Dear Editor:
There has been a memorial constructed at Aldershot and anyone in the area should visit it.
It was dedicated in May in memory of 344 West Novas who made the supreme sacrifice in World War II.
The West Nova Regiment started recruiting in September 1939 at Annapolis Royal, about half the recruits came from the Annapolis Valley, Windsor to Digby. Then there were some from Yarmouth, the South Shore and a few from P.E.I. On December 21, the regiment boarded an ocean liner in Halifax for a 10-day voyage across the submarine infested North Atlantic. As we left Halifax in a blizzard, the attitude on board was as if we were on a pleasure cruise. Many of these young lads would never see Canada again.
We were stationed in England, not far from London, during intensive training in 1940. We witnessed the Battle of Britain as it raged in the sky overhead. On July 10, 1943 we hit the island of Sicily, our first combat, and captured the island in 38 days. Then the assault on the mainland began. As we advanced north, our casualties began to mount. On the 20th of December our attacks started on Ortona, which lasted five days. The city fell as the enemy surrendered on Christmas Day.
The West Nova Regiment at full strength was 980 officers and men, but was reduced at Orton to 156. In February of 1945 we moved to the western front and joined the rest of the Canadian Army involved there.
In 19 months of combat, the West Novas won 25 battle honors, more than any other infantry regiment from Canada. It looks like only a handful of the originals are still around. Two or three on the South Shore, the same in Yarmouth and P.E.I., and only two in the Annapolis Valley; one from Kentville and one in Deep Brook.
Oren Foster, B.E.M.
Deep Brook
Brief history of the West Nova Scotia Regiment
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Comments
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- clint greenhowe
- - April 15, 2012 at 23:52:16
Hi just like to say thank you for putting this page on my grandfather was in the west nova scotia reginment and at 93 he is still alive and doing well he settled in scotland after the war his name is earl matthew wadden and he still has a fresh memory about his days in the war.
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- Ronald Joseph Lehman
- - July 11, 2011 at 16:49:40
I have been looking for an east coaster name of Donald Fredrick Orr whom I worked with before and after the end of my high schooling in Toronto in 1949 and 1950. We worked for Leaside Contracting a sewer contractor. He was an infantryman in the Canadian Army during the Italian campaign. He did some boxing while in England and won the Canadian Forces Heavyweight Crown. He was the strongest/toughest guy I ever met, but was a gentle soul. I heard of the many stories of his adventures while fighting the Germans in Italy. I am currently studying a book "Maple Leaf Against the Axis" and the author D.J. Bercuson talks about the campaign at Catanzaro. I don't remember what Fred said about the name of his unit but as a self appointed Military Historian have found that the West Nova Scotia Regiment was in that battle, and I want to find out if he was indeed a member of that Regiment. If you have any suggestions please forward them to me so I can find out where my old friend Fred Orr is, or if he has passed away. Ronald Joseph Lehman. Orangeville, ON
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- Ken Lee
- - June 13, 2011 at 21:33:41
My dad, Donald McRae Lee, also served from 1939 thru 1945 with the West Novas. He was born in the valley but they were living just outside Yarmouth when he joined up in September.He is now 89 but recently hospitalized due to a fall at home.Wounded twice during the war he went on to join the RCR later and retired as a CWO in 1972.
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- William Legge
- - August 21, 2010 at 21:51:19
My dad, William Francis Legge was a West Novas and fought with them for our country WW11. He just passed away July 29, 2010. he was 86. He was living in Newfoundland with my sister Kendall. Our family though, is from Cape Breton Island. We buried him there with full military honor. We miss him deeply. He was my hero, and a wonderful dad. He taught me many things, how to skate, how to throw a ball , play hockey, to love family, to love my wife and children , and to love my country and my freedom. He taught me that freedom is not cheep and it is not free, freedom cost the blood of many young Canadians that were willing to lay all on the line to preserve and protect our way of life. Thank God they did. Thank You Dad, I love you.
