September 25, 2025.  While in Europe for the 80th Anniversary of Liberation Commemoration events, Pieter placed flags at the graves of 383 soldiers he’s researched over the years, which took us to 14 cemeteries in The Netherlands and Belgium. Out of this total, 156 flags were placed at the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten, The Netherlands.  

Pieter’s research results are faster than I can keep up with, and so several of the graves we visited were for soldiers whose stories have yet to be told.  Two of these soldiers, both of them with the 18th Armoured Car Regiment (12th Manitoba Dragoons), lost their lives on April 19, 1945 when the armoured car they were in hit a mine. 

In Staghound Fatality Part 1, the story of Stewart Lyon ANDERSON was told. (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2025/09/23/on-the-war-memorial-trail-staghound-fatality-part-1-the-wwii-trooper-from-bagot-killed-by-a-mine-during-the-battle-for-the-kusten-canal/)

Staghound Fatality Part 2 tells the story of Merle Vincent HAMILTON, who was born in Brookfield, Nova Scotia on October 23, 1918, the son of George Elwood and Gertrude Edna Anderson.  He was the husband of Margaret Bessie (nee Johnston) Hamilton and the father of two daughters: Marilyn Jean and Karen Vera.

Pieter’s search for a photo of Merle ended when Jill Ley contacted him, saying “…Merle was my mother’s father…. I have passed your message on to my mother, Marilyn (Hamilton) Fallon and her sister, Karen (Hamilton) Davis….” A few days later, a photo was received.

….Merle enlisted in 1943….

When Merle enlisted at the No. 6 District Depot in Halifax, Nova Scotia on March 26, 1943, he had already been with the 2nd Battalion of the North Nova Scotia Highlanders, a reserve unit, since June 1941. 

It was noted on his service file that he had completed Grade 10 and taken auto mechanics courses at Nova Scotia Technical College.  He also had worked as a car mechanic, in a box factory running various machines.  At the time of his enlistment, he was employed as a store clerk at Agricola Coop.

In an interview for his Personnel Selection Record, Merle was described as having a “…quiet, cooperative, nonaggressive manner….” and was a “…steady, reliable type…” who had “….definitely superior learning ability….”

….Merle qualified as a Driver Mechanic….

On April 1, 1943, Merle was sent to No. 60 Canadian Army (Basic) Training Centre (CABTC) in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.  After completing his basic training, he next was sent to A27 Canadian Reconnaissance Training Centre at Camp Dundurn in Dundurn, Saskatchewan for a driver operator course.

Merle qualified for a Class III Certificate as Driver (i/c) Wheeled on July 23, 1943 and Driver Class III Tracked on August 6, 1943.  (The term ‘Driver i/c’ refers to ‘Driver, internal combustion’.  Receiving a Class III in both Wheeled and Tracked meant he was qualified to drive heavy trucks and armoured cars, as well as tanks.)

On September 24, 1943, Merle qualified as a Driver Mechanic Group ‘C’.  This meant that, in addition to being a driver, he would also be responsible for minor vehicle repairs on vehicles in his unit.

From October 25, 1943 until November 14, 1943, Merle was granted a furlough and embarkation leave, for what turned out to be the last time he saw his family.

….Merle left Canada for overseas service….

Shortly after returning from his leave, Merle left Canada on November 25, 1943 for the United Kingdom.  Upon arriving on December 1, 1943, he was assigned to No. 1 Canadian Armoured Corps Reinforcement Unit (CACRU). 

While in the United Kingdom, Merle continued training, and qualified as a Driver Mechanic MV ‘C’ on February 17, 1944. He qualified to drive a Staghound on August 26, 1944.  A Staghound was an armoured vehicle that could also be used as a scout car. 

A few weeks after his Staghound training, Merle was transferred to the X-4 CAC (A) Reinforcement list of the 9th Battalion on September 12, 1944, arriving in Northwest Europe two days later.  (CAC refers to Canadian Armoured Corps.)

On September 24, 1944, he was attached to the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps (RCASC) as a Driver Mechanic MV ‘C’ for a few weeks.  The RCASC was responsible for moving supplies from the rear areas to the front-lines. They delivered rations, ammunition, petroleum products, and other essentials.

….Merle was transferred to the 18th Armoured Car Regiment (12th Manitoba Dragoons) …

On October 10, 1944, Merle was transferred to the 18th Armoured Car Regiment (12th Manitoba Dragoons), joining them in De Haan, Belgium.  As a self-contained unit attached directly to II Canadian Corps, the Regiment had long range reconnaissance regiment, equipped with a wireless transmitting and receiving set, for their role as scouts in finding the best roads for the troops.  Providing route information over the radio was of great importance to the troops that followed in their path, often 50 or more kms behind.

In an entry on the ‘Flames of War’ website (see https://www.flamesofwar.com), John (Jock) Buckmaster wrote that in Belgium, “….Nieuwport, Ostend and Bruges were all liberated by the Dragoons, with Bruges and Ostend naming roads and squares after the regiment…”

After the war ended, a memorial in Zeebrugge, Belgium was placed to honour the 18th Armoured Car Regiment (12th Manitoba Dragoons), who liberated the city on November 3, 1944.

The ‘Flames Of War’ entry went on to note that by late 1944, “…the front-line between German and Canadian troops was now the Maas River, and for three months the Dragoons patrolled the river in one of the coldest, wettest, winters to hit the region. The regiment ….. liberated multiple cities, including Lichtenvoorde, Leeuwarden, and Almelo…” in The Netherlands “…before heading into Germany….”

The Regiment experienced difficulties in Germany. “….Heading into the Hochwald forest proved difficult for the regiment, as the armoured cars did not fare well in the restricted terrain. The weight of the Staghounds proved to be a problem when recovering bogged-down vehicles…”  At one point, horses from a German village were needed “….to pull two 14-ton Staghounds from the mud…” The Regiment continued “…through Bad Zwischenahn, and further into the Hochwald forest…”

….Merle lost his life during the Battle for the Küsten Canal…

The next objective for Allied troops was the clearing of the 70 km (43 mi) long, 100-metre (330 ft) wide, Küsten Canal, a significant obstacle to Allied forces advancing from the Ems estuary into Germany.

In the ‘Regimental History of the 18th Armoured Car Regiment (12th Manitoba Dragoons)’, published in 1945, author Charles Eric Henry writes that “…the Regiment was detailed to take over a sector of the Küsten Canal 14 April 1945….The enemy did not seem to be overactive but did send over quite a few shells.  The main task seemed to be to remain on the southwest side of the canal until the friendly troops on the other side had worked their way along it to a point opposite our positions…”

Unfortunately, casualties still occurred, and on April 19, 1945, Merle was one of 5 men who lost their lives during the Battle for the Küsten Canal.  The War Diary for that day recorded that “…17 Troop lost their Sgt’s Stag and all his crew on a mine today.  It took place at 14:33 hours…The mine completely destroyed the Stag and caused a crater 20 feet by 20 feet.  It must have been one of these marine mines containing some 500 pounds of explosives…”

In addition to Merle, the rest of the crew that died were:

• Sgt Alexander James BALFOUR of Lindsay, Ontario, aged 25
• Trooper Stewart Lyon ANDERSON of Bagot, Manitoba, aged 25
• Trooper Patrick James DEVINE of North Bay, Ontario, aged 22
• Trooper Willard James MORRIS of St. James (now part of Winnipeg), Manitoba, aged 23

….Merle is buried in the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten….

Merle was temporarily buried in Esterwegen, Germany, before being reburied in the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten, The Netherlands in 1946.

Thank you to Jill Ley, Marilyn Fallon, and Karen Davis for providing a photo of Merle. 

The flags placed at Merle’s grave were donated.  Our thanks go to: 

• Alan Waddell, Constituent Assistant, on behalf of Heath MacDonald, MP for Malpeque, for the Canadian flags.
• Kyle Graham, Research Officer, Military Relations, Nova Scotia Intergovernmental Affairs, on behalf of Premier Tim Houston, Province of Nova Scotia, for the Nova Scotia flag.

Pieter encourages readers with photos to come forward so that eventually all the known graves of Canadians buried in Holten will have a photo displayed by their grave. Email him at memorialtrail@gmail.com. 

© Daria Valkenburg

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