Vol. 26 No. 4 Nov. - Dec. 2001 ESQUESING HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER P.O. Box 51, Georgetown, Ontario, Canada L7G 4T1 www.hhpl.on.ca/sigs/ehs/home.html The Lorne Scots at DDay Richard E. Ruggle On the 6th of June, remember that the Lorne Scots were on the beaches of Normandy. Here's what I have been able to piece together. Although the 9th Canadian Highland Brigade were in reserve on DDay, circling and waiting to land as the 7th and 8th Brigades fought their way forward, their Defense Platoon would be the first of the three Lorne Scots platoons to set foot on French soil. About 60% of the men in the platoon were seasick, although they had been issued with seasick tablets and bags, vomit(. Sergeant J.A. Casey reported that at 0800 hours on June 6th the platoon sighted BernièressurMer, where they were to land, and came under fire for the first time. The landing ramp was damaged, so they placed ladders across to the next LCI (Landing Craft Infantry) and used their ramps, without any confusion. The platoon reassembled a mile inland, about 45 minutes after landing. From the village of Bernières they advanced with C Company of Le Régiment de la Chaudière, southward over the road leading to BenysurMer. They came under light mortar fire and some sniping. At the assembly area they met Captain Thomson and Corporal Ward and again came under mortar fire. Much to the distress of the owner of a large farm, they dug slit trenches in his front yard. Brigade HQ was now pretty well assembled and took up positions at BenysurMer. There was more mortar fire, but we were well dugin as we already realized the value of a slit trench.( Sections went sniper hunting many times on orders from Brigadier D.G. Cunningham. The night of 6 June passed quietly, with the exception of light enemy air activity. Sentries were posted and the platoon set up a Brigade PW cage, which was not long in being occupied. The majority of PWs were Russians and Poles and their morale was very low. On the following day they were once more detailed as patrols searching for snipers and mortar positions, which were known to be in the area. One section came under fire from a tanka Canadian tankbut there were no casualties. A guard of a Lance Corporal and three men was posted at A Echelon. Brigade moved its HQ to ColombysurThaon for several days and then to VillonslesBuissons where on 11 June they were heavily mortared and shelled, for almost 24 hours continuously. The platoon suffered its first casualty, who was evacuated with battle exhaustion. Vehicle casualties were also noted, and when the only platoon vehicle on shore, a 60 cwt, was slightly damaged by shell fire, they managed to get it back with the brigade convoy. The brigade returned to the old HQ at Colomby, where it remained for the rest of the month. Daily routine consisted of guards with everyone standing to at first and last light. Towards the end of April 1944, the 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade Ground Defense Platoon was reconstituted, when 23 men were Taken on Strength from the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa. Throughout May, they trained at Hiltingbury in Hampshire: they took apart German mines; they practiced assaults, and drivers were given a demonstration of the signs that would be used on the beaches on DDay. On the 13th of May General Eisenhower inspected a group of which the platoon formed part, and chatted with its commander, Sergeant E.J. Roberts. On the 25th, the camp was sealed off; and three days later the Brigade Major briefed them on the part they would play. On June 4th they were in Southampton, and loaded on LCI(L) 1131 with the 8th King(s Regiment, 109 Pioneer Company, an RAF recce group and an RAMC Beach Dressing Station. To pass the time on the landing craft, the Canadians taught the British troops how to shoot craps. They made a choppy crossing of the channel, and were due to land at 0830 hours, but because of tieups on the beach, coasted back and forth until finally landing at 1515 hours. They waded ashore in chesthigh water to Mike Green Beach, and went on to Bainville. There was some sniper trouble, but no casualties. By the time that the 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade Ground Defence Platoon landed at 0915 hours, enemy opposition was slight, although they too experienced some sniper fire as they moved inland. The divisional defense platoons had not been disbanded, as the brigade ones had been, but at the end of December 1943 orders were given that the 3rd Canadian Division Defence and Employment Platoon would be taken over by Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa Support Battalion. On the last day of the year, Cameron badges and flashes arrived, and it appeared that the Lorne Scots platoon was at an end. Then in the middle of January there was a change in orders, and the unit was confirmed as a Lorne Scots one, attached to the Camerons. A week later, the platoon War Diary recorded with some satisfaction that the RSM of the Camerons had been informed that the duty roster was out of his hands. The War Diary records little detail of the training before the invasion, but one of its members, Private Cecil Brooks, remembered boarding ship on the 3rd of June, and disembarking on the beach at BernièressurMer with Division Headquarters, in the early evening on June 6th. Join Rev. Richard Ruggle at the November meeting of the EHS at Knox Church, Georgetown as he shows pictures of the Lorne Scots and recounts some of their history during their 150th Anniversary year. Society Notes EHS EXECUTIVE Stephen Blake 877-8251 President Karen Hunter 838-2109 Dawn Livingstone 877-6506 Doug Cole 877-3657 Sherry Westfahl 873-7145 J. Mark Rowe 877-9510 Carol Wood 873-0792 Don(t forget to add 905 when dialling the above listed numbers. ARCHIVAL NEWS Once again the Esquesing Historical Society was fortunate to secure funding for a summer student. Emily Thompson served the Society for her second year, working principally on continuing the job she began last year. That was to scan, label and number each of the negatives from the Acton Free Press collection. Those negatives were donated to the Society by the Acton Free Press / Independent. They are a massive donation that will take years to process. The Society executive will be organizing another Archives work day, probably in early November. If you can donate a couple hours on a Saturday morning or afternoon, please let a member of the executive know. INTERNET CONNECTIONS The Esquesing Historical Society has an official web site on the World Wide Web. You can visit us at Send your e-mail to rowem@aztec-net.com or dlvngstn@stn.net EHS NEWSLETTER This newsletter was prepared by John Mark Rowe with assistance from Karen Hunter, Sherry Westfahl and Dawn Livingstone. MEMBERSHIP Membership fees for 2000 are valid until February, 2001. The individual rate is $10. The family or institution rate is $12. Cheques payable to the Society can be mailed to our post box. Our current 2001 membership stands at 83. Marj Allen, membership secretary, will gladly accept your fees at the next meeting. RESEARCH REQUESTS We are a small group of volunteers, and we do have difficulty getting the time and people to do much research. We charge $5.00 for the initial fee, and $1.00 per photocopied page. The request can be made by e-mail or regular mail, but we cannot guarantee a delivery time. PHOTOGRAPH REPRINTS The EHS has offered reprints of its( vast photographic collection for many years. The executive have decided to set new rates. Besides the cost of printing a photo, an Archives user fee of $5 will apply for the first photo and a $2 fee for each subsequent photo, ordered at the same time. PAMPHLET REPRINTS The Society has sent the Norval pamphlet and Glen Williams pamphlet to C & S Printing to be reprinted. This will be the third reprinting for Glen Williams. Don Smith, owner of C & S has been ill, so the pamphlets will be delayed. We hope Don recovers soon. LOCAL TOKENS ARE SCARCE! Scott Douglas treated us to the history of coin use, especially merchant tokens which became the rage early in the twentieth century. Scott noted that tokens from Halton County are quite rare when compared to other Ontario counties. The October meeting of the Society proved very interesting and shed light on the activities of our ancestors. FAIRVIEW CEMETERY TOUR About 25 people enjoyed a very informative talk about the lives of several residents of Fairview Cemetery, Acton. Sherry Westphal led a walking tour in September until dusk threatened to trap us in the midst of headstones. NEW ACTON PLAQUE READY The Society has received both the old plaque and the new plaque and have notified the Town of Halton Hills. We are awaiting pick up and installation of the new plaque at the Laura Deitrich Gardens outside the Acton branch of the Halton Hills Libraries. The old, unilingual plaque has been offered to Heritage Acton to mount outside the Acton Town Hall. It too awaits pick up. TRILLIUM GRANT RECEIVED In July, the EHS received a grant of $22,000 to pay for the writing, advertising and publishing of a history of Acton. A popular history has been in great demand for years. This grant has ensured that the book will finally be published. The hard cover book will be about 96 pages long and will cover the history of Acton from 1818 up to the year 2000. Free copies will be provided for the Halton Hills libraries, Acton schools and nursing homes. The author, John Mark Rowe, raised and educated in Acton, now resides in Glen Williams. A publication date of December, 2001 is anticipated. TOKENS HAVE A LONG HISTORY IN CANADA Tokens served as coins during the early decades of the 19th century. Extensive quantities of low-denomination tokens were imported from England by merchants hoping to facilitate business in the colonies and make a profit on the tokens. Some of these tokens were anonymous, that is, they did not indicate the name of the merchant who had imported them, while others carried the name of the merchant, such as Lesslie & Co. of Toronto. These tokens offered customers a discount on their future purchases to entice them to return, just as Canadian Tire "money" does today. Banks did more than simply issue paper money. In the 1830s, they began to import large numbers of tokens from England. The Bank of Montreal, for instance, imported both anonymous tokens and tokens stamped with its name. The Banque du Peuple also issued a 1-sou token in Montreal. It became known as the "rebellion sou," because the star and Phrygian cap (symbols of republicanism) that it bore were supposedly added by an employee sympathetic to the rebellions that broke out in 1837 in Lower Canada. These bank tokens were used alongside merchants' tokens. Most of the latter were of poor quality. In the late 1830s, in order to impose some order on the issuing of tokens and to get rid of "junk" tokens, three banks in Montreal along with the Quebec Bank decided to participate in the issue of a new series of tokens. These tokens carried the image of a habitant on one side, and the coat of arms of the City of Montreal and the name of the issuing bank on the other. They were popularly known as "Papineaus." -http://collections.ic.gc.ca/bank ESQUESING HISTORICAL SOCIETY SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS Wed. 12 Sept, 2001 Acton Cemetery Tour - Join Sherry Westfahl as she takes us on a walking tour of Acton(s Fairview cemetery. Interesting stones and the interesting people they commemorate will be highlighted. Please note that Fairview Cemetery has several hills. Meet at the chapel just inside the front gates. There will NOT be refreshments available after this meeting. Note the early start time! FAIRVIEW CEMETERY, Cobblehill Road, Acton, 7:00 p.m. Wed. 10 Oct, 2001 Ontario Merchant Tokens - Scott Douglas will talk about the use of tokens by Ontario merchants. He will discuss the few Acton and Georgetown merchants that used these tokens and will have several samples to share. KNOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, Main St., Acton, 7:30 p.m. Wed. 14 Nov, 2001 December Lorne Scots - Our salute to Remembrance Day this year will be a visual presentation on the Lorne Scots by Rev. Rick Ruggle, former military Chaplin. Rick will share some of his picture collection with us. KNOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, Georgetown, 7:30 p.m. There will not be a meeting in December. ALL MEETINGS ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AT NO CHARGE! Please bring your own cup for refreshments to help protect our environment. Publications Highlight! Collections 1, J.M.B. Rowe, Dawn Livingstone, and Elaine Robinson-Bertrand, eds. Essays on the Georgetown Library, the first Halton Creamery, Georgetown street names, the Odd Fellows, Holy Cross School, the village of Ashgrove and the Kennedy family. Collections 2, J.M.B. Rowe and Walter Lewis, eds. Essays on Georgetown Scouting, Drummer' s Snack, Limehouse Lime kilns, Military Tradition, Holy Cross Parish, Carriages to Cars, Plank Road Opening and Georgetown in the 1850's. Collections 3, J.M.B. Rowe, Walter Lewis and Geoff Cannon, eds. Essays on John Stewart Jr....Esquesing Rebel, 1917 Airplane Tragedy, Newspapers in Georgetown, Knox Church, Early Georgetown and Creelmans. HISTORY IN A NUTSHELL Explore the highways and by-ways of Esquesing township by reading our series of short informative pamphlets about settlements in our township. STEWARTTOWN is the latest pamphlet to join our collection. Read a synopsis of the history of Georgetown, Acton, Limehouse, BALLINAFAD, Glen Lawson, Glen Williams, Norval, Speyside, Ashgrove, Each pamphlet available for only 25 cents! Complete your collection at the next meeting! Tokens and Medals with Scott Douglas Join Scott Douglas at Knox Church, Acton, as he discusses tokens and medals in Canada. He will focus on what he has learned about local tokens. Scott is hoping people will bring stories and even tokens of their own to share. Scott has provided examples of tokens from Halton, Georgetown and Norval for publication in our newsletter. SUMMER OF 1871 ROUND-UP Esquesing Edition 22 June Dominion Day - The first of July does not seem to have so many admirers as the Queen(s Birthday, judging from the paucity of celebrations in this County. Hornby is to celebrate it in good style and Oakville is thinking about it; the other towns and villages have, so far, shown no signs of doing anything to mark the day. Bronte Stage - Marshall Bros. having purchased the interest of Mr. John Bell in the Bronte stage - leaves Milton daily at 5:45 a.m., returning at 2 p.m. - leaves Bronte when trains arrive at 9:45 a.m. and 5:45 p.m. 29 June Returned - Mr. Peter McGregor of Acton, from lengthy tour of California and western states, splendid country but no place like home. Fire at Acton - the stave and shingle factory of Moore Bros. Acton destroyed- spread to Sidney Smith(s barn - destroyed. Howes( Great London Circus and Sangher(s English Menagerie of trained animals - gas lit inside - Georgetown Aug. 7 Admission 50(; 25( under 10 years! 6 July FIRE - On Monday the shingle mill of Mr. Hood, Stewarttown, was destroyed by fire. The fire at one time threatened to destroy the whole village, but by the timely assistance of the townspeople its further progress was stayed. Several houses caught fire two or three times , and a great many families had their furniture removed from their homes for safety. The machinery in the mill was owned by Captain Johnston, whose loss is very heavy. Dominion Day at Hornby - sports winners were Rowland Orr, Benjamin Tuck, R. Porter, and Robert Armstrong. There were horse races as well. 27 July Dominion Telegraph has opened a telegraph office in Acton & Georgetown. 3 August Base Ball - At the match on Saturday the Georgetown Silver Stars were defeated by Milton. The umpire was Thomas Costigan of Georgetown. 10 August Thomas Shortreed(s saw mill on 3rd Line, Esquesing was burnt on Friday last. 17 August Barn of Alex McKinnon, 8th Line, Esquesing was destroyed by lightning. Georgetown in Danger - There was a narrow escape from fire on Sunday last. Sparks from a train that passed ignited stubble, which spread to a pine woods above the tracks. Fortunately the wind blew from the town and the efforts of a large number of people put the fire out. Shot - George Barber, son of James Barber, Nassageweya, while hunting. 31 August It takes 160 horse power to drive the Georgetown paper mills. Orange Pic-Nic - The Orangemen of Whaley(s Corners will hold their annual pic-nic on the 19th September in Thompson(s grove. 7 Sept. Alfred Fry fell from the roof of a house in Georgetown last week and broke two ribs. Camp Meeting - on 11th Sept. In the Pine Groove near Norval in connection with the Wesleyan Methodist Church. Tents, 3( each from T. Foster, Norval. Conveyances from the Station at 15( each. 14 Sept. Base Ball - Pastimes of Acton defeated the Sycamores of Milton. 21 Sept. Teachers Wanted by Hornby Union School - apply R. S. Hall, Secretary- treasurer. (_______________________________________(_________________________________________ Yes! I am interested in local history and support the work of the Esquesing Historical Society in collecting and preserving our past. Please renew my membership in the Esquesing Historical Society. NAME: ___________________________________________________________________________( ADDRESS: __________________________________________________________________________ Please find attached $10 membership fee for the year 2002. Please bring this form to the next meeting or post it to EHS, P.O. Box 51, Georgetown, ON L7G 4T1 Esquesing Historical Society Newsletter 1 Esquesing Historical Society Newsletter 10