KING, Sidney Arthur
NAME KING Arthur Sydney
RANK Private 11526 I Canadian Corps - 1st Canadian Infantry Division - REGIMENT Saskatoon Light Infantry (Machine Gun) Residence Kirkton - Ontari Born December 20, 1943 - Sheffield - England Died October 23, 1943 22 years 10 months
Cemetery Moro River Canadian War Cemetery - San Donatio - Ortona - Chieti - Italy VIII B 7
Mother Mrs. Edith Foley (King) - Kirkton - Ontario.
When his father died of wounds he had received from the fighting of World War 1, he and his mother moved to Kirkton when he was 9 years of age and it was here his mother remarried at some point. He was raised in the Anglican faith and would have attended St Paul's Anglican Church. He was a farmer and prior to his enlistment he was a salesman and employed by Paula Company which was a wholesaler out of Montreal.
Canada
At the age of 19 he enlisted into the Canadian Army on September 28, 1939 in Stratford. He was one of the first to enlist. He was assigned to the Perth Regiment of the Canadian Active Service Force. Upon enlistment he stood 5' 9" tall, weighed 147 pounds and had a fair complexion with light brown eyes and brown hair. He was in Stratford with the regiment for the remainder of that year, all of 1940 and into the spring of 1941. Between March 19-April 2, 1940 he was granted furlough. On March 17, 1941 he had 18 months of service completed and was attached to the Perth Regiment at Hamilton Camp.Barracks. Near the end of May he is then attached to Camp Borden and the Anti-Aircraft Light Machine Gun Camp at Pointe Petrie - Ontario near Picton. In early October he travels to Camp Debert in preparation for duty overseas.
Overseas
On October 5,1941 he was Struck off Service of the Canadian Army in Canada and embarked from Halifax. The next day he was Taken on Service with the Canadian Army Overseas. Private King disembarked in Liverpool, England on October 19, 1941. Between November 4-8 he received Landing Leave. He obtained a short leave between December 22-24. In 1942, while his training continued which was intensive Private King received Privileged Leave three times. Between November 17-20 he was a patient at 13 Canadian Field Ambulance. As 1943 began he qualified as a driver of motorcycles and between January 13-20 he received Privileged Leave. On June 1st he was Taken on Service with the 1st Canadian Special Base Depot.
Mediterranean Theatre
On June 27, 1943 Private King was Struck off Service of the Canadian Army in the UK and the 1st Canadian Division departed from the ports along the Clyde River in Scotland. The next day he was Taken on Service with the Canadian Army in the Mediterranean Theatre. He disembarked in Sicily on July 13, 1943.
In the field
He was sent forward in late August 1943 to the Saskatoon Light Infantry just prior to the invasion of Italy. They pursued the Germans up the toe of Italy and were involved in the battles of Motta, San Marco and Campobasso during October 1943. They were also fighting in the Maltese Mountains, Campochiaro and Boiano and this was the fight for the Savio River. The Saskatoons were the Support Battalion of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division.
The objective between October 15-24 was to clear the right bank of the Biferno River and then gain the high ground and to strike the 29th Panzer Division a very hard blow. Castropignano and Roccaspromonte had to be secured and the only place for the armour to cross was at a demolished bridge. So far this was the biggest obstacle in southern Italy. The bridge happened to be in a muddy trough fifteen feet below ground level. The rivers in the area were swollen and too deep to cross because of storms in the mountains.
On October 23rd, at 4am the 2nd Brigade waded across the Biferno River with the support of the machine guns of the Saskatoon Light Infantry with the objective being to capture Colle d’ Anchese and Spinete about 3 miles from the river. The fighting was very bitter and very confusing with a lot of congestion on the river crossing as the support elements trying to cross were also heavily engaged with the enemy. The Loyal Edmonton Regiment followed the riverbank northward and scaled a 700' escarpment toward their objective and by daybreak had reached the top and surprised the enemy there. Hand to hand fighting took place all morning. The supporting tanks were not able to cross until midmorning and then were ambushed by enemy tanks losing three of their own. The remaining Shermans bogged down or lost tracks and were useless to the infantry. In Colle d' Anchese the enemy counter attacked and now ammunition was low and because of heavy enemy fire the mules with ammunition were delayed. The enemy did not press further and withdrew. The Princess Patricia attack onto Spinete involved a daylight crossing of the Biferno River at an exposed ford and then a 2 1/2 mile uphill advance. They made their crossing at 2 pm while the artillery shelled their objective. The success of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment depended the Patricia's success. They met little resistance and the enemy withdrew. Our research indicates that Private King's Company was in all probability supporting the Loyal Edmonton Regiment in their advance upon Colle d' Anchese and was during this bitter action that Private King was killed in action. Private King was originally buried in the small commune of Baranello which was a few miles from Colle d' Anchese. On December 30, 1943, his mother received the Memorial Cross. On November 14, 1949, Private King was awarded the 1939-45 Star, The Italy Star, the Defence Medal, the War Medal along with the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal + Clasp.
Arthur is honoured and remembered on both the Exeter Cenotaph and Usborne Hensall Cemetery Cenotaph. He is also honoured and remembered on the Virtual Canadian War Memorial and on the Saskatoon Light Infantry Virtual Roll of Honour. He would be honoured and remembered on the Memorial Plaque of St Paul's Anglican Church.
