Hello Clive and John,
I have been trying to find out information about my uncle, Lieut. Hugh Campbell McWilliam of the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders, who is listed in the files as 'wounded and died of wounds 5 March 1945'. I know he was a platoon leader and from what you have posted from the Glens' history, John, he may have been the leader of Melvin Coulas' platoon as it states that his platoon commander was a casuaty. The family, that is my grandparents and Hugh's sister, my mother, were never told the circutmstances of his death, although there was talk of his being shot by a sniper.
There is one interesting story about all this. That day or the next as replacement troops marched by, one noticed that some casualties were lying covered by the roadside. One had a hand showing and on it was a Queen's ring (from Queen's university in Kingston, Ontario). One soldier knew that another who would be coming by later had gone to Queen's and when he came by asked if he knew the dead soldier. He had been my uncle's roommate at Queen's in 1940 and hadn't seen him since they had graduated in 1941.
I am named after my uncle.
If anyone knows anything about his death, or anything else for that matter, I would very much like to hear about it.
One other point. In Terry Copp's latest book, Cinderella Army, there is a picture of some Glens (the date is incorrect...it states 1944 when it should state 1945...I have confirmed this with Terry Copp). My uncled is near themiddle- back of the picture, wearing a balmoral (Ithink that is what it is called.
|