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ARGYLL AND SUTHERLAND HIGHLANDERS IN HOT ACTIONBy ROSS MUNRO Canadian Press War CorrespondentWITH THE FIRST CANADIAN ARMY. Dee. 4—'£—The Argyll ar.d Suthemud Highlanders from Hamilton, Ont., Have had some umn»-lng achievement lii this euiupaifcn in the west.There wus a thrue-duy period In the Trun gap when two depleted companies of Argylls, totalling only 70 men operating with tanks of the South Alberiu Regiment, captured 3,000 unmans (if the 7th axmy. HELD BRIDGEHEADThere was the fight at Moer-brugge In Leigium when Ihe regiment established a bridgehead overa canal and with the Lincoln andWcllands held it under murderous file lor two days. The Germans could not drive them from that position.The Argylls have been through all the im'nntry mill since Caen. They fought a I Tilly La Campagne. In. the battle for Falaise, m the Lnison valley attack, at Tvun. on the Seine, on the Leopold canal, and in the spectacular advance from Antwerp ta I hi* lower Rhine, It was the Argylls Who captured Steeu-bcrgen, Ihe last major town to be Bbfcruted In southwest Holland.They luive made a tireless advance through three countries and ah llie way they played uti Import-iml part in the successes won by the forces of the 1st Canadian Army.The present rifle company commanders ore Maj. Gordon Armstrong, Barrie, Ont.; Maj. Robert Paterson, Hamilton, Ont.; Maj, Robert Mackenzie, Sarnia, Ont., and MaJ. Rupert Fultz, WinnipegSecond-in-command is Maj. Bid Stockiospr of Madoe. Ont.. who fought In Sicily and Italy with the Hastings and Prince Edward regiment of *,he 1st division, and adjutant is Capt. Malcolm Smith of Niagara Falls, Ont. Lieut. Claude Bissell of Toronto, who was lecturing in English at. university College. Toronto, before joining the army, is on battalion headquartersBtn.lLA REAL SCOT Support company is led by Capt. Wllllnin Whiteside, Hamilton, and Uapl. ucorge Mills, Tuioulo, mw headquarters company. The p*are la Ctipl. Charles Maclean of Oxford, N.S.One of the great characters in the Argylls is RSM. Pcfcer Caithness McGinluy of Hamilton, a true Scot who was boru at Stirling Castle, the home depot of the British Ar-gylls with whom thn Hamilton battalion is affiliated. He served fur many years with the British Argyll before he went to Humillou.‘'Aye, it was Just a coincidence Lhat Lhe ouly Argyll regiment in Canada was in Hamilton, ho grinned.In the crucial days ab Caen, when the gigantic attack was ldne mounted l.i break the Caen-Fahlse liinge ol the 7th urmy, the Argyll mid Sutherland Highlanders took their place In the line fur the lirst time. They went In at Bourgudms, south of Caen, on Aug. 5 and four days later men of the regiment got their first, battle test,IN TILLY BATTLE It was only a small show to slart with—Sgt. Alex McLaren of Cum. rose, Alta., taking his platoon into Tilly La Campagne, a town of bitter memory for several Canadian bulla lions. It was thought that the ' Germans had evacuated Tilly but Ihe Argyll platoon found it full ol SB troops. Somehow, they got out of Ihe trap and the next night two com pa nits led by Maj. Gordon Winfield of Hamilton and Maj. Stock-loser hit Tilly. They fought their way into the heart of the shattered town hut met such heavy fire that it was Impossible to Clear the t.mvn and they were ordered back. The purpose of this ulUck was • Lhc sam^ as numerous others made I on towns south of Carn—to keep up ! Ihe pressure and deceive the Lcr-1 mans sufficiently lhat they would reuim Ihcir armored forces on tnc Caen sector until the Americans had time to break through at St. Ld.
Newspaper Details
Lethbridge Herald
Lethbridge, Alberta, CA
Mon, Dec 04, 1944
Page 8
Full Page
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Anonymous
CA 21 Aug 2020
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