Nova Scotia/Nunavut Command of The Royal Canadian Legion www.ns.legion.ca 59 continued ... On 10 August the Canadian commander ordered the NSR, along with the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada, to push back the Germans who had created a bulge in the front line. The Germans established an ambush position in Quesnay Woods and waited for the soldiers of the NSR. It was a night battle that was described in the regimental history as a “nightmare of wild action.” It was a brutal fight that claimed the lives of 19 men including Privates Thomas Grant (Thorburn) and Thomas Robertson (Westville), who were killed in action, while Privates Calvin Gillis (West Dalhousie), John Kennedy (Inverness), Clarence MacKay (Barrs Corners) and Henry Roberts (Glace Bay) all died of their wounds. Private Grant Private Kennedy Private MacKay Private Roberts - right On 8 August, Private Robert Lawrence (Guysborough) was struck in the chest by a bullet that exited his buttocks. It was a serious wound that had ripped through his torso. He was evacuated to a military hospital near Juno beach where he died of his wounds on 13 August. On 23 August Corporal Sydney James Falls (Liverpool, 3rd Canadian Division heavy weight boxing champion) was leading a patrol into Brenay with the aim of dislodging enemy snipers. They were drawn into an ambush; Falls and three other soldiers were killed. Falls was the only African-Nova Scotian killed while serving with the NSR. Just after 0100 hours, on 25August, as the regiment advanced towards Fontaine, Private Roy Hogg (Port Clyde) was on an advance reconnaissance patrol and was killed in action when his Bren Gun carrier struck an anti-tank mine. On 17 September the NSR attacked the enemy’s large naval coastal gun emplacement at La Tresorerie. Private Andrew Davidson (Guysborough County) was wounded and died of his wounds later that day. Many military historians consider the Battle of the Scheldt as the most significant battle fought by the Canadians during WW II in Northwest Europe. Cpl. Falls continued ...
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