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On June 6, 1944 elements of the Canadian 13th Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery landed on the beaches of Normandy as part of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and worked their way inland to establish a beach head against well entrenched German defences.  Major John D. Young and Lieutenant James Doohan of the 13th Field Regiment participated in the landing but only one survived. Major Young’s landing craft received a direct hit from enemy shell fire with the 28-year-old major taking the blunt of the explosion. Young would not set foot in France and rests in no known grave. Lieutenant James Doohan landed on Juno Beach and after establishing gun positions on high ground to support troop movements was inspecting the regiments’ positions when he was accidentally shot by nervous sentries and wounded in the leg and hand.
On July 24, the 29th Canadian Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment (The South Alberta Regiment) along with the rest of the 4th Canadian Armoured Division landed in Normandy and proceeded inland to engage the Germans in the southeast Normandy area. On Aug. 18, the South Albertas fought the battle of St. Lambert-Sur-Dives where two German Army Groups had faced encirclement and were trying to escape from the Falaise Pocket. Despite British and American efforts to close the escape hole, the South Alberta Regiment under the leadership of Major David Vivian Currie, officer commanding “C” Squadron closed the gap on Aug. 22, 1944 after an intense four-day battle. In the battle, Currie, despite losing most of his officers killed or wounded, led numerous attacks and counter attacks without sleep, resulting in the capture of several thousand enemy troops and equipment. For his actions he would receive the Victoria Cross, the first since D-Day and the only one given to a member of the Armoured Corps. The battle would effectively end the Normandy campaign.
Currie would survive the war and settled in the Ottawa area to becoming the Sergeant–at-Arms to the House of Commons and passing away on June 20, 1984, at age 74.
Lieutenant James Doohan survived the war and went into acting gaining fame as the character “Montgomery Scott” or “Scotty” in the StarTrek series/movies and passed away July 24, 2005 at the age of 85.
Both the 13th Field Regiment and the South Alberta Regiment are perpetuated by the South Alberta Light Horse from Medicine Hat.
Decoration Day on June 14 is a day to remember those that died in the service of their country during war and those who survived but with the passing of time have since left us but are still remembered.
Lest we forget.

Jim Ogston
Medicine Hat

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