================================================== Daily Mail: Who shot Gertie? -------------------------------------------------- Daily Mail, The (London, England)-August 30, 2011 Author: Jim McBeth THE four shots came in quick succession, reminiscent from a distance of the crack of 'penny bangers' on Bonfire Night. Those who heard them paused, shook their heads knowingly and went about their business. It was July 1942 and the folk of Inveraray were used to gunfire. In their howffs and homes on the shores of Loch Fyne, they spoke in hushed tones of the 'special' soldiers and secret agents training in the mountains surrounding the picturesque Argyll town. Much later, this military elite would be revealed as the warriors of the Special Operations Executive who fought Churchill's 'dirty war'. So when the peace of a summer day was shattered, no one realised the shots were fired by a cold and calculating assassin determined to end the life of Gertrude 'Gertie' Canning, a 20-year-old Irish Wren recently arrived from England. Seven decades have passed since the Women's Royal Naval Service rating died, but the echo of the shots has travelled across the years to the present and a quest by her family - and cold-case detectives - to identify her faceless killer. Gertie's Irish nephews, who began an investigation into the 69-year-old murder last year, have met senior officers from Strathclyde Police and been allowed to examine papers from the investigation. The police and the family are playing their cards close to their chest. A senior police source confided: 'What we can say is that we have spoken to the family - and this is very much an open inquiry.' It is unclear which direction the investigation might take but Miss Canning's nephew Liam says: 'We know more than we did. We are confident it can go forward.' The killing shocked the Highland community and baffled Scotland's best sleuth. Detective Chief Superintendent Robert Colquhoun, of Glasgow Police, was a renowned 'closer' who was sent north to take charge of the inquiry. He arrived to find a suspect pool of around 10,000 troops and no discernible motive for the brutal slaying of such a well-liked woman. Mr Colquhoun quickly established the bullets that killed her had been fired from a .38-calibre revolver - standard issue for military personnel in the area, who were drawn from Britain, Canada and the U.S. The plot thickened when Mr Colquhoun learned that a large number of his 'suspects' had departed within days of the murder. PREDOMINANTLY Canadian, they were soldiers taking part in Operation Rutter, the spectacularly disastrous 'invasion' of the northern coast of France at Dieppe which claimed more than 3,000 Allied lives in August 1942. The circumstances of the murder were simple. Miss Canning was seen strolling along the shores of Loch Fyne from her base at HMS Quebec. She was heading for Inveraray to post a letter to her father in Lifford, Donegal. By the time the letter arrived two days later, Miss Canning's superiors had reported her missing. Five days after she posted it, her body was found. The last sighting of Miss Canning was by two roadmen who had watched her walk along a track. Minutes later a man had walked in the same direction, they reported. Miss Canning's body was found near the 'Marriage Tree', a landmark which, according to local legend, possesses a 'sense of magic'. The discovery was made by two boys and their mother. Liam Canning, who has visited the area with his brothers Joe and Tommy, adds: 'We believe they were called William and Donald and were aged around ten and 12. We understand their mother was Agnes Smith. Of course, the "boys", if they are still with us, would now be in their seventies or eighties. We don't know if they spoke about that day, but there's the chance that they passed on the story.' The murder of their father's sister was not spoken of in the Canning household when the brothers were growing up. But when Liam was handed an old newspaper clipping that recorded his aunt's murder he felt compelled to investigate. 'The mystery begins even before she arrived in Scotland,' he said. 'We are not sure when and where she joined the Wrens.' Poring over the investigation notes and wartime papers led the brothers to the Worcestershire town of Redditch, where Miss Canning worked after leaving Ireland. They appealed to local historians for help. One of them, Derek Coombes, said: 'We established that she worked in Shropshire before coming to Redditch, where she got a job in the Foxlydiate Hotel. We also identified an article in the Redditch Indicator of July 18, 1942, which recorded her death.' Wartime censorship prevented the details of her murder being disclosed. The Daily Record of Friday, July 10, reported: 'The death of Gertrude Canning, a 20-year-old Wren from Ireland, whose body was found with several bullet wounds in a ditch near a West of Scotland town, is a mystery without clues. 'At the request of her father, Miss Canning's body has been taken to Ballingrant, Donegal, Eire, for interment.' Mr Coombes added: 'She was apparently much liked and described as quiet and popular. When she left, her colleagues presented her with a parting gift of just over GBP17, which was then a substantial sum. It seems unlikely that whatever befell the poor woman followed her from here.' At some point soon after she left England, she enlisted in the Wrens and deployed to Inveraray. Mr Canning said: 'I believe that given the nature of her death, her killer had to be a soldier.' At the time of the murder, Mr Colquhoun agreed. He even suggested the killer was a Canadian commando who had taken part in the raid on Dieppe and did not survive the military fiasco. Mr Colquhoun tested every 'thirty-eight' in the area and beyond. None matched the murder bullets. He would have to wait until after Dieppe to check the others, but so many 'suspects' did not return. Operation Rutter involved 6,000 Allied troops on a mission to 'seize and hold' the French port. More than 3,000 Canadians and nearly 300 British were killed, wounded or captured. WHEN the remnants of the attack force returned, Mr Colquhoun was waiting to check their guns. It proved fruitless and he reasoned, not unreasonably, that the murder weapon was still on the body of a dead soldier. Every other clue led to dead ends and so the mystery endures. Mr Canning says: 'We could find nothing in her past that offers an explanation. Whatever happened began in Inveraray.' The family is planning to travel to the town next July for the 70th anniversary and to hold a memorial service. Mr Canning adds: 'Auntie Gertie deserves to be at rest. We want to know why she was murdered. The only people who can help find the answers are those there at the time... or a callous killer who has escaped justice for 70 years.' Anyone with information should contact Liam Canning via lgcanning@hotmail.com
Wren GERTRUDE CANNING 33824, H.M.S. Quebec, Women's Royal Naval Service who died on 30 June 1942 Alternative Commemoration - buried in Ballybogan Old Graveyard, Co Donegal. Remembered with honour GRANGEGORMAN MEMORIAL CWGC :: Casualty Details My gran's family came from Lifford, so this is particularly sad to read about someone from there who volunteered for service and ended up being murdered. 'At the request of her father, Miss Canning's body has been taken to Ballingrant, Donegal, Eire, for interment.' (Wonder if it's Ballindrait?) Made all the more poignant that it's unlikely ever to be solved. Here's hoping someone at least comes forward even with some small piece of 'the jigsaw' for the family. Scroll down page for image of headstone Headstone Inscriptions, Ballybogan, Clonleigh
I suspect this is one of many unsolved murders of the war years. I have always been particularly interested in one that took place near the Mile End Arms, in Commercial Road, Portsmouth - my school was close by. It achieved national notoriety as 'The Red Shoes Murder', but suddenly disappeared from view, and I have been unable to discover any references to it. I don't believe the woman was identified, but was assumed to be a prostitute because of the red shoes. It was believed she had been in the Mile End pub and the murderer was a seaman who had followed her. After all these years, I have let it all go. Edna
Thanks J. I see the connection with homes now but would never have guessed! Probably early Scottish for house? Tony
A real "Who Dunnit". The original enquiry must have had the Investigating Officer pulling his hair out. Regards Tom
Weren't revolvers generally issued to officers rather than the men? It's interesting that the figure seen soon after is described as a 'man' rather than a soldier. If she posted her letter was she on her way back along the same path?
Wtd - I categorically refute all knowledge of this Irish family as according to my family tree - we go away back to the Wallace Clan of Scotland - William Wallace et al King of Scotland - although around 1845 some Ulsterman - obviously a refugee by the name Glancey - of some potato famine or other crept into Fife and married one of the Wallace girls and proceeded to breed like flies - so who really knows their fathers..... CEE - more than welcome try reading the Nigel Hamilton Trilogy on Monty- well worth the time and effort - more should study that and most of the myths would be dispelled... Cheers
Cee - Most Tank crews were issued with revolvers - and two Thompson M/c Guns in each tank as rifles were a bit long inside a turret- One day in Italy we took the surrender of some 20 odd 1st Paras- which was unusual for us to be ahead of the Infantry - or paras to surrender -and so the Commander ordered the gunner and I to round them up and hand them over to the Infantry- so I grabbed a Tommy gun - loaded a magazine and jumped down - and the gunner also jumped down - within seconds the big tall para started to laugh and all the rest did as well - and on looking around to see what was funny there was Harry our gunner with a menacing look on his face and pointing the gun at the paras - sans magazine and the cleaning brush still up the spout- that took a bit of living down ... Cheers
Hi, It was indeed Ballindrait.thanks for posting..Gerty,(the wren)was actually my aunt. I would love to know of the family connections you have in Lifford.. Regards, Joe Canning.
Hi It was indeed Ballindrait.thanks for your post.Iwould love to know of your connection to the Lifford area if poss. Regards Joe Canning.
Cee - Most Tank crews were issued with revolvers - and two Thompson M/c Guns in each tank as rifles were a bit long inside a turret- One day in Italy we took the surrender of some 20 odd 1st Paras- which was unusual for us to be ahead of the Infantry - or paras to surrender -and so the Commander ordered the gunner and I to round them up and hand them over to the Infantry- so I grabbed a Tommy gun - loaded a magazine and jumped down - and the gunner also jumped down - within seconds the big tall para started to laugh and all the rest did as well - and on looking around to see what was funny there was Harry our gunner with a menacing look on his face and pointing the gun at the paras - sans magazine and the cleaning brush still up the spout- that took a bit of living down ... Cheers Hello Tom. I can also say we are not related.Thank God the potato crops are great at the moment. Maybe my g g g g grandfather was a wee Paddy that fought alongside "Willie Wallace".CHEERS jOE
Interesting to note the early use of 'forensics' checking on all the .380s I wonder what level of ballistic skill they had in the 40's, if any. Ednamay - I believe all these type of files are held at the National Archives. I'm sure there is a section on Met Police files if not national Police.
Joe - your gggg grandfather didn't do a very good job in protecting my relative as he was hung - drawn and quartered at Tyburn...very nasty death Cheers
Hi Jedburgh, .The WREN,Gertrude Canning was my aunt.Would you know what unit would have worn a white lanyard at that time in Inveraray? One witness is supposed to have seen her in the company of a man wearing one? Icn imagine the forensic testing would have been a nightmare way back then....Regards...Joe Canning
