The CANLOAN Scheme – Canadian Officers on loan to the British Army
In 1943, an agreement was reached with the Canadian Government to allow and actively encourage trained Canadian junior officers to serve ‘on loan’ with British Army units. The Canadian volunteers would help fill the shortage of junior officers faced by the British Army, made all the more essential with the planned Allied invasion of Europe of 1944 on the horizon.
A total of 673 Canadian officers volunteered under the CANLOAN scheme, seeing them attached to regiments and units across all branches of the British Army.
Eleven Canadian officers had been attached to 9th Cameronians by the War’s end. The first to arrive were Captain George Baldwin and Lieutenant Lorne Paff, who joined the 9th while the Battalion were at Hove, in the weeks leading up to Normandy invasion.
Lt. Col. Richard Villiers wrote of the Canadian newcomers in a letter to his wife:
These two Canadian officers I was telling you about have just landed & are coming to us. They are being given disembarkation leave & their one idea is to see Scotland. They propose to spend a few days in Edinburgh. They know no one, so I suggested Melrose for a day.
They are Captain Baldwin, who seems to have done all sorts of interesting things including mining in Alaska, where he drives huskies and traps bears etc. The other is Lieut. Paff, a younger man, from Nova Scotia. They are both very nice, & have amusing expressions like all Canadians. When I asked Baldwin if he liked fishing he said he loved it, but if it’s a bore or difficult, they will be perfectly happy just going for a walk.
There may be another couple coming later – we are getting a lot of Canadian Officers, who have all volunteered to come to the British Army; they are getting leave, & know no one.
We have had an amusing evening planning out their leave for them, & arranging for people to show them round. We have someone to show them round Edinburgh.
Long Ago and Far Away: A travel diary, letters and Second World War letters of Dick and Nancy Villiers edited by their daughter, Linda Yeatman. Privately Published, 2005
The other officers expected by Colonel Villiers would arrive just before 9th Cameronians embarked for Normandy; they were Lieutenants George McDermott M.M. and Fernie Stewart.
Lieutenant George McDermott was already a battle-hardened veteran, having served as a Non-Commissioned Officer with Canadian forces during the famous Dieppe Raid of August 1942. For his actions, McDermott had been awarded the Military Medal. The citation for this award reads:
During the operation at Dieppe 19 Aug 42, L/Cpl McDermott, a regimental policeman, was attached to Bn HQ. He was one of the first to enter the Casino, where, single-handed he attacked and destroyed a German stronghold in the building at considerable personal risk. Subsequently, when it became necessary to withdraw from the Casino to the beaches, he displayed high qualities of leadership and skill in organization. Throughout the action Cpl McDermott displayed not only great courage and initiative, but also an excellent appreciation of the importance of military intelligence. He was most diligent in his efforts to obtain information about the enemy, and at the conclusion of the operation turned over to the Intelligence Officer of the 4 Canadian Infantry Brigade a diary and letters which he obtained during the raid. He also obtained German Training manuals, but lost them when he was blown out of one of the craft during the return journey. Further, during the operation he succeeded in taking several photographs.
McDermott, was from Hamilton, Ontario, sister-city of Hamilton in Lanarkshire, home of The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) regimental depot.
In addition to their amusing phrases, interesting backgrounds and military experience, the Canadians also brought with them the game of softball, which would become a popular pastime for the officers when not engaged in training.
The Canadians proved popular with officers and men alike, and they also made a lasting impression on the locals where they were billeted. A letter printed in The Covenanter magazine of 2005 recounts the touching story of Mike Rainey, a young boy from Hove who befriended Lieutenant Paff:
In 1944 a ten year old boy in Hove on the south coast of England was delighted to find several of the houses in the road in which he lived with his parents were being occupied by Scottish soldiers. Being inquisitive he soon befriended one, who turned out not to be a Scot but a Canadian. The boy always regarded him as the first adult friend he had made for himself.
The Canadian was Lieutenant Lorne Paff, a tall, quiet, patient man who was in fact only twenty-six years old himself. Lorne Paff answered all the boy’s many questions and soon accepted invitations from the boy’s parents to come to their home for meals. The boy continued to pester Lorne Paff with all manner of questions about the soldiers and their equipment and on more than on occasion woke him from well-earned rest after night exercises.
After a while all the soldiers suddenly disappeared but the boy – and his parents, and everyone else – very soon found out where they gone. They had, of course, crossed the Channel to Normandy.
The four Canadian’s would go to Normandy with 9th Cameronians, and take part in the thickest fighting. Two of the Canadian’s were among the Battalion’s first casualties, during Operation Epsom.
Mike Rainey’s letter in The Covenanter continues:
Sadly, Lorne Paff was killed on Sunday 26 June only a few days after he had landed in France, and only one day after writing a letter to the boy’s parents that included the sentence, “I am quite confident that I shall be okay but you can never tell”.
The boy and his parents soon knew about Lorne Paff’s death because they were in contact with his parents in Stratford, Ontario. The boy cried; it was the first time in his life he had known someone who died.
The boys’ parents remained in regular contact with Herman and Laura Paff for many years until they all died. Then the boy, himself by now middle aged, traced Lorne Paff’s nieces by writing to the Stratford local newspaper and resumed the correspondence.
By now I am sure you will have realised that I, Mike Rainey, the writer of this article, was “the boy”.
In 2003, with my wife I went, belatedly, to Hottot-les-Bagues, a tiny hamlet between Caen and Bayeux and visited the grave of my long dead friend in the immaculately maintained Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery.
Lieutenants Paff and McDermott were both killed on 26th June 1944 during the attack on le Haut du Bosq. Lieutenant Stewart was killed on 28th September 1944.
Lieutenant Alfred Kirby, from St Catherines, Ontario, joined 9th Cameronians on 28th June 1944, with a draft of reinforcements. Kirby would soon be among those wounded at Eterville on 11th July. He remained at duty and was again wounded on 9th February 1945. Kirby had been friends with Paff, McDermott and Stewart while the four were undergoing officer training in Canada. He was the only one of the four friends to survive the War.
Of the eleven Canadian officers who would ultimately serve with 9th Cameronians, three were killed in action and a further seven wounded. They were from Canada, but they fought, bled and died as Cameronians.
As James highlighted in our last blog post (Holding the line at Grainville), the allied soldiers advancing through Normandy suffered casualty rates on a par with those witnessed on the Western Front during the First World War.
Adrian Smith has researched the casualties of The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) in depth, and has calculated 9th Cameronians losses throughout Operation Epsom (26th June – 1st July 1944) as 87 killed or died of wounds, 169 wounded, and 12 men taken prisoner.
One of those killed on 29th June was 20 year old, Rifleman Jack Schofield of Heywood, Lancashire.
This is the official letter received by Jack’s mother, informing her of her son’s death in action on 29th June 1944. The letter is dated 16th July 1944.
Jack and the other men of 9th Cameronians who were killed on 29th June were buried near to where they fell, in the vicinity of Grainville-sur-Odon. In July 1945 the battlefield graves in the area were concentrated into the newly formed St. Manvieu War Cemetery, Cheux.
The following images have been very kindly shared by Mr John Baird, who’s father was Officer Commanding 9th Cameronians Pioneer Platoon during the Normandy campaign.
Charles was born on 19th September 1924, in the parish of Eythorne in Kent. He joined the Army on 25th September 1942, six days after his 18th birthday. Charles was posted to 9th Cameronians and trained with them at Keighley in Yorkshire prior to the Battalion’s departure for Normandy on 17th June 1944.
While training at Keighley, Charles wrote a letter home to his mum and dad, exchanging some news on the Battalion’s billets and recent activities and asking his parents about life at home;
Dear Mum & Dad
I was ever so pleased to get a letter from you both today. I’m glad you are both OK & getting on alright & that you have finished getting the potatoes up alright. … I suppose Dennis wasn’t staying at home was he, couldn’t very well with all his animals to feed, when did Sis go back, Sun? With Jack moving its made a change all round about it. How was the fruit up at Jacks, mum, plentiful I expect wasn’t it – down here there’s a bit more fruit than up North but nothing like it is at home, its mostly apples here. Its not bad down here, more places to go & enjoy yourself but the money goes quicker. The billets are not bad, we are in a big mill. The room I’m in there is two Coys [Companies], about 300 men but there is still plenty of room, the room in fact is about 150 feet long & 60 feet wide but its not cold as you might think, but gets hot at night.
We are having an easy time here, although Fri[day] we done a hard days work, built a hundred yard range in one day, the RSM said that this Coy was the only one in the Battalion that could do it in a day & we did it, quite pleased he was…
We go out on a ten day stunt next week & I believe we move from this place as well, so I might not be able to write for quite a time. Well I must close for now so hoping this finds you OK as it leaves me at present. I’ll say cheerio, your every loving son
xxxx Charles xxxxx
The everyday topics of conversation finished with, and slightly distracted, Charles had to disclose his big news as a postscript:
P.S.
I finished the writing before I had said all I wanted to say, you see I’m on fire duty tonight & was listening to what the Sgt was saying & not thinking went & finished the letter so I hope you don’t mind it being sort of instalments. Well Mum, Eileen & I have decided to get engaged on my next leave, I hope you don’t mind, but I know what you are going to say & that is we are quite young yet. I thought I’d tell you now & see what you think of it. Well, I must close now as I have to parade in a few minutes time for this blue pencil fire guard so I’ll say cheerio, you loving son,
Charles xxxxx
From Keighley the 9th moved in May 1944 to Hove, where they joined the tens of thousands of troops gathering in the south of England awaiting the Normandy invasion.
Charles was a member of 15 Platoon, in ‘C’ Company. During the attack on 28th June, ‘C’ Company had been heavily engaged against enemy tanks in and around Grainville-sur-Odon. Major S. Bingley, who had commanded ‘C’ Company during Operation Epsom, wrote to Charles’ mother shortly after his death:
Dear Mrs Tupper
My task is, I fear, a very painful one. Already you will know that your son has been killed in action and I know full well that anything that I can say is of little consolation.
He died as a good soldier should, bravely, during an advance which pushed the enemy back many thousands of yards. Military security will not at present allow me to say more of the operation, but if you wish to know where is buried, please write to me and I will be only too glad then to tell you. He was, mercifully, killed instantly by a mortar shell. He suffered no pain.
May I then, on behalf of his comrades and myself, offer our deepest sympathy in your loss, and hope that time will show that he died not in vain.
Rifleman Charles David Tupper is buried in Tilly-sur-Seulles War Cemetery. Authorities sent his family a photograph of his original, temporary grave marker.
After their success in taking le Haut du Bosq on 26th June, 9th Cameronians didn’t have much time to rest before their next assault. In the early hours of 27th June, plans were drawn up for a follow up attack later that day – the objective being Grainville-sur-Odon in an attempt to prevent German forces from regrouping and launching their own counter-attacks.
Orders for Operation Epsom reveal that local towns, villages, and geographical features had been given code names after famous London, streets, hotels and other iconic landmarks. Le Haut du Bosq was codenamed ‘CLARIDGES’ while the new object of Grainville-sur-Odon was given the codename ‘DORCHESTER’. The rivers Odon and Orne were ‘FORTNUM’ and ‘MASON’.
Most of the morning and afternoon of 27th June was spent planning and re-organising ahead of the attack on Grainville-sur-Odon. At 17:15 they set off for the attack point. 9th Cameronians was to be supported by two troops [8 tanks] of the 7th Royal Tank Regiment. On the outskirts of Grainville they encountered a Squadron of the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry who had been observing the village; they believed the village to be clear although they suspected German tanks were operating in the vicinity.
‘D’ Company, under Captain W. Leggat Smith, led the attack, closely supported by the tanks of 7th Royal Tank Regiment. Unfortunately for them, the village turned out to be more heavily defended than was thought; three tanks being quickly knocked out by the accurate fire from four German Tiger tanks hidden in the village. ‘D’ Company reached their objectives but were unable to destroy the enemy tanks as their PIATs [Personal Infantry Anti-Tank weapon] were not up with the leading platoon. Captain Leggat Smith and one section, under Corporal McGilvray, got to within about 50 yards of two Tiger tanks and effectively sniped at the crews whenever they showed themselves . At around 22:00 ‘D’ Company and the remaining tanks were ordered to withdraw to a defensive position west of Grainville-sur-Odon.
With the attack halted for the night, new plans were made to assault Grainville on 28th June with the entire Battalion, supported by a Field Regiment Royal Artillery and a barrage from heavier support artillery. This time, the tanks would stay clear of the village and instead protect the open right flank. ‘C’ and ‘D’ Companies would lead the attack, ‘B’ Company with the anti-tank platoon in support, and ‘A’ Company in reserve.
After an hour’s artillery barrage the attacked commenced at 12:15. ‘C’ Company quickly engaged the enemy and located an enemy tank hiding in a railway cutting. Lieutenant Fairhurst assembled a team of three PIATs to deal with this threat, but as they crept within range they were spotted by the tank crew. The tank fired it’s main gun and killed or wounded the entire detachment. ‘C’ Company proceeded to work around to the rear of the tank, flushing it from it’s cover where it was quickly destroyed by the British tanks protecting the right flank – pay back for their losses on the previous day.
‘D’ Company, on the left front of the attack, suffered heavy losses clearing snipers from the village but managed to secure and hold their objective. Grainville-sur-Odon had been secured.
The two days fighting to take the village resulted in the deaths of 19 men of 9th Cameronians, with many more wounded.
Shortly after the end of Operation Epsom, Lt-Col. Villiers made recommendations for gallantry awards to those who had particularly stood out for their bravery and actions during the Battle. Among them was 9th Cameronians’ chaplain, Captain The Rev. Sam Cooke.
Lt-Col Villier’s lengthy recommendation for an award of the Military Cross to Captain Cooke is worth quoting in full:
On 26 June 1944 the battalion to whom the Rev S Cook, CF [chaplain to the Forces] was attached, was one of the leading battalions on HAUT DU BOSQ. He had been instructed to move with the RAP [regimental aid post], but he chose instead to move on out with one of the leading companies. During the attack he attended many wounded men and arranged for their evacuation, often under intense MG [machine gun] fire.
On the night 27/28 June, there were a number of casualties in GRAINVILLE SUR ODON, from which a company had withdrawn after an unsuccessful attack. Padre Cook volunteered to accompany a search party that night to evacuate our wounded although it was suspected that the village was still occupied by the enemy.
On the 28th, 29th and 30th June, while the Battalion was occupying GRAINVILLE SUR ODON, it was continually shelled and mortared. Many stretcher bearers were themselves casualties and the Padre was continually organising SB [stretcher bearers] parties; he himself took part in most of them, even during periods of the most intense bombing. Owing to the lack of ambulances, battalion tpt [transport] had to be used for evacuating casualties, and the Padre, using a captured German car, was continually taking wounded back to the CCP [casualty clearing post], a distance of over a mile; enemy activity in mortar and artillery fire made no difference to him. On the few occasions when there were no casualties to be evacuated, he invariably visited forward companies, although urged by everyone to rest, as he had practically no sleep for over 48 hours. His work was commented on by all ranks in the battalion and he set a fine example of courage and devotion to duty over a period of five days.
Also put forward for a gallantry award for his part in Operation Epsom was Corporal James McGilvray from Lanark, who Lt-Col. Villiers put forward for the Distinguished Conduct Medal – here follows his original recommendation:
On 27 Jun 44 Cpl McGilvray was commanding a Section of a Coy [company] which carried out an attack on GRAINVILLE-SUR-ODON. Although separated from the Tanks supporting him and from the remainder of his Pl [platoon] he pushed on under heavy fire to the limit of his objective. Although within 50 yds [yards] of enemy tanks he held his ground till nightfall and then being still unsupported he withdrew his section bringing in two wounded men. In the second attack on GRAINVILLE-SUR-ODON on 28 Jun 44 Cpl McGilvray commanded his Section with considerable skill. He was under heavy fire for 6 hrs [hours] and his good example has had a most heartening affect on the men of his Pl.
Awarded M.M. LG [London Gazette] 19.10.44 (signed) B. L. Montgomery, General Commander-in-Chief, 21 Army Group
Corporal McGilvray was posthumously awarded the Military Medal; by the time the recommendation process has been finally approved in October 1944, McGilvray was already dead – having died of wounds on 6th July, a week after Operation Epsom’s conclusion. James McGilvray is buried in Bayeux War Cemetary; his grave marker bears the touching epitaph from his family of ‘Our Jimmy’. He was 24 years old.
Even before the full Battalion mustered together on the evening of 23rd June, orders had been received by 9th Cameronians that the Division would be launching an attack on the 26th. This was the opening phase of Operation Epsom, an offensive designed to outflank and seize the city of Caen . 9th Cameronians’ opening objective was le Haut du Bosq, a small French village a few miles west of Caen.
The general plan was that 15th (Scottish) Division would attack on a two-brigade front; 46th (Highland) Brigade (containing the 9th Cameronians) on the right flank, 44th (Lowland) Brigade on the left flank. The Divisional attack was to be supported by an intense barrage fired by 680 guns, in addition to the huge naval guns of several warships lying off the French coast. Sixteen squadrons of fighter aircraft were also allocated for close support of the attack. The infantry would be supported on the ground with several squadrons of Churchill tanks.
The evening before the battle commenced, 9th Cameronians’ chaplain, Captain The Rev. Sam Cook, led the men in prayer during a short open-air service. Captian Cook would play an active part in the battle to come, helping wounded men from the battlefield.
The battle started at 7:36am on the morning of 26th June. 9th Cameronians started the attack with a strength of 36 officers and 815 Other Ranks.
Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Villiers, 9th Cameronians’ Commanding Officer, recorded in his personal diary:
At ‘H’ hour when we started to move forward there was utter confusion and chaos – or so it seemed to me. The noise of our barrage was terrific, and shells seemed to be falling everywhere. Many of them of course were German defensive fire. Although I intended to watch from various view points, I soon found myself right among the forward coys [companies] in my carrier. I soon lost my gunner and the tank C.O. We had all decided to move together.
Long Ago and Far Away: A travel diary, letters and Second World War letters of Dick and Nancy Villiers edited by their daughter, Linda Yeatman. Privately Published, 2005
‘A’ and ‘B’ Companies led the attack, with ‘C’ and ‘D’ Companies following respectively. A squadron of Churchill tanks from 7 Royal Tank Regiment supported the Battalion. One of the biggest problems encountered during the attack was getting transport vehicles and Anti-Tank guns forward as no roads ran through the Battalion’s objective area.
‘A’ Company, who were on the extreme right flank of the attack, very quickly started to come under heavy fire and suffered many casualties – so much so that ‘C’ Company had to take it’s place at the head of the assault. The fields of long corn over which the Battalion attacked offered good cover to the defending Germans. A group of around 12 men of ‘A’ Company, led by Lieutenant McGregor, were ambushed and killed by a German position concealed in the corn.
On reaching the objective, a few prisoners were taken but it appeared that most of the enemy had withdrawn. There were still some snipers left in the village and a period of house searching followed. By 1300 hours, le Haut du Bosq was firmly in the hands of 9th Cameronians.
So ended 9th Cameronians first battle. They had met the German forces in the field and captured their objective. Casualties were considerable. When the Battalion prepared to move off towards its next objective the following morning, its strength had been reduced to 29 officers and 691 Other Ranks. The Battalion’s Second-In-Command, Major Walker, had been wounded in the early stages, as had both Company Commanders of ‘A’ and ‘C’ Company.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records the names of 34 Cameronians who fell in action during the attack. Among those killed was Lieutenant L. H. Paff, a Canadian officer who was serving with the British Army as part of the CANLOAN scheme.
Le Haut du Bosq was the first objective for 9th Cameronians during Operation Epsom but they would have little opportunity for rest. The next day, 27th June, they would attack Grainville-Sur-Odon…
