David Horace “Chic” Roy was born in 1909 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, the son of Joseph Roderick and Georgina Ronger Roy. He grew up in a big family with seven brothers and two sisters.
At the time of his enlistment, he was married to Charlotte Roy and living in Vancouver with a son and two daughters. Before enlisting, David was a miner specializing in blasting and digging. He was also a skilled tractor and truck driver. David enlisted in the 6th Field Company, Royal Canadian Engineers on 26 June 1940 in North Vancouver, British Columbia during a recruiting drive. In July, the unit boarded a train in New Westminster and was soon sent to Camp Debert, Nova Scotia to join the Divisional Engineers of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division.
The troops found a bleak landscape consisting of blueberry swamps and rolling sandhills, no value as farmland or other use. Their initial task would be to begin the construction of an army camp that would eventually accommodate 15,000 troops. They pitched tents between blueberry patches. Over the next week, they added floors and developed rudimentary sanitary facilities. The Divisional Engineers completed a general survey and developed a plan for the layout for a completely self-contained camp, with everything from drill halls and a fully furnished 300-bed hospital building. On approval of the plan, the Engineers started to clear the site. They were assigned the construction of the Divisional Engineer huts before the Nova Scotia winter made tented accommodation impractical. All other buildings in the camp would be built by civilian labour under Engineer supervision. At one time during the construction period, there were 2,500 civilian tradesmen at work. On 19 October, Prime Minister McKenzie King dropped by for the official opening and inspection.
While the Engineers did not receive all the military training they needed, the camp-building project offered an excellent opportunity for sappers to develop other skills. David was granted the trade qualification Concreter Group ‘B’ with an associated pay raise. David went AWL from Debert on 5 November and returned to Vancouver, likely on a family matter. He later surrendered to the local police on 20 November and returned to Camp Debert. His record he forfeited 14 days’ pay and served seven days in detention. Physically, David was a small man. Older than most of his peers, he suffered from lumbago and myalgia and spent some time in the Debert and Halifax Military Hospitals in 1941.
By early June 1941, the troops of the 3rd Division were becoming suspicious that they may soon be leaving Debert for Europe. An early clue came when they were advised to assign a certain amount of their pay to a relative or a War Savings bond. David made an assignment of $30 per month to his wife. There were documents to sign including wills, gifts to buy for relatives in the United Kingdom, kits to pack, ‘CANADA’ patches to sew onto uniforms and final inoculations to be had. On 21 June 1941, the 6th Field Company embarked for the United Kingdom at Halifax aboard HMT Britannic, among the first troops in the division to leave Canada. Arriving in Scotland, the company travelled south to Ramillies Barracks in Aldershot. During the trip over, David was officially recognized as a qualified ‘Pioneer’ Group ‘C’, a qualification close to that of the combat engineer of today.
Once in Aldershot, troops were now faced with the challenges of starting real military training in preparation for the eventual invasion of Europe. But first, they had to get used to being in a new country. Cars drove on the other side of the road and crossing the street meant looking to the right instead of the left for oncoming traffic. Deciphering local accents was compounded with the English using different words for everyday things – ‘tram’ for street car, ‘cinema’ for picture show and to learn the difference between ‘pavement’ meaning sidewalk and ‘metalled surface’ meaning highway. British rations were different both in terms of preparation and serving sizes – troops often relied on local cafés for additional calories.
The troops were first accommodated in tents – memories of Debert returned. Ironically, their first project, that of erecting a Detention Camp for the incarceration of Canadian "bad boys" did not instill the rank and file of the Company with any great enthusiasm for their duties. This concrete block type of jailhouse was to be built on an apparently waste piece of ground near the village of Headley, not far from Aldershot.
He was somehow attached to the North Nova Scotia Highlanders almost from his arrival until June 1942 when he returned to his unit. In May of that year, he completed a Driver course for wheeled military vehicles qualifying as driver mechanic class “C” course in August. He then attended the Army School of Hygiene for a course on water supply in September.
In November 1942, he was posted to the 1st Field Company in the 1st Canadian Infantry Division. On arrival, he would have noted a change terms of an obvious urgency in training focus. Most of the training over the next couple of months was based at the Combined Arms Training Centre in Scotland. Sappers practiced assault landings, beach clearance, mountain warfare, enemy mines and a myriad of other subjects needed to support a rapid advance. In June, the 1st Division’s Engineer HQ and units were taking part in what would be their final amphibious exercises when they learned they would soon go into action. Field Companies worked closely with their affiliated brigades, with the 1st Field Company supporting the 1st Canadian Infantry Brigade. While the Division Engineer HQ worked out the loading tables for men, equipment, supplies, and reinforcements that would be needed to support an assault, soldiers began exchanging their woollen battledress for tropical clothing and trained to waterproof their vehicles. Every soldier was on edge with tensions rising and rumours spreading about where and when they would see action. Would it be Greece? Crete? Sicily? As training wrapped up, they changed into their tropical clothing and loaded on ships. Oscar would have been among the soldiers given a 48-hour leave in groups of 50 at a time starting on 5 June.
The final embarkation took place on 11 and 12 June when the two assault brigades of the 1st Canadian Division took part in an assault landing Exercise STYMIE II in Scotland as a final practice of what they would face in the upcoming assault. Once the landing was complete by LSTs (Landing Ship, Tank), the remainder of the exercise was canceled due to poor weather conditions and damaged landing craft. All personnel were re-embarked on the ships and the convoy remained near the Ayrshire coast waiting for decent weather to re-attempt the exercise. Troops made frequent trips back to shore by use of LSTs. Once ashore, they conducted physical training and route marches to maintain readiness. When weather permitted, troops were allowed to end their training days with a swim or sunbathe.
The total strength of Canadian units that would embark on Operation HUSKY was over 26,000 officers and men with tanks, guns, and enough supplies to sustain three weeks of fighting. The main invasion force would sail in two convoys with the combat units divided between the "Fast Assault Convoy" carrying the actual landing force and the "Slow Assault Convoy" carrying the follow-up troops. The Slow Assault Convoy would sail first and meet the Fast Assault Convoy off Malta on D minus 1. The ‘Slow Assault Convoy’ left in two groups on 19 and 24 June 1943 carrying troops, equipment and supplies not needed for the initial assault. Taking different sea routes for reasons and security and safety, the two convoys would meet near Algiers. On 28 June 1943, the ‘Fast Assault Convoy” sailed down the River Clyde and started its long journey to the Mediterranean. David likely travelled in the Fast Assault Convoy.
It should be mentioned at this time that David was not the picture of the ideal soldier. He had been charged more than once for being absent without leave and wrongfully taking a train trip without a ticket. He has served detention and forfeited pay. Nonetheless, it can be assumed he was somewhat highly regarded by his superiors. On the 29th of June 1943, David was appointed Lance Corporal, and later to Acting Corporal. Such appointments were only given to soldiers with leadership and organizational skills.
David’s unit landed in the assault wave along with the 3rd Field Company, as planned on 10 July at Pachino. Luckily, the beaches weren’t very well defended and were easily captured by Allied forces. The greatest challenge of the landing came from conducting earthworks to allow the mass of vehicles to exit the beaches. The Company cleared multiple small minefields in the surrounding area. An excerpt from the war diary on the night of July 10th, 1943, “The unit was treated to one of the most amazing demonstrations of Ack Ack fire as evening drew on and attempts were made to bomb vessels on the beach.” This went on for another day and the company took on tasks aimed at repairing the nearby airfield. By 12 July, all three Field Companies were advancing into the hills with their affiliated brigades. It was the 1st Canadian Infantry Brigade that first met with German troops at Grammichele on 15 July. Alone the battle was fierce, the Sappers were fortunate in not taking any casualties. They in fact spent "a hectic evening slugging dirt into a huge road crater".
The rest of the advance was slow due to German obstacles, mines and booby-traps. The 2nd Brigade took the lead on 15 July, and the 3rd Brigade took the lead from them on 17 July Meanwhile, David and his fellow sappers would likely have been following behind the leading troops improving the way ahead. The 1st Brigade moved on Assoro, while the 3rd Brigade moved on Leonforte. These objectives were taken and the next objectives, Agira, Regalbuto, and Catenanuova, were assigned. Resistance from reinforced German troops became increasingly stiffer as they found the noose tightening. On July 26th, 2 Bde took over the attack on AGIRA, which gave the men of the 1st Field Coy a chance to recover and improve roads leading to the front. Their next task involved route repairs and the construction of a Bailey bridge south of Regalbuto. in support of the advance East of Regalbuto, most often under fire and observation from the enemy.
The remainder of the month was relatively quiet for the company, the Division’s officers were hard at work planning Operation BAYTOWN, the Allied amphibious landing on the mainland of Italy scheduled for 3 September 1943. On 13 Aug 1943, David was appointed Acting Corporal. General Montgomery declared Sicily free of all Germans and confirmed the Allied victory as of 15 August. The next few weeks were spent tying up loose ends, practicing Bailey bridge construction, replacing kit and getting ready for the mainland. On 26 August, David was near a mine that had unexpectedly exploded. He was hit by a fragment, taken to 2 Canadian Light Field Ambulance where he died from a head wound he received. He was 36 years old.
David received the 1939-45 Star, the Italy Star, the Defence Medal, the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with Clasp, and the War Medal 1939-45. He was eventually reburied in the Canadian Military Cemetery in Agira, Sicily, Plot A, row B, grave 18. David’s estate was left to his wife, Mrs. Charlotte Roy, who resided in North Vancouver at the time.
* From research completed by Lt Connor Thomas, 2 CER and the CMEA of publicly available sources.