ELLIOTT, Robert James
NAME ELLIOTT Robert James
RANK Trooper 43041 1st Canadian Army - II Canadian Corps - 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade REGIMENT 27th Canadian Armoured Regiment - Sherbrooke Fusiliers Regiment
“in this sign conquer”
Royal Canadian Armoured Corp Born January 20, 1921 - Teeswater - Culross Township - County of Bruce Residence Blyth Died February 21, 1945 24 years 1 month
Cemetery Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery - Groesbeek - Gelderland - Netherlands
XXI H 13
Mother Mrs. Mary Elliott - Blyth Brothers Gordon lived in Preston - Ontario Sisters Mrs. Elizabeth Karadis - New York City - New York - USA Mrs. Jean Henry - Lucknow Mrs. Margaret Hamilton - Hensal Mrs Edith Wright - Toronto
Robert was born in Teeswater and was raised Presbyterian and the family possibly attended Knox Presbyterian Church in Teeswater and St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Blyth. He left school at the age of 15 after completing one year of high school. Prior to his enlistment he worked for Mr. Barnston in the Blyth Woolen Mill.
Canada
Enlistment took place in London on June 24, 1940 into the Elgin Regiment. At this time he was 5' 9" tall and weighed 143 pounds. He had a dark complexion with brown eyes and dark brown hair. He was given the rank of Private. His training began here and in the spring of 1941 he had been posted to Valcartier - Quebec to No. 13 Canadian Infantry Training Centre. His next posting on October 25 sent him to No. 30 Canadian Infantry Training Centre in Sussex - New Brunswick. In the very late winter of 1941-42 on March 14, 1942 he transferred to the 25th Canadian Armoured Regiment of the Canadian Armoured Corps. On April 18 Trooper Elliott tested and qualified as a Driver of wheeled vehicles I.C. On June 10 he tested and qualified as a Driver I. C. III tank. He was a patient in Hospital in Debert - Nova Scotia from August 6-18 with influenza.
Overseas
On September 26 Trooper Elliot was Struck off Service of the Canadian Army in Canada and that same day he embarked from Canada for overseas. While at sea he Was Taken on Strength with the Canadian Army overseas. He disembarked in the United Kingdom on October 9. On January 12, 1943 he qualified as a Driver Mechanic Group "C". Between April 28- May 8 he was a patient at No. 3 Canadian Medical Centre. He was assigned to "H" Squadron of the 25th Canadian Tank Delivery Regiment on September 14. His next posting was on October 28 to No. 2 Canadian Armoured Corps Reinforcement Unit and a day later he was admitted to No. 8 Canadian General Hospital where he stays until November 8 and then is moved to No. 17 Canadian General Hospital. On December 16 he is admitted to Alton Convalescent Hospital and he says there until January 11, 1944. Again he has influenza. Then between March 21-April 25, 1944 he is a a patient in No. 8 Canadian General Hospital with an ulcer. Trooper Elliott is transferred to the Canadian Corps Reinforcement list and embarks from the United Kingdom on June 22 arriving in Normandy on June 23. Then on September 20 he is Taken on Service with the 27th Armoured Regiment - Sherbrooke Fusiliers as a Driver Mechanic. Prior to his being killed he was involved in the Battle of Caen, Crossing the Orne, Faubourg de Vaucelles, Bourguebus Ridge, Operation Totalize, Clair Tizon, The Liaison, Falaise, The Falaise Road, Antwerp-Tournout in Belgium, The Scheldt and the Lower Maas At this point in the war, the Sherman tank with the 75mm gun was the tank of choice. With this gun it was
no match for the German armour even though it could out manoeuvre the enemy tanks. Later in the war ¼
of the Shermans were equipped with the 17 - pound gun and this was more than a match against the enemy
tanks.
This particular engagement on February 21st was for control of the Moyland Wood. An area east of this
point was divided into belts 300 yards wide and then saturated from our artillery moving east to west. The Cameron Highlanders were advancing and two tanks of the Sherbrooke Fusiliers were in support. There
was now heavy fire from German guns and the casualties began to mount. Mines laid down by the Germans
later that day halted any further advances by our tanks. The Canadian infantry with the aid of flame throwing “wasps” and the Sherbrooke tanks were finally able to clear the Moyland Wood. In 5 days the loss here was 500 men. Trooper Elliott was the driver of the lead tank for the Sherbrooke Fusiliers, and this tank was struck by
German fire and Trooper Elliott died in his tank during this engagement. Three members of his crew were
wounded.
After the past 2 days of fighting, some Germans now believed that there could not and would not be any
victory for Germany, and that the front lines would now be the Rhine. On this day (February 21) the
Germans abandoned Moyland Wood and the Goch-Calcar road. Trooper Elliott was originally buried in a temporary Canadian cemetery located at Bedburg located near Calcar - Germany
In March of 1945 his mother Mary received the Memorial Cross. The medals awarded to Trooper Elliott were received by the family in October of 1949 and included the 1939-45 Star, the France-Germany Star, the Defence Medal, the War Medal and the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with clasp.
Robert is honoured and remembered in the Books of Remembrance in Ottawa at the Parliament Buildings, on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial, on the Memorial Plaques of the churches he may have attended and on the Sherbrooke Fusiliers Regimental Memorial.
