TAYLOR, Sidney
NAME TAYLOR Sidney
RANK Private 34413 1st Canadian Army - II Canadian Corps - 2nd Canadian Infantry Division
UNIT 2nd Mobile Laundry and Bath Unit Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps "evil be to him who evil thinks" Born June 14, 1917 - Kippen- Township of Tuckersmith - County of Huron Residence Kippen - Ontario Died October 14, 1944 27 years 4 months
Cemetery Schoonselhof Cemetery - Wilrijk - Antwerp - Belgium
III B 14
Wife Mrs. Clara Taylor - Thorold / St Catharines - Ontario (remarried Mrs. Clara Stead) Parents Mr. Richard and Mary Taylor - Kippen - Ontario Brothers Mr. Richard Taylor Jr. - Cromarty - Ontario Mr. Edwin Taylor - Kippen - Ontario Mr. John Taylor - Seaforth - Ontario Private Melvin Taylor - serving with 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion - kia March 24, 1945 Sisters Mrs. Margaret Allen - St Marys - Ontario Mrs Myrtle Young - Vancouver - British Columbia Miss Jean Taylor - Kippen - Ontario
Sidney was born on June 14, 1917in Kippen. He would have attended Kippen United Church. Prior to enlistment he had been employed as a driver and a farm labourer for his father on the family homestead. H enjoyed hunting and baseball. He left school after a year of High School.
Canada
Sydney made his decision to enlist and on July 2, 1940 travelled to London and enlisted into the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corp with the rank of Private. When he enlisted he stood 5' 11" and weighed 130 pounds. He had a fair complexion with blue eyes and fair hair. He was posted to No. 1 District Depot from July 2-August 22. He was next posted to Camp Borden from August 22-Decemner 8. Once at Camp Borden he was Taken on Service with No. 2 Mobile Laundry and Forward Decontamination Unit. On December 8 he was assigned to No. 3 Army Field Workshop and Taken on Service with Canadian forces overseas.
Overseas
On February 4, 1941 Private Taylor was Struck off Service of the Canadian Army in Canada and sailed from Nova Scotia for overseas. The following day at sea he was Taken on Strength with the Canadian Army overseas. Private Taylor disembarked i the United Kingdom at Gourock - Scotland on March1. Then he was assigned to the 11 Field Company and attached to the South Saskatchewan Regiment of the 6th Brigade of the 2nd Canadian Division. On March 22 he is assigned to the 1st Battalion of the the Royal Berkshire Infantry until April 11 and is again attached to the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps. He had attended a laundy course for this period of time. He is assigned to the 5th Canadian Field Regiment on June 8 and is with them until being posted on July 28 to the 14th Canadian Field Regiment. On December 15 he is given the rank of Lance Corporal. During 1942 and 1943 the training continued in the United Kingdom. On February 1, 1943 he qualifies as a Storeman Class "C". During 1942 he took training on the Bren gun and rifle. On September 17, 1943 he reverts to rank of Private. During the first half of 1944 training continued until July 5. During this time he took training with grenades, the PIAT and more training on the Bren gun and rifle. On July 5 Private Taylor embarked from the United Kingdom and disembarked in Normandy on July 7.
In the Field
The Royal Canadian Ordnance Corp was responsible for procuring all material goods for the army including
food, weapons and clothing to transportation. They also had to anticipate and estimate the needs of our
armies when it came to munitions and the order through Munitions and supply. They also supplied our men
with mosquito netting, sporting goods like footballs and baseballs for recreation.
Our Canadian men on the front lines called the Mobile Wash / Laundry Units the “Chinese Hussars” and
these men were the principal source of contact with our men on the front lines. As the war progressed and
under field conditions, it was not long before their services had improved with “luxuries” never before
thought of. Ingenuity and initiative were displayed by the various commanders with local citizens being
hired to provide extra services and very quickly there were barbers, chiropodists and even manicurists.
These Wash / Laundry Units moved about in 30 hundredweight trucks loaded with huge tanks boasting
large boilers and the hot water was piped to the shower area which usually was a closed in area out in the
open. The men on the ground saw these units when they were off the front lines or on a bit of a break.
Usually at these times the front might be static, the demands were heavy; but, because of the excellent
communications things seemed to flow smoothly and evenly. When the men entered they would strip down
and walk to the shower area and as they left they would pick up clean underwear, socks, uniforms, and
shirts from various piles of clothing and each man would sort through the pile until they found something
that would fit them. As well you handed in your dirty clothing so they could be washed. After the men
showered and got clean clothes they then went back to their battalion areas where there were tents for
sleeping. The importance of a shower and clean clothing for these men can never be underestimated - men
usually went for days and even weeks without being able to take his boots off.
The Ordnance Corp cared for the weapons, maintained the ammunition, looked after the clothing and
equipment stores, salvage depots and well as the bath/laundry units.
On October 14th, Private Taylor of the 2nd Mobile Bath and Laundry Unit lost his life while stationed near
Antwerp in Belgium. There was heavy loss of life and equipment after a German V2 German rocket struck
their position. They had been using a vacant building that had been occupied by the Germans and were
using the building for laundry and showers for the men. Twelve men were killed and twenty-nine were gravely wounded.
His wounds were severe. He had suffered blast wound to the head, a fractured leg and hand wounds. Private Taylor was taken to #21 Field Ambulance and then to #30 British General Hospital where he passed away from his wounds at 15:25 hours.
During the month of February 1945 the Memorial Cross was issued to his wife in St Catharines and to his mother in Kippen. In April of 1945 Private Taylor was awarded the 1939-45 Star, the France & Germany Star, the Defence Medal, the War Medal and the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and clasp.
Private Taylor is honoured and remembered on the Hensall - Ontario Cenotaph, in the Books of Remembrance in the Centre Block of Parliament Hill, On the Canadian Virtual War Memorial and on the Memorial Plaque of Kippen United Church.
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