McSPADDEN, John Earl

NAME                  McSPADDEN           John Earl
RANK                  Corporal                   149460                                                                                                                                        1st Canadian Army - II Canadian Corps - 3rd Canadian Infantry Division - 7th Infantry Brigade REGIMENT         Royal Winnipeg Rifles
                            “named by the enemy in battle”
                            Royal Canadian Infantry Corp                                                                                                  Born                     April 16, 1924 - Walton - Townships of McKillop / Grey / Morris - County of Huron        Residence           Fort Erie - Ontario                                                                                                                    Died                    February 19, 1945          21 years   10 months
Cemetery            Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery - Groesbeek - Gelderland - Netherlands
                            XVI H 13
Wife                    Mrs. Olive McSpadden - Hamilton / Fort Erie
Parents               Mr. Zack and Selena McSpadden - Walton                                                                        Brothers              Bertram lived in London - Ontario                                                                                                                               Sam a Leading Aircraftsman was a wireless mechanic with the Royal Canadian Air Force

John was born in Walton on April 16, 1924. He obtained his education up to the end of Grade X at Seaforth Collegiate Institute. He then took a 14 week welding course in Owen Sound before moving to Toronto for 7 months. He was an apprentice welder with Marine Welders Toronto for 7 months and then moved to Fort Erie and worked for Horton Steel for eleven months before ending up at the Fleet Aircraft Limited for 18 months as a welder on the Fleet Finch aircraft and was a member of the United Auto Workers of Canada. He would have attended Walton United Church growing up.

Canada

On February 23, 1944 he traveled to Toronto to enlist in the Canadian Army. He received the rank of Private. When he enlisted he was 5' 9" in height and weighed 147 pounds. He had blue eyes and black hair. He was sent to No. 2 Manning Depot in Toronto and on March 16 he transferred to No. 20 Basic Training Centre in Brantford. Two months later he was posted to No. 10 Canadian Infantry Training Centre at Camp Borden and while he received the rank of Lance Corporal on August 23. That completed his training in Canada and he was then ordered to the east coast in preparation for going overseas.

Overseas

Lance Corporal McSpadden was Struck off Service of the Canadian Army in Canada on September 1 and that day embarked for Canada for overseas. The following day at sea he was Taken on Strength with the Canadian Army overseas. He disembarked in the United Kingdom on September 6 and the next day reported to No. 3 Canadian Infantry Reinforcement Unit.

In the Field

On October 8 he embarked from the United Kingdom and then stepped on French soil on October 9, 1944. A week later he was Taken on Strength with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles in the field. On February 15 the 3rd Division took over the British 15 Division front. Canadian formations could only be fed one Brigade at a time. During the afternoon of February 16, the 7th Brigade entered the fight. They were tasked with passing through the 46th Brigade and open the way to Calcar.                                                                                                                          The morning of Friday February 16th was cloudy with some rain falling. At 06:30 hours a recon party was sent out. At 07:30 am  the Winnipeg Rifles were aboard the Kangaroos which would move forward toward their
objective. At 13:30 hours “A & C” Companies had crossed the start line. By 1:50 pm “C” Company had covered 1,500 yards and were on their objective. “A” Company was passing through “C” Company with “D” Company following. All Companies got off the Kangaroos about 50 yards short of the objective and assaulted the positions on foot. By 5:00 pm all the objectives had been reached and taken. The whole of the area of then heavily shelled and rocketed by the Germans during the advance but the casualties were light while the Winnipeg Rifles were in the Kangaroos.
But during the final assault the casualties were heavy and this was when Corporal McSpadden took fatal wounds. On February 16 at 3 pm he received penetrating left side head wounds in the tempral area . He was treated in the field and taken to No. 14 Canadian Casualty Collection Point. When he arrived here he was comatose, his pupils were unequal, his pulse was good and his arms were restrained. At 9:40 pm he was a priority evacuation. Just prior to midnight of February 16/17 he arrived at No. 6 Canadian General Hospital who immediately sent him to No. 1 Canadian Mobil Neuro Surgical Unit and he was still deeply unconscious. His pupils did not react to light. His legs began to become where he could not control the movement in his legs. Corporal could not survive his wounds and he died on February 19, 1945 at 8:20 am.                                          He was originally buried buried at St. Michielgestel Cemetery in the Netherlands.

Corporal McSpadden's wide Olive and his mother Selena both received the Memorial Cross. His wife Olive also received the  medals awarded to her husband which included the 1939-45 Star, the France-Germany Star, the Defence and War Medals along with the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with clasp.

John is honoured and remembered on the Memorial Plaque of Walton United Church and on the Seaforth Cenotaph. He is honoured and remembered at the Seaforth Cemetery and in the Books of Remembrance found in the Centre Block of Canada's Parliament. In addition, he is honoured and remembered in the Canadian Virtual War Memorial and at the Royal Winnipeg Rifles Monument in Winnipeg - Manitoba and at the Memorial at Courselles sur Mer and Putot en Bessin in France