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THE MOVE TO
FRANCE and HOLLAND
official map of "Operation
Goldflake", the move of 1st. Canadian Corps to Belgium
March 25th. - 26th. of march 1945.
With "Operation Goldflake", the Highlanders moved from Leghorn,
Italy to Marseilles, France, on the road to Belgium, then the
Netherlands to join the completed 1st. Canadian Army corps, with
the 11th. Infantry brigade of the 5th. Armoured Division
(see map above).
Excerpt from Ch.14, Bonifica And North-West Europe p.307:
All vehicles had departed by early on the 25th and the final
personnel group sailed from
LEGHORN
on the 26th, arriving in France at Marseilles to 70 degree
weather at 1100 hours on the 27th, joining the rest of the
battalion. The following day, Reveille was at 0345 hours and the
unit moved off on its truck trip to Belgium.
Excerpt from Ch.14, Bonifica And North-West Europe p.308:
At 1230 hours on 5 March, The Cape Breton Highlanders crossed
into Belgium and were billeted in company locations. Battalion
headquarters, HQ and A Companies were sent to ROESBRUGGE, B
Company was in CROMBEKE, C Company in WATOU and D Company in
HARRINGHE, all of which covered an area of five square miles,
and were approximately twenty miles from the North Sea and
thirty miles southwest of OOSTENDE.
The Pipe Band of the Cape Breton Highlanders
playing in a town in Belgium, circa March, 1945.
Source:
Cape Breton Highlanders Museum, Sydney, NS, 2014
Ref. Number: 0-1 (7-19.2)
In the foreground, from left to right, are: Piper
John J. MacMillan from Reserve Mines, NS; Piper John A.
MacDonnell of Inverness, NS; and Pipe Major Bill Gillis also of
Inverness, NS. Behind Pipe Major Gillis is Piper Archie Allan
MacKay, also from Inverness, NS.
The Cape Breton
Highlanders Pipe Band in Watou, Belgium Circa March, 1945.
Source:
Brian Chisholm, Saint John,
NB, 2017
Ref. Number: 17-1
(1.2)
Standing, from Left to Right:
1. Drummer Melvin MacLean,
Sydney Mines, NS
2. Piper Major William “Willie” Gillis,
Inverness, NS
3. Piper John Joseph “Piper” MacMillan,
Reserve Mines, NS
4. Piper John Angus MacDonnell, Inverness,
NS
5. Piper MacInnis
6. Piper Archie Allan MacKay, New
Waterford, NS
7. George Sutherland, Soldiers Cove, NS
8. Danny Gillis, Glencoe, NS
9. Cooper, Truro
Kneeling, left to Right:
1. Drummer Bobby Boyd
2.
Drummer Chuck Williams, PEI
3. Drummer Dan MacDonald, Sydney, NS
4.
Drummer Clarence Hunt, North
Sydney, NS
5. Drummer MacDonald
6. Drummer Judson
Monty visits the Cape Breton Highlanders
before the start of the battle in the northern Netherlands
(Source: Public Archives of Canada)
Excerpt from Ch.14, Bonifica And North-West Europe p.309:
A parade was held for Field Marshall Montgomery, Commander of 21
Army Group, on the 18th of March. The Field Marshall " stopped
at each company and spoke to the troops." A report in the 24
April
Maple Leaf
notes that he spoke to Lieutenants Roy,
Nixon
and Nelson during his ten minutes with the C.B.H. The unit was
placed on 48-hour notice to move to the Front on 24 March.
At 0715 hours on the 27th, the C.B.H.
moved off on a 200 mile trip to a concentration area near
NIJMEGEN in Holland. On the following day, the Cape Breton
Highlanders moved into the Line on an "island" which separates
the rivers NEDER RHINE and WAAL, taking-over from the 4th
Battalion of The Essex Regiment, 56th (British) Brigade.
Battalion HQ was at VALBERG. 11 C.I.B. was now part of 49
British (West Riding) Division.
Excerpt from
Ch.15,
Delfzijl
p.314
On the 12th the whole unit was in billets in
VALBERG.
The stay in
VALBERG
was a short one as the division was being moved to a new area
where, as it turned out, it would finish the war.
The 1st.
Canadian Army Massed Pipes and Drums,5th. from the left, in the
front row is Pipe Major Bill Gillis.
N.B.: Do click on this photograph
for enlargement; but use backspace to return!
Excerpt from
Ch.15,
Delfzijl
p.315
The Pipes and Drums returned to the unit on the 14th, having
been away for some time playing in Brussels, at Vimy Ridge and
other places. While at Vimy Ridge,
Pipe-Major William
Gillis
played a lament over his father's grave. Corporal Jack
Gillis
of the 85th Battalion had been killed on Easter Sunday, 15 April
1917 during that epic battle.
Third from the right, front row: Pipe Major Bill
Gillis, C.B.H. taking part in the in the Brussels Parade of
11-06-1945
Another move began on the 15th when A Company led the unit to a
concentration area near
ARNHEM.
BARNEVELD, a town between
HILVERSUM
and
ARNHEM,
was the next C.B.H. objective in this fast-moving Dutch
campaign. The town was liberated peacefully and was secure in
C.B.H. hands by 0530 hours on the 17th. When the C.B.H. came
into BARNEVELD in the middle of the night, the soldiers received
a warm and enthusiastic welcome, and in the morning, the Dutch
flags were flying again.
C.B.H. Liberators
of the town give a concert at the Kapteynstraat in Barneveld - evening
of 17th. of April 1945
Pipe Major Bill
Gillis, Liberation of Ermelo April 18 1945 at "s'Heerenloo"
Photograph
Courtesy of
Streekarchivariaat Noordwest-Veluwe,
access number 5571
Excerpt from
Ch.15,
Delfzijl
p.316-317
We received a great welcome from the civilians
here, in fact they are so friendly it is difficult to get
through the crowds. Many of them were out giving hot tea to the
boys as we were entering town, so judging from the reception we
were given, this might be a nice place to spend a few days.
The
18th "When the Pipe Band played around the area this afternoon,
it was followed by a parade larger than any battalion parade we
ever had which proves that the bagpipes are popular
(everywhere)."
In
a letter home, Lieutenant Roy described the liberation
atmosphere in Holland:
We have been on the chase for this past week, moving as far as
25 miles a day. I had my first all night sleep - previous to
that I had been on the go all the time. At present I am on the
shore of the ZUIDERZEE and thus we have cut-off the Jerries in
Holland. Two days ago, we liberated our first big town and it
was an experience I shan't forget for along time. I entered the
town in a small armoured car about 0200 hours. This was the
first time the Dutch had seen Canadian soldiers. What a welcome
we got. The town went mad - completely mad - with joy. People
thronged the streets and with foolish cheering, waving, kissing
and crying. Girls dressed themselves in red, white and blue
dresses and everyone had a bit of orange on them (for the Royal
Family. The underground laddies came out and armed with German
rifles, grenades, British Stenguns and such, whizzed around on
their bicycles rounding up collaborators. Any women who had
relations with the Jerries had their hair completely cut off and
were slapped and such by other women. Dutch SS traitors, trying
to sneak away in civvy clothes, were rounded up and forced to go
on their hands and knees through the main streets to jail. They
were shot forthwith. Huge bands of men and women marched through
the streets, arms linked and ten to fourteen abreast, singing
their national anthem over and over. People everywhere were
laughing, singing, shouting for joy. We were mobbed with
kindness. They couldn't do enough for us. In one house where I
stopped to brew tea I asked the old lady if she would join me.
There were tears in her eyes. It was the first time she'd had
honest to-goodness tea for over five years. There were many
touching things like that. I'd give the world if you could have
seen it and experienced it. You can't imagine how good it makes
you feel to bring such happiness to so many.
Excerpt from
Ch.15,
Delfzijl
p.317-318
The unit moved off again at 0630 hours on the 21st and moved to
the area of DOKKUM, northeast of
LEEUWARDEN
where it took over from the North Nova Scotia Highlanders of 9
C.I.B.
and 3 C.I.D., the unit to which the first draft of C.B.H.
soldiers and officers had been dispatched at the start of the
war. The task here was to watch the coastline as the Frisian
Islands were still German-occupied and to ensure that no one
crossed over to the mainland. The C.B.H. area of responsibility
covered some 20 miles and the companies were spread far apart,
Battalion HQ, B, D, and Support Companies being in DOKKUM, with
A in HOLWERD and C in ANJUM. Patrols were conducted by truck, a
novel experience. The Dutch underground forces also patrolled
the area and kept in close touch with the C.B.H. The unit
signalers were quite happy to discover that communication was
to be by means of the civilian telephone system, and for a
while, at least, the laying and checking of line was a thing of
the past.
Another unique event took
place on the 22nd at 1130 hours when a platoon from C Company
captured a small German naval craft. Its Captain had made the
mistake of thinking the area unoccupied and had come to visit
some friends. His captors assured him that he would not see them
for a long time. Also taken prisoner were three marines, a
civilian, the Captain's female secretary, and a large quantity
of liquor and cigarettes. The capture intrigued both the
Division and Brigade commanders who were given a tour by
Lieutenant-Colonel Somerville. Some of the liquor was later
freed by some senior NCOs from Support Company and was used to
liven up a company social gathering.
C.S.M. "Red Joe" McIntyre
remembers the incident this way:
We then arranged to have an anti-tank gun brought up and
after firing a shot, the people on the tug decided it was time
to surrender. This was quite an event and it was widely
broadcast on the international news that an infantry regiment
had captured a sea-going tug. The Colonel was very pleased with
our effort and he decided that he should bring the General up to
see the tug which was caught in the sand. Some of the members of
C Company that participated in the capture of the tug decided
they would walk across the sand and investigate the boat, and
they made a great discovery when they found a false floor where
about 40 demijohns of liquor, containing about 20 liters each, was
found. They proceeded to transport these demijohns to the shore
and in the process decided to sample them. The demijohns were
labeled.
One was labeled Schnapps, the other Brandy Wine and the other
was marked jenever. It did not take long for all the members of
C Company near the tug to participate in the sampling of this
liquor.
I was directed to have all the liquor taken to the Officers'
Mess. Our transport corporal took over with his vehicles and
brought what we described as all of the liquor back to the
officers' mess, but fortunately we retained three 20-litre jugs
which served us in great stead.
Excerpt from
Ch.15,
Delfzijl
p.319:
The CBH moved into a
concentration area at LOPPERSUM, just west of DELFZIJL, and were
complete by 1330 hours on the 25th. Another move, this time to
BIERUM and SPIJK on the River EMS just slightly north west of
DELFZIJL, was made on the 28th.
Meanwhile, responsibility for the capture of the DELFZIJL pocket
had been given to the 11th, Canadian Infantry Brigade, while the Cape Breton Highlanders of
Canada were to liberate Delfzijl.
And so they did !
Patrolling the streets of Delfzijl in full battle order:
Left: Cpl Howie Dawe with a British Sten submachine gun (holding
a package of cigarettes under his right arm) and Right: Pte.
Earl Wilson with a BREN L.M.G.
Cape Breton Highlanders
C Company, equipped with flamethrower carriers
(Wasps), during
the liberation of Delfzijl.
Do note the C.B.H. regimental number
"62" on the Bren Carrier vehicle plates.
Excerpt from
Ch.15,
Delfzijl
p.331:
At 2359 hours on 4 May, C.B.H. HQ sent a message to HQ 11
C.I.B.
"Despite official communiqué and local newspaper we still hold
the town which we captured and mopped-up."
Shortly before noon on the 2nd, C Company, equipped with
flamethrowers
(WASPS, see the photograph above here), moved off to ensure that the area between the
DAMSTER canal
and the EEMS canal was free of Germans. After contact was made with
the Irish and the B.C.D., the company returned without seeing
any enemy.
After the battle for Delfzijl was
finished, the Pipe Band led the regiment on the Victory March
through Delfzijl,
with Pipe Major Bill ("Bull") Gillis in command.
Some more photographs of the C.B.H.
Pipe band, victoriously marching through Delfzijl.
Major-General Hoffmeister paid a two-hour visit in the
afternoon. He went round the companies and said that the whole
division was proud of the C.B.H. The next day, the unit was
moved and occupied the triangle DELFZIJL, UTWIERDE, APPINGEDAM.
While there, on the evening of 4 May, the soldiers heard of the
unconditional surrender of the Germans in Holland, Northern
Germany, Denmark, the Friesian islands and Helgoland. Brigade
also informed us of this and told us cease-fire would be at 0800
hours tomorrow morning. The news brought hearty cheers from the
boys.
Excerpt from
Ch.16,
From War To Peace, p.333:
The transition from a war situation to one of peace began almost
immediately. A ceremonial Guard Mounting was started and would
be supported by the Pipes and Drums.
11 Infantry Brigade Officers during the Crerar visit:
L. to R.: O. in C. The Irish Regt. of Can.: Lt. –Col. L.H.C. Payne,
Commander 11th. Can. Inf. Bde.: Brig. E.S. Johnston, General Crerar,
O. in C. The Cape Breton Highlanders: Lt. –Col.
T.S. Somerville, O. in C. The Perth Regt.: Lt. –Col. M.W.
Andrew.
Reveille on
23
May was at
0430
hours and all ranks moved to the EELDE airfield for the First
Canadian Army parade called Exercise FINALE. Preparations had
been underway for some time and almost 100 C.B.H. soldiers had
been at the airfield for a number of days assisting with its
set-up. There was a general salute when General Crerar, the Army
Commander, arrived. Then he, Major-General Hoffmeister and
Brigadier Johnston drove through the ranks. After lunch, there
was a drive past by units and a return to unit lines.
(Left)
Delfzijl: C.B.H. fatalities after the final
battle. (Right) Sgt. Bennie Peters pays his final farewell.
A final farewell at the Delfzijl temporary burial site, before
the war graves were moved to Holten.
Excerpt
from
Ch.16,
From War To Peace, p.335:
At 1000 hours on
4
June, Major-General Hoffmeister inspected the C.B.H. for the
last time. He had been appointed commander of the force that
Canada was to send to the Pacific to help finish that war. He
said that he "hoped to see many C.B.H. lads under his command"
in the Pacific.
Over
200
soldiers took him at his word and volunteered for the Pacific
force. Amongst them was Pipe Major Bill Gillis of the Cape
Breton Highlanders. This left the task of Acting Pipe Major to
LanceCorporal George
Sutherland.
In April
1945,
Lieutenant-Colonel Somerville became Commander
11
C.I.B.
and Major Syl McKinnon was named Second-in-Command of the C.B.H.
and then became CO on 6 June. On his first day in charge, he
held a battalion parade and then drilled all ranks for
30
minutes.
Delfzijl (Eems Canal North bank): Cape
Breton Highlanders watch German P.O.W'.s put to work at
unloading food relief
Towards the
end of May, Captain JF Lockman and Lieutenant GB Langley took a
party of soldiers to HARLINGEN to act as guards for German
prisoners on their journey home. Later in the month, 250
prisoners arrived in DELFZIJL and were guarded daily as they
were employed unloading barges and clearing mines.
 
Left: May 13, 1945 on the "Nieuwe
Buren", Leeuwarden. Right: As the same place looks now, December
2012
Here, in the afternoon the Cape Breton Highlanders' pipe band is leading
Canadian troops, Dutch police and -underground resistance fighters
towards the "Grote Kerk" for a Thanksgiving Service.
On this photograph, the one
taken at the Kapteynstraat in Barneveld
above, and from now on:
George Sutherland has taken over as Acting Pipe Major,
since P.M. Gillis had volunteered for service in the Pacific with Paiforce.
Left: Portrait of P.M. Bill (Nickname: "Bull") Gillis
Right: Arm badge of the Canadian Army Pacific Force (Paiforce)
on the way to the Thanksgiving Service in the “Grote Kerk” in Leeuwarden, with Parade
afterward.
after the Thanksgiving Service, passing the "Beursgebouw"
at the Wirdumerdijk.
After countermarching, the band is now marching in
reversed positions:
- 1st. row L. to R.: Archie MacKay, Dan Gillis, George Sutherland
- 2nd. row: Gordon and Malcolm Cooper (brothers),
Willie Gillis.
On the Wirdumerdijk, the Pipe Band plays
while (left) the "Underground" (male Friesian resistance fighters) parade past
the "Beurs",
and (right) the Friesian women who were messengers for
the resistance
on the left, you can just see the Pipe band
along the road
and afterward, here is the Pipe Band walking
past the Library, from Beursplein towards Zaailand, on the way to transport back ...
to Barracks in Bolsward, where the changing
of the C.B.H. Quarter Guard will take place on the "Appelmarkt".
A
well-known C.B.H. sign.
Excerpt from
Ch16, From War to Peace, p.336:
The unit moved to BOLSWARD in July and began the
process of winding-down and preparing for the journey back to
Canada which would not take place for a number of months. What
follows is a summary of the main highlights of unit life until
it left Northwest Europe.
This Cape Breton Highlander
of Canada took part in the liberation of Groningen, Friesland
and Bolsward,
where he for some time lived in the house of the parents of a
lady who at that time was only a little girl.
Now she is 77 years of age herself, but she still has this
photograph of Teddy Mc. Donald hanging on the wall in her house
in Bolsward, Friesland.
In a telephone
conversation, the lady who owns the above photograph, Mrs. Bep
Faber (Birth Date 16 09 1932),
who was called by the surname "Beppie", told us her story:
In 1945 the soldiers of the
Cape Breton Highlanders in Bolsward were mainly quartered with
the inhabitants in existing civilian buildings, some of them
(who drank, the more “tough guys”) also in bars and hotels. The
family of Mrs. Bep Faber had two C.B.H. soldiers as boarders,
one could already return home to Canada earlier, and the other,
TeddyMac.Donald, some time later: after about half a year. He
was a corporal.
Teddy was regarded and treated by the mother of the family as a
sort of “son”, and he was very well liked by all. He was over 20
years of age and had already seen some 5 or 6 years of military
service by then. He had also been on holidays in England, during
which occasion he did have a photograph taken (a print of which
was framed and hung on the wall in Bolsward, it still hung there
when the mother died).
Also, he had requisitioned a big black motorbike from a German,
on which he went out driving in the countryside. Rest of the
time he was at home, unless every now and then he did have to
take part in the “Quarter Guard”. Initially he did also have a
girl friend in Bolsward but they broke up, and he also knew some
girls in other villages. Whenever he asked the mother of the
family where he stayed wherever he should go for a drive on the
motorbike this time, like Dokkum or some other more remote
place, she would say: go to Wommels (a nearby village), that is
not so far away, as long as you are back before 10 o’clock
tonight! And he always did so.
The Cape Breton Highlanders did not go to church (church parade)
in Bolsward, but often the pipe band came to play on the Market
on which occasion everybody was very exited and came out to
watch and listen.
The younger sister of Mrs. Bep Faber was 5 years of age then and
so did not remember much about 1945, and she was about 13
herself at the time. Later, after he had returned home, Teddy
had still sent letters about how he got married, a child having
been born and that he had moved to the U.S.A.
But when her mother died, the younger sister (who was not so
interested) had already thrown everything away (letters and
all), only the framed photograph of Teddy on the wall remained,
so no further names or places are known of the Canadian soldier
that Bep Faber had come to regard as part of her family, like an
older brother. So this is why she would very much like to know
if he is still around, alive and well.
Left and Right photographs: The C.B.H. Pipes& Drums on the march
in Bolsward - Middle:
C. Company H.Q., Bolsward, Holland 1945:
Kneeling in front are Capt. John Johnson, C.S.M. Ron Hawkins,
Maj. Donald Chisholm and Lieut. F.A. Heuback.
Activities and programmes of every nature were
established to help pass the time and also with the aim of
improving the education and skills of the soldiers so as to
prepare them to meet the challenges they would face in the
transition back to civilian life.
Included among them was a mutual cooperation programme under the
terms of which soldiers would help the Dutch farmers with their
chores, and in turn the Highlanders would receive an education
in agricultural matters. Some of those who had been farmers
before the war enjoyed the experience of learning different ways
while others encountered their first work on a farm.
There were also academic courses offered to help the soldiers
improve their educational qualifications. The Department
of Veterans' Affairs sponsored a series of talks after which all
could ask questions concerning the benefits they were eligible
to receive.
Here is another photograph of Lt.Col.
Somerville* of the Cape Breton highlanders, presenting the first prize to Captain J.M. Lockington,
winner of the
running broad jump event, Track and Field Day, Sneek, Netherlands, 3
July 1945.
The pipe band would also play at similar sports events.
*In
April 1945, Lt.Col. Somerville became Commander of 11 C.I.B., Major
Syl MacKinnon following him up as C.O. of the Cape Breton
Highlanders.
The Cape Breton
Highlanders of Canada's pipe band did also, (as the
5th. Canadian Armoured Division massed pipes and drums) play
together with the pipe band of the Irish Regiment of Canada, on the
following occasion:
14
Juli: the Irish Regt. & CBH pipe bands play for Prince
Bernhard at farewell to the B.S. Leeuwarden
The combined (5th.
Canadian armoured Division) pipe bands of the Irish Regiment and Cape
Breton
Highlanders of Canada
arriving on the Wilhelminaplein,
Leuwarden
On his birthday, H.R.H.
Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands is escorted by the
Commander of the Cape Breton Highlanders, Major Syl
MacKinnon,
after he arrived
on Leeuwarden airbase, for the final inspection of the B.S.
14 july – Left: the 5th. Canadian Armoured Division Pipes
and Drums marching past the “Gerechtsgebouw” of Leeuwarden.
Ex- Pipe Major Gillis came over from his Paiforce training
for this special occasion (note the different Argylls &
Sutherland highlanders sporran he is wearing now)
14 july, Leeuwarden – the farewell parade of the Nederlandse
Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten -
the combined C.B.H. and Irirsh Regiment of Canada Pipes &
Drums playing on the “Wilhelminaplein”.
Farewell Parade and inspection of the "B.S."
- the former armed resistance, which was to be disbanded and
from volunteers of which the “Grensbattalion Indië” were to
be formed -
on the “Zaailand” in Leeuwarden, by Prince Bernhard, 14 July
1945,
Major Syl MacKinnon following
close behind.
The combined
(5th. Canadian Armoured
Division) pipe
bands of the Irish Regiment and Cape Breton Highlanders
of Canada playing
for the march-past of the B.S. who turned in their arms and
were then disbanded.
H.R.H. Prince Bernhard
of the Netherlands, escorted by the C.B.H. Commander, Major
Syl MacKinnon, greeting the B.S. (Dutch Resistance) at
their farewell parade.
Poster recruiting volunteers for the “Grensbattalion
Indië”
Excerpt
from
Ch.16,
From War To Peace, p.336:
Guard mountings and band concerts continued and the news of
victory in Japan brought a two-day holiday. A liberation
ceremony was held in BOLSWARD on 31 August, speeches made and
tokens of appreciation presented to the unit for its part in the
freeing of Holland. The "BAY NEWS", the newspaper of the C.B.H.,
began weekly publication with its first edition hitting the
streets on 25 August. It was intended to be a self-supporting
venture but the staff was assured that any losses would be
covered. Its last edition was on 24 November.
The Cape Breton
Highlanders of Canada's pipe band did also, (as the
5th. Canadian Armoured Division massed pipes and drums) play
together with the pipe band of the Irish Regiment of Canada, on
the following occasion:
9
September 1945: Irish Regt. and CBH - Mounting 11th.
Brigade Guard-Leeuwarden
9 September 1945:
The combined pipe bands of the Royal Irish regiment of Canada and the
Cape Breton Highlanders
at the Mounting of the
11th. Brigade Guard-Leeuwarden
9 September 1945:
The combined pipe bands of the Royal Irish regiment of Canada and the
Cape Breton Highlanders
at the Mounting of the
11th. Brigade Guard-Leeuwarden
On 26 October 1945 the C.B.H. Pipe
Band play on the Leeuwarden "Zaailand" again, at the farewell parade of
the Friesian
Battalion 1-9 R.I.
26
October 1945 the C.B.H. Pipe Band played for the farewell parade of the
Friesian "War
Volunteer
Battalion 1-9 R.I."
the "Grensbattalion Indië"
who were formed from the former Friesian resistance, just before
they left for service in the Dutch Indies.
 Click on the photograph above to see a clip of
the Pipe Band playing on the 26-10-'45 Zaailand, Leeuwarden parade.
The front cover of the Memorial Book:
"The Cape Breton Highlanders".
Excerpt from
Ch.16,
From War To Peace, p.337:
On 8 November, the eagerly-awaited memorial book "The Cape
Breton Highlanders" arrived. With the unit tartan and badge on
the cover, it was a handsome effort which listed the names of
those who had been killed while serving with the CBH. Three days
later, 5 CAD held a memorial service at the cemetery in
WIERDEN
to honour those killed at DELFZIJL. The Burgomasters of DELFZIJL
and LOPPERSUM attended and laid wreaths. Each soldier's name was
read, a tradition continued to this day at the annual CBH
Memorial Service held at the unit memorial on King's Road in
Sydney. Since that time, the bodies of the soldiers have been
moved to the Canadian cemetery in
HOLTEN,
Holland.
On 22 November,
the Pipes and
Drums, the CO and other Highlanders travelled to DELFZIJL
for a farewell ceremony. Another, similar event was held in
LEEUWARDEN.
Delfzijl, 1945: The City Councils of
Delfzijl, Bierum, Appingedam and Termunten celebrate their
liberation by the Canadians
with a Dinner for Cape Breton Highlanders of Canada - and other
11th. Brigade officers in the Delfzijl City hall
Excerpt from
Ch.16,
From War To Peace, p.337-339:
At 0200 hours on 28
November, a 23-truck convoy of 24 officers and 375 soldiers
departed for GRONINGEN and a train to NIJMEGEN. Arriving at 1700
hours, the Pipes and Drums played the unit during its five
minute march to the rest camp. The C.B.H. departed Europe from
OSTEND at 1330 hours on 2 December and the Pipes and Drums
played "The Road to the Isles" as the soldiers marched onto the
ship. Arriving at Dover four hours later, they made their way to
B Wing of No. 10 Repatriation Depot at Dunley Hill. Later came
the welcome chores of filling out leave and discharge papers.
Following a last Christmas spent away from Canada, all proceeded
on 9 January 1946 to Cove and No. 3 Repatriation Depot. Eight
days later came the word that the 354 all ranks of the C.B.H.
would sail from Southampton on 20 January on the ILE DE FRANCE.
Arriving from Farnborough Station at Southampton at 0100 hours,
bedding-down was quickly accomplished and the ship sailed at
1300 hours. The War Diary noted that "The ship is crowded but
who cares, we are going home." It was three days short of five
years since some of the Highlanders had departed the Dodd Street
station in Sydney. Delayed one day by Atlantic storms, the ILE
DE FRANCE docked at Halifax at 1700 hours on Saturday 26
January, 1946.
The
S.S. Ile de France
Details on the Ile de
France:
The SS Ile de France was a French ocean liner built
in Saint-Nazaire, France for the Compagnie Générale
Transatlantique. The ship was the first major ocean liner built
after the conclusion of World War I and was the first liner ever
to be decorated entirely with designs associated with the Art
Deco style. It was neither the largest ship nor the fastest
ship, but was considered the most beautifully decorated ship
built by the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (CGT, known also
as the "French Line") until the Normandie.
At the war's beginning, the Ile de France was berthed
at its New York pier. Since the French were not anxious to
return the ship to its homeland, it was towed to Staten Island
by ten tugs and was laid up after special dredging that cost
$30,000. Its crew of 800 persons was reduced to a security staff
of 100 while it was inoperative for the next five months. Then
during March 1940, commanded by the British Admiralty, to which
it had been lent, the ship was loaded with 12,000 tons of war
materials, submarine oil, tanks, shells, and several uncrated
bombers that were stowed on the aft open decks. On 1 May 1940
she departed for Europe, veiled in gray and black. From there,
it traveled to Singapore where, after the Fall of France, it was
officially seized by the British. During 1941 she returned to
New York and made several crossings from the northeast as a
troop ship such as the one on February 14, 1944, sailing from
Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Greenock, Scotland, carrying among
others the 814th Tank Destroyer Battalion at the end of the war
the Ile de France was used to ferry American and Canadian
troops home.
The
Long Voyage Is Over
(on the T.S. Ile de France)
The 43,000-ton ILE DE FRANCE carried over 7,000 troops from The
Cape Breton Highlanders, The Princess
Louise
Fusiliers, The PEI Light Horse, The Argyle and Sutherland
Highlanders, The Lincoln and
Welland
Regiment, The Algonquin Regiment, The Canadian Grenadier Guards,
The British Columbia Regiment, and The Lake Superior Regiment,
the Canadian Women's Army Corps band, some artillery regiments,
over 1,000 RCAF personnel and small groups from other services
and units. Almost two dozen troop trains were deployed to take
them to their homes; the first left Halifax barely three hours
after the ship had docked.
Led by Lieutenant-Colonel McKinnon, the C.B.H. marched off the
ship at 1830 hours. The Pipes and Drums of the C.B.H reserve
battalion were there to pipe them to the armouries.
"Black Jack" MacDonald was there
that day piping for the C.B.H. as they came home, just as had
been done for him when he returned in 1919 as part of the 85th.
They were met by two former Commanding Officers, Colonel Weir
and Lieutenant-Colonel Somerville, by Lieutenant-Colonel Ogilvie
a former C.B.H. company commander, Father A.D. MacDonald, the
long-time unit Padre, and by R.S.M. Diplock. Lieutenant-Colonel
Fred Crooks, C.O. of the C.B.H. reserve battalion, was also on
hand. The mayors of Sydney and Glace Bay and other Cape Breton
dignitaries journeyed to Halifax for the occasion and then most
of them travelled by plane to Sydney so as to be there to greet
the unit when it arrived. The Halifax reception lasted four
hours and then the troops boarded a train for Sydney and home.'
Over 5,000 Cape Bretoners jammed Dodd and Ritchie Streets and
the whole of the area surrounding the C.N.R. station on Sunday,
27 January 1946. Once again the pipes played, and in the words
of the Sydney newspaper, everyone "extended an enthusiastically
warm welcome to the warriors who fought from the tough, rugged
scenes of combat in Italy down to the Holland theatre of war."
This is how a C.B.H. collar badge
looks
click on it to go to the C.B.H. regimental Museum
|
THE CAPE
BRETON HIGHLANDERS 
