Boer War, Korea, Afghanistan, Service to Canada

SARNIA’S BOER WAR FALLEN SOLDIER

CRONE, DANIEL JOSEPH (#216)
The Boer War Memorial Fountain was erected in Sarnia in 1908. The Memorial records 16 men from Sarnia and Lambton County who participated in the South African War of 1899-1902. Of the 16 names engraved on it, only one man lost his life while serving in the war. Daniel Crone was Sarnia’s first ever soldier to die overseas while in service to his country in Canada’s first foreign war.

Daniel Crone was born in Sarnia on January 24, 1876, the son of William (born in Whitby, Ontario) and Catherine (nee McKellar) Crone, of Sarnia Township, later Mandaumin, Ontario. William Crone, a farmer, and Catherine McKellar were married on September 30, 1869, in Bosanquet, and were blessed with eight children: Francis Jeffrey (born 1871); Margaret Elizabeth (born 1875); Daniel (born 1876); Sarah A. (born 1879); James Scott (born 1880); Christine Catherine (born 1882); John Thomas (born 1883, died at age 3 when Daniel was nine years old); and William J. (born 1895).

It’s likely that when Daniel volunteered to go to war in South Africa, he knew very little about the history of that area.

Dutch immigrants were the first Europeans to settle in South Africa in 1652, and for 150 years, the Netherlands remained the predominant foreign influence there. The word “Boer” is derived from the Dutch word for farmer and refers to the Dutch, French, German, and other European immigrant settlers.

In 1795, Britain gained control of the area and, soon after, when British officials and citizens settled there, conflicts arose between the Boers and the British. By 1806, the British Empire had seized control of the Dutch territory, Cape of Good Hope. By 1836, many Boers, unwilling to submit to British rule, had left the Cape Colony and trekked north into the interior, and established two independent republics: the Orange Free State and the Transvaal Republic.

The discovery of diamonds (in 1867) and gold (in 1886) in Transvaal resulted in an influx of a large fortune-seeking group called uitlanders (foreigners in the Afrikaans language) who were mostly of British origin. The denial of political rights by the Boers to the growing population of foreigners created rising tensions that led to two wars (in 1880 and 1899) between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics. At stake were gold, diamonds, and land. The British already had two South African colonies, the Cape and Natal, but ultimately wanted control of the neighbouring Boer States, especially Transvaal.

During negotiations in 1899, the British increased pressure on the Boers by deploying troops along the borders. The Second Boer War began on October 11, 1899, when the Boers launched a pre-emptive military strike against the British troops mustering on the Natal border.

The British Empire expected its overseas colonies, including the Dominion of Canada, to join the battle for Mother Britain. Participating in the war, however, was a divisive issue in a young Canada (Confederation was in 1867). English Canada was fiercely loyal to the British crown, but most French Canadians and recent immigrants opposed sending troops overseas to support growing British imperialism.

Facing intense political pressure, Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier authorized $600,000 to raise, equip, and transport a contingent of 1,000 infantry volunteers. Across Canada, the positive response of volunteers was immediate and overwhelming. There were so many volunteers that a selection process based on health, marksmanship, and prior military service was instituted and still, large numbers of applicants were turned away. The Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR) of Infantry in London (Wolseley Barracks) recruited soldiers from southwestern Ontario.

This was the first time Canada dispatched a large group of its soldiers overseas to fight—it was Canada’s first foreign war. Canadian units were kept together there, rather than being broken up to reinforce British units. This marked the beginning of a national tradition for Canadian forces. Though they would fight within the British army, the country’s soldiers wore Canadian uniforms and a maple leaf cap-badge into battle.

The first contingent of Canadian soldiers—1,000 infantry volunteers—including Sarnians Kenneth Johnston, Frederick Gorman and Daniel McMillan, was designated the 2^nd Special Service Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry, but was more commonly known as the “Gallant Thousand.” They sailed aboard SS Sardinian, a converted cattle ship, from Quebec City on October 30, 1899, bound for Cape Town. When they docked on November 29, most believed they would be victorious and home for Christmas.

The harsh reality of war was soon realized by the British and Canadian troops. The Boers were an unrelenting enemy who were skilled marksmen and adept at guerilla-style warfare. Even before the Canadians arrived, the main British forces had either fought and surrendered, or were besieged by the Boers in garrison towns. In mid-December 1899, the British suffered three shocking battlefield defeats that became known as “Black Week.”

When the Canadians arrived, they encountered bleak conditions that included long marches in harsh terrain, food and water deficiencies, insect infestations, temperature extremes, and rampant disease.

The first major Canadian action of the war was the Battle of Paardeberg, February 18-27, 1900. The first day, known as “Bloody Sunday”, was Canada’s worst day, with 21 Canadians killed. After nine days of fierce fighting, the besieged Boers surrendered to the Canadians, giving the British their first major victory of the war.

The previous November (1899), the Canadian government had offered to send a second contingent to Britain. At first, Britain declined Canada’s offer, believing there was no need for additional troops. However, following the disastrous defeats in December 1899, Britain changed its mind. Canada quickly assembled a second contingent. The Second Canadian Contingent was made up of two mounted regiments and three artillery batteries. The Second Contingent of 1,289 Canadian troops, and almost as many horses, sailed from Halifax on January 21, 27 and February 21, 1900. Daniel Crone was part of the Second Contingent.

A third contingent of Canadians, a mounted regiment known as The Lord Strathcona’s Horse, arrived in South Africa by late March 1900.

Twenty-three-year-old Daniel Joseph Crone underwent his recruit medical on December 30, 1899, as a member of the 2nd Special Service Contingent. On January 2, 1900, he completed his “Agreement for Military Service in South Africa” (Attestation) form in London, Ontario. Like those in the first contingent, he signed up for a year’s service, or until the war ended, whichever came first. He stood five feet six-and-one-quarter inches tall, had black hair and blue eyes, and was single. He recorded his trade as a driver, and his next of kin as his father, William Crone, in Sarnia. At the time, Daniel was employed at the C.P.R. Express and Telegraph Office in Sarnia and he was a member of the 27th Battalion, St. Clair Borderers, headquartered in Sarnia. The following is the report from the Sarnia Observer following his enlistment:

Daniel Crone, lately employed in connection with the express department of the C.P.R. here, went to London Saturday and after being examined enlisted in the second Canadian contingent for South Africa. He was allowed home for Sunday and Monday and left this morning again for London to take up his active duties as a member of the London Company. Before leaving, a number of young men met at the oyster parlor of Alex Kelly and entertained Mr. Crone to an oyster supper. Dan, as he was familiarly called, has many friends in Sarnia and vicinity who wish him a safe return to his home and friends.

Prior to going overseas, some citizens of Sarnia collected and presented a draft for 50 dollars to Daniel. He was also a member of the Cawdor Camp, Sons of Scotland Club in Sarnia. At the Cawder Camp meeting after Daniel had enlisted, the club wrote and delivered a complimentary address to him accompanied by $25 in gold. The following is an excerpt from that address:

Upon your leaving for South Africa, the officers and members of Cawdor Camp, Sons of Scotland, desire to express their high appreciation of your patriotism and valor and observe with delight that the patriotism and chivalry so characteristic of our Scottish ancestors has descended to their sons and is now so practically displayed by the valorous step which you have taken in offering your services at such a moment and time in defence of the

Empire. We all unite in expressing our admiration of the spirit displayed by you, and hope that you will have an opportunity of rendering efficient service to our country and that you will be spared to return to us.

Peter Symington, Secretary John Cowan, Chief

In his first few weeks, Daniel was training for the Mounted Rifles at Stanley Barracks, in Toronto. Following is a portion of a letter he wrote to the Sarnia Observer:

This place is named the workhouse, by the boys, which it certainly is. We have to get out at bugle call in the morning, at half past six o’clock, and parade to stables and tend horses. We get back to barracks about eight and get dry bread and coffee, sometimes a little meat, for breakfast. We are called out at nine again and do not get back till about one. The first day we were here, we were sent out on mounted parade without saddles for about two hours. A good many of the horses were young and had never been ridden before. Lots of the boys were thrown off time and again. Some were sent home because they could not ride their horses. My riding was counted good, and I tell you I was greatly relieved when I was told so. Hardly anything could induce me to turn back now. Although there are a good many things I do not like, I never was so happy in my life.

Initially with the army rank of trooper, Daniel became a member of the 1st Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles. His rank was later changed to private, and the unit was renamed the Royal Canadian Dragoons (1st Armoured Regiment). In mid-February 1900, Daniel embarked overseas as part of Canada’s Second Contingent, arriving in Capetown one month later. The Royal Canadian Dragoons fought as part of the 1^st Brigade, 1^st Mounted Infantry Corps.

When the Second Contingent arrived, though the Boer forces had suffered several key defeats, it was clear that they had no intention of surrendering. By early 1900, Britain had reinforced its troops to become the largest force it had ever sent overseas, as they prepared to launch a counter-offensive. The nature of the war changed from large set-piece battles into a mobile guerrilla-type struggle across the veldt. It became a chase-and-evade strategy—with the British pursuing an enemy that they rarely found. The Boers avoided open battle; instead, they organized themselves into mounted guerrilla units ranging from a few men to several thousand that carried out ambushes and then retreated. The guerrilla campaign proved difficult for the British to defeat—they were unfamiliar with the Boer guerilla tactics and the Boers had extensive support from the civilians.

Pvt. Daniel J. Crone, Royal Canadian Dragoons

Royal Canadian Dragoons, Rietfontein, South Africa ~1900

On June 25, 1900, Private Daniel Crone wrote a letter from the war front to his parents. They received the letter one week prior to his death. Following is an excerpt from that letter:

Dear Father and Mother,

This is nearly the first opportunity I have had to write since I left Kroonstad. No doubt you have read a few

of our doings since we left there, so I need not relate too many of them. We did not have any opposition at the Vaal River, where we most expected it and where the enemy could or should have made a great stand. We, however, had a hot time with them at Krugerederp, near Johannesburg. It was a miracle that we were not cut to pieces there. About 600 of us were ordered to take a kopje which was about 1500 yards from the Boer lines. We had no sooner got started towards it, when they started to shell us at a furious rate. We galloped on to shelter of the kopje without a scratch, although their shells fell right among us. We had to fall behind rocks all day and night. I thought I would freeze. I do not think I ever suffered as much with the cold at home. We got thawed out next day, as the sun is always intensely hot… I might say I have never missed a ride since I came out, nor an engagement that our column was in. When we marched through Pretoria I thought, well, it is all over; but soon found out it was not. The warmest engagement we have been in was north of Pretoria, where you no doubt read of one of our fellows being killed by a 40lb shell. He belonged to D squadron, so did not know him. After two days’ hard fighting the Boers escaped at sun down… I will have to close for the present and go and cook my dinner before leaving. For a good while we got nothing to eat but flour, which we had to make pancakes out of. You can imagine flour, salt and water. I will have to write out a few recipes for cooking fine dishes when I get home. Remember me to all.

With love to all, your loving son, Dan

On August 5, 1900, Private Daniel Crone lost his life while serving in the Boer War. He died of enteric fever (typhoid), in Johannesburg, Africa. He was awarded posthumously the Johannesburg and Diamond Hill Clasps.

One week after Daniel’s death, the Sarnia Observer reported on his death. Following is a portion of that report:

Private Dan Crone Succumbs to Fever.

His Death took place on Sunday at Johannesburg

Sarnia citizens were in sorrow last evening when the news of the death of Private D.J. Crone, of the Canadian Mounted Rifles in South Africa, came to hand. THE OBSERVER received an unofficial dispatch during the afternoon that Private Crone had died of enteric fever, but some doubt was entertained as to its authenticity. The worst fears of our citizens were realized later on however, when an official dispatch from Sir Alfred Milner at

Capetown to Lord Minto was received by THE OBSERVER, stating that Private Crone, No. 216, of the 27th Battalion, Sarnia, died of enteric fever on August 5th at Johannesburg. The sad news travelled fast, and on the streets on every side could be heard expressions of sorrow and regret. Dr. Johnston, M.P. was notified and he at

once telegraphed to Ottawa for information. A reply was received from the Deputy Minister of Militia, confirming the sad intelligence and all hopes that Pte. Crone might yet be alive were abandoned. During the evening Dr. Johnston, M.P. and Sutherland Johnston drove out to the home of Private Crone’s parents in Sarnia township, and broke the sad news to them. The scene was a heartrending and sorrowful one.

Dan Crone, as he was familiarly called by his many Sarnia friends, was a young man of sterling qualities. He was aged about 23 years, and prior to his leaving for South Africa with the Canadian Mounted Rifles, was in the employ of the C.P.R. Telegraph and Express Company. When the Mounted Rifles were being organized for service in South Africa, Dan Crone was eagerly the first to offer his services. He passed his examination for qualification and was accepted.

Private Crone was an honored and valued member of the Albert Street Presbyterian Church and also of the Christian Endeavor society in connection therewith. He was also a member of Cawdor Camp, Sons of Scotland, of this town. To say that the sympathy of the entire community is extended to the bereaved parents in their hour of affliction is only repeating what is a universal sentiment throughout the town.

Approximately one month after Daniel Crone’s death, William and Catherine received a letter, dated August 7, 1900, from one of their son’s chums from Sarnia, who was also in South Africa. Dan’s friend was Richard Henry Reynolds, whose name is also engraved on the Boer War Memorial Fountain. Following is a portion of that letter:

Mrs. Crone, Sarnia, Ont., Canada

To Mrs. Crone and Family,

I suppose you have already received word about your son’s death. My last letter said he was getting better and his death was such a surprise to all around. I generally try and go down to see him every day, so I went down on Saturday, 4th of Aug. in the afternoon, and the nurse told me he was a lot better, and I thought he looked it myself. It was the first time after he had the bad spell that he really knew me and I had on a new suit of khaki and he noticed it right away. I was going down to see him on Sunday, the 5th, but I was on duty so late that I did not get the chance, so as soon as I got my breakfast I went down to see him, as I expected he would be able to have quite a talk, but on entering the hospital I saw the bed empty and the nurse came up and said I suppose you know what has happened,

and she told me all. She said a little after I left on Saturday he took a spell of coughing and it lasted for about three hours, then he stopped for awhile and about half past ten on Saturday, the 4th of Aug, he gave three sighs and passed away. The orderly ran for a doctor but when he got there all was quiet. I asked the nurse if I could see the body and she told me it had been sent down to the Victoria hospital, so I went down there and they told me he had been taken from there to the undertaker’s. I was making for there when I saw a funeral and I asked the officer who he was burying. He told me it was Dan, so I followed the hearse to the cemetery and saw him laid away. I was the only Canadian that was at the funeral, because none of the rest knew about it. After he was buried the preacher came up to me and said I see your friend has gone at last, and I was speechless. He asked me your address and said he would write to you. Dan had a very respectable funeral, the band was out and played the dead march and three volleys were fired over his grave. I am glad for one thing to tell you and that is that Dan has lived a Christian life all through the war and I am sure he will spend the rest of his days with his God above. After I left the cemetery I went back to the hospital and asked for his clothes and things and the Major said he could not give them to me, so I went to the C.M.R. captain. His name is Captain Greenwood, and he drove me back to the Wesleyan Hospital and I got two rings, one he brought from home and one he found in Capetown, a little silver watch which a friend by the name of Dowling, of Toronto, had given him before he left. There was also a photo of a young lady in a leather case, of which I will send you the proof in this letter. His last request was to one of the orderlies of the hospital to take the Maple Leaf off his hat and send it to me to give to his mother. I have got everything in Capt. Greenwood’s charge and will bring them home to you if God spares me… I will close now with the sympathy of all the boys of 4 troop, A Squadron, C.M.R.

From Dan’s friend,

Richard H. Reynolds No. 215, 2nd contingent, 4 troop, A Squadron, C.M.R., South Africa

The nurse that took care of Dan was Nurse Pourie, P.O. box 2804, Johannesburg, South Africa.

The preacher that buried him Rev. Mr. Morrise, Johannesburg, South Africa.

He was buried by the East Lancaster Regiment.

There is a Kruger three-penny piece that was in one of Dan’s pockets. If there are any letters come for him I will send them back to you.

Rich H. Reynolds

In mid-August 1900, one week after receiving the above letter, the Crone family received another letter from Private Richard Reynolds:

Miss L. Crone, Sarnia, Ont., Canada

I write you these few lines to let you know that I got three letters for Dan. I asked the Capt. what I would do with them and he told me to look at the address and send them back to the parties, but I could not see any address, so I sent them all to you and maybe you know who they are from. I opened them but I never read a word of them only the heading and the name at the last. I went up to the police barracks at Pretoria to see some of the boys about putting up a headstone for Dan and I formed a committee to see about putting it up. I got over 20 [pounds], and I am going to order a stone tomorrow and when it is up I will have some pictures taken of the grave and stone and bring them home with me for you. I will send you a list of the subscribers. I could not get up to the squadron, which is at Middleburg, but I saw most of the boys that were on the police. Anything else that comes for Dan I will send right back to you. All the boys send their sympathy to all your family and we will do anything for you while we are out here. If you let me know I will send his things or bring them home when I come. We do not expect to leave Africa for two months yet. I will close now, from your brother’s friend.

Rich Reynolds, No. 215, 2nd contingent, 4 troop, A Squadron, C.M.R. South Africa.

This is the committee: R.H. Reynolds, of London, Ont.; J. Heron, of Toronto, Ont.; A.F. Stover, of Woodstock.

As promised in his letters, Private Richard Reynolds of Sarnia visited the Crone family in March 1901 to return Daniel Crone’s last belongings from South Africa.

Another Sarnian, Frederick Gorman (whose name is also engraved on the Boer War Memorial Fountain), wrote to the Crone family:

We were all very much grieved to learn at Pretoria of young Crone’s death at Johannesburg. It is impossible for you to understand how closely we from Sarnia keep track of one another out here and the interest we care in one another is 1st rate…. Crone was a fine young man.

Daniel Crone was Sarnia’s first ever soldier to die overseas while in service to his country. After the war, William received from Ottawa his late son’s Queen’s Medal with four Clasps: Johannesburg, Diamond Hill, Cape Colony and Orange Free State.

On August 12, 1900, a Memorial Service was held in Sarnia for Daniel Crone at the Albert Street Presbyterian Church. At the memorial service, Reverend J.R. Hall said, “We have graves in the Country of the boys who fell in defence of our country, but I do not know of a grave of any soldier who died in the defence of the Empire.”

On March 24, 1901, William Crone in Maudaumin wrote a letter to the Canadian South Africa Memorial Association. Following is that letter:

Dear Sir,

We are much in sympathy with your movement to erect suitable memorials to the Canadian boys who lost their lives in S. Africa but there was a stone erected to our son by his comrades but we will be willing to subscribe to help erect a monument to others.

Yours faithfully

Wm. Crone

The war continued into 1902, with Canadians fighting gallantly at a number of key battles including Paardeberg, Mafeking, Doornkop, Johannesberg, Diamond Hill, Leliefontein and Hart’s River. The war ended when the Boers signed the Treaty of Vereeniging on May 31, 1902. Approximately 20,000 British Empire soldiers lost their lives—7,000 killed as a result of action, and 13,000 due to disease.

Over 9,000 Boer troops lost their lives; and over 26,000 Boer civilians including women and children, as well as an estimated 14,000 black Africans, died from malnutrition and diseases in the British “relief” camps.

In over 2 ½ years, approximately 7,400 Canadian volunteers, including 12 nurses, served overseas. An estimated 270 lost their lives—90 were killed in action and the rest died of injuries or disease, principally enteric fever.

Twenty-four-year-old Daniel Crone is buried alongside his comrades in Braamfontein Garden of Remembrance, Johannesburg, South Africa. On his headstone are inscribed the words IN MEMORY OF PTE. D. CRONE. BORN IN LAMBTON, CANADA. DIED 4-8-00. AGED 24. ERECTED BY HIS COMRADES.

Aside from his actual grave in Braamfontein Garden of Remembrance, Johannesburg, South Africa, two memorials are dedicated to Daniel Crone in Lambton County. A memorial at Irwin Cemetery, Sarnia, Lambton County reads In Memoriam Daniel J. Crone Son of Wm. & Catherine Crone of Sarnia Township. Born Jan. 24, 1876, Died Johannesburg, South Africa Aug. 4, 1900. A member of the First Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles Serving the British Empire in the South Africa War, 1900.

A memorial plaque in the Federal Building on the corner of Christina and Davis Streets in Sarnia reads 1899-1902. South Africa. In Memoriam. This tablet is erected by the citizens of Sarnia, Canada. In Memory of Daniel J. Crone, a resident of Sarnia, Ont. Died Aug. 4th 1900 at Johannesburg, South Africa while serving as a soldier of the British Empire, 1st Batt. Canadian Mounted Rifles.

Daniel Crone Memorial Plaque Sarnia Federal Building

Daniel Crone’s grave Braamfontein Garden of Remembrance, South Africa

The following article is courtesy of Dan McCaffrey. He is a Sarnia-Lambton reporter, historian and the author of eight books, including six books on military history. He wrote this article in November 2005.

When local residents pause to remember the nation’s war dead today, they might want to spend at least a moment reflecting on the story of Dan Crone.

Crone, the first Sarnian ever to die on a foreign battlefield, fought in the Boer War, a campaign that has all but disappeared from the nation’s collective memory. Indeed, when commentators eulogize Canada’s war dead they invariably refer to “the two world wars and the Korean conflict.”

Dan Crone’s war is rarely mentioned. He is, in other words, a forgotten hero. It’s as if the term “Lest We Forget’ doesn’t apply to the men of his generation. And if we can forget them, what’s to stop us from eventually forgetting about the soldiers of other conflicts? Crone’s story should be remembered because it tells us a great deal about the sacrifices young Canadians have made over the decades.

When war broke out in 1899, the twenty-three-year-old employee of the CPR Telegraph and Express Company quickly joined the cavalry. Before long, he found out there was nothing glorious about war. In his letters home, he described sweltering days, cold nights, hunger, homesickness, and fear. On one occasion, he recalled sleeping on an African hillside. “We had to lie on the rocks all night. I thought I would freeze,” he said. After weeks of eating “hardtack,” he rejoiced in telling the story of how he caught a few ducks and chickens and immediately “began plucking and roasting.”

In his dreams, he sometimes returned to Sarnia. “I was home one night,” he wrote. “Oh! Was I not having a good square meal. I had just cleaned the table when I was awakened to find myself as hungry as ever.

I had not eaten for two days at that time.” His first taste of combat was scary. “I admit it gives a person a funny feeling when you hear the shells whizzing by you,” he told his parents.

Once, while crossing a river, he was caught in an ambush. “Their shells fell right amongst us,” he wrote. “One passed within a foot of me and shot another fellow’s horse’s ear off. We were ordered to advance and cross the river, which we did on the dead run through water, mud and everything. Some had to dismount and wade through, as it was too deep for horses.”

Crone made national headlines in May 1900 when he rode behind enemy lines to rescue a wounded soldier trapped under an exhausted horse. The pair made it to safety, only to learn they’d been reported missing in action. “When neither turned up for a couple of days it was concluded that they had been wiped out or gobbled up by the enemy,” the Toronto Globe reported.

In August 1900 Crone’s luck ran out. Like many soldiers, his death was anything but glorious. In fact, he succumbed to a bout of fever.

At his memorial service, Rev. J.R. Hall blasted Sarnians who were enthusiastic about the war. “It seems to me that our town, led by some of our citizens, has gone wild—simply wild. Whereto is the glory of war now?” he asked. He added, “Within the past week there has come very near to us something of the realities of war. The only way we could understand something of it would be to go over to South Africa, stand on one of the hilltops there, and see what has taken place. I am afraid that if some of our shouters were there, they would no longer shout.”

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

SARNIA’S KOREAN WAR FALLEN SOLDIERS

KNIGHT, Edward Joseph Michael (#SA2506)
Sarnia-born Edward Knight enlisted in the Canadian Army in October 1951 and five months later was deployed to Korea. One year after he enlisted, Edward was killed during the vicious fighting to take control of a strategically important high ground known as Hill 355. Edward, age 21, is buried in the United Nations Cemetery in Busan, South Korea.

Edward Knight was born in Sarnia on March 14, 1931, the son of William Walter John Knight and Violet Winnifred (Burt) Wynne, of 183 Water Street, Sarnia. William Knight, born in Sarnia on August 24, 1899, was a veteran of the First World War.

Edward’s siblings (and ages at the time of his death) were brothers Donald Lawrence (19), Clifford John (17), and Gerald (8); and sisters Mary (25), Charlotte (15), and Theresa (14). Raised in Sarnia, Edward attended Our Lady of Mercy Elementary School and was a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Parish, Sarnia.

Even before the Second World War ended in 1945, there were military tensions and distrust between the Western Bloc democratic nations and the Eastern Bloc communist nations. These differences in ideologies and suspicions of the other side’s world plans marked the beginning of the “Cold War”. As the summer of 1950 approached, few Canadians knew that events on the other side of the world would become the flashpoint that turned the Cold War hot.

Korea, known to its people as the “Land of the Morning Calm”, had been a unified nation until early in the 1900s when Japan occupied and then annexed it. As the Second World War drew to a close and Japan surrendered, the Soviets and the Americans agreed to “temporarily” divide Korea in half. The 38^th Parallel separated the Russian-established communist regime in the north and the U.S.-backed democratic state in the south.

On June 25, 1950, only five years after the end of World War II, the Korean War broke out. Approved in advance by the Russian and Chinese governments, the Soviet-trained and equipped army of North Korea crossed the 38th Parallel invading South Korea, an overt attempt to unify Korea by force.

The United Nations responded with a call to its members to form a multinational “police force” under the command of the United States to restore the peace. It was on August 7, 1950, that Prime Minister St. Laurent announced on CBC Radio that Canada would recruit an expeditionary brigade of 5,000 men for duty in Korea, a force known as the Canadian Army Special Force (CASF)—later renamed the 25^th Canadian Infantry Brigade Group.

By mid-1951, UN Command had re-established the 38th Parallel as a stalemate line—the two sides had begun to solidify and to dig in with deep defensive positions around this line. The war was becoming positional and more static. Large frontal engagements were avoided. Advances consisted of establishing patrol bases that could be defended, then sending deep patrols ahead to reconnoiter, probe and seek out new defensive bases. During this phase of the war, bloody battles raged for strategic high ground.

While company-sized attacks were sometimes mounted to improve defences or to keep the enemy off balance, the war was mostly fought from trenches into no man’s land. The fighting featured endless patrols; night raids against hilltop trench positions; booby traps, anti-personnel landmines, minefields, and barbed wire; sniper attacks; artillery barrages; long nights standing guard in slit trenches; and repulsing enemy attacks and digging tunnels and trenches. The enemies faced one another across a no-man’s-land ranging from a few hundred metres in width to several kilometres. Canadian troops languished in hilltop defensive positions, surrounded by mines and barbed wire, constantly vigilant for a wave of enemy attackers, and frequently sending patrols out at night for a variety of reasons (attack an enemy outpost, ambush and trap an enemy patrol, retrieve information on the enemy, and to escort engineers enabling them to do their work).

In early July 1951, at the Communists’ request, cease-fire negotiations began. These talks broke off the following month. Over the next two years, “peace talks” continued intermittently though they were always contentious and bitter. The war dragged on and, ironically, more Canadians were wounded or killed after, not before, the peace talks began.

On October 24, 1951, Edward Knight enlisted in the Canadian Army in London, Ontario. He was 20 years old and single at the time.

He arrived in the Korean theatre five months later, in March 1952, and was due to return on rotation leave at Easter of 1953. Private Knight was a member of the Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR), 1st Battalion (the 2^nd Battalion, RCR, had arrived in Korea in early May 1951).

As Knight and the RCR reinforcements advanced north, they took note of the challenging landscape. Up and down the Korean peninsula were cone-shaped, rust-coloured hills that were not the least bit conducive to conventional warfare. The steep, jagged hills featured rocky outcrops and little natural vegetation except for dwarf pine trees. One ridge looked like every other ridge and beyond each ridge was another and yet another. Rather than giving the endless monotony of hills names, the Canadians simply numbered each hill according to its height in metres above sea level. Much of the Korean War was a “war of the hills”, against an enemy that was both ruthless and elusive, skillful and persistent, often silent and always deadly.

In early August 1952, the Royal Canadian Regiment was positioned in areas around Hill 355. Through the course of the war, the Canadians were often deployed on or near Hill 355, also known as “Kowang San” to the Koreans, and nicknamed “Little Gibraltar” by UN troops because of its prominent size and many defensive features. When the Canadians moved onto its heights, they simply referred to it as “Three-five-five.” Located approximately 40 kilometres north of Seoul, this strategically important hill was highly valued because it was the highest ground overlooking the surrounding front lines and supply routes. This strategic importance meant it would be the scene of fierce combat as both sides wanted to have it.

On two particular occasions, in late November 1951 and in late October 1952, Canadian troops were engaged in desperate fighting against heavy artillery and waves of Chinese soldiers on this hill. The Canadians held their positions in both battles, and no ground was yielded. The sacrifices and achievements in the area of Hill 355 were a significant chapter in Canada’s Korean War history.

Towards the end of August 1952 when the RCRs were there, torrential monsoon rains caused many bunkers to collapse and made many more unserviceable. In late September, when the skies cleared and the slime began to dry, the soldiers began to repair their positions. It was during this time that the enemy gradually became more aggressive. The Chinese moved into no-man’s-land with more strength and proceeded to attack patrols, to raid forward positions with increased harassing fire, and to support raids with more powerful concentrations of mortar and artillery fire.

In the first three days of October 1952, RCR positions were bombarded heavily by enemy artillery. The hostile guns and mortars slackened until the 17th, when it began again.

Between October 17 and 22, very heavy enemy bombardments badly damaged the RCR defences, cutting telephone wires and caving in weapon pits. One RCR captain said, “For four days they just laid the boots to us with every gun they had.”

Dawn on October 23 saw no let up in the heavy shelling and a number of the RCR bunkers were demolished. In the early evening of the 23rd, another enemy heavy artillery barrage began. Soon after, with bugles blowing and soldiers yelling and screaming, the Chinese launched their large assault force in waves and a firefight ensued. Under heavy assault and with communications cut off, some of the Canadians were forced to abandon their defensive positions to the surging enemy that overran them.

From the night of October 23 until the early morning of October 24, Canadian artillery, tank and mortar fire on the captured areas halted the Chinese advance and prevented them from resupplying their front line. The Chinese were forced to withdraw. Through the chaos of small arms fire, grenades, and mortar fire, and with the support of their own artillery, the Canadians counterattacked and succeeded in regaining control of Hill 355 by the early morning of October 24.

UN Command estimated that about a hundred RCR troops had defended the base of Hill 355 against two Chineses battalions (about 1,500 men). The casualties sustained by the Royal Canadian Regiment on October 23 and 24 were 18 killed, 35 wounded, and 14 prisoners of war. One of those killed was Sarnian Edward Joseph Knight.

It had been one year after he enlisted that on October 23, 1952, Private Edward Knight was killed in action during fighting at Hill 355.

Several days later, his mother Violet in Sarnia received word that her son PRIVATE EDWARD KNIGHT, WAS KILLED IN ACTION IN KOREA ON THURSDAY OCTOBER 23.

Edward Knight, 21, is buried in the United Nations Cemetery in Busan, South Korea, Plot 21, Row 8, Grave 1346.

He also has a memorial plaque on the Korea Veteran’s National Wall of Remembrance in Meadowvale Cemetery, in Brampton, Ontario. This memorial has plaques for each of the 516 Canadian service men who died while serving with the Canadian Forces in the United Nations operations in Korea.

Edward Knight’s name is also inscribed on the Monument to Canadian Fallen (Korean War Monument) in Busan and in Ottawa.

In the early 1990s, through the efforts of the sons of Korean War veteran, Joseph Mills (RCR), and Sarnia Legion president, Ron Chafe, a new bronze plaque was added to the south side of the Sarnia cenotaph with the names of two of Sarnia’s Korean War fallen. The inscription reads KOREAN WAR 1950-1953 KILLED IN ACTION PTE. PAT O’CONNOR PTE. EJ.M. KNIGHT.

In November 2019, the plaque that was added to the Sarnia cenotaph in the early 1990s was replaced. Edward Knight’s name, along with 25 others, was added to the Sarnia cenotaph, engraved in stone to be remembered always.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

O’CONNOR, Patrick William (#A/800440)
Patrick O’Connor, 26, wanted to do his duty to his country. Five years after serving in WWII, he enlisted in the Korean War despite being a veteran with a new life as a married father of two young children. Affectionately named “Old Man” by the younger members of his unit, the “Old Man” died saving some of his fellow soldiers. He was the first Sarnian to die in the Korean War, and when his body was recovered, among his effects was a stirring 20-line poem on Korea that he had penned the day before his death.

Patrick O’Connor was born in Sarnia on February 5, 1924, the son of James Philip and Angela Loretta (nee Barry) O’Conner. James O’Connor (a contractor, born in 1895 in Oil Springs, Ontario) and Angela Barry (born in May 1891 in St. Mary’s, Perth, Ontario) were married on January 2, 1918, at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Sarnia. James and Angela had six children together: sons James Michael Barry (born 1919, went by Barry); John Edward (born November 1922); Patrick William; and Joseph Peter (born 1932), and daughters Mary Catherine (born 1921, later Mrs. Lloyd Mathers); and Margaret Lorraine (born August 10, 1926, later Mrs. Barney Howard Ozment). The O’Connor family lived at 313 Maxwell Street (in 1931), then 231 Harkness Street, and later 236 Proctor Street, Sarnia. At the time of Patrick’s death, the family was living at 356 Cameron Street, Sarnia.

L-R: Lorraine, Angela, Catherine and Peter O’Connor

Matriarch Angela O’Connor with Patrick RCNVR

Two of Patrick’s brothers served in the Second World War: John Edward, a private in the Royal Canadian Army Corps (RCASC), attached to National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa; and oldest brother James Barry O’Connor who, as a member of Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Bomber Command, was killed in action against the enemy in April 1943 (James Barry O’Connor’s story is included the World War II section of this Project).

Composite picture of the three O’Connor brothers who served in WWII. John Edward (L), Patrick (C) and Barry (R)

Patrick O’Connor was born and raised in Sarnia. He was a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic parish and was educated at Our Lady of Mercy Elementary School and St. Patrick’s Catholic High School. Upon graduating in 1941, 17-year-old Patrick enlisted with the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR). He would serve four-and-a-half years with the RCNVR as a Stoker 1st Class on convoy duty from Newfoundland to Londonderry. When Patrick enlisted, his brother Barry, who had enlisted in August 1940, was already overseas serving with the RCAF. They never saw each other again.

One of the ships that Patrick O’Connor served on during WWII was the Royal Canadian destroyer, H.M.C.S. Gatineau (H61), dubbed one of the “seagoingest” ships in the Canadian service. The ship had been tagged with this nickname because since being commissioned by the RCN in June of 1943, it had spent more than 80 percent of her time at sea. Besides Stoker Patrick O’Connor, other local men in the crew were Seaman Petty Officer A. Horley (son of Mr. and Mrs. C.W. Horley of 131 John Street, Sarnia); Able Bodied Seaman Arthur Forbes (of Forest); and Able Bodied Seaman A. Whitmarsh (of Dresdan).

By August 1944, the Gatineau had spent months carrying out convoy sweeps, anti-submarine patrols, forays with the enemy, strenuous rehearsals for D-Day and patrol operations in the English Channel during the assault on France. The Gatineau’s experiences during that time included the probable destruction of an enemy E-boat in the English Channel; “assists” in successful attacks on two U-boats; and the shooting down of a number German robot bombs (V-1s). Lieutenant Commander Harold Groos said it was likely that the men of the Gatineau had seen the first of the V-1 bombs in use during their operations in the English Channel a few days after D-Day.

It was while patrolling the Atlantic that Patrick received word that Barry was missing in action. Warrant Officer Class II James Michael Barry O’Connor, along with the rest of his 7-man crew, lost their lives when the RCAF #419 Squadron Halifax Bomber aircraft they were in failed to return from a night operation off the coast of Norway on April 28, 1943. The aircraft and crew were never found, and it was not until early 1944 that Barry O’Connor was officially listed as Previously reported missing after air operations, now for official purposes, presumed dead.

Patrick survived World War II and returned to Sarnia. He met the love of his life when his friends and he were at the popular outdoor dance hall, Kenwick-on-the-Lake, in Bright’s Grove. She was a diminutive redhead who, after her father passed away when she was five, and with nine siblings at home, she quit school after grade eight and worked to help support the family. On October 19, 1946, Patrick married Vera Irene (nee Moore) at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church at a noon ceremony. Vera was the daughter of Mrs. Janet Moore of 213 Cromwell Street and the late W.R. Moore. At the time of their marriage, Patrick’s parents, James and Angela, were residing at 236 Proctor Street.

Patrick and Vera O’Connor originally lived on Charlesworth Drive. Within three years, they were blessed with two children: daughter Terri Patricia, born August 16, 1947, at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Sarnia; and son Michael Moore, born January 14, 1949. Charlesworth Drive and the area surrounding it were not yet developed fully, and Vera didn’t want to be living “out in the country” with two young ones while Patrick was working. In 1949, the family moved to a newly built house at 735 Oak Avenue.

To support his family, Patrick took on any available jobs; for a while, he worked in labour gangs and on the boats for Imperial Oil. He then took a position as a salesman and deliveryman for Wonder Bread, where he operated a delivery wagon pulled by a horse named Betsy.

Tragedy struck the family on December 21, 1949, when a pregnant Vera gave birth to twin boys prematurely. Four days before Christmas, twins Jon and Gerald died at birth at St. Joseph’s Hospital. Their lungs had not had time to develop properly, and they succumbed to HMD (Hyaline Membrane Disease), a respiratory disease often found in infants born prematurely.

Patrick embraced fatherhood, cherishing his time with Terri and Michael. He was an intelligent and compassionate person who had an innate desire to help others. His plan was to attend medical school in a few years, and Vera was confident her husband would make an excellent doctor. As the summer of 1950 approached, the future looked bright for the O’Connor family.

Patrick O’Connor and Vera discussed his decision to enlist. Vera was supportive of her husband, but pointed out that they had two small children and only one income. She also reminded her husband he’d served four years as a stoker aboard RCN corvettes escorting North Atlantic convoys during the last war; that Barry’s disappearance and death still affected the entire family; that they were still grieving from the deaths of their twin boys only seven months ago; and that maybe it was up to someone else this time. But Patrick insisted that “somebody had to stop the communists.”

On the morning of August 21, 1950, five days after the family celebrated Terri’s third birthday, Patrick O’Connor said his goodbyes at home—the family didn’t have the cab fare to get everyone to the train station—and took the train to London to enlist with the Canadian to Army.

Patrick saying good-bye to Terri and Michael

Patrick O’Connor, 26, enlisted for service in the Korean War with the Canadian Army on August 21, 1950, in London, Ontario. He became a member of the 25th Canadian Infantry Brigade, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR) – “D” Company.

Following initial training, the regiment was transferred to Fort Lewis, Washington, in November 1950, for further training. The 25th Canadian Infantry Brigade was comprised of units that included the 2^nd Battalion of the RCR, the Royal 22e Regiment, the Royal Canadian Engineers, the Royal Canadian Dragoons, and the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery. From April 19-21, 1951, the Brigade set sail from Seattle aboard troopships bound for the Korean war-zone. While at sea, among the bits of news that they received were the results of a new Canadian census reporting a population of just over 14 million; reports of the Princess Patricia’s (PPCLI) epic stand at Kapyong; and that US President Truman had fired the UN commander-in-chief, Douglas MacArthur.

Landing at Pusan (now known as Busan) in early May 1951, the Canadians had a brief period of acclimatization and training—a time to acquaint themselves with the best battle tactics in the hilly country. After approximately a week of climbing the hills around Pusan, the brigade began moving northeast to the front.

After witnessing the horrors in his service in WWII, Patrick’s one desire was to help save lives. His specific role with “D” Company of the 2nd Battalion, RCR (2RCR) was that of a stretcher-bearer. At 27 years of age, and a veteran of World War II, Patrick was a little older than the other members of his company, most who were teenagers. He had become a popular figure with his fellow soldiers who fondly referred to him as “the old man.”. In turn, he let them know they were his “boys.”

Patrick’s family was never far from his thoughts and in quiet moments on the journey and in Korea, he wrote often to them. He carried a notepad with him and when he found time, he composed poems and rebus stories (stories with drawings) to his three-year-old daughter, Terri, and his infant son, Michael. Sometimes the rebus showed stick men or trees or the sun, but every note or story signed off “Love and kisses. Pat.”

As they advanced north towards the 38^th Parallel, the Canadians took note of the challenging landscape. Up and down the Korean peninsula were cone-shaped, rust-coloured hills that were not the least bit conducive to conventional warfare. The steep, jagged hills featured rocky outcrops and little natural vegetation except for dwarf pine trees. One ridge looked like every other ridge and beyond each ridge was another and yet another. Rather than giving the endless monotony of hills names, the Canadians simply numbered each hill according to its height in metres above sea level. Much of the Korean War was a “war of the hills”, against an enemy that was both ruthless and elusive, skillful and persistent, often silent and always deadly.

By May 27, 1951, the 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, along with the Royal 22e Regiment, began an advance north of the 38th Parallel. It halted near the burnt-out North Korean village known as Chail-li, at the foot of a formidable mountain barrier named Kakhul-Bong (Hill 467). This area was a main supply gateway for war materials the Chinese shipped down from Manchuria. It was also an important Communist communications centre. The Hill 467 peak offered a clear view northward some 30 kilometres, and to the south, one could see all the way to the 38th parallel. The area would be vigorously defended by a highly trained and well-equipped Chinese army. The Canadians didn’t know it, but the Chinese troops on top of Hill 467 had been observing the Canadians’ advance and had dug in for the impending attack.

The RCR battalion’s first full-scale action of the war was to attack Hill 467 and the adjacent village of Chail-li that lay beyond it. The plan was for “A” Company to seize the village of Chail-li to the north of the hill; “B” Company was to secure the left flank by occupying Hill 162 to the west; and “C” Company was to capture the lower Hill 269 between Chail-li and Hill 467.

The main assault on the twin peaks of Kakhul-bong (Hill 467) was assigned to “D” Company. RCR Platoon commander Lt. Don Stickland recalled that On May 30, the major [Harry Boates] told us we were moving north toward this huge Gibraltar-of-a-hill… And he says, ‘You’ll be covered first of all by artillery and then by aircraft. Nothing to it, just go to the top of the hill and occupy it.’

The operation began in the early morning of May 30, 1951, under a grey, misty and drizzly sky. The weather soon turned with buffeting winds and a driving rainstorm that made traction in the sloppy mud even more difficult. “B” Company reached its objective, Hill 162, with relative ease. “A” Company reached the village of Chail-li ahead of schedule, but soon found itself nearly surrounded by approaching Chinese. “C” Company reached Hill 269 just as quickly, but was soon pinned down by enemy fire. The scene up Kakhul-bong (Hill 467) was much worse.

The inclement weather meant the 100 soldiers of “D” Company had to struggle get proper footing as they slogged up the steep, muddy, rocky terrain. The weather made it impossible for pilots to fly, so the air support that was vital to the success of the assault was lacking, as was the ineffectiveness of the artillery. Edward Mastronardi, an intelligence officer in the 2RCR, explained, “The weather was so overcast and the skies so grey that the artillery couldn’t see their targets. They were reduced to doing map shoots which weren’t accurate at all.”

Initially, “D” Company did not encounter any enemy soldiers on Hill 467, but that was about to change. Chinese marksmen, lying in trenches and behind cover, patiently waited for the Canadians to get closer. When “D” Company made it halfway up the hill, the Chinese unleashed a deadly barrage.

Lieutenant Don Stickland, in charge of No. 12 Platoon in “D” Company recalled, “Our guys were pretty gung-ho when we started. I had one platoon ahead of me and a couple more behind… And there was no problem. Half way up the hill, approaching a small plateau, there was a sudden burst of firing.” Stickland first heard moaning ahead of him. Then another machine-gun burst. More shouts. One man had been hit in the stomach, another nicked in the head. A third was hysterical and screaming, “I’m hit! I’m hit! Save me!” To his left, Stickland’s corporal, R.A. Edmonds, had been hit and was crumpled over with his Sten gun slung awkwardly around his neck. Edmonds died moments later in the lieutenant’s arms.

Meanwhile, the same light machine-gun fire from the Chinese had pinned down the two platoons that were following. They too had sustained wounded, and stretcher-bearer Patrick O’Connor had successfully removed several of the fallen.

Fellow Sarnian and RCR stretcher-bearer Ed Haslip never forgot his friend Pat O’Connor. He remembered O’Connor moving through the dead and dying, giving them comfort, bandaging wounds, occasionally praying with them, all while ignoring his own exposed position. In a couple of cases, dying men held his hand and whispered their final words in his ear. To others who were wounded he gave support, told them they would be okay, and occasionally dried their tears of pain and fear that he saw on so many of the young faces around him.

In an attempt to silence the machine-gun fire, Stickland had a sergeant and two section leaders lay down covering fire, and he began a flanking move. When the gunfire from the Chinese position stopped momentarily, Stickland turned to see Patrick O’Connor dashing up toward him to assist in removing the wounded.

With the platoon pinned down by heavy fire, in the chaos and confusion, Patrick O’Connor, the “old man” of his platoon, kept his promise to look after his “boys.” He approached Lt. Don Stickland, and said To the hell with it, I’m going after my boys. These were the last words he is known to have spoken.

There was another burst from the machine gun. It caught O’Connor in the body. He stumbled over his stretcher and rolled over dead. Patrick O’Connor and another stretcher-bearer, in their gallant desire to render first aid to a wounded comrade, were killed almost instantaneously.

Stickland later recalled that it was also about this time in the battle that he realized that none of the air strikes nor any of the artillery cover promised by Major Boates had ever materialized. To add to the discomfort and confusion, the farther up the peak Stickland’s platoon moved, the heavier the rain and the muddier the ground became. All the while, Stickland’s radio operator, Private Mancuso, kept sending messages and information to the rear where company headquarters was located. The only response heard was the calm voice of company commander Major Boates, saying, “Move on. Move on. They’re not firing now!”

Stickland’s platoon won the skirmish for the western peak, but fighting for the eastern peak continued into the afternoon. Repeated attempts failed to dislodge the defenders who took advantage of an extensive trench system, mortar fire, and a well-placed machine-gun on the pinnacle of the hill. With all four companies in trouble—

“D” Company stuck on the western peak of Hill 467; “A” Company nearly surrounded at Chail-li; and “B” and “C” Companies becoming increasingly isolated from the two main battle areas—brigade headquarters ordered all companies to begin a fighting withdrawal.

By 1900 hours, with the 2nd RCHA artillery laying down a screen of fire against the pressing Chinese, the last company had pulled clear of the hills. The Royal Canadian Regiment could not hold Chail-li or take Hill 467. The Canadian casualties that day were six killed (including Patrick O’Connor) and 54 wounded. None of the wounded or fallen soldiers were left behind.

On May 30, the day after Patrick fell in action, calm weather conditions gave the Americans the clear skies for aerial support they needed. A battalion of 1,000 U.S. soldiers, ten times the force of the Canadians, drove the Chinese out and seized Hill 467.

Following is the account by Lt. Don Stickland, 2nd Battalion of The Royal Canadian Regiment, whose platoon was ambushed by a Chinese machine gun group:

We were given the task of replacing D Company. Half way up the hill we ran into a small enemy machine gun group. We were coming up a well-worn path, more or less spread out. We came just up to the halfway point, to a bit of an open area. When the machine gun opened up, I recognized it was Chinese. Some of our guys got under a rock. Some were left in the open; some were killed outright. I tried to organize a counter attack. Our third section had just disappeared. Seven were wounded in my platoon.

We tried to throw some grenades. There was not much you could do. I could hear all these voices below. Paddy (O’Connor) was the stretcher-bearer for the Company. He came running up with the stretcher over his shoulder and took cover beside me. After a few minutes, he said, ‘To hell with it I’m going after my boys’ and stood up. He was right beside me. All of a sudden he rolled over dead. We were all so close. He had been shot three or four times. The stretcher hit the ground and then the first aid kit. Corporal Edmunds had been hit, too. He had a Sten gun round his neck and he asked me to remove it because it was uncomfortable. It all happened so fast I can’t remember the details. He died.

We went up to the top of the hill eventually. Some people say they saw hordes of Chinese. Apart from the two Chinese I saw dead in the trench, I never saw any. Rockingham ordered us back. Our men performed marvelously.

On that day of battle, 2nd Battalion, RCR, also learned something about its allies. Like all United Nations’ units, it had its attached details of the Korean Service Corps. Our bearers, wrote Lt. Stickland, quickly came up, bringing our reserve ammunition. One of their lads, when we first came under fire, grabbed a rifle from one of our wounded and was quite ready to do his share in the fighting. The Koreans waved me aside and took over the task of laying out the three bodies and carrying them to the rear. This they did with a certain reverence, as though it were a privilege to look after our fallen.

A week after the battle for Chail-li and Hill 467, when he was behind the lines, Don Stickland drew a cartoon in the sketch pad he always carried with him, of the RCR soldiers crawling up Hill 467. Bullets from the Chinese machine guns are ricocheting everywhere, including off the radio set from which the major’s words were still ringing: “Move on. Move on. They’re not firing now!”

Private Patrick O’Connor had been in Korea for only one month, and was in action just five days before losing his life on May 30, 1951, less than one year after enlisting. He was the first Sarnian to be killed in the Korean War.

Ed Haslip saw O’Connor cut down by the enemy machine gun fire, saying He died trying to save the lives of the men with him. In my opinion, he should have received the Victoria Cross. He was a completely selfless and dedicated soldier, as well as a wonderful human being.

Patrick’s widow, Vera O’Connor, still residing at 735 Oak Avenue, learned of his death from officers of the Regiment. Reverend A.J. Ruth, Roman Catholic Chaplain with the Royals, wrote the following about Patrick: He died as a soldier trying to help a wounded comrade and your children may be justly proud of their father. Lt.-Col. Keane, Officer Commanding, 2nd Battalion, R.C.R.s also wrote Mrs. O’Connor: Your husband was a very fine man, well-liked by all, and with a courage that can only be part of a fine moral character. Vera also received a letter from Lt. Don Stickland. He praised the heroism of Patrick O’Connor: On the day Pat was killed, my platoon was leading an attack on ‘Hill 467’. Half way up the mountain my forward section came under intense fire which killed two and wounded four others. Pat came running up the hill, ignoring the danger to himself in his desire to get to the wounded. A burst of fire hit Pat… He lived only long enough to reach for his missal… He died as he had lived, trying to aid others with his wonderful unselfishness.

A short time later, Patrick O’Connor’s personal effects arrived at the family home in Sarnia, including that prayer book, a wallet, a bracelet, a comb, some snapshots, a tobacco pouch, and a writing pad. Vera hid them from her children because they were splotched with his blood. In December, a letter arrived from the parents of Private Howard Root, a wounded soldier O’Connor had brought away from the battle of Hill 467. Enclosed was a slip of paper and a poem that Patrick O’Connor had written.

A few hours after O’Connor had been killed, Private Root was gathering up O’Connor’s personal belongings

for shipment to his widow in Sarnia. While doing so, a sheaf of tattered paper fell to the mud floor of the bunker

where he had spent his last day on earth. On one of the pages was a poem, one that O’Connor was seen writing the night before he was killed. The paper was passed around the bunker, and a clutch of misty-eyed young soldiers with trembling hands read the heart-wrenching words that might well have been an epitaph not only for Patrick O’Connor, but for all the brave young men who lost their lives in Korea.

Following is Patrick O’Connor’s poem written May 29, 1951:

Korea

There is blood on the hills of Korea

T’is blood of the brave and the true

Where the 25th brigade battled together

Under the banner of red, white and blue

As they marched over the fields of Korea

To the hills where the enemy lay

They remembered the Brigadier’s order

These hills must be taken to-day

Forward they marched into battle

With faces unsmiling and stern

They knew as they charged the hillside

There were some who would never return

Some thought of their wives and their mothers

Some thought of their sweethearts so fair

And some as they plodded and stumbled

Were reverently whispering a prayer

There is blood on the hills of Korea

It’s the gift of the freedom they love

May their names live in glory forever

And their souls rest in heaven above

[Note: Today, Patrick’s photo and framed copy of “Korea” hang on the south wall inside the Royal Canadian Legion on Front Street.]

The reality of the Korean War hit home in Sarnia with the May 31, 1951, Canadian (Sarnia) Observer front page headline, Sarnia Man, 27, Father of Two, Dies in Korea. Following is a portion of that news article:

The Korea War came right into Sarnia today when it claimed the life of Private Patrick O’Connor, 27, husband of Mrs. Vera Irene (Moore) O’Connor, 735 Oak street (Eastview subdivision). Word of his death was received here last night. The young father of two, who had served his country in World War Two, answered the call for recruits last August when the Canadian Special Service Brigade for Korea was ordered as part of the United Nations Forces… He was in action on the quickly changing battlefront only five days when he was killed yesterday, It was yesterday that Red Chinese troops massed in attack against positions held by the Ontario regiment. Late reports indicated that the battle was still raging for possession of a key position on the central front…

The following is a portion of an editorial from the June 1, 1951 Sarnia Observer:

The first Sarnian to make the supreme sacrifice in the Korean War has been Private Patrick William O’Connor… He has died, as did his brother, Warrant Officer Barry O’Connor and others in the Second World War, in an effort to preserve our way of life… Private O’Connor after having served during the previous hostilities and in consideration of the sacrifice of one life already made by his family in that struggle against German domination, might have been excused had he chosen to ignore the call for volunteers to combat the current Communist aggression and remain at home with his wife and young family. The fact that he did not do so but rather again answered his country’s call should be an inspiration to others to emulate his patriotism and valor… The sympathy of the community goes out to those who are bereft by the scourge of war. Casualties among our fighting men bring home to us all the tragedy of such conflicts but they also emphasize that our freedoms are not cheaply bought or preserved.

A few days after receiving the news of Patrick O’Connor’s death, the Rev. Father A.N. Nolan, pastor of St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, led a memorial military mass at St. Peter’s Church. The Sarnia Observer detailed some of the details of his death in early July 1951, under the heading, “Sarnia Veteran Sacrificed Life To Aid Wounded”.

Years after Patrick’s death, Vera disclosed to local reporter, Dan McCaffery, that she had had a premonition that something horrible was going to occur that day. She recalled that she had been uptown in Sarnia on that very grey, overcast Wednesday and “felt something was terribly wrong.”

Twenty-seven-year-old Patrick O’Connor is buried in the United Nations Cemetery in Busan, South Korea. He also has a memorial plaque on the Korea Veteran’s National Wall of Remembrance in Meadowvale Cemetery, in Brampton, Ontario. This memorial has plaques for each of the 516 Canadian service men who died while serving with the Canadian Forces in Korea.

His name is also inscribed on the Monument to Canadian Fallen (Korean War Monument) in Busan and in Ottawa.

Patrick has many well-deserved citations: 1939-1945 Star; France and Germany Star; Defence Medal; War Medal 1939-45; Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with Clasp; Korea Medal; and United Nations Service Medal Korea.

Patrick’s daughter, Terri, attended the unveiling of the National Wall of Remembrance in July 1997. Terri, who grew up feeling “I only had a father on Remembrance Day”, had pursued legal channels to have his remains returned to Canada; however, she accepted her father being buried in Korea when she kept hearing other veterans say that her father’s body belonged where he had fought. According to Terry, “he’s where he’s supposed to be and we can come here to the monument.”

For parents James and Angela O’Connor, they had now lost two sons in war: Barry of the RCAF in April 1943 and Patrick eight years later. On the November 11, 1952, Remembrance Day ceremony held in Victoria Park in Sarnia, over 30 wreaths were laid at the foot of the Sarnia cenotaph. The first wreath laid that day was by Vera O’Connor, now a widow with two young children—Terri Patricia, age five, and Michael, age three-and-a-half.

Before she had lost the twins, Vera’s mother, Janet Moore, and Elsie Moore, one of Vera’s sister’s, had been residing with Patrick, Vera, Terri Patricia, and Michael. After Patrick was lost in war, Grandma Janet and Aunt Elsie continued to reside with Vera and the two children. Janet Moore passed away in 1953, but Vera and Aunt Elsie together raised Terri Patricia and Michael in a disciplined, loving environment. Vera supported her family by working at Autolite (later Prestolite) beginning in the late 1930s, where she worked for over 36 years.

At various times when she was laid off from Autolite, Vera always found employment: at Patterson’s restaurant, Woolworth Five and Dime, the YMCA, the Boulevard restaurant, the Chipican restaurant, the Gateway and at Zellers. Terri and Michael described Vera as an amazing mother and spectacular grandmother.

Vera O’Connor passed away in August 2002 at the age of 80 and is buried in Lakeview Cemetery (the same location that Elsie Moore is buried). She wanted to be buried with the twins, but they were in the children’s portion of Our Lady of Mercy Cemetery and it was not allowed. Vera O’Connor was, like Patrick, a loving parent and hero.

There is a memorial headstone in Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Cemetery in Sarnia that has inscribed on it the names of six O’Connor family members, including James and Angela O’Connor, and their children Joseph Peter, Mary Catherine, W.O. Barry R.C.A.F. and Pte. Patrick O’Connor R.C.R

In November 2019, the plaque that was added to the Sarnia cenotaph in the early 1990s was replaced. Patrick O’Connor’s name, along with 25 others, was added to the Sarnia cenotaph, engraved in stone to be remembered always.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

More information on this soldier is available in

Valour Remembered: Sarnia-Lambton War Stories by Tom Slater and Tom St. Amand

TOOLE, John Richard (#B801850)
Born in Point Edward, John Toole moved to Hamilton with his family when he was 12. In August 1950, at age 21, he enlisted in the Korean War 1950 and was in action by February. On October 11, 1951, Corporal Toole was killed in fighting on Hill 187. His patrol engaged an enemy patrol early in the morning and John did not receive the signal to retire with the rest of his patrol. His fellow soldiers heard the firing of his Sten gun and then silence. His body was never recovered.

John Toole was born in Point Edward on March 30, 1929, the son of Charles Elgin and Ellen “Nellie” Sadie (nee Foster) Toole. Charles Toole was born on January 7, 1910, in Sarnia. In 1911, one-year-old Charles was residing with his family at 191 Durand St. Ten years later, the Toole family was residing at 141 Napier St.—father John, mother Ellen, 11-year-old Charles, and his two brothers and one sister.

Nellie Foster was born on February 10, 1910, in Hamilton, Ontario. By 1911, the Foster family was residing on Michigan Avenue in Point Edward—father John, mother Mary, one-year-old Nellie, and her three sisters. Ten years later, the Foster family was still residing on Michigan Ave. in Point Edward—parents John and Mary, 11-year-old Nellie, and her six sisters and one brother.

On November 10, 1928, Charles Toole and Nellie Foster, both 18 years old at the time, were married in Point Edward. Charles was employed as a fireman at the time. Charles and Nellie Toole had five children together: sons John Richard; James Norman (born January 1936); and Allan Charles; and daughters Elizabeth Jean and Linda May.

In 1931, Charles and Nellie were residing with the Nellie’s parents at 206 Michigan Ave., Point Edward—John and Mary Foster, their son William; their daughters Carla, Catharine and Lorna; adopted son Frederick; along with Charles and Nellie Toole, and their children John Richard (age two) and Betty Jean (newborn).

John Toole attended Point Edward Public School.

When John was 12 years old, the Toole family moved to Hamilton. There, John attended high school for two years, after which he worked in the Steel Company of Canada until he enlisted.

On August 22, 1950, John Toole, age 21 and single, enlisted in the Canadian Army in Toronto. He trained in Calgary, becoming a member of the 2^nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) R.C.I.C. – D Company, attaining the rank of corporal.

In mid-September 1950, the situation in Korea had changed dramatically. A daring United Nations amphibious assault led by U.S. forces at the port of Inchon suddenly reversed the tide of the war. The South Korean capital Seoul was recaptured; Allied forces broke out of the Pusan Perimeter; the shattered enemy was driven back across the 38^th Parallel; and by the end of October, UN and South Korean forces had advanced well into North Korea. With the UN successes, the end of the war seemed imminent; some predicted the war would be over by Christmas.

For a time, it was uncertain whether or not Canadians, who had yet to do any serious advanced training, would get to Korea before the war ended. It was decided that Canada would only send one battalion to the Far East, to be used for occupation duties. The unit chosen was the 2^nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (2PPCLI). It was estimated that the battalion would be ready for action, if needed, by March 15, 1951.

Corporal Toole embarked overseas with the first contingent of Canadians to leave for Korea. On a rainy Saturday, November 25, 1950, 900+ members of the Patricia’s (2PPCLI) set sail from Seattle across the Pacific. Their commander was World War II veteran Lt-Col. Jim R. Stone, who today, is revered by many in the PPCLI as the greatest Canadian soldier who ever fought.

It was on board the U.S. built Liberty-class ships crossing the Pacific that average Canadian soldiers learned about some basic differences between themselves and their American counterparts. Most of the GIs were draftees, conscripted by US selective service legislation, while most of the Canadian servicemen were volunteer enlistees.

After nearly 20 days at sea in a crowded ship on a heaving ocean, on December 14, 1950, the Canadians’ ship pulled into Tokyo Bay and tied up at the port of Yokohama. By the time the Canadians’ ship reached its destination, the war situation in Korea had completely changed. Instead of doing “occupational duty” or having time to acclimatize and to train, the emphasis had shifted to the speed with which the battalion could be thrown into action.

On December 18, the PPCLI boarded trucks and travelled to the city of Mokto, an island on the edge of Pusan. In 1950, Pusan was the second-largest city in the country, though its inhabitants were impoverished and lived in mud-huts and shacks and travelled on narrow, potholed roads. By far the most powerful recollection soldiers had of their first contact with Pusan was “the smell”. Soldiers remembered the overpowering stench of human excrement which was used to fertilize the fields. They saw people rooting through garbage. And many of the Canadian volunteers remembered asking themselves, “What in the world am I doing here?”

Two days after Christmas, the PPCLI battalion moved out of Pusan 80 kilometres north to begin their intensive training in weapons and tactics. Training included extensive hill-climbing, cross-country manoeuvres, and battle exercises incorporating their own firearms—.303 Lee-Enfield bolt-action rifles, Bren guns, 81-mm mortars and Vickers medium machine guns.

By February 1951, the Patricias were on the move and had joined the 27th British Commonwealth Infantry Brigade (with two British and one Australian battalion) in a general advance against Chinese and North Korean forces fighting rearguard actions south of the 38th parallel. The Canadians travelled around 150 miles, most of the way by truck. Progress was difficult, as hills rose on either side; hill positions had to be dug through deep snow; and the weather was bitterly cold. Finally, the trucks could go no farther, so the troops clambered off, and began a five-mile march to the front lines. Uphill, downhill, through scrub brush, over half-frozen creeks, and over slippery, jagged rocks, they advanced to within a quarter mile of the front when, on February 19, they stumbled onto something that none of them ever forgot.

On that morning, the Canadians came across a grisly discovery—littered along the side of the makeshift trail were broken, bloody, grotesque-looking, half-frozen bodies of 68 American soldiers. The entire company had been ambushed during the night—the Chinese had crept down and slaughtered the entire company while it slept. From that point on, Col. Stone of the PPCLI ordered that there would be no sleeping bags when troops were in the line, and at night, soldiers were forbidden to pull parka hoods over their heads.

Also, as they advanced north towards the 38^th Parallel, the Canadians took note of the challenging landscape. Up and down the Korean peninsula were cone-shaped, rust-coloured hills that were not the least bit conducive to conventional warfare. The steep, jagged hills featured rocky outcrops and little natural vegetation except for dwarf pine trees. One ridge looked like every other ridge and beyond each ridge was another and yet another. Rather than giving the endless monotony of hills names, the Canadians simply numbered each hill according to its height in metres above sea level. Much of the Korean War was a “war of the hills”, against an enemy that was both ruthless and elusive, skillful and persistent, often silent and always deadly.

For the Patricias, the first battalion objectives included Hills 404, 444, 419 and 532. It was during this time that the Canadians first saw napalm used against the enemy. In February and March of 1951, the Canadians were thrown into a series of skirmishes and battles chasing Chinese troops northward, not allowing them to break contact or regain strength. By early April, U.S. forces and the Commonwealth Brigade, including the Patricias, had reached the 38th Parallel. Later that month, in the valley of the Kapyong River, the communists began their spring offensive back into South Korea.

Some of the heaviest fighting Canadian soldiers experienced in the war took place during the Battle of Kapyong in April 1951. The victory here was one of Canada’s greatest, yet least-known, military achievements. For two days, a battalion of roughly 700 Canadian troops of the 2PPCLI helped defend a crucial hill (Hill 677) in the front lines against a force of about 5,000 Chinese soldiers. For their heroic efforts in holding the line at Kapyong against overwhelming odds, the 2PPCLI were awarded the United States Presidential Distinguished Unit Citation—the first and only time a Canadian unit had been so honoured.

Canadian patrols each had a different strength and mandate: a fighting patrol, usually platoon-size (30 men), would attack an enemy outpost to capture a prisoner or create a diversion; an ambush patrol of 15-30 men would set a trap in an area that Chinese patrols were sure to operate; a recce patrol (about 5 men) would retrieve information on enemy defences and movements; an escort patrol worked with engineers or pioneers while they carried out their tasks; and a standing patrol worked out in front of a company to give early warning of any enemy activity.

On October 11, 1951, only a few weeks after returning to front line action, Corporal John Toole lost his life during fighting on Hill 187 in South Korea. He had gone out on an “escort” patrol that night to guard a group of volunteers laying a communication line. At about 3 a.m., his patrol engaged an enemy patrol that was threatening the wiring party. He failed to get a signal to retire with the rest of the patrol and was left behind. Communist soldiers moved into the area and his Sten gun was heard firing until 3 a.m. followed by silence. Four of the Patricias were wounded and one who had been killed in action was recovered. Corporal Toole was never located, despite a lengthy search.

In mid-October of 1951, Sarnia citizens read in the Sarnia Observer that Corporal John Richard (Dicky) Toole, former Point Edward youth, was reported “missing in Korea”. His Sarnia relatives included Mr. and Mrs. John M. Toole, grandparents on East Street; Mrs. John Foster, grandmother; Mrs. Thomas Prudence, Mrs. George Harris, Mrs. Harry Ireland and Mrs. Gordon Burgess, all aunts; and Orville Toole, an uncle.

Nineteen months later, in early May 1953, the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR) took part in a fierce battle on this same Hill 187. On the night of May 2, several RCR platoons, while carrying out their routine patrols, were ambushed by an overwhelming number of Chinese troops. Miraculously, a few of the RCR survived, and made their way back to Canadian-held positions. The enemy then launched a massive attack, beginning with an artillery and mortar bombardment. This was followed by machine gun and grenade fire as waves of enemy infantry swarmed the RCRs. As they overran the RCR positions, the battle degenerated into rifle fire, grenades, bayonets and hand-to-hand combat. At the height of the battle, one of the RCR platoon commanders called down, and received, a UN artillery bombardment on his own trenches to disperse the enemy. Continued fire into the early morning hours of May 3 eventually drove the Chinese out of the Hill 187 area.

The Canadians repulsed the attack and re-occupied their positions, but the RCRs lost more soldiers that night than any other Canadian battalion did in a single engagement during the Korean War—26 killed, 27 wounded and seven taken prisoner. It was the Canadian Army’s last major firefight of the Korean War.

The RCRs who fought in the Hill 187 battle were not forgotten. In the Afghanistan War, in 2002 when the base for the 2,000-strong Canadian contingent of the ISAF was established in Kabul, it was named Camp Julien in honour of Corporal George Patrick Julien, 3RCR, who was awarded the Military Medal for his actions at Hill 187 in May 1953.

On July 27, 1953, the day the armistice was signed, ending the Korean War, the Canadian Army issued a list of 45 personnel reported as missing in action or as prisoner-of-war. The air force reported one missing Canadian. Included on the Canadian Army’s published “missing in action” list was Corporal John Richard Toole, Hamilton, Ontario. There was hope, although slim, that some soldiers in the missing category might prove to have been captured. Hope dwindled with reports from the Communists that they would return 14 Canadians they were holding as prisoners-of-war.

The task of exchanging prisoners began in early August 1953 when the North Koreans released 400 Allied POWs, including Cpl. Joseph Pelletier of nearby Chatham, Ontario. Relatives of John Toole in Sarnia anxiously awaited word of his whereabouts. For 22 months, no word was heard from him. His name had been given out as a prisoner, but the U.N. had never been able to confirm the fact. Parents and relatives had received no letters from him, and the first definite word heard was the mention of his name in connection with a Red propaganda broadcast from North Korea. Early reports were that he had been captured and shot in the back.

Initially reported as captured in October 11, 1951, it was not until March 5, 1952, that it was reported that he was a prisoner. In August of 1953, his mother, Ellen (Nellie) Toole, in Hamilton said, “Our thoughts were with him all the time. Somehow, I knew he would come back. His buddies on the patrol felt that he would have almost certainly been taken prisoner under the circumstances”.

The last Canadian POW to be released from imprisonment in China, fighter pilot Andy MacKenzie, was on December 5, 1954, a year-and-a-half after the armistice.

Corporal John Toole would later be officially listed as Killed in action, October 11, 1951.

John Toole was awarded several well-deserved citations: Canadian Volunteer Service Medal for Korea, Korea Medal, and the United Nations Service Medal Korea.

John Toole, 22, has no known grave. He is commemorated on the Commonwealth Memorial in Busan, South Korea. The memorial is located in the United Nations Cemetery in Tanggok, a suburb of Busan. The stone memorial with bronze petals was erected to commemorate commonwealth soldiers who died and whose burial places are unknown. Twenty-one Canadians are listed on the bronze plaques, including John Toole of Point Edward, Ontario.

He also has a memorial plaque on the Korea Veteran’s National Wall of Remembrance in Meadowvale Cemetery, in Brampton, Ontario. This memorial has plaques for each of the 516 Canadian service men that died while serving with the Canadian Forces in Korea.

John Toole’s name is also inscribed on the Monument to Canadian Fallen (Korean War Monument) in Busan and in Ottawa.

John’s mother, Nellie Toole, passed away on June 26, 1958, in Hamilton.

One year later, on August 15, 1959, Charles Toole remarried, to Elsie Jane Charles, in Hamilton. Elsie was born on April 16, 1912, in Edinburgh, Scotland

Charles Toole passed away on April 5, 1990, in Hamilton. Elsie passed away on December 28, 2006, in Hamilton. Both are buried at Woodland Cemetery in Hamilton.

In November 2019, his name, along with 25 others, was added to the Sarnia cenotaph, engraved in stone to be remembered always.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

WRIGHT, John O’Hara (SB153358)
At age 19 and only two months into his stint in the Korean War, Sapper John Wright was killed in action. While carrying out one of the essential but dangerous duties of a Royal Canadian Engineer, John was fatally injured by an exploding land mine.

John O’Hara Wright was born in Sarnia on September 20, 1928, the only son of Daniel Dale and Laura Elizabeth (nee O’Hara) Wright. Daniel Wright, 20, the son of John (a farmer) and Jennie Coulter (born June 2, 1905 in Moore Township), married 19-year-old Laura Elizabeth O’Hara on December 14, 1925 in Wallaceburg, Lambton County. Laura, born May 23, 1906 in Enniskillen, Lambton County, was the daughter of James O’Hara and Laura Smith. They had obtained their marriage license a few days earlier on December 11, 1925 in Sarnia.

Prior to marrying, Laura had been residing at 512 Davis Street while Daniel was living at 109 North MacKenzie Street in Sarnia. Daniel was employed as an electrician, working first at Chambers Electric and later at Goodisons. By 1927, Daniel and Laura were residing at 174 Bright Street, Sarnia where they remained for the next two decades. For many years, Daniel worked at Union Gas.

Daniel and Laura were blessed with four children: daughters Alice Laurine, Orva Jean and Ella May; and their only son, John O’Hara. John attended public school in Sarnia and later Sarnia Collegiate Institute. He was also a member of Canon Davis Memorial Church. In the mid-to-late 1940s, the Wright family moved to Stratford, Ontario.

Nineteen-year-old John O’Hara Wright enlisted for service in the Canadian Army on April 9, 1948 in Toronto, Ontario (more than two years before the Korean War began). Two years after John enlisted, and only five years after the end of World War II, the Korean War broke out on June 25, 1950.

The first contingent chosen for overseas service was the 2^nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, arriving in Korea in mid-December 1950. The remaining units of the CASF were sent for further traiing in Fort Lewis, Washington. In mid-April 1951, the rest of the Brigade set sail from Seattle aboard troopships bound for Korea. The 25^th Canadian Infantry Brigade was comprised of units that included the 2^nd Battalion of the RCR, the Royal 22e Regiment, the Royal Canadian Dragoons, the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, and the Royal Canadian Engineers.

John Wright became a member of the Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers, with the rank of sapper. He departed for Korea in June 1951.

Changing events at the front allowed the Canadians only a short period of acclimatization and training—a time to acquaint themselves with the best battle tactics in the hilly country. After approximately a week of climbing the hills around Pusan, the Brigade began moving northeast to the front.

In early July 1951, at the Communists request, cease-fire negotiations began. These talks broke off the following month. Over the next two years, “peace talks” continued intermittently though they were always contentious and bitter. The war dragged on and, ironically, more Canadians were wounded or killed after, not before, the peace talks began.

The role of the Royal Canadian Engineers was to contribute to the survival, mobility, and combat effectiveness of the armed forces. Responsibilities include the use of demolitions and land mines; construction and maintenance of defensive works; building and maintaining roads, airfields and tunnels; breaching obstacles; establishing/maintaining lines of communications, and bridging.

A major challenge for the engineers was the nature of the Korean landscape. Up and down the Korean peninsula were cone-shaped, rust-coloured hills, interlaced with rice patties laden in the valleys, and few roads capable of carrying sustained military traffic. The area was also subject to heavy monsoon rains that reeked havoc on roads and structures.

Engineers were also tasked with locating and neutralizing enemy mines. Anti-personnel landmines and booby traps were used extensively by both forces. The Chinese and North Koreans used a mixture of relics from the Second World War as well as those manufactured in Russia and China. Some had wooden bodies that made them impossible to find with metal detectors. Others were simply mud-covered grenades, their pins replaced with mud, so that when they were kicked, the exterior would break away, allowing the grenade to detonate. “Bounding Betsies (used by both sides, also called “bouncing Betties”) were the toughest to deal with. Each “Betsie” was about three inches in diameter, eight or nine inches in length, round like a can and buried in the ground. When tripped by wire or trap, a detonator would pop the mine several feet in the air before the mine exploded, scattering deadly shrapnel, waist-high, in every direction.

Only two months after arriving overseas, Sapper John Wright lost his life while in action. On August 28, 1951, while engaged in road clearing, he was fatally injured by an exploding mine.

Following is the report of his death in the August 29, 1951 Sarnia Observer;

Sarnia Native Killed In Korea

Sapper John O’Hara Wright, 22, a native of Sarnia, yesterday died in Korea, of wounds received while on active duty with the 57^th Independent Field Squadron, Royal Canadian Engineers.

Sapper Wright was born here and lived with his parents on Bright street. He attended Sarnia public schools and Sarnia Collegiate Institute and Technical School and was a member of Canon Davis Memorial Church.

He enlisted at Owen Sound when he became 18 and served his basic training at Chilliwack, B.C., and in Montreal. He left for Japan in June, of this year, going from there to Korea.

Only son of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Dale Wright, now of Stratford, he was interested in Scout and Cub work and liked to assist in camp duties while home on leave.

According to word received by his family, Spr. Wright, 22, was fatally injured by an exploding mine. The injury was suffered while he was engaged in road clearing, it is believed.

Surviving relatives are Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Dale Wright, parents, Stratford; three sisters, Mrs. Lloyd Davey, Sarnia; Jean Wright, Owen Sound; and Ella Mae Wright, Stratford; his grandparents, Mrs. Jennie Wright, Sarnia; and Mr. and Mrs. James O’Hara, Petrolia.

John O’Hara Wright, 22, is buried in the United Nations Cemetery in Busan, South Korea, Plot 20, Row 4, Grave 1153.

John’s citations include the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal for Korea and the United Nations Service Medal Korea.

His name is also inscribed on the Monument to Canadian Fallen (Korean War Monument) in Busan and in Ottawa.

His parents Daniel and Laura passed away in 1970 and 1972 respectively. They are buried together in Hillsdale Cemetery in Petrolia. On their headstone are inscribed the words WRIGHT, D. DALE 1905-1970, HIS WIFE LAURA E. 1906-1972, SON JOHN KOREA 1951 22 YRS.

In November 2019, his name, along with 25 others, was added to the Sarnia cenotaph, engraved in stone to be remembered always.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

SARNIA’S IN THE SERVICE OF CANADA FALLEN SOLDIER

SALMONS, Milton David (C24 733 208)
Those who knew David Salmons fondly recall his multi-faceted personality: respectful and intelligent, sincere and thoughtful, amiable and mischievous. And he was undeniably driven and talented, a young man who knew what he wanted and a husband and father who accomplished much before he died at age 27 while serving Canada.

Milton David Salmons was born in Sarnia on January 29, 1953, the eldest son of Milton Taylor and Myrtle Marie (nee: Farr) Salmons. Milton David always went by his middle name, Dave. Parents Milton (born July 10, 1928 in Sarnia) and Myrtle (born August 15, 1932 in Brigden) raised four children together: Elizabeth (Beth), born in 1950; Dave, born in 1953; Jennifer, born in 1956; and Scott, born in 1963.

Milton supported his family as a truck driver with Jack Carey, later Duncan Crane and still later Sarnia Cranes. Myrtle worked for a time, beginning in the mid-1970s as an office clerk with Point Edward Camping and Trailer and later for many years with the Liquor Control Board (LCBO). Because of Milton’s career, the Salmons family moved around for a few years: to Bolton for 4-5 years and then to Rexdale for a year before returning to Sarnia. Beginning in the late 1950s, the Salmons family lived in a variety of houses—at 210 Bright Street, at 455 Wellington Street, at 539 Nassua Cr., at 131 College Ave., S., and at 118 Fairview Place. In the late 1980s, the Salmons moved to 1940 London Road. They lived there for the rest of their lives.

Dave Salmons was educated in Sarnia where he completed grade 8 at Johnston Memorial and then received his secondary schooling at Sarnia Collegiate. Outside school, a hobby he approached enthusiastically was model building. Growing up, he always had a great passion for cars, motorcycles and things that went fast. Dave was very mechanically inclined and enjoyed working on cars and motorcycles. He worked at Croucher’s gas station in Sarnia during high school and later at a gas station in Comox, B.C. when he was first married.

He also was interested in the military. As a teenager, he began his military career with #44 Sarnia Optimist Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Cadets in 1967 (in the late 1980s, it was renamed the 44 Sarnia Imperial Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Cadets). His success was capped on his graduation in May 1970 when he was awarded one of two Flying Scholarships—a course valued at $700 that enabled him to obtain his private pilot’s license and to wear the coveted Air Cadet Wings. David went on to earn his Glider Wings in Chatham and his Power Wings in Trenton. Years later his sister Jennifer said, “It wasn’t a surprise that he found his bliss in the Air Force first as an aeroframe tech to ultimately in the cockpit of various aircraft. His first taste of flight came while in Air Cadets as he took his first flight in a glider. He was hooked.”

#44 Squadron Air Cadet Salmons (L) (at Northgate Plaza)

In the summer of 1972, 19-year-old Dave met the love of his life in Sarnia, 18-year-old Sandra “Sandy” Ruth Martin. They met at a party at Dave’s friends’ house, Morris Stuckey, in Bright’s Grove. The daughter of Arthur James Martin (born 1926 in Burnaby, B.C.) and Ruth Carmela Underwood (born 1930 in Vancouver, B.C.), Sandy was born in Calgary, Alberta, on September 15, 1954. The Martin family moved to Sarnia in 1959. She had attended Lake Road Public School and then Northern Collegiate.

A year after meeting, on July 13, 1973, Private David Salmons married Sandy Martin at Grace United Church on Cathcart Road in Sarnia. Less than five months earlier, David had enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces.

Dave and Sandy, newly married, Grace United Church, July 1973

Back: Grandparents Jessie & Archie Salmons Middle: Arthur & Ruth Martin, Myrtle & Milton Salmons Front: Sandy & Dave

Siblings: L-R: Doug, Carol & Dave Martin; Sandy and Dave; Jennifer, Scott & Beth Salmons

Twenty-year-old Dave Salmons enlisted with the Canadian Armed Forces on February 26, 1973, at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Cornwallis, Nova Scotia. His plan was to become a mechanic in the military. He underwent his basic training at CFB Cornwallis and did quite well. A letter received by his mother Myrtle at her Wellington Street home in late June 1973 from Captain T.E. Connors, Base Commander, reveals how successful he was there:

Dear Mrs. Salmons:

It is with pleasure that I inform you that your son has successfully completed an eleven week Basic Recruit Training Course, and will shortly leave Cornwallis for further training and subsequent employment as an Aero Engine Technician with the Canadian Armed Forces.

Milton was particularly successful in his training in that he received the “Commandant’s Shield”, awarded to the Best All Round Recruit in Course No. 7315.

After graduating as top cadet from CFB Cornwallis, and being awarded the Commandants Shield, he set off for training at CFB Borden in July 1973, the same month that he got married. So, newlyweds David and Sandy set off for Barrie where they rented an apartment in the downtown and lived there while David completed his training at CFB Borden. Dave was at CFB Borden from July 1973 to December 1973.

Dave with his grandfather Archie Salmons Leaving Sarnia bound for Cornwallis, 1973

Dave with his grandmother Jessie Salmons

Note: Dave’s grandfather, Archibald Maynard Salmons, was from a family of seven boys and three girls. One of his siblings was Alfred Charles Salmons, born in December 1916 in London, Ontario, who grew up and was educated in Point Edward and Sarnia. For eight years, Alfred worked in the trucking business with his three brothers in Sarnia. In September 1943, at the age 26, Alfred enlisted in the Canadian Army in London. At the time, he was working as a truck driver with Ford Motor Company and living in Windsor with his widowed mother, Lucy. When he enlisted, two of his brothers were already in the RCAF (Robert, a Pilot Officer in England, and George, a Leading Aircraftman in Montreal) and another brother was in the Canadian Army (Henry, a Gunner in Italy).

Alfred Salmons embarked overseas to the United Kingdom in April 1944 and arrived in France in July 1944 during the Battle of Normandy. As a member of the Highland Light Infantry of Canada, R.C.I.C., he served with that unit as they advanced through France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and into Germany. He was wounded in action in October 1944 but later returned to action.

On March 31, 1945, Lance Corporal Alfred Salmons was killed in action (in the field) in Germany during the Battle of the Rhineland. He was originally buried near Vrasselt, Germany, and was later exhumed and reburied in Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery, Netherlands.

Due to his high scores or ratings, Dave got his choice of postings after CFB Borden. He chose Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Comox in British Columbia. In January 1974, Dave and Sandy drove to B.C. It was so cold during their winter drive west that their car battery froze in Saskatchewan in the middle of nowhere.

While at CFB Comox with RCAF #407 “Demon” Squadron, Dave was an aero-engine technician, working on aircraft that included the Canadair CP-107 Argus, a four-engine marine reconnaissance aircraft.

While at Comox, the military officials recognized his talents and skills and recommended that he become a pilot. At the time, they were accepting people with university entrance marks and you didn’t have to go to university. Dave was accepted and began his officer training at Canadian Forces Base Chilliwack in B.C. While there, he injured his Achilles tendon enough that he worried it would put him back in the course. Overcoming his injury, he successfully completed his three months of officer training.

From CFB Chilliwack, Dave went to Portage Le Prairie in Manitoba where he attended #3 Canadian Forces Flying Training School (3CFFTS). At this basic flight school, he completed three months of training in small-winged aircraft. Then Dave was posted to CFB Moose Jaw (also known as 15 Wing) in Saskatchewan for an 11-month training course. This higher level included training on the Canadair CT114-Tutor, the same aircraft that the Canadian Forces Snowbirds use. During this training period, Sandy stayed in Comox while Dave was in Chilliwack and Portage La Prairie, but she joined him in Moose Jaw.

Dave graduated from CFB Moose Jaw as top overall cadet and again with achieving the scores that he did, he was able to get his choice of posting. He chose transport squadron and was sent to CFB Trenton, Ontario, where he became a member of #436 Transport Squadron and attained the rank of captain.

Dave with his brother Scott in Moose Jaw 1976

Sandy & Dave Graduation Moose Jaw Jan. 1976

RCAF #436 Transport Squadron “Onus Portamus” (We Carry the Load), was formed in India during World War II in August 1944. Operating from a base in India and equipped with the C-47 Dakota medium range transport,

the Squadron’s role was to supply troops and material to the Allied 14th Army in Burma.

The squadron was disbanded in June 1946 and reformed in April 1953, where it would eventually be based at CFB Trenton. By 1960 it was equipped with CC-130E Hercules aircraft—a four-engine, fixed-wing turboprop aircraft. In 2006, the squadron began to transition to operating with the “workhorse” of the RCAF transport fleet—the CC-130J Hercules aircraft.

Years later, RCAF #436 Squadron received the Afghanistan Battle Honour for its significant contributions to Canada’s mission in Afghanistan beginning in late 2001.

Dave inspecting #44 Sarnia Squadron cadets

Dave Salmons’ intelligence, dedication, and professional abilities were recognized by military officials. While still a lieutenant, he was appointed a commander of a Hercules aircraft. Dave’s training and career path took him to distant places around the globe including his favourite place, New Zealand, and his least favourite, Greenland, where he did his survival training. One of his missions involved him flying into a tense Middle East situation.

The incident took place in January 1979 during Operation BATON. By 1978, civil unrest had led to several heated anti-government demonstrations in Iran. The escalating protests eventually forced Reza Shah Pahlavi, Iran’s leader since 1941, to flee his country on January 16, 1979. The Islamic Republic was formed in February. In early December 1978, as a result of civil unrest in Iran, the Department of External Affairs requested, and the Government of Canada authorized, that the CF provide for a potential evacuation of Canadian and foreign nationals from Iran. The staging point for the CF aircraft in Operation BATON was Ankara, Turkey.

Phase I was the deployment of approximately 105 personnel to Ankara on Dec. 9, 1978, to set up the Airlift Control Element at Ankara Airport.

Phase II of the operation involved the evacuation of Canadian and other foreign nationals. Beginning on December 31, with only four hours notice, a CC-137 and a CC-130 aircraft departed CFB Trenton. Dave Salmons was the pilot of the CC-130 aircraft. They arrived in Ankara on January 1 and 2, 1979. Another CC-130 from CFB Lahr, West Germany, and two other CC-130 from Trenton joined them in Ankara by January 3.

On January 3, 1979, four flights were made into Tehran by four CC-130 aircraft, one piloted by Dave Salmons. When they landed on tarmac in Tehran, they had been instructed to keep their planes running; there would only be a narrow window of opportunity to load; and they were to leave immediately once the civilians boarded.

All told, the Canadian Forces evacuated 315 civilians from NATO-member nations, including Canadians, West Germans, British, Americans, Australians, Finnish and New Zealanders, under extremely dangerous and chaotic conditions as Iran entered a state of near-anarchy. A fifth flight on January 4 picked up 52 more personnel.

One side note to the operation involved Dave. While he was waiting in his cockpit on the Tehran tarmac, someone noticed that he was not wearing a Canadian Forces hat. Rather, in a nod to his love of motorcycles, he had donned a civilian ball cap emblazoned with the word “YAMAHA” across the front. Word spread to superior officers who were livid and let him know it later. His sister stated, “Dave caught hell for what he did.” After that incident, Dave wore his “YAMAHA” hat only when he was off duty.

In Phase III of the operation, a final flight was arranged in late January 1979, with the belief that 160 personnel required evacuation. One Hercules aircraft was involved, departing CFB Trenton on January 31 and returning February 8. The final flight from Tehran on February 6 picked up 58 personnel, including Canadians, Americans, British, New Zealanders, French and Australian evacuees. Operation BATON was a complete success.

Years after David’s death, his sister Beth recalled an incident that was a foreshadowing of what was to come. At a family gathering in Sarnia in 1980, a few months before Thanksgiving, Dave spoke about his job. His words still send a shiver through his sister, Beth, years after he uttered them. “I don’t think he felt any premonition or meant anything ominous,” Beth stated. “Dave simply said that if anything happened to him, we should not be sad. He had seen more things, done more things and visited more places all over the world doing something he loved doing.”

Dave and Sandy were blessed with two children together. Their plan before children was a new motorcycle, a new TV, and a new stereo system. Their first child, arriving two months after their 5th anniversary, was James (Jamie) Patrick, born in September 1978, in Belleville, Ontario. Their goals of a new motorcycle, TV, and stereo were all achieved. Their second child was Ruth Marie, born in June 1981 in Nanaimo, B.C.

The circumstances around Ruth’s birth are particularly heart-wrenching. In September 1980, Dave, Sandy and two-year-old Jamie were living on Johnson Road in Middleton Pk., Trenton, Ontario. A month later, on October 13, Thanksgiving Monday, Dave learned that Sandy was now pregnant with their second child. Two days later, Dave Salmons lost his life in the service of Canada.

Canadian Armed Forces members support freedom, democracy, the rule of law and human rights around the world. Aside from contributing to international peace efforts, they also proudly serve Canada by defending its values, interests and sovereignty at home. In the Service of Canada, members of the Canadian Armed Forces patrol our coasts, monitor our skies, support anti-drug operations, assist with disaster relief, provide assistance to civil authorities when needed to maintain public order and security, and lead search and rescue missions. In the Service of Canada, in all of these roles, sacrifice and risk exist.

On October 12, 1980, a Trans-Quebec Ltd. helicopter had gone missing over the forests in northern Quebec. The helicopter had two people on board and had gone down on a flight from Montreal to James Bay.

Three days later, on October 15, Captain Dave Salmons was flying on the Search and Rescue Mission, in #436 Squadron’s Lockheed CC130E Hercules aircraft (#130312). The Hercules aircraft was combing Quebec’s north woods when it stalled at low level (likely at an altitude of less than 600 metres) and crashed in a forest 13 km west of Chapais, Quebec (about 60 kilometres west of Chibougamau, and 450 kilometres north of Montreal).

At about 2:45 p.m. (Oct. 15), the Hercules radioed that it was going down and the transmission was picked up by a Canadian Forces helicopter that was also on the mission. The Hercules crashed and burned. There were scattered clouds when the plane went down and a light covering of snow on the ground. A forces spokesperson said There was a fire. Everything was pretty badly burned.

Eight members of the air crew died in the crash, including Sarnia’s David Milton Salmons. Two crew members survived.

Crash site of CC-130 Hercules aircraft #130312 (Source 10R)

The October 16 Sarnia Observer reported details of the incident under the headline, Eight of 10 crew members killed in crash of Hercules transport. The following day, on the front page of the Sarnia Observer, local citizens read the headline: Sarnia man dies in Hercules crash. Following is the Canadian Press story;

The two survivors of the Canadian Forces C-130 Hercules aircraft that crashed Wednesday in northern Quebec, taking eight lives, are in the forces base hospital in Trenton with serious injuries. Forces spokesman Capt. Jim Carnegie said Thursday that Capt. Dahl Manthorpe, 25, of Coquitlam, B.C. and Master WO Willian Crosby, 48, of Yarmouth, N.S., are in stable condition but their injuries are considered serious.

Carnegie said the four bodies recovered from the Quebec bushland will be flown to Trenton when they have been released by the Quebec coroner. Forces spokesman Maj. John Weisman said four more victims of the crash remain to be found.

Killed in the crash were aircraft commander Capt. David Salmons, 27, of Sarnia, Ont., navigator Capt. Ronald Kavanaugh, 38, of Bell Island, Nfld., Master Cpl. Aubrey Woodham, 33, of Moorefield, Ont., Sgt. John O’Neill, 42, of Port Dover, Ont., Cpl. Ronald Fisher, 27, of Antigonish, N.S., Col. Richard Cocks, 25, of Woodstock, Ont., Master Cpl. R.J. Taylor, of Simcoe, Ont., and Pte. William Minnis, 20, of Toronto.

A team of defence department investigators arrived from Ottawa a few hours after the Hercules went down Wednesday afternoon 60 kilometres west of Chibougamau and 450 kilometres north of Montreal.

The Hercules was searching for a lost helicopter that Jean-Paul Parent, director of marketing for Trans-Quebec Helicopters Ltd., of Lachine, Que., said was assigned to a workcamp 160 kilometres northwest of Chapais.

The two survivors—Capt. Dahl Manthorpe and Master WO. William (Bing) Crosby (flight engineer)—were flown to a hospital at their base in Trenton. Capt. Manthorpe survived by smashing a hole in a window and diving from the cockpit. He escaped with only broken bones. He called for the others, but only Crosby followed.

Perishing with aircraft commander Captain David Salmons were Corporal Ronald John Cocks (25) of Woodstock (rescue specialist); Corporal Ronald Wade Fisher (27) of Antigonish (rescue specialist); Sergeant John Ronald O’Neill (42) of Port Dover (rescue specialist); Captain Ronald Kevin Kavanaugh (38) of Bell Island (navigator); Private William David Minnis (20) of Toronto (spotter); Master Corporal Robert John Taylor (32) of Simcoe (spotter); and Master Corporal Aubrey Alan Woodham (33) of Moorefield (loadmaster).

The day David was killed, Sandy was shopping when something came over her. She didn’t want to return to their married quarters residence at CFB Trenton. Something held her back. Even when their home came into view, she hesitated, calling on a neighbour for coffee instead. That’s where the senior officer and military chaplain found her and delivered the grim news that would forever change the young family’s life.

On October 17, 1980, Myrtle and Milton, then at Nassau Crescent in Sarnia, received the following letter from the Commander of Air Transport Group, Brigadier-General L. Skaalen at CFB Trenton;

Dear Mr. & Mrs. Salmons,

On behalf of all who serve in Air Transport Group, I extend to you our heartfelt sympathy for the loss of your son. We too will sorely miss his presence amongst us.

Dave was dedicated to the service of his country and his fellow countrymen. Regretfully, it was in the course of this honourable calling, trying to save the lives of others, that he gave his own life. We are truly grateful and proud to have served with him.

On October 20, Sarnians read in the Sarnia Observer about the special military memorial service that was was being held that day in Trenton, Ontario, for Sarnia serviceman Salmons and the seven other RCAF members killed in the crash of the Hercules C-130 aircraft in Northern Quebec.

The Salmons family members attended the service in Trenton. Dave’s body was then flown to Sarnia the next day for a memorial service conducted by R.C.A.F. Wing 403 held at the D.J. Robb Funeral Home. On October 22, Dave’s funeral was held at the D. J. Robb Funeral Home followed by cremation. His remains rest in British Columbia.

Dave left behind his wife Sandy and their two children Jamie, age 2, and Ruth, born eight months after her father’s death; his parents, Milton and Myrtle Salmons; his brother, Scott; and his sisters, Beth Shute and Jennifer Kilbreath, all in Sarnia.

Twenty-seven-year-old Milton David Salmons was posthumously awarded the Canadian Forces Decoration Citation, and is commemorated in Ottawa in the Book of Remembrance – In the Service of Canada.

Don Thain was the Commanding Officer of #44 Sarnia Optimist Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Cadets when David was a cadet. Don had lost two brothers, Clare and Jack, in World War II (their stories are included in this Project). Following is the eulogy given by Don Thain at David’s memorial service;

Some fourteen years ago a young lad appeared at the Optimist Youth Centre on Philip Street to apply to join #44 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Cadets. As Commanding Officer at that time I tried to make it a point to get to know the cadets that served in the squadron and thus began a lengthy association with David Salmons.

He was an energetic, keen cadet, the long hair syndrome was just coming into vogue and it took determination and desire to have your hair cut short which was a prerequisite of wearing an air cadet uniform. David, as well as being an excellent cadet, was also a good student. He stayed with the squadron for the full term of service. I recall the first year he attended summer camp at Trenton. He was our main hope for the track team competition. He entered the race without track shoes —not that he didn’t have them—but he explained that he could run better without them. So shoeless he ran and how proud I was when he won. The interest and support of his parents was evident throughout his cadet career and created a friendship with them that I cherish. David participated fully in all phases of cadet activities.

He was awarded several special courses with the high point being reached when he was granted a flying scholarship. A member of the splendid drill team the squadron maintained, he ultimately held the key position of right marker. He represented everything that was good in cadet training and was proud to belong. We were proud of him. His interest in motorcycles surfaced during his cadet career and was a continuing joy to him afterwards.

If ever a young man was meant to fly it was David. His marks and abilities throughout his service career were always at or near the top. He was a superb pilot and on completion of his flying training elected to go multi engine and was posted to Transport Command at Trenton. It was enthralling to listen to David tell of his experiences and visits to so many parts of the world we homebound individuals could only dream of.

He lived his air force career to the fullest and it was an inspiration to us all to hear the pride he had in his service, his squadron, its accomplishments and professional expertise. He exulted in the superiority shown by Canadian airmen when competing with or flying with aircrews from other countries. While he worried about the heavy demands made upon our service personnel due to commitments, extensive work load and tasking, he knew there were no airmen more qualified or dedicated to accomplish the country’s obligations. He was truly doing what he wanted to do and how many of us can say this.

To know David was an inspiration and an honour; to be considered his friend, doubly so. I am proud I counted myself in this category. He was keen, dedicated, outgoing with a sharp sense of humour. No matter where he served in his military career he maintained his membership in 403 Wing. He invested money in the purchase of our building; he visited regularly when home on leave.

The tragedy of his passing is eased a bit by the knowledge that David was doing the thing he loved doing – flying. All who came in contact with him admired him and were proud of him and what man could receive a better accolade. In God’s wisdom he has departed from our midst to higher heights than earth bound flight could take him.

Don Thain

On October 24, 1980, Myrtle and Milton received the following letter from the Commanding Officer of 436 (T) Squadron, Lieutenant-Colonel P.R. DeTracey at CFB Trenton:

Dear Mr. & Mrs. Salmons,

I wish to extend the sympathies and condolences of the officers and men of 436 Squadron on the tragic loss of your son. Dave willingly served as a Search and Rescue pilot, fully aware of the inherent dangers of this most humanitarian service.

In seven years in the Forces, your son was able to fulfill a dream. His progression from Air Cadet to Serviceman, to Pilot was a most satisfying accomplishment. His appointment as a Hercules Aircraft Commander while still a Lieutenant speaks of his professional ability and the high regard in which he was held by our Squadron. A dedicated officer, his talents will be sorely missed by all.

Your son served his Squadron and Country with pride and distinction. His many achievements will long be remembered by those who shared his comradeship.

Once again, may I express our deepest condolences.

Soon after David’s death, the wife of one of his comrades wrote the following about him:

Many a poem has been written about famous and loved people. It is this thought that inspired me to do the same for one certain man. A person who instilled many unforgettable memories in the hearts and minds of numerous

individuals. There will only ever be one Dave Salmons. Each letter of his name describes in brief, what type of a man he was in those who knew him well and may it give insight to those who were unfortunate not to have known him.

Dedicated to his occupation, to the few people who were close to him and to the many organizations of which he was

a part of.

Ambitious to the point of obsession. It was through his ambition he became known and admired as one of the best in

his profession.

Valued, honoured, and revered. He had the quality that commanded respect of his opinions.

Efficiency showed in everything he undertook.

Sincere. His sincerity and integrity was undeniable to his family, his friends, and colleagues.

Amiable. Given the time to know him in depth one came to appreciate his traits. Love and understanding blossomed

into a tight bond between close friends, of which there were few.

Lively. One who brought happiness to many through his character. Always occupied with relishing his life to the

fullest each day.

Mischievous. A pronounced part of his character to which many fell pray to.

Obliging. He devoted most of his time and services to anyone who was in need of them, without hesitation.

Noble in his rank of Captain, he was regarded highly, and it will always remain so.

Sociable. Where harmless groans were emitted by the wives of his close friends when Dave came to claim the full

and devoted attention of his male companions.

This is the man whom is as dear to us and is irreplaceable in many of our hearts. May this prose be in memory of him and may he also watch over us and protect us as our guardian angel under God’s name.

Also, shortly after David’s death, Milton Salmons purchased a military sabre which he donated to #44 Sarnia Optimist Squadron. Every year since David’s death, Squadron 44 Air Cadets has presented the memorial sabre at the annual inspection. The Sabre is awarded to the air cadet who exemplifies the “Espirit De Corps” each year. The award is a source of much pride for the Salmons family.

Understandably, the loss of David was a devastating blow to all the members of the Salmons family, but life continued.

Elizabeth (Beth) Salmons, who had married Rick Shute in June 1971, had two children: Julie (born 1973)

and Steven Shute (born 1974). Beth and Rick later divorced. For son Steven, whether it was growing up hearing

stories of his uncle or seeing his portrait on a dresser, David influenced his career choice. At the age of 11, Steven came to his single mother and said, “We need to talk”. He continued, “What I’m about to tell you may upset you. I want to go into the Air Force and do what Uncle Dave did.” With his mother’s full support, Steven joined the

air cadets with plans to join the air force. But Steven grew to a height of 6’3”, making him too tall to be a pilot. Several months after completing a year at Lambton College, he went to the military recruiting office in London. A short time later he was offered and accepted a position with the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). Steven Shute, based at CFB Esquimalt, served all over the world with the RCN for 21 years. Steven Shute married Colleen Bonneau and had one child, Harmony. Julie Shute later married Mike Lewis and had three children: Stephen, Josh, and Sarah.

Jennifer Salmons, who had married Steve Kilbreath in November 1973, had three children: Jason (born 1974), Justin (born 1976) and Ryan (born 1979). Later, Jason Kilbreath and his partner, Katherine Pild, had two children: Emily and Ethan. Justin married Shannon Mutter and had one child, Tyson. And Ryan Kilbreath and his partner, Crystal Middleton, later had one child, Mary Jane. In 1988, Jennifer married Allan Calvert.

Scott Salmons married Angela Whitehead in 1984 in Sarnia and had three children: Matthew (born 1985), Alex (born 1988) and Robert (born 1990). Alex later had two daughters, Addison and Maxine; and Robert had one son, Graeyson.

Within six months of David’s death, a pregnant Sandy Salmons and son James re-located out west where her parents lived and resided in Parksville on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Eight months after David’s death, Sandy gave birth to Ruth Marie. David and Sandy Salmons’ two children had to move on without their father. James married Ashlee Corpe in 2008 and had three children: Kesler, Aleda and Jemma. Ruth Marie later married David Joseph Powers.

For the many nieces, nephews and extended family of David Salmons, they only remember or know him through fading memories, old stories, and photographs. Nearly four decades after his death, his sister Jennifer noted that, “His life although short has left an indelible mark on our lives and even after all this time he is missed. We are very proud of his remarkable achievements in the armed forces.”

Milton Salmons was totally devastated by his son’s death. Daughter Beth recalled that the mere mention of David’s name would so upset Milton that he’d shed tears and leave the room. Milton Salmons passed away at age 64 on April 12, 1993, at St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Sarnia. Along with his wife Myrtle, and his two daughters and one son, he left behind 10 grandchildren and one great grandchild. A funeral service was held from the chapel of the D.J. Robb Funeral Home, along with a memorial service conducted by the R.C.A.F. Wing #403. He was interned at Resurrection Cemetery and Crematorium (Grandview Memorial Gardens) in Sarnia.

Myrtle Salmons passed away at age 73 on September 1, 2005 at Bluewater Health in Sarnia. She had been a longtime member of the R.C.A.F. Association. She left behind her daughters Beth Shute in Sarnia and Jennifer Calvert in Bright’s Grove; her son, Scott in Sarnia; her daughter-in-law, Sandy Salmons in Nanoose Bay, B.C.; and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. After private family cremation services, the internment of ashes took place at Resurrection Cemetery and Crematorium (Grandview Memorial Gardens) in Sarnia.

On November 11, 2019, David Salmons’ name along with 25 others was added to the Sarnia cenotaph, engraved in stone to be remembered always.

Among those witnessing the special Remembrance Day ceremony that year were invited guests Sandy Salmons, their children, Ruth and James, their grandchildren, and relatives in the city. Sandy and Ruth had flown in from Vancouver Island and James from Edmonton. The Sarnia Historical Society with the support of Tourism Sarnia-Lambton and several local businesses organized a fund-raising campaign to help cover their airfare and other expenses including hotel accommodations, restaurant meals, a rental car, and gift cards for the family.

A scheduled fly-by of a Royal Canadian Air Force Hercules aircraft over the ceremony had to be cancelled due to a heavy snowfall over the city that morning.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

SARNIA’S AFGHANISTAN WAR FALLEN SOLDIERS

CUSHLEY, William Jonathan James (#N88957698)
Will Cushley of Port Lambton was so anxious to join the military after high school that he tried to join the American and British armies before Canada accepted him. Both parties benefitted. Will, though, was fearful he might show cowardice in battle, but in fact, he excelled in combat situations. Unfortunately, he was killed in a fierce battle in September 2006 after his company was ambushed by a Taliban force that heavily outnumbered them.

William (Billy) Cushley was born in Bristol, England, on July 28, 1985, the only son of Errol and Elaine Cushley. Errol Cushley had emigrated from England to Canada in 1977 and was residing in Sarnia where he was employed as an ironworker. In 1984, Errol was vacationing in the UK when he met Elaine. Their marriage was blessed with the birth of William. Four months after his birth, Elaine, along with William and his half-sisters, joined Errol in Sarnia. William had three half-sisters: Lisa (born Aug 1, 1967); Tonia (born Oct 10, 1970); and Amanda “Mandy” (born May 26, 1982).

The Cushley family resided in Sarnia until 1993 when they moved to Sombra, and then settled at 445 Broadway St. in Port Lambton in 1998. After many years residing in Port Lambton, Errol and Elaine moved back to Sarnia.

Will was a very active and talented child. He enjoyed skateboarding, BMX biking, running, and road hockey, as well as playing a few seasons of organized hockey. He also spent some time in the Cubs where his mother Elaine was one of the leaders. Will loved to draw, and when others suggested he consider art school, he insisted art was only a hobby and a way to relax. As he got older, Will enjoyed fishing and swimming with friends in the St. Clair River by his family home.

He attended St. Benedict’s Elementary School in Sarnia for three years. After his family moved, he continued his schooling and graduated from Sacred Heart Elementary School in Port Lambton, and then Wallaceburg District Secondary School. Former teachers and fellow classmates remember Will as always being kind with a great sense of humour. He was easy-going, fun-loving and loyal.

Father Errol Cushley surrounded by his children Back: Mandy and Lisa, Front: William, Errol and Tonia

A number of people in William’s life undoubtedly influenced him to choose the military as a career. Will’s maternal grandfather, Ernest Gordon Phillips, was a private during the Second World War with the British Army “Glorious” Gloucestershire Regiment. He landed on the beaches of Normandy in France on D-Day and served in Belgium, Holland, and Germany. Will’s paternal grandfather, William Henry Cushley, also served during World War II and beyond. He was a chief petty officer with the British Royal Navy and served from 1938 until 1963, a career which included tours of duty in the Atlantic, the Africa Campaign, the Italian Campaign, and in the Arctic.

Will’s father, Errol, served as an efficient deck hand in the British Merchant Navy from early in 1963 until the end of 1966. He served in Cypress in 1963 as well as in the Atlantic.

Another major influence on Will was his cousin, James Moloney. Born in 1977, James joined the British military in September 1993 at the age of 16. He was a member of the British Army, Royal Engineers, 59th Independent Commando Squadron, where he served for 14 years, rising to the rank of corporal. Moloney also served in Northern Ireland (instructor at Lympstone, 2001-02); Afghanistan (2002); with the first soldiers in Basra, Iraq (2003); and as an instructor at the training depot in Chatham, England (2003-2007).

None of these individuals in Will’s life overtly encouraged him to join the military; however, growing up with them and hearing of their experiences undoubtedly influenced his decision to follow in their footsteps.

Having a great interest in history, Will in his mid-teens began expressing his desire to join the military, specifically the infantry. His father Errol suggested going to university first, which would allow him to enter the military in the officer stream. Will, however, wasn’t interested and told his father he wanted to go directly into the army like everyone else and work his way up.

Years later, his mother Elaine, in hindsight, recalled that “Billy [her nickname for Will] was really affected by 9/11 [September 11, 2001]. He was 16 then and after the destruction of the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center, Will wanted to make a difference in people’s lives by joining the military.”

After graduating from Wallaceburg District Secondary, Will submitted his application for the Canadian Forces at a recruitment office in Chatham. Anxious to get his military career underway, after some time, when he had heard nothing from them, he began calling and e-mailing to inquire about the status of his application. So much so, that recruiters told him to stop calling.

Frustrated with the delay in hearing a response, Will crossed the St. Clair River to Marine City, Michigan, determined to enlist with the U.S. Marines. To his disappointment, however, he was told that the Marines didn’t take Canadians, and that he should go home and join his own army.

Still having heard nothing from the Canadian Armed Forces, Will then contacted the Royal Marines in the United Kingdom. Being a dual British-Canadian citizen, he was qualified to join, and 15 minutes after he applied, he was offered a spot in their 42-week basic training program. Upon hearing this, the Canadian Forces quickly offered Will a spot in their basic training program.

Will got his wish and made the most of it. After joining the Canadian Army, he excelled at basic training at Saint-Jean, Quebec, and later at Battle School. He thrived in the tightly structured environment of the military, embraced the camaraderie of his fellow soldiers, was known to be a bit of a jokester, and became an excellent soldier. Will became a member of the Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR), 1st Battalion, based at CFB Petawawa. He was so proud to be a member of this regiment that he had “RCR” tattooed on his back.

Almost immediately after joining the RCR, Will indicated his interest in going to Afghanistan. He knew that a tour of duty would help him to achieve his goal of having a career in the military: either with the Joint Task Force 2, an elite special operations team of the Canadian Armed Forces; or with a new marine commando unit, similar to the U.S. Navy Seals; or with a special rapid response border unit of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Aside from helping him to achieve his desired career with special forces, Will had another motive for stepping into a combat zone. Not long before he went overseas, he had a heart-to-heart discussion with his father. Will explained that he wasn’t going overseas so that Afghan girls could go to school. Rather, he wanted to do his part to ensure that Afghans had the opportunity to make that choice without someone telling them they couldn’t, as had been the case for decades. He wanted them to have the same opportunities that we have here in Canada.

Will also told his father that he was afraid, not of the enemy, but of being a coward under fire. Will was worried about getting his army pals killed if he lost his nerve and turned tail during a firefight. Errol told Will that he’d never know for sure until he found himself in that situation, but he advised his son to think back to his training.

Shortly before leaving for Afghanistan, Will gave his father Errol two breast patches from his uniform with the name CUSHLEY embossed on them.

Once in Afghanistan, Will’s fears were soon put to the test. It turned out his fears were completely unfounded. Just a week before he was killed, Will demonstrated a textbook performance as a replacement gunner aboard a light armoured vehicle (LAV) during a direct confrontation with the Taliban in Panjwai. Private Cushley was cool, calm and professional under fire. Will’s sergeant in that battle told Errol later that Will was a “steady hand.”

Before he left for Afghanistan, Will was home in Port Lambton to celebrate his 21^st birthday on July 28 with family and friends. The following weekend he also attended the annual Port Lambton Gala Days celebration in July 2006. Despite the excitement of serving his country overseas, Will was well aware of the possible dangers. He told his friends that weekend that he had a bad feeling about what lay ahead and asked that “if I don’t come back, party on, guys.” Errol assured his son that he would return safely.

A few days later, Will and his parents arrived at CFB Petawawa where a bus would take him to CFB Trenton and then to Afghanistan. It was an emotional parting for the Cushleys. Will had always been openly affectionate to his parents and before getting on the bus with his fellow soldiers, he kissed Errol, gave him a big hug, and said, ‘Take care of yourself, Dad.” He then turned to his mother and hugged and kissed Elaine. Seconds before the bus was to depart, Will left his seat and in full view of everyone, gave his mother another hug and one last kiss. Errol and Elaine then watched the bus take their son away, with tears in their eyes.

The first contingents of regular Canadian troops arrived in Afghanistan in early 2002, part of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Operation Athena was the longest-lasting and most difficult Canadian operation of the ISAF mission, beginning in July 2003 and concluding in December 2011. In the first phase of this land-based combat mission, the Canadian task force was deployed to the northern city of Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital city. There it helped to maintain security in Kabul and surrounding areas, along with providing assistance to civilian infrastructure that was rebuilding the country. This first phase continued until August 2005.

Anytime Canadian soldiers left the relative safety of their main camps to go “outside the wire,” the danger was very real. Though the Canadian and NATO forces had better equipment than the Taliban—including tanks, artillery, LAVs, helicopters, and drones—they were faced with a number of challenges: the coalition forces were viewed as an occupying power, so were vehemently attacked; the Taliban were more familiar with the terrain; the Taliban riddled the countryside with IEDS (improvised explosive devices); the enemy was not easily identifiable (difficult to distinguish a combatant from a civilian); and suicide bombers could be anyone, including women and children.

In the second phase of Athena, Canadian personnel were transferred to southern Afghanistan. Their primary base was located in the southern city of Kandahar, a hotspot of renewed Taliban and terrorist activity. For more than five years, Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members fought the insurgency in a province also named Kandahar that was considered one of the most volatile provinces in Afghanistan. Kandahar was also the birthplace of the Taliban. Operations were aimed at protecting Afghans where they resided; at reducing the influence of the insurgency; at eliminating insurgent strongholds; and at creating a secure environment for development work to take place.

Perhaps the most famous combat operation taking place during Athena was the Canadian-led Operation Medusa in September 2006. The 17-day offensive involved almost 1,400 coalition soldiers. It included themain force of more than 1,000 Canadian Armed Forces members, making it our country’s largest combat operation in more than 50 years.

Only one month after arriving overseas, on September 3, 2006, William Cushley was killed in action alongside three other Canadian soldiers in a fierce gun battle with Taliban insurgents, approximately 30 kilometers southwest of Kandahar City. It happened in the volatile Panjwai district, where the massive Canadian-led offensive Operation Medusa was in its early stages of trying to put the Taliban-held region under Afghan government control. NATO’s aim was to remove armed militants from the volatile Panjwai and Zhari district region so that displaced villagers could return to their homes and re-establish their livelihoods without living in constant fear of the Taliban.

Panjwai district, an area of small villages and complex defensive terrain, was the spiritual and literal home of the Taliban movement. It was a stronghold the Taliban chose to defend, so they built it up, and they wanted to draw the Canadians into a costly ground conflict. The area had been mostly an American responsibility until the Canadian battle group arrived in early 2006. The area was a place the Canadians knew well, as on August 3, 2006, the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) were involved in a hellish battle, one that combined Taliban attacks and roadside bombings. It led to the deaths of four soldiers and 10 wounded.

By the time the Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR) arrived in early August 2006, the Taliban had changed its tactics from small group “hit-and-run” raids to the conventional “come-and-get-me.”

Operation Medusa began at first light on September 2, with the Canadians seizing the high points on the south side of the Arghanbad River across from Pashmul—a series of villages that had been the site of repeated battles the previous month. From these high points, the Canadians set up firing lines of armoured vehicles and proceeded to blast away at targets of opportunity across the Arghandab River throughout the morning and afternoon of September 2.

Waiting ground forces watched as artillery and aerial salvos rained down on insurgent forces and destroyed clusters of the enemy. The plan was to continue to engage the enemy for 72 hours with artillery and air barrages.

Once the enemy forces were weakened enough, the infantry would then advance across the Arghandab River.

Late on September 2, the battle plan changed—command felt the enemy had weakened and were ready to be exploited. Rather than to continue bombing the Taliban for three days, Brigadier-General David Fraser, the commanding officer of Operation Medusa, gave the order for the soldiers to cross the Arghandab. They were ordered to attack at first light on September 3, a full 48 hours earlier than planned and without the promised bombardment. Spearheading the attack was Charles Company, 1st Royal Canadian Regiment.

On that September 3rd morning at about 6 a.m., with no reconnaissance and with intel that was either insufficient or wildly wrong, the Canadians crossed the shallow and very wide river (about 1000 metres in some places) onto the far bank without incident. They then advanced through tall fields of ripening marijuana plants to take Objective Rugby, described as a “guerilla fighter’s paradise”.

Right at the centre of the Objective was one of the main Taliban fortifications, a white schoolhouse, then a stronghold for insurgents. Scattered on the ground were leaflets dropped there by NATO in the previous days, warning the locals that an operation was coming through. This was no surprise attack. Unknown to the Canadians, they were severely outnumbered, as 1200 Taliban fighters, dug in and delusional, waited in ambush.

For the 62 members of Platoon 7 of Charles Company, three LAV IIIs (Light Armoured Vehicle) and the platoon’s lightly armoured G-Wagon pushed through the dense marijuana fields and entered the kill zone. They were instructed to approach within 30 metres of the schoolhouse and then observe. William sat in the back of one of them with six fellow soldiers. William was a machine gunner, responsible for operating the C9, a light machine gun primarily used as an infantry support weapon.

Hidden in their trenches and fortified buildings, the enemy fired on the Canadians from three sides. A corporal in command of one of the LAV’s said, All hell broke loose… All I know is the entire area just lit up. We were taking fire from at least two sides, maybe three, with everything they had. Rocket-propelled grenades, small-arms fire, the works. The members of Number 7 Platoon of Charles Company never had a chance and, miraculously, not all were killed.

Sergeant Shane Statchnik was standing in his LAV’s air sentry hatch when a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) hit the turret and killed him instantly. Another RPG crashed through the windshield of the G-Wagon and killed Warrant Officer (WO) Rick Nolan where he had been sitting in the passenger seat.

With two officers dead, and wounded scattered on the ground, the chaos continued—radios were full of screaming voices, either asking for medics or calling for help; enemy bullets strafed the ground; and Canadians sought cover or attempted to rescue their comrades.

The order was given to retreat to the Casualty Clearing Point (CCP) set up in the marijuana fields. Will and his fellow soldiers, some wounded, crammed into an LAV that had stopped to remove WO Nolan’s body at the G-Wagon. The driver then reversed at high speed out of the kill zone, only to crash backwards into a 10-foot-deep irrigation ditch. Two RPGs struck the rear hatch and bullets from rifles pinged continually against its exterior.

The order came down to abandon the LAV and slowly the men trapped in the back—several suffering badly after the crash—began to crawl out the hatch as the ramp couldn’t be lowered.

Will and a few other soldiers sought refuge in a hastily formed collection point that had been formed in the shelter of the large Zettlemeyer front-end loader and a huge pile of loose dirt. Then, a big round, probably from an 82-mm recoilless rifle, crashed into the side of the Zettlemeyer with devastating results. Shrapnel tore through the air, striking Will. He was killed instantly.

Another soldier felt the heat of the blast and was thrown five metres from the front-end loader. Another fell to the ground, his arm and leg torn open. WO Frank Mellish of 8 Platoon had come from the flank to see if he could recover the body of his friend, Rick Nolan. The blast blew him away from the loader and he succumbed to his injuries.

The intense fighting and counter-fighting continued for a full 3 ½ hours. Private William Cushley and three of his comrades—Sergeant Shane Stachnik, 30; Warrant Officers Richard F. Nolan, 39; and Frank R. Mellish, 38—were killed in the chaotic and bloody battle. Ten other Canadian soldiers were wounded.

Later, military analysts assessed this battle as the fiercest combat Canadian troops had seen since the Korean War.

The action the next morning was as bad for the Canadians. Charles Company was hit by friendly fire from an American A-10 Thunderbolt II Warthog jet, killing RCR Private Mark Anthony Graham and wounding dozens more. Private Graham was a former member of Canada’s Olympic sprint team in 1992.

On the morning of September 3, 2006, Errol Cushley was walking on the backroads not far from his home in Port Lambton. He was preparing for a month-long hike in Spain that Elaine and he were planning to take that fall. Elaine was tired that morning and had opted to stay home. Partway through the training session, Errol heard a car slowly approaching on the country road behind him. Behind the wheel was a neighbour from town, who tearfully informed Errol that a military officer and chaplain were waiting back at home. As Errol climbed into his neighbour’s car on that Sunday morning, he knew the military would show up at your doorstep for only one reason.

Corporal Ryan Pagnacco, born in Simcoe, Ontario, was a comrade of William Cushley’s in Charles Company, First Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment. Corporal Pagnacco and Private Cushley would have been together sharing the same experiences during those horrific few days in Panjawyi.

Following is a portion of Corporal Pagnacco’s account of his experiences leading up to the attack, as he was stationed on the side of a mountain overlooking the Arghandab River valley and the Taliban-occupied village of Pashmul. The air force and artillery had begun its bombardment of the village below them:

September 2 evening – We were told this would be a three-day bombardment. As the sun began to set over the valley, our platoon warrant officer, Frank Mellish, called me over to our platoon’s G-Wagon jeep. He had a green backpack in his hand. In the pack was my set of bagpipes… This was the first time I’d brought them out since I had been in the country. While on work-up training, I had been made the unofficial piper for Charles Company… That evening, when WO Mellish handed me my pipes and asked me to play, I felt as though I were following in the footsteps of the combat pipers of my great-grandfather’s generation. It filled me with pride. I made my way to the edge of the ridge, beside the LAVs as they fired into the valley, overlooking the battlefield with the enemy less than half a mile away. I pieced the pipes together, brought them up and began to play. I expected the troops to complain, as it woke many of them up. I expected someone to yell, as I was out in the open with no protective equipment on and no weapon in hand. I expected the catcalls and hoots I had received from the troops in the past. But there were none.

The sound of the pipes echoed across the valley, broken only by the sound of the 25s firing. The troops watched, took pictures, and cheered after each tune. Even the U.S. and Afghan National Army soldiers watched, and some took pictures as well… I ended my impromptu concert with a somber slow air, a farewell to the setting sun, and then packed up my pipes. As the sun set over the Arghandab Valley and the cool, sweet-smelling wind drifted across our position on the side of the mountain, we settled in for the night on the sandy slopes, under the protection of the LAVs, snipers and air supports.

September 3 – At 0400, we awoke with orders to eat, police up our gear and be ready to move. We were going in ahead of schedule. Three days of bombardment had been reduced to one day. Needless to say, we weren’t very happy with this plan, but ours is not to question why. By 0500, we were in the back of the LAVs and on our way to the assault line. I looked around at the boys: we were ready, we were anxious, we were good to go. And we were all a little scared. This wasn’t going to be a ten-minute roadside contact with the enemy… this was going to be combat.

In describing the first moments they were attacked, he wrote, At 0730, the calm was broken… Within seconds, we found ourselves in a well-planned and well-executed U-shaped ambush. We were under fire from all directions, except the way we had come in… We kept firing, and they kept coming… As the fighting continued, the casualties mounted. Although we were fighting very effectively, we were still surrounded and grossly outnumbered…

Corporal Ryan Pagnacco was fortunate enough to survive the chaos and horror of the September 3 battle. Charles Company, First Battalion, withdrew to their original firing position on the side of the mountain. They were given the rest of the day to recover as best they could and reflect on the day’s events.

The next morning was no different from the morning before—they woke up at 0500 and had breakfast, in preparation for another attack on Pashmul. While burning their garbage in the dark, chilly hours before dawn, an American A-10 Thunderbolt II Warthog jet attacked them with so-called “friendly fire”.

Private Mark Graham was killed in the incident, and dozens were wounded, including Ryan Pagnacco. Severely wounded with shrapnel wounds in both legs, the right arm, lower back and right hand, Pagnacco was airlifted to Kandahar Air Field hospital. After his surgery while in recovery, Ryan wrote of his experience:

Our company sergeant major, who had been wounded the day before in battle, made his rounds of the hospital, visiting briefly with the troops and trying his best to raise morale. With him was our company commander, who was also wounded in the friendly-fire incident. When they got to me, the CSM asked all the usual questions – “How are you doing?” “Can I get you anything?” et cetera. But his next request broke my heart. He asked me if I would be able to play my bagpipes at the ramp ceremony for our fallen troops the next day.

I couldn’t feel anything below my right elbow, and when I held my hand up, the wounds in my fingers still looked as bad as they had when I was first hit. I would have played from the gurney if I could have played at all. But I couldn’t move my fingers. I couldn’t even vocalize a response. I just held up my hand and felt a tear run down my cheek. I wept not for my hand, or my legs, or even my kidneys, but because I wasn’t able to pay my last respects to my fallen brothers. I couldn’t play the pipes for them.

Elaine and Errol during repatriation ceremony at CFB Trenton (Courtesy: The Canadian Press/Tom Hanson)

In a solemn ramp ceremony at Kandahar airfield, approximately 800 Canadian soldiers and 100 from other countries bid farewell to their fallen comrades. While Private Cushley’s and four other flag-draped coffins were carried onto a C-130 Hercules aircraft, a piper played a mournful melody.

Twenty-one-year-old William Cushley’s body was returned home to Canada, along with the four other Canadian fallen—Sergeant Shane Stachnik; Warrant Officer Richard Nolan; Warrant Officer Frank Mellish; and Private Mark Graham. All five men had gone over to Afghanistan together, and all five returned home together.

At CFB Trenton, a Canadian Forces Airbus taxied over the tarmac to a waiting line of black hearses. Over the mournful drone of bagpipes, Errol and Elaine held each other as they stood by their son’s flag-draped coffin before soldiers led them away.

William was the first Lambton County resident killed in action since the Korean War.

Errol and Elaine, though a strong and resilient couple, readily admit today that they couldn’t have made it through those dark days without the support of family, friends, and their community.

Lisa and Tonia flew from England to be with them and Mandy came from Niagara Falls where she was working. Their many friends and acquaintances in the close-knit community of Port Lambton consoled them and helped them cope with their grief. The family home, adorned by a large yellow ribbon and smaller decals supporting Canadian troops, received dozens of mourners and well-wishers who brought food, flowers, and prayers. Across St. Clair Township, flags flew at half-mast and neighbours and residents, even those who didn’t know the Cushleys that well, tied black ribbons to their flags, signifying a military death.

Following their son’s death, William’s parents received letters he’d written for delivery only if he fell in battle. One letter to his mother harkened back to a bet that the two had placed just before Will climbed aboard a bus bound for the airport to Afghanistan. As he boarded a bus to CFB Trenton, Elaine bet her son $50 that she wouldn’t cry when they parted. Moments after boarding, Will got back off the bus, picked up his mother in a tight embrace, and gave her one last kiss before departing. In doing so, Will won their wager of $50. The last line of William’s final letter to his mother reads Do not weep too much. I will always be with you in heart and spirit! Love always & forever, Will.

P.S. You can keep the $50! LOL

Nearly 2,000 people paid their respects during the two-day visitation period at Sacred Heart Church, Port Lambton. Over 500 people attended his funeral at Sacred Heart Church on September 13, 2006. On the day of the funeral, much of the town was closed off, with EMS vehicles and fire trucks blocking the streets. Members of the 1^st Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR), based in Petawawa, were Will’s pallbearers. When Will’s coffin arrived at the church, a colour party from the Walpole Island Veterans’ Association, holding Canadian and American flags, saluted it.

A busload of troops had arrived and proceeded to march on all four roads surrounding the jam-packed church. The overflow area was also full and a screen had been set-up outside for people to watch the service from there. American servicemen were in attendance and, on bended knee, presented Will’s mother, Elaine, with an American flag, the first presented to a Canadian since the Korean War.

A portion of the September 14, 2006, Canadian Press release describing William’s funeral reads as follows:

In Port Lambton, Ont., the sun burst through the clouds as soldiers greeted the casket containing the remains of Pte. William Cushley, 21, outside of Sacred Heart Church… “He was a deeply spiritual man,” said Brig.-Gen. Guy Thibault, Commander Land Force Central Area. “The rank wasn’t testimony to his leadership.”… Cushley was remembered by Capt. Rev. Daniel Roushorne as a man “who got back off the bus to give mom a hug and kiss, and it didn’t matter that everyone was watching.” Major Peter Scott, a member of Will’s regiment, described Will as a man who was able to “face the devil straight in the eyes without hesitation. We need to put Will on a pedestal. He is a hero. We will honour and remember him for the rest of our lives.”

In his eulogy, Tyler Atkins paid tribute to his fun-loving buddy and added that Cushley “made a difference for our country.” Cushley’s three sisters [Lisa, Tonia and Mandy] took turns reading stanzas from a heart-wrenching poem, including lines that read: “You were our brother and our friend. We wish we could have been with you at the end.”…

The short walk to McDonald Memorial Cemetery after Will’s funeral led the mourners past Sacred Heart School. As the procession passed by the school, from which he had graduated only seven years before, the staff and entire student body lined up on the curb, most dressed in red, all wearing arm bands that read ‘Thank you Will’. Most waved Canadian flags or tossed flowers.

Elaine later recalled that as the procession rounded the corner toward the school, it was the sight of the school children lined up to honour her son that finally made her lose it emotionally. Other than a few muffled sobs, the 145 youngsters stood silently as the procession, which was more than 100 metres long, passed by.

Will’s full military funeral concluded with a graveside service of three volleys of fire from soldiers, a bagpiper, and then a trumpeter sounding the “Last Post.”

William Cushley is buried in McDonald Memorial Cemetery, Port Lambton, Ontario. The Wallaceburg Legion donated the plot that had been reserved for a past president. Will’s grave is front and centre and no graves will ever be placed in front of his. On his headstone are inscribed the words Private William Cushley, 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, died on September 3, 2006 fighting against Taliban insurgents near Kandahar City, Afghanistan. Private Cushley fought to bring human rights and democratic values to an oppressed people. He wanted to make a difference in this world and he died doing so.

On top of Will’s gravestone are words he wrote to Errol from Afghanistan: I fought bravely and with honour.

Things will never be the same for the Cushley family—the impact of Will’s death remains painful and immeasurable. The legacy of Will’s life and death, however, still endures and inspires.

Will’s youngest sister, Mandy, felt the strong desire to go to Afghanistan and did so one year after his death. She served with the Canadian Forces Personnel Agency (CFPSA) and ended up doing three tours in Afghanistan, one in Dubai (Camp Mirage) and one in Cyprus. Her last tour was at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan when it was closed upon Canada’s withdrawal from its mission there.

At Sacred Heart School in Port Lambton, Remembrance Day services always include a special tribute to Will. In the schoolyard sits a wooden bench dedicated to Will. In recognition of Will’s love for drawing, the “Private William Cushley Visual Arts Award” is given annually to those students who show appreciation for art. In nearby Wallaceburg, Will’s photograph hangs from the wall of his alma mater, Wallaceburg Distrcit High School.

In Wallaceburg in Civic Square Park, alongside the cenotaph, are the “Rocks of Honour”. These stones are a lasting tribute to all the servicemen and women from Wallaceburg, Walpole Island, Mitchells Bay, Port Lambton, Sombra, and Wilkesport who served and returned from WWI and WWII. There are over 577 names from WWI and over 1830 names from WWII engraved on the stones.

A separate stone honouring Private William Cushley is inscribed with these words:

The seeds of peacekeeping can be found buried on the battlefields, in the trenches and in the graveyards of Europe and Asia. The men who lived through two world wars never wanted to see another. They believed ending regional conflicts would prevent the world from ever being consumed by war again. For the service men and women of Canada the cost of conflict and the price of peace has been great. Let us as a nation and a community always hold dear the names of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice to make our world a better place to live.

Private William Cushley, 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, died on September 3, 2006 fighting against Taliban insurgents near Kandahar City, Afghanistan. Private Cushley fought to bring human rights and democratic values to an oppressed people. He wanted to make a difference in this world and died doing so.

His mother Elaine points out that someone will always be missing from family events and festive occasions. But she says they’ve come to terms with the fact that they still need to live life; and that’s exactly how Will would have wanted it.

Elaine says her son is with them everyday and everywhere. In their Port Lambton home, she spent time talking with Will in his basement bedroom where the walls were adorned with pictures, military certificates and mementos. She also visited the nearby cemetery often, placing flowers and putting up balloons for his birthday, something that Errol says with a chuckle would surely cause Will to roll his eyes.

Elaine says she grew up not really knowing much about Remembrance Day and not paying a lot of attention to veterans. The Afghanistan mission was a major “wake-up call.” She says our war heroes, past and present, should never be forgotten, and thinks children need to understand that freedom has a price—one that the Cushley family will pay for the rest of their lives. The freedom we enjoy now, says Elaine, is because of our heroic veterans and war dead who gave so much.

William Cushley is remembered as a courageous man and a proud soldier who was devoted to his country. Though he was a strapping young soldier when he died, his mother Elaine Cushley says she will always see her son as a boy. “I miss cuddling him,” she said. “Every time I close my eyes, I see his face and he is always smiling. He was always fun, a dry sense of humour that boy.”

Today, Will is with Errol and Elaine every day and everywhere they go. After they moved back to Sarnia, Elaine created a memorial garden in the backyard of their new home and for festive occasions and family gatherings, she still sets a place at the table for Will.

On October 15, 2007, six weeks after Will’s death, the Cushley’s youngest grandchild was born in England on Errol’s birthday. Lisa and her husband, Andy, named their son William Errol in honour of his late uncle and his grandfather.

On December 4, 2010, the 62 members of Number 7 Platoon were given a prestigious award for gallantry. The Governor General of Canada awarded the Commander-in-Chief’s Unit Commendation to the men and women of the First Battalion, the Royal Canadian Regiment, Battle Group 3-06. The citation reads For courageous and professional execution of duty in Afghanistan during August and September 2006 that prevented the capture of Kandahar City by insurgents.

William Cushley also received posthumously the Citation: Sacrifice Medal.

In November 2019, William Cushley’s name, along with 25 others, was added to the Sarnia cenotaph, engraved in stone to be remembered always.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

More information on this soldier is available in

Valour Remembered: Sarnia-Lambton War Stories by Tom Slater and Tom St. Amand

POLAND, Brent Donald (#B88172022)
While growing up in Errol Village, Brent Poland loved athletics and history. When he was 32, Brent followed “his heart and his passion” and enlisted in the Canadian military. While serving in Afghanistan, Brent was killed in action on Easter Sunday 2007. In life and in death, Corporal Brent Poland remains an inspiration. In the event of his death, Brent had written “I sincerely hope that my death resulted in saving the lives of my fellow brothers in arms.”

Brent Poland was born October 26, 1969, in Sarnia, the first child of Donald Eldridge and Patricia Evelyn Poland of Camlachie, Ontario. His grandparents were Bill and Evelyn McKenna of Wyoming, Ontario, and Eldridge and Amy Poland (Dawson) and Goldie Dawson of Brigden, Ontario. Brent had a younger brother, Mark Thomas Poland, born September 13, 1971. Before they both retired in 1998, Don Poland had worked in a research and development department at Dow Chemical and Pat had been a grade 2 and 3 teacher with the Lambton Kent District School Board.

As youngsters growing up in Errol Village, Brent and Mark, as well as their cousin, Terry, were always on the go. The Poland boys enjoyed sports—playing baseball, soccer, hockey—and Brent was an avid downhill skier. The boys loved being outdoors, and with father Don being a Scout leader, they worked their way up from Beavers to Ventures. Their maternal grandparents had a cottage on an island in Lake Temagami (northeast of Sudbury) where the boys spent time fishing, swimming, boating, and canoeing. Brent attended Huron Church Camp where he progressed from a camper to a camp counsellor and eventually a canoe leader.

Brent’s younger brother, Mark Poland, who attended Errol Village School and St. Clair High School, also joined the military. After completing grade 11, Mark joined the 1st Hussars as a Trooper in the reserves in 1989. Shortly thereafter, the 17-year-old enrolled in undergraduate studies in Political Science at the University of Western Ontario (UWO) in London. While in his first year of studies, he was selected from the ranks and appointed as an Officer Cadet with the 1st Hussars, an Armoured Corps Regiment of the Canadian Armed Forces Reserves. During his summer breaks from university, Mark attended Armour Officer Training and graduated as a lieutenant.

After graduating with an Honours Bachelor of Arts from Western in 1993, Mark completed two years of full-time service with the Canadian Forces. During this time, he was deployed as a member of the United Nations Protection Force to Bosnia-Herzegovina beginning in the fall of 1994. The Bosnian conflict was an ethnically rooted war that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a former republic of Yugoslavia, between April 1992 until December 1995. After years of bitter fighting, atrocious war crimes, and genocide that involved Bosnian Muslims, Serbs, and Croats, as well as the Yugoslav army, NATO became involved. Their strategy was to use a combination of an air bombing campaign, peacekeeping ground forces, and diplomacy. During his deployment in Bosnia, Mark Poland served in the rank of lieutenant as both a Squadron and Regimental liaison officer with the Royal Canadian Dragoons.

As a liaison officer, Poland was responsible for communicating between the Canadian army and the local Serb army. In the fall of 1994, the Serbs, in retaliation for NATO air strikes on Serb airfields in the (Serb-held) Krajina region of Croatia, decided to detain 55 Canadian soldiers. The captive Canadians, including Lieutenant Mark Poland, were held by the Serb army to act as a human shield against NATO bombing of the Serb forces. Lieutenant Poland described the event shortly after being detained:
Well it’s now day 2 of our detainment and I (lazy) am finally writing some notes. First the background: It started 23 Nov 94 at 1215 hrs. I was the first one to hear about it (our detention) through SERB Major Miric, who requested a meeting between Major Milner (my OC) and Major Savic (local Serb commander). Miric told me before the OC knew that Checkpoint Papa was closed and that we would become their ‘guests’. My first reaction was not surprise, strangely enough. It was more like coping… I thought basically, okay this is the situation, what can we do about it?

Through negotiation, Mark and his fellow Peacekeepers were eventually released after 16 days in captivity and returned to their base. A peace agreement that ended the war in Bosnia was eventually finalized in Dayton, Ohio in December 1995. Following the Dayton Agreement, NATO forces continued to serve in Bosnia-Herzegovina to enforce the peace, along with support for humanitarian aid and reconstruction.

Upon redeployment in the spring of 1995, Mark was promoted to the rank of captain in the 1st Hussars. He enrolled in the Faculty of Law at UWO. He completed his legal studies in 1998 and was granted the degree of Bachelor of Laws. After articling with Siskinds Law Firm in London, Mark was called to the Bar as a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada in February 2000. He began his practice as a civil litigation lawyer but soon transitioned to the field of criminal defence law. Mark then joined the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General in 2003 and became an Assistant Crown Attorney in the Waterloo Region in 2004. In October 2005, Mark obtained a Master of Laws Degree (LL.M) in criminal law. In October 2012, after a brief appointment as a Deputy Crown Attorney, Major Poland was appointed as the Crown Attorney of Dufferin County in Orangeville. In July 2015, he became the Crown Attorney for the Waterloo Region.

Concurrent to his civilian legal career and academic pursuits, Mark has maintained his commitment to serve in the Canadian Armed Forces Reserves. Upon his call to the Bar in 2000, Mark transferred from the Armoured Corps and joined the Office of the Judge Advocate General (“JAG”) of the Canadian Forces. He initially served as a Deputy Judge Advocate. He was appointed as Counsel in the office of the Director of Defence Counsel Services in 2007. In July 2008, Major Poland completed the Joint Reserve Command and Staff Programme. In May 2010, Mark left the JAG and returned to the Armoured Corps where he was appointed Regimental Second in Command of the 1st Hussars.

In September 2012, Mark took up a position with the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada (RHFC), and completed the Army Operations Course. He was appointed Deputy Commanding Officer (DCO), RHFC in December 2013. The following year, he completed the Armoured Reconnaissance Squadron Commander’s Course. In October 2015, Mark was appointed Commanding Officer of the RHFC and was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel.

Mark has been awarded the UNPROFOR medal, the Canadian Peacekeeping Service medal, the Canadian Forces Decoration (CD) with clasp, and the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals. The Honourable Justice Mark Poland and his wife, Susan, currently reside in Lambton County where he is a judge for the Ontario Court of Justice serving the West Region. Mark also has a step-daughter, Shelley, living in the Kitchener area. Approximately 13 months after his brother Brent lost his life in Afghanistan, Mark and Susan had twins – Sophie Poland and Brent Lucas Poland.

Brent Poland attended Errol Village Elementary School where he enjoyed reading and, like his father, was interested in history. Evening television at the Poland house often involved news programs, a routine that helped Brent develop a solid general knowledge base and an understanding of Canada and world affairs. In grade eight, he spent a couple of weeks in Quebec on a French exchange. Near the end of grade 10, the Poland family travelled to Europe, rented a car, and spent six weeks travelling through the continent. The trip, which included visiting a few military sites in France, Belgium and Holland, further enhanced Brent’s love for history, a trend that continued through high school and university.

Brent graduated from St. Clair High School in Sarnia and then went on to earn two university degrees. His first degree was a Bachelor of Arts History diploma from York University. After achieving that degree, Brent traveled to Europe where he got a job teaching in a small Greek village in the mountains. There he got to help kids, to see a bit of the world, and to learn some more history. Before heading home, he travelled to Italy to help his aunt at an agriturismo—a resort where guests stay on a working farm/vineyard. While there, he spent most of his time outdoors where he reconstructed a stone wall that had fallen into disrepair.

He then returned to Canada and in Toronto he earned his second university degree in 1998, a Bachelor of Media Arts Honours diploma from Ryerson University. Brent then worked for a time in office environments, a type of work for which he quickly lost enthusiasm.

His parents saw Brent as an ordinary young man and a good person, one who was a bit on the quiet side and who was trying to make a difference in the world. After Brent’s death, the Polands learned even more, through a series of letters, e-mails, and conversations from others, just how considerate and caring their older son was to others. For example, how he stood up for a fellow student who was being bullied, or how, at a university bar, he always made time to befriend and listen to a less fortunate man whom the other patrons typically ignored.

In 2002, at the age of 32, Brent joined the Canadian Armed Forces. At the time, his father, Don, was surprised by Brent’s decision. Brent had never before shown any interest in the military, and in fact, when his brother Mark was in the 1^st Hussars, Brent used to tease him for the type of marching he was expected to do. His parents later reflected that the occurrence of 9/11 (September 11, 2001 terrorists attacks) and the travesties the Taliban were committing in Afghanistan influenced Brent’s decision to join. Mark’s career with the military also might have affected his choice. The Polands realized that Brent was “following his heart and his passion” to do his part and to help others by making a difference.

Having two university degrees, he immediately entered the officer stream. He completed basic officer training at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. Brent had his heart set on being in the infantry and attended the required four-phase combat arms training where he competed against significantly younger men and women. Unsuccessful in the final phase of the grueling combat arms training, and having no desire to move to a different branch of the military as a lieutenant, Brent resigned his officer’s commission and re-enlisted as a corporal. In this way, he could stay in the infantry and go to Afghanistan.

Despite the lower rank, he achieved his goal of being an infantry soldier and was assigned as a member of the Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR), 2nd Battalion, based at CFB Gagetown, New Brunswick. Once he knew he had a permanent posting, Brent bought a house in French Lake, New Brunswick, not far from his home base. At his own home, he could finally be re-united with his beagle-mix hound “Shorty”. He had acquired Shorty while studying at Ryerson University and the “badly behaved hound” had been living with Don and Pat Poland in Errol Village ever since Brent had joined the army. Brent was anxious to get his dog back and introduce him to the wide-open spaces and fields of his country home.

Part of Brent’s training involved a stint in Wainwright, Alberta, where he was a course officer for a “Soldier Qualifying Course” from late winter to early spring of 2005. Brent earned a reputation as a tough but fair leader who led by example. Not long after completing the course, he received the news that he was being deployed to Afghanistan. Brent was thrilled to be going overseas and excited about the upcoming adventures awaiting him in the mountains and on the dusty plains of Afghanistan.

Brent departed for Afghanistan in January 2007.

At a Christmas dinner party at Mark’s home in Kitchener shortly before his departure, one of the guests began questioning and challenging Brent about why he wanted to go to Afghanistan, suggesting that Canadians had no business being there. Brent calmly pointed out that the guest had two little girls and asked how she would like it if they were never given the opportunity to go to school and to get an education, as had been the case in Afghanistan for years. Brent’s response terminated the conversation.

In the second phase of Athena, Canadian personnel were transferred to southern Afghanistan. Their primary base located in the southern city of Kandahar, a hotspot of renewed Taliban and terrorist activity. For more than five years, Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members fought the insurgency in a province also named Kandahar that was considered one of the most volatile provinces in Afghanistan. Kandahar was also the birthplace of the Taliban.

Operations were aimed at protecting Afghans where they resided; at reducing the influence of the insurgency; at eliminating insurgent strongholds; and at creating a secure environment for development work to take place.

Anytime Canadian soldiers left the relative safety of their main camps to go “outside the wire,” the danger was very real. Though the Canadian and NATO forces had better equipment than the Taliban—including tanks, artillery, LAVs, helicopters and drones—they were faced with a number of challenges: the coalition forces were viewed as an occupying power, so were vehemently attacked; the Taliban were more familiar with the terrain; the Taliban riddled the countryside with IEDS (improvised explosive devices); the enemy was not easily identifiable (difficult to distinguish a combatant from a civilian); and suicide bombers could be anyone, including women and children.

Taking place during Athena, Operation Achilles,beginning in March 2007, had the major objective of clearing the Taliban from the violent northern districts of Helmand province. Led by British forces, Operation Achilles was supported by other ISAF forces including Canadian, American, Danish, and Dutch units. It was focused on the Kajakai Dam, a major power source for Afghanistan that had not been functioning for a number of years. The mission involved clearing villages and a large Taliban complex near the hydroelectric dam, as well as clearing the dam of all enemy forces.

A Canadian Forces convoy in Afghanistan (Courtesy: The Canadian Press/Ryan Remiorz)

Brent (L) at FOB Masum Gar (FOB = Forward Operating Base)

In April 2007, Corporal Poland’s “Hotel Company” of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment was serving with NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Hotel Company was a mechanized infantry company, and Brent served as a Light Machine Gunner (LMG) in Bravo Section, 2nd Platoon. Hotel Company became known as “The Desert Rats” after the famed British group that had pestered Germany’s General Rommel in World War II. LMGs were the key pieces of firepower when the crew dismounted from the LAV and engaged the enemy. Brent loved the position and was excellent at it—his personnel review from Wainwright had him as the top LMG in the company.

In the weeks prior to Brent’s death, as part of Operation Achilles, the men had been providing security for massive convoys of soldiers and material being moved along the 160-km stretch between Kandahar City and the Kajacki Dam in Helmand province, where the British had a major offensive operation against the Taliban. NATO was trying to re-open the hydroelectric dam to supply the region with electricity. During this operation, the men would have been on high alert.

Ten soldiers in each section of RCR, 2^nd Battalion, moved in a light armoured vehicle (LAV III), with seven soldiers, including the sergeant, occupying the rear and the remaining three—the driver, a main gunner, and a crew commander—in the front. As one of the two LMGs, Brent sat in the rear compartment, laden with heavy gear—including the guns and the extra number of heavier calibre ammo belts, and with the body armour he wore, his kit weighed over 40 kilograms.

On April 7, 2007, Hotel Company dropped off the first convoy and the following day, Easter Sunday, it was heading back east to pick up one last convoy before 22 Bravo was scheduled for leave. This was its third escort in three days and the men were looking forward to a much-deserved rest. After breakfast on April 8, they broke out of their “leaguer” (a box formation of heavy armour surrounding LAVs which, in turn, protect non-armoured vehicles). Their platoon, comprising four sections, was tasked to set up a radio relay station some distance away from the main convoy route.

At 1:30 pm on that day, approximately 75 kilometres west of Kandahar, the LAV III that Corporal Poland was travelling in struck a roadside IED (improvised explosive device), triggering a massive explosion. For these soldiers, running over an IED, or having a car explode beside their vehicle, or being near a remote detonated IEDs were common and expected enemy tactics. But this IED was different. It was designed so that when the LAV’s front wheel struck the pressure plate, it activated the explosive which was the exact distance away to strike the rear underbelly of an LAV.

The bomb triggered a massive explosion under the vehicle that completely ripped away its back ramp door. Corporal Poland and five other comrades from 22 Bravo Section, who were all sitting in the rear passenger compartment of the vehicle, were killed instantly. One soldier standing in the rear air sentry hatch incurred serious injuries; the three men at the front of the LAV were uninjured.

Perishing with 37-year-old Brent Poland were RCRs Sgt. Donald Lucas, 31; Pte. Kevin Kennedy, 20; Cpl. Aaron Williams, 23; and Pte. David Greenslade, 20. Cpl. Christopher Stannix, 24, a reservist from the Halifax based Princess Louise Fusiliers, was also killed.

One of Brent’s closest friends, Captain Simon Bowser, then a private, was travelling in the LAV 50 metres behind the 22 Bravo LAV. Bowser felt the concussion of the explosion in his chest and saw columns of grey smoke spiral from the stricken LAV. He later said the deaths changed the complexion of the entire regiment. “Suddenly, it was very serious,” he recalled.

The attack was the largest single-day combat death toll suffered by Canadian troops since the Korean War.

Back in Sarnia on that April 8 Easter Sunday morning, Don and Pat Poland were attending St. John-in-the-Wilderness Anglican Church in Bright’s Grove church listening to the Easter service when a tremendously dark and gloomy feeling suddenly descended upon Don, shaking him to the core. The unsettling sensation did not last long. Shortly after, while driving from the church to their Queen Street home in Errol Village, the same dark premonition of fear descended on Don again. Don was petrified that a black car would be waiting in the driveway to deliver terrible news. Making the final turn home, he breathed a mammoth sigh of relief when he discovered no such car was waiting in the driveway.

Several hours later, after the Poland family finished their Easter dinner, a knock sounded on the Poland’s front door. At the door was a man wearing a kilt. Younger son Mark opened the door, where there stood a kilted soldier and a military chaplain. They were there to deliver the devastating news of Brent’s death, forever changing the life of the Poland family.

The timing of the deaths of Corporal Poland and his five RCR comrades had a dramatic ripple effect across the country. The very next day, April 9, 2007, Canada and the Commonwealth marked the 90th anniversary of the famous Battle of Vimy Ridge with the rededication of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France. After a five-year restoration process, in a ceremony broadcast live across Canada and attended by the largest crowd on the site since the 1936 dedication, including Canadian high school students and a handful of Canadian Great War veterans still alive, Queen Elizabeth II rededicated the Vimy Memorial in a moving and emotional ceremony. More information on the Vimy rededication is in the World War I, Vimy Ridge section of this Project

Caskets of the six fallen, Kandahar Air Field (Courtesy of DND/Sgt. Roxanne Clowe)

Corporal Brent Poland repatriation ceremony was held at CFB Trenton on April 11. On April 20, a full military funeral with honours was held at a packed Temple Baptist Church in Sarnia attended by more than 1000 people, with younger brother Mark delivering a powerful eulogy. The funeral procession made its way beyond the city limits, down rural roads, and arrived at Brent’s final resting spot in a country cemetery among his forefathers not far from the Poland ancestral farm near Brigden.

Corporal Brent Poland received the Citation: Sacrifice Medal (posthumously).

Thirty-seven-year-old Brent Poland is buried in Bear Creek Cemetery in Brigden, Lambton County. On his headstone are inscribed the words TOO DEARLY LOVED TO EVER BE FORGOTTEN.

Brent’s name is also inscribed on the Village of Camlachie’s Memorial.

Two personal effects were with Corporal Poland at the time of his death, two items that held great significance for Brent and others. Both were returned to his parents.

Before Corporal Poland left for Afghanistan, he had become friends with a chaplain, with whom he shared a barrack. Brent had an understanding of religion and was a deep thinker, and the two had many discussions together. Also, shortly before his departure, Brent’s mother, Pat, had given him a prayer card on which was printed Psalm 23 of the Holy Bible, “The Lord is my shepherd”, one of his grandmother’s favourite verses. When Brent’s personal effects were returned, inside the clear plastic window of his wallet sat the card containing the 23rd Psalm.

Before he had left for Afghanistan, his mother’s friend and fellow teacher, Leona Moore, asked Brent if he would consider writing to her grade four students at Confederation Central School about his experiences and answering any questions they had for him. Brent always had a soft spot for children and readily agreed. The students enjoyed writing and receiving letters with Brent and were excited that he was taking the time to reply to their letters. They had many questions when his letters were read to them.

Also found in Brent’s pocket were a letter he received from the students and his blood-stained rough notes for a letter he was preparing to send back to the students as soon as he returned to the main base at Kandahar. His father Don transcribed the notes and forwarded the letter to Leona Moore who then read it to the children.

The following are the rough notes that Brent had with him when he lost his life. They would have been written a week or so before his death:

To: Mrs. Moore’s 4th Grade Class

– Thanks

– We ride in heavily armoured vehicles called LAV III

– We patrol our area of operation for suspected Taliban fighters, and go into villages and district centers to provide protection for our bosses who have meetings called Shuras.

– We generally provide a presence in our area of operations, to let the Taliban know we are here, and to restrict their freedom of movement so that they can not terrorize the local population. These Shuras are important to ensure the local villagers have a say in the reconstruction process.

– Yes there are landmines and the occasional ambush, but our training is world class, so that protects us from being in too much danger.

– We sleep in sleeping bags behind our vehicles wherever we stop for the night.

– My name is Corporal Brent Poland. A corporal is a rank in the army one step above a private.

– We help train the Afghan national police to do things like set up vehicle check points in order to search for weapons and explosives.

– The people are generally poor, but things are improving.

– Since we have been here there is a new road.

– A canal/irrigation project is underway to help the people in the area grow better crops.

– They are mostly farmers.

When the students learned of Brent’s tragic death, many stayed in at recess to make a card for the Poland family that Mrs. Moore brought to the funeral home.

A few weeks after Brent’s death, Don received a call from Brian Isfeld who, in 1994, had lost his son, Mark, in an overseas Peacekeeping mission in Croatia. In a “father to father” conversation with Brian, Don learned about the Izzy Dolls named for Mark Isfeld.

Mark, a British Columbia native, had served as a United Nations Peacekeeper in Croatia in the early 1990s. During his tour there, he noticed and told his parents about young girls in the country who were missing dolls. As a result, his mother, Carol, began to crochet small girls’ dolls which she mailed to Mark for him to distribute. In June 1994, Mark was killed in Croatia while disarming a roadside landmine. Soon after, a grass roots movement spread across the country to make and send Izzy dolls to the Canadian Armed Forces for distribution to children in conflict zones, in Mark’s memory.

Don mentioned the Izzy Dolls to Lorena Macklin, a friend of the Polands, who wanted to “help in any way I could.” Lorena obtained the pattern and started knitting. Soon word spread and individual volunteers and church groups who all wanted to honour Brent’s memory began making Izzy Dolls and giving them to Lorena.

The following June, Don and Pat brought the dolls to a Toronto depot from where they would be shipped to Afghanistan. Don recalled that their “Honda Accord was stuffed with 13 large bags bursting with Izzy Dolls. People at the depot said it was one of the largest donations they had ever received.”

The Canadian Armed Forces also offered Don and Pat a Next of Kin visit to Afghanistan in April 2008 to experience their son’s military lifestyle and to retrace Brent’s steps. Pat opted not to go, but Don seized the opportunity. The eight days he spent there proved cathartic. He immersed himself in Brent’s life in Afghanistan—he flew in the same Hercules aircraft to Kandahar Airfield; slept in the same barracks; donned the same type of body armour and helmet; ate in the same mess tent; spoke to soldiers who had known Brent; and viewed the memorial there with the names and faces of all the Canadian soldiers who had fallen in Afghanistan.

After his trip was completed and he had returned to Errol Village, Don said, “I think I’ve found my son.”

Brent understood the importance of a good education. In memory of their son, Don and Pat, with the help of the Royal Canadian Regiment, started up The RCR Education Fund for the Children of Fallen Soldiers. The Fund helps with the cost of post-secondary education for the children of RCR soldiers who lost their lives in Afghanistan,

or who died in Canada as a result of the physical or mental injuries of war. In Brent’s death, others will have the opportunity for a brighter future.

Corporal Brent Poland is remembered as a good, strong and loving man, a proud soldier and proud Canadian. According to a family member, “He told us before he left that he saw this tour as his chance to help in the effort to bring peace and stability for the people of Afghanistan. He was inspired by the thought that his efforts might help to ensure that little girls had the chance to go to school and women might be given an opportunity to thrive in an environment free of brutal oppression.” The following is a quotation from a letter Brent wrote to his family, to be opened in the event of his death:

I sincerely hope that my death resulted in saving the lives of my fellow brothers in arms. I feel it is my obligation to protect the young men in my unit, given that I have been so blessed, so that they may go on to lead fulfilled lives and experience as much as I have.

Through the efforts of Sarnia City Counselor Jim Foubister, a plaque was added to the Sarnia cenotaph in November 2008. The plaque read “OTHER THEATRES OF CONFLICT – CPL BRENT POLAND – AFGHANISTAN 2007”.

In late October 2015, the Poland family dedicated a memorial stone and outdoor sanctuary in memory of their son at St. John-in-the-Wilderness Anglican Church in Bright’s Grove. The Poland family had been members of the church for over 45 years, and it was where both Brent and brother Mark attended growing up, and where both boys were baptized and confirmed. The shaded serenity garden at the church’s east side, a small plot of land that had long been bleak and sparse, had stones, mulch and plants added to it to create a shaded refuge for people to pause and reflect in peace. The memorial stone reads IN LOVING MEMORY OF CPL. BRENT POLAND, KIA IN AFGHANISTAN APRIL 8, 2007.

In June 2017, a playground at Errol Village Public School was dedicated in the memory of Brent Poland, a former student of that school. Funds for the Corporal Brent Poland Memorial Playground were raised by the Errol Village School Council. Also at Errol Village School, the Corporal Brent Poland Eagle Award is given annually to a graduating student who has worked the hardest to reach his or her potential.

In November 2019, the plaque that was added to the Sarnia cenotaph in 2008 was replaced. Brent Poland’s name, along with 25 others, was added to the Sarnia cenotaph, engraved in stone to be remembered always.

In Camlachie, Brent’s name was carved on a newer stone erected next to the original cenotaph. In 2020, the Poland family enhanced the Camlachie cenotaph by incorporating it into a Veterans Memorial parkette in Brent’s memory.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

More information on this soldier is available in

Valour Remembered: Sarnia-Lambton War Stories by Tom Slater and Tom St. Amand