The battle at Leonforte occurred on 21 and 22 July near the very centre of Sicily just west of Mount Etna. On the morning of 21 July, the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada (SH of C), leading the 2nd Brigade, reached the outskirts of the town along Route 121 only to find the bridge crossing a steep ravine had been blown and the approaches swept with registered machine gun and mortar fire. As they were preparing an attack into the town, their Battalion HQ was shelled causing 30 or more casualties.
Brigadier Chris Vokes, himself a sapper officer, postponed the attack and ordered the Loyal Edmonton Regiment (LER) to take over while the engineers built a bridge across the ravine to allow the later passage of supporting arms. The attack started at 2100 hours and initially went well. The assault companies clambered down into the steep ravine, scaled the far side and entered the town with little difficulty. The LER got three of their rifle companies into the town, with a Seaforth company taking up a cut off position on the exit route at the northeast corner of the town. Brutal house-to-house fighting ensued.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Neil Dickson's 1 Platoon, with Sergeant Robert McPhee as bridge commander, started the bridge build at 2130 hours undercover of darkness, but not undercover from continuing enemy machinegun and mortar fire. Bullets ricocheted from bridge members and mortars threw dirt and shrapnel at the men, but miraculously, there were no serious sapper casualties. Two companies of the LER were forced back across the ravine, while the battalion HQ was trapped in the centre of the town with the third company. The Seaforth company was scattered and slowly made its way back, but with heavy casualties. Meanwhile, the sappers, continuing the build, declared the bridge open at 0200 hours on the 22nd of July, long before it could be used due to the crossing and the road on either side were still being swept by enemy fire. The bridging operation marked the first time ever that a Bailey Bridge had been erected under fire.
There were 21 awards for the action at Leonforte. Five awards went to Engineers.
Biographical Note:
Neil Wallace Dickson was born in 1907 in Manitou, Manitoba, the seventh child of William and Isabella Dickson. He was the youngest of four brothers* and two sisters. He had completed three years of study at the University of Manitoba and listed his profession as Surveyor and Mine when he enlisted in the Canadian Army on 15 September 1939. He finished the war at the rank of major and besides the Military Cross, was awarded the Legion of Merit (Degree of Officer) in recognition of distinguished services to the Allied cause. The citation reads:
Major Neil W. Dickson, Royal Canadian Engineers, rendered meritorious service as a research analyst and intelligence officer, Military Intelligence Service, War Department General Staff from 1 January to 2 September 1945. In this capacity he made substantial and valuable contributions to projects and publications on the subjects of engineer and chemical warfare equipment of the German and Japanese forces. Major Dickson's loyalty to the war effort and his unstinted service contributed notably toward a unified Allied intelligence effort, and to the successful conclusion of the war.
Major Dickson returned home and was soon discharged. He died 22 November 1972 in Saanich, British Columbia and his remains are at the Royal Oak Cemetery in Victoria.
* Neil's older brother, Thomas, served in the 8th Battalion, CEF and was killed in action at Vimy Ridge on 10 April 1917. He is remembered on the Vimy Memorial.
During the night 21/22 July 1943 this officer was in charge of a detachment of engineers ordered to carry out a bridging operation south of Leonforte, Sicily. On arrival the site was found to be under direct enemy fire. Lieutenant Dickson carried on with his duties with complete disregard for his own safety, setting by his personal bravery an example to his men of courage and devotion to duty of the highest order.