A new friend in Calander (ON) sent me a locket with a picture of Douglas Norman McLaughlin, her mother Winnifred’s first husband. Winnifred re-married and it was sent by Winnifred’s daughter (with her second husband), asking if I could learn more about her mother’s first husband and, it would appear first love, as she was planning a visit to Groesbeek Cemetery.
How the daughter found my name in a website in Holland, then found my phone number, is remarkable in itself but she knows how much her mother must have loved Douglas to keep the locket for some 80 years.
I knew I just had to research the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion and write his story.
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Douglas Norman McLaughlin
1923 – 1944
Douglas Norman McLaughlin was born in Windsor Ontario, on March 17, 1923, the middle child of Norman and Goldie with an older brother and a younger sister.
He left school after Grade 9 and had some “mischievous” events before enlisting in the Essex Scottish Regiment on June 25, 1940. Interestingly, his father, Norman, and his brother, Edward had already enlisted in the Essex Scottish.
At 17, he was under-age to go overseas but old enough to serve in the militia, limited to service in Canada. A few short weeks later, on July 17th, he arrived in Camp Borden, near Barrie (ON), and began basic training in an artillery battalion. He finished there on May 19, 1941, and was sent to Halifax as a member of the 106th Nova Scotia Rifles stationed in Bedford. Halifax was the busiest port in Canada with men and supplies being shipped from there every day. The 106th provided the necessary security for the area. His stay in Nova Scotia lasted until February 3, 1942.
During WWII, Newfoundland was not yet part of Canada. That did not happen until 1949. They were a British Colony. In Conception Bay, not far from St. Johns was Belle Island. It was being mined for iron ore to supply the necessary iron for the British War manufacturing industry. The German Navy during 1942 was aggressively attacking ships going and coming from Belle Island. The Canadian Army sent soldiers to Newfoundland to guard against invasion and to man large onshore guns should the Germans attack and to provide air surveillance with bombing capabilities.
Douglas arrived at the Botwood Nfld. Military camp on February 3, 1942. The large military station was manned with 10,000 Canadian soldiers and aircrew should an invasion happen. In 1942, Belle Island was in fact attacked twice and four iron-ore ships were sunk nearby and 60 lives were lost. In one attack, a torpedo missed the ship it was aimed for and hit Belle Island, making it the only place on land in North America that was attacked by the Germans in WWII. Douglas was at Botwood when all this happened in November of 1942.
In January of 1943, Douglas took a course on Search Light operations, in preparation for any attacks that may come from the newly added German Aircraft carriers. It was on August 16, 1943, while in Botwood, that Douglas took a step forward and applied for service in the Canadian Parachute Battalion. He hoped that this would give him an opportunity to get to the War’s Front in Europe. His application was put “on file”. On November 30th, 1943, he again pursued the Canadian Parachute Battalion. It was noted that he was “keen” to proceed as he had passed the medical and was now aware of the training conditions required.
His service in Newfoundland did not end until December 17, 1943, when he returned to Halifax and continued his service in guarding and providing security service. On March 2, 1944, he got the interview for consideration to become a member of the Parachute Battalion. This involved interviews by senior officers, including a psychiatrist, given the commando-type requirements this role would require. He was found to be suitable “with reservations”.
On March 11th, he arrived at Shilo Manitoba to train as a Parachute Trooper. This part of the training took him through to April 5th, when he was certified as a “Qualified Parachutist”. On May 3rd, 1944, he again took a major step in his life.
Once a soldier enlisted, he could not marry without permission from his commanding officer. Douglas prepared the necessary documents (six pages in total) requesting permission to marry his childhood sweetheart, Winnifred Lillian Ford.
In the application, he stated that they had been friends since they were 15 and 14 years of age. The permission was granted as follows:
DECISION BY THE COMMANDING OFFICER:
Permission is Granted to Marry On or After 3 July, 1944
Signed: R. E. Roth Lt. Col. Canadian Parachute Troop Dated May 16, 1944
Douglas was given a pass covering him from July 1st to July 9th. On July 10th, he was declared AWOL. Two days later, on July 12, he returned and had to forfeit 12 days’ pay – $18. He had a nine-day pass and was gone 11 days, 7 hours, and 51 minutes.
This would have been the last time ever that Winnifred and Douglas would have been together.
He proceeded overseas as a member of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion (CPB) just five days later, on July 17, 1944. This group had been formed in 1942 and was the only Canadian Parachute group organized in WWII. Upon arrival in the UK, commando and survival training continued at the UK Airbourne Depot and School through to August 28, 1944.
During the Battle of Normandy, which had started that June 6th, the 1st CPB had consisted of more than 600 men and officers before being decimated in the days that followed. There were 367 casualties from their contingent of 27 officers and 516 men. Five officers and 76 men had died and close to 300 others had been wounded.
The unit had to be re-organized and re-trained to regain its strength. Over the months that followed, Douglas and the other new enlistees would prepare and train for future battles. Their future would see them embedded with the UK Parachute Battalions and not function as a part of the Canadian Military force.
It was January 2, 1945, that the 1st CPB were activated and assigned to ground operation duties in Belgium in support of the Americans and British in the Battle of the Bulge. They were successful there doing patrols and raids while suffering few casualties before departing back to the UK on February 22nd. Preparations began for the most important battle that they would be involved with that would play a significant part of bringing about the end of Hitler’s War.
The plan was titled “Operation Plunder” and was under the command of British Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery to cross the northern Rhine River and from there enter Northern Germany. The number of soldiers available was over one million. More than 16,000 American, British, and Canadian paratroopers were involved. The 600 members of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion were the only Canadian paratroopers who were trained and participated in WWII.
A massive bombing operation began on March 23rd. On March 24th, at 10 a.m. a thousand aircraft, many with gliders in tow, dropped the 16,000 parachute troops along the 10 km front. More than 1,000 large guns fired from across the river and 34,000 vehicles prepared to cross.
At day’s end, there were 6,781 Allied casualties, killed or wounded. German casualties are not known but there were 3,500 prisoners taken. Allied Prisoners taken totalled 1,900.
Douglas Norman McLauglin jumped near the town of Hammenkeln, Germany. A fellow paratrooper reported that his feet did not touch the ground. He was hanging in a tree attempting to free himself from his parachute when he was shot and killed by a German soldier.
Initially, he was buried in the Hammenkeln Small Bay Cemetery. After the war however, he was moved to the beautiful Groesbeek Canadian Military Cemetery near the German border where he lies at rest with 2,791 Canadians who gave their lives in battles close to there.
The Canadian Paratroopers in WWII was a small group and was embedded in the UK Corps. Some would say that their involvement in three major events: D-day invasion (June 6, 1944), Battle of the Bulge in Belgium (January 2, 1945), and Operation Plunder – the invasion of Northern Germany on March 24, 1945 (80 years ago), were the key battles that brought about the end of WWII in 11 months (June 1944 to May 1945)
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Author’s NOTE:
Also interred at Groesbeel Cemetery, is John James Currie from Southampton, who has many descendant relatives still in the community.
In the surrounding community in Holland, locals have a society where they collect and publish the stories of the soldiers on their website. I submitted John James Currie a few years ago and his story is seen at www.geschiedenisgroesbeek.nl
I intend to also send the story of Douglas Norman McLaughlin story for their website.
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM
by G. William Streeter
