April 2, 2023. On a list of 39 soldiers from the North Nova Scotia Highlanders Regiment who were killed during the Battle of Bienen in Germany on March 25, 1945 and are buried in the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek, The Netherlands, photos were missing for 12 names.  One of the names on the list of missing photos was Marvin William MCGREGOR.

The date of the battle was very meaningful as Pieter explained to Shirley Corbett when she shared photos of her uncle.  Shirley’s mother, Gertrude Margaret Kent, was Marvin’s sister. “…I was exactly one year old when Marvin was killed.  I was born on March 25, 1944!…”

Born January 16, 1925 in West Jeddore, Nova Scotia, Marvin was the son of Norman William and Laura McGregor.  After leaving school at the age of 15, Marvin took a number of short term jobs before being employed as a truck driver with Woodlawn Dairies in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

…Marvin enlisted at the age of 18 ….

He’d also been in the Second Battalion of the Halifax Rifles Reserve Army since August 1943. Before enlisting at the No. 6 District Depot in Halifax, Nova Scotia on December 13, 1943, Marvin reported for a medical on October 2, 1943.  In an interview for his Personnel Selection Record on that day, it was noted that his “…mother died 2 years ago. Father is mail and bus driver in Jeddore, Nova Scotia.  Has 3 brothers – all younger – and 3 sisters…”

Marvin’s ability to drive cars and trucks was recorded, and he was described as being “…friendly and sociable….”  It was recommended that he be considered for the Canadian Infantry Corps as a non-tradesman.

On January 1, 1944 he was transferred to No. 60 Canadian Infantry Basic Training Centre (CI (B) TC) in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

After turning 19 years of age, he was sent to A14 Canadian Infantry Training Centre (CITC) in Aldershot, Nova Scotia for additional training on February 28, 1944.  In a follow-up interview after completing basic training, his examiner noted that Marvin was “…interested in driving in the Army….”  He was approved for the Canadian Infantry Corps – Automotive Trades – Driver.

On July 21, 1944, he was sent to the S-5 Canadian Driving and Maintenance School (CD & M School) in Woodstock, Ontario, where he successfully completed a 6 week driving course to qualify as a Driver i/c Class III Wheeled Vehicles. This meant he was qualified to drive heavy trucks and armoured cars.

After finishing the course and returning to Aldershot, Marvin received embarkation leave, which allowed him to go home and say farewell to his family before being transferred to the No. 1 Infantry Training Brigade Group in Debert, Nova Scotia on October 27, 1944 – in preparation for going overseas.

He left Canada for the United Kingdom on November 21, 1944 – from Halifax, most likely on the same transport as John Joseph BOHON, Marven Glenroy HARVEY, and Kitchener ‘Kitty’ LANGILLE.

Upon arrival in the United Kingdom on November 28, 1944, like Bohon, Harvey, and Langille, he was assigned to No. 3 Canadian Infantry Reinforcement Unit (CIRU).

On January 25, 1945 he was sent to Northwest Europe as part of 21 Army Group, and then on February 14, 1945, was assigned to the North Nova Scotia Highlanders, joining them in the area of Emmerich am Rhein, Germany, located along the Rhine River, not that far from the Dutch border.

Marvin was a needed addition to the Regiment, as the war diary for February 14, 1945 reported that “…our total number of casualties for today’s action was 3 killed and 8 wounded…” following a successful attack the Regiment made to clear “… a triangle formed by the road running southwest and the canal running southeast…”

…Marvin lost his life in the Battle of Bienen ….

The Regiment continued its movement through Germany, past Calcar and Udem. By March 20, 1945, Allied troops were on the banks of the Rhine River for Operation Plunder, a military operation to cross the Rhine on the night of March 23, 1945. (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Plunder) They got as far as Bienen, when troop movement stopped due to blown bridges across the Rhine in that area.

On March 25, 1945, the Regiment’s task was to pass through the 7th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders who had been stopped in front of Bienen.  It was Palm Sunday, one week before Easter.

The war diary for March 25, 1945 noted the challenges the North Novies faced.  “…The weather – sunny and clear.  The day of the battle, 25 March 1945. …. The battalion objective was to be the town of BIENEN… code name ASTOR, which was formerly the objective of the 7th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. They had penetrated as far as farm buildings … but had had two attacks on BIENEN beaten off with heavy casualties.

BIENEN was of tremendous importance to the Germans because it was the focal point of a narrow bottleneck controlling two main roads, the one to EMMERICH… and the other to MILLINGEN.  Secondly, it was of extreme importance that the narrow bridgehead was expanded quickly North and North-East to protect it from enemy mortaring and shelling and allow bridging to be put up.

The enemy were strongly dug in around and in BIENEN itself. They were fresh troops of the 115 Panzer Grenadier Regiment, and fighting fanatically to hold this vital objective. The approach was over 300 yards of flat open country with only a dyke running from the Start Line up the left hand edge of the town….”

Right from the start, troops were pinned down, “…suffering heavy casualties…”  Worse, in terms of communications, “….contact between platoons was next to impossible because of the murderous fire and heavy mortaring….”

The one day battle was devastating in terms of casualties, both dead and wounded, including Marvin William McGregor.

We don’t know which Company Marvin was in, so do not know the circumstances of his death.  Shirley Corbett wrote Pieter a story that her mother had told her.  “….Marvin’s commanding officer visited her family yearly with a fruit basket when he returned home from overseas.  Apparently, he told her that Marvin was standing in for him at the time of his being shot and he felt responsible. I am not sure if this is fact but my Mum certainly believed it…”  Perhaps the ‘commanding officer’ was a Platoon Commander?

…Marvin is buried in the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek ….

Like Clifford BATEMAN, John Joseph BOHON, Ralph Schurman BOULTER, and Charles ‘Marshall’ CARSON, Marven Glenroy HARVEY, Kitchener ‘Kitty’ LANGILLE, and Louis SEXTON, Marvin was temporarily buried on Monday, March 26, 1945 in the military cemetery in Rees, Germany before being reburied the following year in the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek, The Netherlands.

Thank you to Shirley Corbett for helping for providing a photo and information. She explained that she was “…the oldest family member left, the people with the memories and knowledge are are all gone now. Good luck and Best Wishes with this fine work you are doing…”

If you can help identify Marvin’s commanding officer and/or verify the story that Shirley’s mother was told about Marvin’s death, please let Pieter know.

Thank you to Wouter van Dijken for sharing the photo of Marvin’s original grave marker at the cemetery, and for letting us know that the photo came from the book ‘De historie van de Canadese begraafplats en de Zevenheuvelweg te Groesbeek’ by G. G. Driessen.

Thank you to all who have helped Pieter to find family members of North Novies killed in this battle. Coming up in Part 10: Wilfred Joseph ‘Willy’ Power.

If you have a story to tell, please let Pieter know. Email him at memorialtrail@gmail.com, comment on the blog, or tweet to @researchmemori1.

….Previous stories about North Novies killed during the Battle of Bienen and buried in Groesbeek….

• Clifford BATEMAN: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/03/16/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-battle-of-bienen-part-4-the-wwii-soldier-from-a-small-fishing-village-in-newfoundland-who-lost-his-life-in-germany/
• John Joseph BOHON: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/03/18/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-battle-of-bienen-part-5-the-wwii-soldier-whose-parents-immigrated-to-save-their-family-from-war/
• Ralph Schurman BOULTER: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/03/07/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-battle-of-bienen-part-2-the-wwii-battle-drill-instructor-from-oleary/
• Charles ‘Marshall’ CARSON: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/03/12/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-battle-of-bienen-part-3-the-wwii-soldier-from-cape-tormentine-who-lost-his-life-in-germany/
• Harry William DOUCETTE: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2021/02/09/on-the-war-memorial-trail-atlantic-canada-remembers-part-6/
• Marven Glenroy HARVEY: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/03/26/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-battle-of-bienen-part-8-the-wwii-soldier-with-7-brothers-who-also-served/
• Kitchener ‘Kitty’ LANGILLE:https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/03/21/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-battle-of-bienen-part-6-the-wwii-soldier-from-new-glasgow-nicknamed-kitty/
• Austin Havelock MUNROE, plus a list of the 39 soldiers: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2022/11/29/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-search-for-a-photo-of-austin-havelock-munroe-is-on-youtube/
• Louis Allan SEXTON: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/03/23/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-battle-of-bienen-part-7-the-wwii-soldier-from-quebec-who-has-never-been-forgotten-by-his-family/
• Edison Alexander SMITH: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/03/04/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-battle-of-bienen-part-1-the-wwii-soldier-whose-body-shielded-a-wounded-major/

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© Daria Valkenburg