hi guys ive attached part of an email ive received today from the son of RCA man who took part in the battle of Normandy from D-Day +8. Unfortunately Don Finnie the old war heroe in question is no longer with us and his sone is saying that he doesnt know much more than this. From the info below is there anyone who can help identify his Regiment/battery etc. He says he was part of the 1st Canadian Army, this consisted of 1, 2 and 5 Reg RCA. Im a bit confused by him saying that his dad landed at Cherbourg D-Day + 8, well i didnt think we controlled Cherbourg untill after this?! Anyway ... any help identifying Finnie's unit would be appreciated, I can then hopefully track him through Europe. Thanks for any help offered. Paul "My dad, Don, was indeed in the artillery, first Canadian army, going over in Spring 1940 or so (I think), or at least not long after – he having joined up almost immediately upon the declaration of war. He spent most of the war near Aldershot, then went over on D-Day+8 (if my memory is correct), landing at Cherbourg, which was by then in Allied hands. They then fought through Normandy (Caen and all), then the Canadian army headed North, first through Belgium, then into the Netherlands, where they wintered, just outside the German border, in Nijmegan (sp?) I actually retraced some of those steps with him (and my mother) in the spring of 1978, when I was doing a year at the LSE. We had a rented car and I drove, mum navigated, and dad sat in the back with a diary from someone in his battery. That would be a useful document for you to get your hands on, but I have no idea how you would do that. The battery was, I believed, formed of men from Ottawa and a little place near Kingston and Belleville called Cobourg. I remember meeting one of his old chums there once – had a farm."
Hi Paul, The son of the RCA soldier needs to apply for his Dad's service records. There were too many RCA units to just hazard a guess and hope that he might have served in one of them. I'll ask one of our Canadian Members to tell you how to apply to the Canadian authorities. I think it is quicker than the UK process. Once he's got them, I'd be happy to copy the unit war diary for him at Kew. I've found the Canadian war diaries to be particularly well written. Regards - Rob
Hi Paul 1st Canadian Army Artillery consisted of a lot more regiments than the 3 you mention above mate. The 2nd Canadian Army Group Royal Artillery,1st Cdn Army (2AGRA) landed at Arromanches on 8th July with 5 medium & heavy regts so this rules them out. So you are left with Field, LAA, HAA, A/Tk regts of the 2nd Canadian Corps & Divisions including Amoured. Best Rob
Paul Application by Fax or Mail should be addressed to: ATIP AND PERSONNEL RECORDS DIVISION LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA 395 WELLINGTON ST. OTTAWA ON CANADA K1A 0N4 FAX (613) 947-8456 You will need surname, full given name(s), date of birth, place of birth, service number (preferred) or social insurance number, date of death and copy of the obituary or death certificate and proof of relationship. Also include name of regiment etc. You should get a reply within 14 days with a message stating that the wait time could be as long as seven months. From experience, the documents arrive usually in less than six weeks. Hope this helps,
thanks for the info guys. i knew people here would be able to advise in various ways. it looks like service records is the best way to go so thanks for the address. ill drop him a line and ask him apply for them. cheers chaps pal
Thanks for that info Randy. Do they charge for a copy of the records as they do in the UK? Rob, It is free of charge.
Obtaining a detailed service record will depend upon when he died - as personally, even with an Access to Information request - my father's records will still not be released until he has been deceased 20 years - 2016. It is possible to requeast a genealogical version which gives a bit of information, at least enough to determine the unit and to then trace that. Another good informational source is The Gunners of Canada by Nicholson. Personally, I would love to get a copy of the Regimental diary of the 3rd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment RCA. I've transcribed a regimental history, but feel it is missing a lot of information.
Macrusk, If you can provide proof of relationship along with a copy of the obituary or death certificate, the twenty year waiting period is waived. Cheers Randy
