Author: Matthew K Barrett

Sinking of HMT Aragon

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Lt-Col. Low and the
Sinking of HMT Aragon

After the 146th Battalion was broken up in October 1916, Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Adamson Low transferred to the Forestry Corps in France. While managing the overseas Unionist election campaign in December 1917, he was assigned by General Alexander MacDougall to undertake an important mission in the Mediterranean to investigate the quality of Cyprus timber. He neared his destination on board HMT Aragon in dangerous waters off the coast of Egypt on 30 December …

Aragon page 1A
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Lt-Col. F.L. Caron

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Lieutenant-Colonel F.L. Caron
12th (Three Rivers) Tank Regiment
Caron

There was a good deal of shelling, and continuous mortaring and sniping of our positions in the area. In spite of the enemy fire, Lt.-Col. Caron was continually among the forward positions personally supervising the employment of his Squadrons and seeking information about the enemy, which he might employ to advantage.

(D.S.O. citation, 30 June 1945)

Born in Montreal on 11 November 1918, Fernand Ludger Caron was a University of Montreal graduate and an accountant in civil life. He volunteered for active service in September 1939 and was soon commissioned with the Régiment de Trois-Rivières and rose to second-in-command of the redesignated 12th Tank Regiment in 1943.

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At the Sharpe End

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The Story of Lt-Col. Sam Sharpe

Further reading: Mathew Barrett, “’Absolutely Incapable of Carrying On’: Shell Shock, Suicide, and the Death of Lieutenant Colonel Sam Sharpe,” Canadian Military History http://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh/vol25/iss1/19

In November 1915, Samuel Simpson Sharpe, Conservative member of parliament for Ontario North, organized the 116th Battalion and began recruiting men throughout Ontario County. After departing Canada on 23 July 1916, the 116th arrived for training in England. While almost all high-numbered battalions were broken up, Sharpe managed to ensure that much of 116th remained together when deployed to the Western Front in February 1917.

Sharpe 2023 1
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Brig. J.F. Bingham

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Brigadier John F. Bingham
Royal Canadian Dragoons
12th (Three Rivers) Tank Regiment
2nd Armoured Brigade
Bingham

The Regiment’s new C.O. is, very temporarily, Lt. Col. J.F. Bingham. A member of the general staff, he has come to serve out his mandatory one month in action, in order to qualify for promotion to brigadier.

(Charles Prieur, War Chronicles, 204)

Born in Winnipeg on 6 August 1911, John Francis Bingham was a fencer in youth and son of the former commanding officer of the Fort Garry Horse. Commissioned in the Lord Strathcona’s Horse in 1933, Bingham rose quickly after the outbreak of the Second World War from captain to lieutenant colonel. In June 1942, he became commanding officer of the Royal Canadian Dragoons (Armoured Car Regiment), which arrived at Sicily in November 1943 and entered the Italian theatre in January.

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Brig. E.L. Booth

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Brigadier Leslie Booth
12th (Three Rivers) Tank Regiment
4th Armoured Brigade
Booth

It was strange but at about the time that Simonds and I were discussing that problem I became convinced that Boothie had a premonition that he would be killed. He certainly was not the same keen and cheerful man of the year before in Sicily … I looked for him to hear what was wrong,

(Kitching, Mud and Green Field, 213)

Born in Lancaster, England on 21 April 1906, Eric Leslie Booth was engineer for the Bell Telephone Company and prewar militia officer with the Mississauga Horse. In September 1939, he enlisted with the 1st Hussars, later redesignated the 6th Armoured Regiment, and went overseas as a major in late 1941. He served for several months as second-in-command of the 17th Lancers in North Africa before being appointed to command the 12th Tank (Three Rivers) Regiment in April 1943.

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Lt-Col. J.G. Vining

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Lieutenant-Colonel Jake Vining
12th (Three Rivers) Tank Regiment
Vining

All of us wondered what was going to happen. After lengthy deliberation, the authorities called on J.G. Vining, the regiment’s previous command officer, who by then was retired. To our great delight he joined us in Westmount.

(Allard, Memoirs, 29-30)

Born in Guernsey, Channel Islands England on 24 September 1896, John Gore Vining had enlisted as a private from Three Rivers, Quebec in July 1916, was wounded in France, and was commissioned after the armistice. He remained in the militia after the war and retired as commanding officer of Régiment de Trois-Rivières in 1936. After his two successors were transferred as over-age, Vining agreed to come out of retirement in July 1940 to resume command of the regiment as it mobilized as apart of the armoured corps.

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Lt-Col. G.E.A. Dupuis

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Lieutenant-Colonel Alex Dupuis
12th (Three Rivers) Tank Regiment
Dupluis

There is no fault to find with this officer’s moral character and he is hard working. He, however, seems entirely lacking in initiative and drive. His office acts solely as a Post Office with the result that much work that should be done by him is passed to this H.Q. I consider this officer is out of his depth in his present command.

(Confidential report, 21 Feb 1941)

Born in Quebec City on 31 October 1888, George Elzer Alexandre Dupuis was a decorated First World War veteran with a Military Cross and Bar. He had joined the 22nd Battalion in France as a reinforcement officer on 1 July 1916. Although twice wounded he remained on duty and by April 1917 had been promoted to acting major. When many of the senior officers were wounded during the battle of Amiens, Dupuis briefly took command of the battalion from 28 August to 10 September 1918.

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Lt-Col. C.M. McLean

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Lieutenant-Colonel Charlie McLean
11th (Ontario) Tank Regiment
McLeanCM

Lt-Col. McLean has always shown the most outstanding qualities of leadership and resourcefulness and complete disregard of personal danger. Time after time he has rallied the men of his regiment to carry on under almost impossible conditions.

(D.S.O. citation, 10 Nov 1945)

Born in Virden, Manitoba on 17 March 1913, Charles Milton McLean was a prewar member of the Manitoba Dragoons and went overseas as an officer with the Fort Garry Horse in 1941. He joined the Ontario Regiment in Italy in January 1944 as second-in-command under the new CO and fellow westerner Lieutenant-Colonel Bob Purves.

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Lt-Col. R.L. Purves

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Lieutenant-Colonel Bob Purves
11th (Ontario) Tank Regiment
Purves

The development of mass destruction weapons will lead away from great wars, where millions of men face each other. Instead we will have a continuation of smaller wars such as Korea, Indo-China, Palestine and Malaya—all aided and abetted by one or the other of the great power blocks.

(Purves in Toronto Star, 12 Nov 1954, 7)

Born in Victoria, British Columbia on 13 October 1910, Robert Lloyd Purves was a University of British Columbia graduate and schoolteacher in Calgary. Having belonged to the prewar reserve army with the Calgary Highlanders, he mobilized for active service in early 1941. He would serve with each of the three tank battalions in the 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade; as squadron commander in the 14th (Calgary) Regiment at Dieppe, second-in-command of the 12th (Three Rivers) Regiment, and commanding officer of the 11th (Ontario) Regiment.

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Lt-Col. H.R. Schell

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Lieutenant-Colonel H.R. Schell
11th (Ontario) Tank Regiment

This, the Tank Corps, are a unit that we expect will yet prove the deciding factor in the present conflict. The English have surpassed themselves in the molding of these tanks; they ate the work of many hands and many brains. We, the crews and operators, hope soon to have the opportunity of showing Germany how easily their once supposed invulnerable Panzer divisions can be routed and ruined. Most of use are very proud to have as our weapons the foremost allied tanks invented. They are the real thing and once in motion in actual battle, will prove a deadly stubborn foe.

(anonymous 11th Tank solider, Feb 1942)

Born in Oshawa, Ontario on 1 December 1912, Herbert Robson Schell was son of the city’s former mayor. He was one of a dozen officers to attend tank tactics training in England in late 1940. He served as second-in-command under Lieutenant-Colonel Murray Johnston during the long period of training in England from November 1942 until deployment with the 1st Army Tank Brigade after the invasion of Sicily in July 1943.

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