Canadian Kangaroo Regiment Archive

10/16/2026

'A' Squadron HQ Troop. May 1945, Enschede, Netherlands.

(1CACR Archive Photo, courtesy the family of Sgt. Ted Groves)

09/27/2026

09/17/2026

The letter speaks for itself.

Trooper Ken Grieve was a 21-year-old bricklayer from Monetville, Ontario. Killed in action, this day in 1944 at Boulogne.

(WJM)
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#1 Cdn Armd Personnel Carrier Sqn.
Canadian Armoured Corps
Att. HQ Sqn 25 CADR
C.A.O., B.L.A.
20 Sept 44

Dear Mrs. Grieve,

Please accept my deepest sympathy in this time of grief at the loss of your son Kenneth.

Ken was in my troop, and one of the best, most willing, and able soldiers I’ve ever had the privilege of commanding and working with. In our action at Le Havre he was an inspiration to us all. At Boulogne on the 17th of September he was in my second carrier. He delivered his load of infantry, then the Germans began to shell and mortar us. We dismounted and entered some farm buildings, with the hope of finding shelter in the cellar. A shell made a direct hit on the house while we were still above stairs. Ken was killed by flying shrapnel and six of his comrades were wounded.

We buried him the next day in a small cemetery at La Capelle, Pas de Calais District. Our Padre attended. The cemetery is in the garden of Cave D’Ealve, a peaceful and flowered spot in this war torn France. Ken will be moved to a Canadian Army Cemetery in the near future and you will be notified.

I am sending his personal effects, as was his wish. They include his watch, one undelivered letter, and a prayer book he bought in Bayeux. His identity disc is also in the parcel.

Remember, in your sorrow for Ken, that he died serving a just cause against a monster. If God would give us more men like Kenneth, such things as this terrible war would not occur. He was a soldier and a man, God rest his soul.

With deepest sympathy,

James W Combe, Lieut.
1CAPC Sqn. (CAC)

09/14/2026

A Key to What!?

I swear, every veteran’s collection seems to contain at least one odd little item that, for whatever reason, almost nobody else thought to keep.

This one, a small card entitled “Key to Formation Signs and Unit Crests” from the collection of Sgt. Thomas Lloyd, took me a moment or two to figure out.

I recognized the formations and regiments listed, but its very specific instructions puzzled me: units of the 79th Armoured Division reading from left to right across the top, followed by British, Canadian and American formations down the sides.

Following the end of hostilities, men who had served with the British 79th Armoured Division were provided with a souvenir map of the campaign in Northwest Europe. Its hand-drawn border featured the insignia of the Division's units and the formations they supported, from Normandy through to Germany.
This little card is the key to that border.

The souvenir map itself is not particularly rare. I have seen dozens among veterans’ collections, and the same artwork was also used as the endpapers of The Story of the 79th Armoured Division, which was printed and distributed in thousands of copies.

But this separate little explanatory card (or is it a bookmark)? This is the first one I can recall seeing.

Ironically, neither a souvenir map nor a copy of the Division history appears to have been among Lloyd's photos, memorabilia and documents donated to the Royal Canadian Legion Regina Branch 001 Museum & Archives.

The key survived. What it unlocked did not!

(WJM)

Key Card image: Thomas Lloyd fonds, Royal Canadian Legion Regina Branch 001 Museum & Archives.

79th Armoured Division map/End papers: 1CACR Archive collection.

09/12/2026

Follow up to yesterday’s post.

Sgt. Gibbons’ well tended grave among the nearly 1400 servicemen buried at Holten Canadian War Cemetery in the Netherlands. Photo courtesy Wayne Dale.

(WJM)

09/12/2026

“Turned turtle.”

I heard several veterans use that expression, and seeing this photograph of an overturned Ram tank brought those conversations back to me. I suppose it was a common enough occurrence, especially in driver training. These seemingly indomitable machines had their vulnerabilities, and so did the men inside them.

It also brought to mind Sgt. Harold Clayton Gibbons, our last fatality of the war, lost in a tragic battle accident in April 1945.

After a successful infantry lift, his Kangaroo APC was bringing up the rear of a returning column one night when it ran off a makeshift bridge over a flooded creek. Gibbons, standing in the bow gunner’s cupola, was trapped beneath twenty-five tons of steel and the rushing water.

His driver escaped the flooding hull through the emergency hatch in the floor, now facing skyward.

You can just make out that same hatch opening in the underside of the Ram tank in this photograph. I hope everyone got out safely that day.

For Gibbons, there was no escape. A tragic loss of life with mere weeks before the war in Europe would be over...

(WJM)

Photo: Project ‘44 (9 Jan 2026). Original image: Army Numerical Album 35, Negative 18295. Governor General’s Horse Guards training in the U.K., May 1943. Photographer: Lieutenant Laurie Audrain.

09/11/2026

This weekend marks the anniversary of an extraordinary event…

Fifteen years ago, on 10 September 2011, we gathered in St. Thomas for a day that was a very long time coming. The presentation of the Kangaroos’ Guidon went some way towards righting an historic wrong, publicly honouring their courage and contributions to the North-West Europe campaign. For the veterans and families gathered there, it brought pride, comfort, and recognition that was too long overdue.

A memorable day, and a privilege to have shared it with them.

(WJM)

Photos: 1CACR Archive Collection.