52nd Lowland Division had effectivedly been wiped out, either killed, wounded or captured. The return journey was fraught with train crew problems... all but the engine driver disappeared. The driver wasn’t too happy to stay either, but Capt. Bill Darling’s pistol and a couple of men with Tommy guns convinced him he should; but he somehow managed to slip away and P.S.M. Jack Laurie, who had some experience with engines, ended up driving. The Infantry companies arrived at St Malo and boarded an already overcrowded S.S. Biarritz, and thus returned to England, landing at Southampton. The transport platoon also made their way to St. Malo, stopping about five miles out to disable their vehicles by starting the engines, then punching a hole through their oil pans, thus causing the engines to seize up. The carrier platoon arrived in Brest and unloaded their carriers. While doing this an air raid took place and they took cover in a railway tunnel. Lt. Eardley Wright received word to disable his vehicles and make his way back to England as best he could. ”The carriers were started up then pushed over the side of the dock into the harbour with the engines running.” (Sgt. Vic Jackson), “At a divisional conference on 20 June, Gen. McNaughton mentioned his dissatisfaction with the late events, but added that this incident was now over: the new task was resistance to invasion “which may be attempted within the next few days”, and with a view to this function the Canadian Force was now in G.H.Q. Reserve, 'a hard-hitting mobile force ready to proceed North, South, East or West.'” (C.M.H.Q. Report No. 15, Appendix “D”) The 48th moved out of Aldershot once again on the 16th of July and marched to Newdigate where they camped out and continued training. At the end of August Colonel Haldenby was promoted to Brigadier with Major Bill Southam replacing him. The 48th were once again on the move as they left Newdigate and marched to Kingswood where all but “A” Company went into billets. “A” Company remained under canvas until their quarters could be set up. Christmas 1940 was spent on the Channel coast at Brighton were they relieved the Princess Patricias. They in turn were relieved by the Royal Regiment of Canada at the end of the year and returned to Kingswood. “For Christmas 1940, the battalion was stationed at Brighton, manning sand-bagged weapons pits right on the beach, which would have been wiped out with the first salvo of any invaders. But the esplanade ran right behind them and across the road all the pubs were open for business. Four men to a post. On a cold night in rotation the nearest Pub could warm you up. Blackie MacDonald smoked MacDonald Menthol cigarettes. He offered one to the bar-maid, who took one drag, turned and spoke to the Publican, who went out and returned with a Bobbie. Mac was hauled off to civie jail for trying to drug the bar-maid. B.H.Q. had to go and pry him loose. No one around there had ever heard of Menthols.” (80 Years under the Kilt, Bill DeHarte) Private John Garvie was awarded the British Empire Medal for his action in using his steel helmet as a shovel to dig out survivors of a bombing raid in London. The authorities said that without his help there would have been more deaths at the site. His citation reads in part: ON THE NIGHT OF 12 OCTOBER, 1940, DURING AN INTENSE AIR RAID PRIVATE GARVIE, 48th HIGHLANDERS OF CANADA WHO A SHORT TIME PREVIOUSLY HAD ASSISTED IN EXTRICATING PERSONS ENTRAPPED IN A BOMBED HOUSE, WAS CALLED UPON BY THE CIVIL AUTHORITIES TO FURTHER ASSIST IN RESCUING CIVILIANS WHO WERE BURIED BENEATH THE WRECKAGE OF ANOTHER BOMBED HOUSE. NOT WITHSTANDING THE CONTINUANCE OF THE RAID, LACK OF LIGHTS, A LEAKAGE OF DOMESTIC GAS, DANGER DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF COLLAPSE OF AN ADJOINING BUILDING AND COMPLETE LACK OF TOOLS PRIVATE GARVIE WITH SOME OTHERS WORKED FOR SEVERAL HOURS SHOVELLING DEBRIS WITH HIS STEEL HELMET AND REMOVING FALLEN TIMBERS. FINALLY THEY SUCCEEDED IN RESCUING ALIVE TWO OF THE FIVE PERSONS ENTOMBED IN THE WRECKAGE. |
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The beginning of 1941 certainly held more promise than the previous year. Britain had won the air war and the possibility of invasion had diminished. The battalion moved from Newdigate to Kingswood with Reigate, Redhill and Dorking all within close proximity. Training concentrated on fitness and responding to threats of invasion with long route marches, some as long as thirty miles. It was boring, so the training was interspersed with sports meets and boxing. The 48th boxing team did very well, producing several champions. A sad event occurred in early March when the battalion buried Capt. Phil Seagram with full Military Honours in Brookwood Cemetary. The first 48th Officer to be killed in the war, he was the victim of an air raid on London. In June, the Red Patch of the 1st Division was sewn on the shoulders of the battalion, with the R.S.M. telling them that they should be proud to be the only unit in the Brigade to wear it in both WW I and WW II. Exercise Waterloo commenced and the men were cheesed off as they did all the walking and the Brass sat over their maps trying to figure out how to keep units from bumping into one another. They were warned for Commando training, and a picked company of the hardest and toughest was assembled. This idea was eventually scrapped and as sort of a compensation, Tommy Guns were issued to the section leaders on July 5th. The exercises now began to favour the attack. The 48th went to the most bombed-out part of London for an exercise with the Home Guard. The Highlanders, who were the attackers, thought it a bit of a lark while the Home Guard took it seriously. To kill a man you had to tip his hat off, while to wound him you marked his back with chalked 'X'. More than one Highlander commented how rough the Old Guys were at chalking their backs. 29 September-3 October: The 48th were warned for Exercise Bumper, the largest exercise ever to take place in Britain. The entire Canadian Corps was involved as well as ten British Divisions and eight R.A.F. squadrons, well over 250,000 men. Again one of the objectives was: “to give the higher commanders the opportunity of handling large forces in the field”. Those at the platoon level didn’t have a clue as to what was going on, they just kept marching for five days. October 12th, 1941, was the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Regiment and the Colours were once again brought out of storage in London for a troop in honour of the occasion. The ceremony of Trooping the Colours took place at Redhill Stadium before a large audience of civilians and military people. The Honorary Colonel, General Sir Ian Hamilton, came down from Scotland to inspect his Regiment. Another move came on November 19th as the battalion journeyed to Littlehampton. At this time they were released from G.H.Q. Reserve and transferred to South East Command under Lt General B.L. Montgomery. Duties included Beach Patrols to guard against the possibility of any German Raids. Private John Gibb, a member of the Transport Platoon, was awarded the British Empire Medal for his part in rescuing a woman from the Californian pub. His citation reads in part; PRIVATE GIBB ASSISTED A RESCUE SQUAD IN ITS EFFORTS TO RESCUE A WOMAN BURIED UNDER DEBRIS. PRIVATE GIBB FOR A PERIOD OF ABOUT THREE HOURS AT GREAT PERSONAL RISK HELD UP A LARGE MASS OF LOOSE DEBRIS WHICH COULD NOT OTHERWISE BE PROPPED UP AND WHICH IF LEFT WOULD HAVE MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO EFFECT A RESCUE. PRIVATE GIBB STOOD ASTRIDE THE BURIED WOMAN AND SUPPORTED THE DEBRIS WITH HIS SHOULDERS. |
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| Some time after the war a plaque was placed on the wall of the rebuilt pub to commemorate the event.
This year saw the introduction of Battle Drill and the general upgrading of training to offence and fitness. Speed marching became part of the new doctrine, run a mile march for two. Some of the Highlanders maintained that the Highland pace was better and indeed proved it on ocassion. They could march further and arrive fresher than the other units in the Brigade. This was a time of weeding out and some of the old familiar faces dissappeared. World War I men who had been wearing their ribbons proudly began to take them down so as not to draw attention to themselves. Age and a minor training accident caught up to R.S.M. Jamieson and he left the battalion to become Brigade Sergeant Major and later Sergeant Major of the Canadian Corps Battle School. C.S.M. James (Tiny) Shaw M.M., another WW I veteran took over as Regimental Sergeant Major, he had been acting R.S.M for some time. In January Lt.Colonel Bill Southam left to take over as Brigadier of the 6th Brigade in the 2nd Division. Major William Hendrie was promoted to Lt.Colonel and assumed command of the 1st Battalion 48th Highlanders. On February 13th three men, Cpl. W.S. Pearce, Pte. R. McKeown and Pte. and Pte. T.A. Partridge were killed in a training accident when they strayed into a minefield during manuevers. They were buried at Brookwood Cemetary with full military honours. Officers and N.C.Os. were coming and going from the battalion as requests from Canada for experienced personell for training purposes were received. New officers arrived from the 2nd Battalion, which had been activated in 1940, to to replace the out going officers. The C.O. Lt. Col.William Hendrie was transfered to Canada to take over Airport Defence on the west coast. Lt. Col. Eddie Ganong (chocolates) returned from a staff job to take over the battalion on the 31st of March. The #18 radio set was now in general use and made communication between the companies and BHQ much easier. Its extended range also provided for inter-unit communication. In late May “Exercise Tiger” began, two weeks of hard marching and mock battles with a lot of rain thrown in for good measure. The battalion returned to Littlehampton and their next task was to train the Home Guard to take over the Beach Defenses. On July 20th three more men were killed when a Boston Bomber the had scrounged a ride in collided with another aircraft. Corporal William Barnett, Privates Jack Orvis and George Palmer were buried in Brookwood Cemetary with full military honours. Exercise “Independence” began on August the 4th with the 48th marching out of Littlehampton, their transport was withdrawn and the infantry companies camped their way across Sussex to Gray Wood. The rest of the 1st Division was also on the move without their transport. August 19th found the 48th and the rest of the 1st Division on “Exercise Exterminate” while the 2nd Canadian Division was fighting for its life on the Beaches of Dieppe. Brigadier Bill Southam a former C.O. of the 48th was taken prisoner during this operation. One report has all the 1st Division transport lined up to support the operation at Dieppe; “We waited on all the byways into New Haven loaded to the gunnels with ammo/supplies and expected to be ready to load on returning Landing Ships” (L/Cpl. William J. Shipton RCASC) September 16th the battalion moved to Uckfield and the training was ratched up another notch. In October Support Company was formed and the 3” Mortar, Anti-tank, Carrier and Pioneer platoons were all increased in strength. Major J.S.P. (Daddy) Armstrong was appointed Company Comander. October 28th saw the arrival of Padre Stewart B. East undoubtedly the most beloved Padre of the 48th in WW II. Coincidental with the Padre’s arrival General Jan Christian Smuts arrived to inspect the battalion in the rain. The 48th left Uckfield on the 15th of December for Inverarry in Scotland again it rained and the ground was an oozing mire. For two weeks they drilled in Assault Landings then returned to Uckfield. Passing through Carslyle on the 31st of December the Station Master remembered them from the same night three years before when they first arrived in Britain. | |||
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1943 Training continued during the winter with route marches and field exercises with tanks, until they moved into billets in the New London-Horam area of Sussex. While there, "D" Company was disbanded and it's members distributed among the other three rifle companies. This proved only to be a trial and the company was reconstituted at a later date. Two new officers arrived from Canada - Lieutenants Blair Eby and Ian Douglas. In February, three Highlanders were posted to the 1st British Army in Africa. All were posted to the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders and all were subsequently wounded. The idea was for them to gain battle experience and bring it back to the 48th, but none of them ever returned to the battalion. Lt. D. Corbett ended up in the Artillery, C.S.M. Earle Stoutley went to an Electronic Communications Unit where he was awarded the British Empire Medal for his work in electronics. Sergeant Fred Crease was invalided back to Canada. The remainder of the winter and spring was spent shifting about Southeastern England doing routine training and duties. The last Sunday in April, the Acting C.O., Major Johnston, was called to Brigade Headquarters and told to prepare his battalion to move on the following Tuesday. No destination was given. The battalion set about packing for the move - all unnecessary articles were sent to storage, the Pipe Band was dispersed among the companies, and only the pipers kept their instruments. On the 28th all the battalion vehicles were loaded on a train bound for Scotland. The following day the order came down to reform the fourth rifle company, and "Dog" Company came back into being, with Major Don Banton in command and C.S.M. Fred Wigmore as his Sergeant Major. (C.S.M. Wigmore was returned to England from Sicily after a time and posted to the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada. He was awarded the Military Medal and seriously wounded while serving with the Argyles in Normandy.) The 48th entrained that evening for the journey to Scotland. They arrived the next day at Inverary in warm sunny weather. This soon changed to rain as the battalion began amphibious landing rehearsals with LCTs and LCIs. Night and day the training went on in cold wet weather with occasional squalls of sleet. Major Johnston's promotion to Lt-Colonel came through on the 5th of May and he was appointed Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion 48th Highlanders of Canada. Shortly afterwards, the battalion moved to Auchinleck where training continued with LCIs, LCTs, LCMs, and two troopships. Up and down the sides of the troopships via cargo nets, being careful not to get their hands tromped on by the man above. Six weeks of training with Divisional Assault Exercises was thrown in for good measure. Forty men were returned to the reinforcement depot as overage or not physically fit. These men were replaced by men from units of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division. Lt-Col. Johnston traveled to H.Q. Combined Operations in London for briefing while the battalion went on leave for three days. Upon his return on the 15th of May the Colonel drew up his battle plan for the coming assault. The plan was sealed and put away securely, the Colonel was the only one who knew their destination. Near the end of the month, a squad arrived from C.M.H.Q. to photograph and finger print everyone. On June 13th, the 48th broke camp at Auchinleck and entrained for Gourock where they boarded the troopship Derbyshire. The last exercise was codenamed "Stymie" and was indeed rough. Several men almost drowned and one had to be taken to hospital; the remainder of the exercise was cancelled because of bad weather. On June 28th the Derbyshire weighed anchor and sailed down the Clyde for the open sea. |
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| Dileas Gu Brath | |||
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