January 13, 2024. This past summer, Pieter noticed that four names on the photo wish lists from the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten had lost their lives on April 24, 1945, and all four were with the North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment – 2 from New Brunswick and 2 from Nova Scotia.  What had happened that day?

We soon learned that nine men from the Regiment died during the Attack On Weener in Germany.  Pieter decided to research all four soldiers and was able to find family and photos for two.  Family was found for the other two, but, as occasionally happens, there were no photos.  Those two soldiers ended up on our Cold Case List when all other research possibilities were exhausted. (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/our-cold-cases/)

Thanks to the efforts of two cousins, Irene Caissie and Maria Mazerolle, the first photo found was that of François ‘Frank’ GUIMOND, born April 15, 1919 in St. Louis, Kent County, New Brunswick.  He was the son of Théodore and Marie Leona (nee Doucet) Guimond.  Frank had 5 brothers and 5 sisters, which helped in finding living family members who might have a photo.

…. Frank’s niece provided a photo….

Frank’s photo was delivered in person by his niece, Maria Mazerolle (nee Guimond), who stopped by while on her way to the Sea Glass Festival in Souris, Prince Edward Island.  She explained that she was “….the eldest daughter of Frank’s brother Alcide, who served in Italy during WWII and died at the age of 52….”  Alcide and his wife Margaret (nee Leblanc) had 11 children. 

Maria explained that Delore, another of brother of Frank’s, “….was in England during WWII and married a lady from London.  One of his daughters is still alive at the age of 80….”

Like in so many families, “…his two brothers, Alcide and Delore had left to go to war, so Frank wanted to go too…”

…. Frank enlisted in June 1941….

When he enlisted at the No. 7A District Depot in Richibucto, New Brunswick, on June 18, 1941, Frank was working with his father at Harry O’Leary’s sawmill in Richibucto, a job he’d held for six years already. His personnel file stated that Frank was fluent in French and English, and that he’d spent 30 days training in Fredericton with the New Brunswick Rangers militia.

On July 31, 1941, Frank was sent to No. 70 Canadian Army Basic Training Camp (CABTC) in Fredericton, New Brunswick for basic training.  After completing his basic training Frank was assigned to No A14 Infantry Training Camp in Aldershot, Nova Scotia on August 1, 1941.

…. Frank left Canada for service overseas in December 1941 ….

Frank’s training in Canada was not long, as by December 12, 1941, he was on his way to the United Kingdom, arriving on December 26, 1941, where he was assigned to No. 1 Canadian Divisional Infantry Reinforcement Unit (CDIRU).

While in the United Kingdom, Frank, along with other Canadian soldiers, undertook further training, as well as being tasked with defending the coastal regions of the United Kingdom, particularly Sussex, until early in 1944.

On January 16, 1944, Frank was sent for an educational course at 3 Wing Canadian Training School (CTS), remaining there until November 10, 1944 when he was assigned to No. 3 Canadian Infantry Training Regiment (CITR), in preparation for being sent to Continental Europe. 

…. Frank was transferred to the North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment….

On December 27, 1944, he left the United Kingdom as part of the unallocated reinforcement troops needed in Northwestern Europe.   On February 14, 1945, he was transferred to the North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment, joining them in Nijmegen, The Netherlands as they prepared to go across the border into Germany for the Battle of Keppeln, followed by the Battle of the Balberger Wald, and then for the push across the Rhine River.

On April 3, 1945, the Regiment was back in The Netherlands for the liberation of Zutphen, on the east bank of the IJssel River, an attack that began on April 6, 1945 and ended on April 8.  Canadian and Polish troops then worked until April 19, 1945 to liberate the Dutch towns of Heino, Meppel, and Makkum.

On April 20, 1945, the Regiment’s war diary reported new orders, requiring them to advance 140 km (87 miles) back into Germany, to relieve a Polish Armoured Division near Weener.  “…We are to take over from the Poles on the night of April 21…”

On April 23, 1945, the Regiment’s war diary reported that the “…plan is for North Shore to capture Weener….”  After encountering resistance, the Regiment noted that “….by 1800 hours all companies were on objectives and were taking prisoners of war from houses and cellars…. A total of 103 prisoners of war were taken from the town. These were identified as Kriegsmarine fighting as infantry…”  Kriegsmarine was the navy of Nazi Germany.

…. Frank lost his life on April 24, 1945 ….

The war diary entry for April 24, 1945 was not as positive. The Battalion was unsure if the bridge over the Ems River to Leer was intact and sent out a reconnaissance party to check it out.  This was important information needed for the upcoming push to Leer a few days later. 

“…This morning at 0900 hours a battle group consisting of A Company mounted on the Carrier platoon were sent to recce the bridge …” over the Ems River at Leer “…to see if it was intact, but ran into heavy enemy fire… It was found the enemy was using a new device for mining the roads, which had not been encountered before…The first two carriers passed over the mined area, but the third was blown up and created a crater approximately 40 feet by 20 feet…”

All on board of that third troop carrier were casualties. Things got worse as two German self-propelled guns then opened fire and a second carrier took a direct hit. 

Among the casualties was Frank Guimond, dead at age 26.

In ‘Fields of Valour’ by Ken Smith, it was noted that soldiers had been killed trying to locate a bridge that was no longer there. Lives might have been saved if information from air surveillance had been received.

Smith wrote that “….the attack on Weener was supposed to be an easy affair using ‘A’ Company, but ‘C’ Company had to be brought in to outflank the enemy, as ‘A’ Company was attempting to take the Leer bridge when a carrier was lost to a mine with casualties. At the same time several dreaded 88 guns began firing. The men were pinned and Typhoons had to be called in to finally silence the big guns.

The whole affair was useless as the Leer Bridge was already out of commission, with the attack costing the lives of men, mostly by mines or shelling….”

Either an Allied strike took out the bridge or the Germans had blown it. Given that the area was mined, it suggests that it was the Germans who had blown up the bridge to delay the Allied advance.

….Other soldiers from the North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment who lost their lives on April 24, 1945….

Besides Frank Guimond, those who were killed on April 24, 1945 included:

• Private Emile Joseph ARSENEAULT of Lewisville, New Brunswick, age 22
• Private Ronald Burton DOHERTY of St. John, New Brunswick, age 19
• Private Wallace Herbert LARLEE of Perth, New Brunswick, age 19  (on our Cold Case List)
• Private Andrew MEEHAN of Hammondvale, New Brunswick, but born in Ireland, age 21
• Private Owen Burton MILLER of Deseronto, Ontario, age 21
• Corporal Sydney Guy MOSHER of Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, age 30 (upcoming story)
• Private Francis Leslie MULCAHY of Halifax, Nova Scotia, age 21 (on our Cold Case List)
• Private Edmund SAMPSON of Cannes, Nova Scotia, age 30

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

Frank was initially buried on April 26, 1945 “…in front of the school…” near the German village of Staplemoor, before being reburied the following year in the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten, The Netherlands.

On January 3, 1948 a letter from Mrs. A. C. Alberts-Fredricks of Deventer, The Netherlands, was sent to the Department of Veterans Affairs, in which she explained that she had adopted Frank’s grave and asked if her letter could be forwarded to the family.  A note at the bottom of the letter verified that it had been forwarded to Frank’s mother.

…. We met another niece in Richibucto….

It’s not often that we get to meet more than one group of family members, but a few months after meeting Maria Mazerolle, we met her cousin, Irene Caissie, along with Irene’s husband Rheal in Richibucto.  Irene explained that Frank’s brother, Edgar, was her father.

Thank you to Irene Caissie and Maria Mazerolle for ensuring we received a photo of Frank Guimond.

Sydney Guy MOSHER’s story will be coming up.  If you can help with photos for two other soldiers killed on April 24, 1945 who are currently on the Cold Case List, please let us know.  The names: Wallace Herbert LARLEE of Perth, New Brunswick, and Francis Leslie MULCAHY of Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Do you have photos or information to share? Email Pieter at memorialtrail@gmail.com, comment on the blog, or tweet to @researchmemori1.

© Daria Valkenburg

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