Owen Howard Taylor has born on 21 November 1918 in Bridgetown, Annapolis County, NS to John and Myrtle Taylor. He was in the third position in family with two brothers and two sisters.
Owen had completed his Senior Matriculation at Bridgetown High School in 1938 and had been working as a carpenter in construction with J. A. Bent Company in 1937 and 1939. He had also worked at fruit packing in Bridgetown during 1938 to 1939 and on road survey with the Nova Scotia Department of Highways for four months in 1938.
Owen had only recently entered the Permanent Force with the Royal Canadian Engineers on 1 September 1939 and was living in Wellington Barracks when he enlisted in the Canadian Army Special Force on 22 September 1939. Owen had previously served with the West Nova Scotia Regiment for three years and had risen to the position of Company Sergeant Major. He was 21 years old and single at the time. During the enlistment process, Owen indicated that he wanted to remain in the Army after the war.
Owen was transferred to 1st Field Company in Halifax on 31 Oct 1939 and was subsequently transferred to No 5 Canadian Engineer Training Center in Camp Petawawa, ON on 26 January 1940 for his sapper training. During this training, he was promoted to Acting Corporal on 6 July 1940. He embarked for the United Kingdom from Halifax on 22 September 1940 and, upon arrival in England, was initially held in No 1 Canadian Infantry Holding Unit. He was subsequently transferred to No 1 Engineer Holding Unit on 27 November 1940 where he undertook individual courses while concurrently working on projects.
Owen was promoted to the rank of Acting Sergeant on 1 December 1941 and was confirmed in the rank of Sergeant on 2 May 1942. He was subsequently promoted to Staff Sergeant on 9 June 1942 before being selected for Officer Candidate Training and proceeding on this training on 24 January 43. After successfully completing his officer training, Owen was promoted to Lieutenant on 13 October 1943 and was subsequently posted to the 11th Field Company on 3 November 1943. He was soon engaged in the unit training as the company was preparing for the planned invasion of the Continent.
Owen embarked for France with his unit on 9 July 1944. After the heavy action in Caen, the Canadians were readying for the break-out. Mines were being lifted, debris cleared, protective minefields were being supervised, roads were repaired and water-points were set up. Forward reconnaissance went on steadily and Owen was engaged in such activity on 23 July when he encountered a German party near St. Andre. He got clear in his armoured car only to have it hit by an 88-millimetre shell. Owen was badly wounded in the legs yet both he and his driver escaped into the nearby grain fields. They both worked their way back to their unit on foot some two day later.
The 11th Field Company supported the Allied advance in France and then through Belgium, Holland, and eventually into Germany. Among its operations, the company participated in the Battle of Falaise, The Scheldt, The Rhineland, and The Rhine. By the end of February 1944, the unit had arrived in Germany as the Allied forces continued to push back the enemy.
Lt Taylor was Mentioned in Dispatches on 3 February 1945 for gallant and distinguished service in Northwest Europe.
On 16 March, the 11th Field Company began to check a stretch of ground near Cleve for mines in order to make it safe for occupancy by The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada. By the next evening, the mine-clearing parties had found a number of German Riegelmine 43 anti-tank mines that they safely lifted and stored in two dumps. The next day, at 1300 hrs, Lieutenant O. H. Taylor, Sergeant C. V. Richards and seven sappers set out to destroy the mine dumps. A half-hour later, something went terribly wrong. There was a terrific explosion and all were killed. No evidence was ever found to indicate why the tragedy had occurred.
Lieutenant Owen Howard Taylor was Killed in Action at age 37 on 18 March 1945. He was buried in the Canadian Temporary Cemetery at Bedberg, Germany but was later moved to his final resting place in the Nijmegen Canadian Military Cemetery - now named the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery.
