Spr Charles Edward Collins, 1st Fd Coy

Agira Canadian War Cemetery
Background 

Charles Edward Collins was born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island in 1916, the son of John and Anne. He was the second youngest of five brothers and three sisters.

Charlie enlisted in the 1st Field Company, Royal Canadian Engineers in Halifax on 22 November 1939.  Soldiers were given regimental numbers taken from a block allocated to each recruiting unit. The first number in the 1st Field Company’s block was F91400, with the ‘F’ relating to Military District Number 6, which at that time was Nova Scotia. Charlie’s number was F91568, making him one of the original members of the company. He had been working as a ship corker (calker or caulker) in his father’s business when he enlisted. This is a highly skilled trade in which seams between the planks of wooden ships are made watertight by stuffing them with flexible material, usually cotton and tar-infused hemp. He was assigned the classification of Pioneer ‘C’ based on his civilian trade and experience which would later be formalized with training.

Even though the 1st Field Company had been a Permanent Force unit when they mobilized on 1 September 1939, most of their experienced men were assigned to other units to provide very lean instructional cadres to units who were mobilizing from very small groups of Non-Permanent Militia units. Consequently, there were no noticeable differences between the readiness of the 1st Field Company and any other field company being stood up in the early years of the war. The first few months were very much shakedown months as the unit organized, trained and equipped itself as far as limited accommodation and stores would permit. Even though Charlie arrived at the unit in its third month, clothing was in especially short supply, training was rudimentary at best, focussing on foot drill, knots and lashings, physical training and some work on the rifle range. As well, accommodation was scarce and local soldiers often lived at home.

Charlie and the company set sail from Halifax and arrived in Scotland on 7 February 1940, disembarking in Glasgow the following day. After an overnight rail trip, they settled in Talavera Barracks in Aldershot where the 1st Canadian Divisional Engineers would eventually be accommodated. Eventually, the 1st, 3rd and 4th Field Companies, the 2nd Field Park Company and the Divisional Engineer HQ would all land in Sicily as part of Operation HUSKY.

The company faced two major challenges in England. First, it was essentially comprised of undertrained recruits; and second, it was under-equipped. Nonetheless, the Army got on with its job and the company quickly was well on its way to becoming an effective fighting unit. In fact, in March 1940, using borrowed equipment and relying heavily on British instructors, the unit met all the standards in bridging. In April and May, they started to master the field engineer skills they would be needing – demolitions, demolitions, field defences, anti-gas defences, map reading, field machines (derricks and holdfasts), and anti-aircraft drills. Weapons training included the Lee-Enfield rifle, the Lewis gun, the Boys antitank rifle, and anti-aircraft drills.

In the first two years of his service, it appears he was a bit of a non-conformist. There are several entries on his conduct sheet for absence without leave and disorderly conduct – namely entering a pub during duty hours.  Despite these lapses, he was considered a good soldier. By July 1941, he had completed the necessary and met the qualification standard for Pioneer ‘C’.

May 1941 was an interesting, but mysterious month. It began with 10 days of field defence training with other units of the 1st Canadian Infantry Brigade (the Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR), the 48th Highlanders, and the Hastings & Prince Edward Regiment). However, on 15 May, all troops were confined to barracks, buses were standing by and all company transport was loaded with equipment. In the next week, a large exercise took place and on 23 May, all troops had returned to Talavera Barracks but all the company’s transport drove to Southampton to be loaded on ships. The following morning at 0515, the company entrained and left for places unknown.  It was thought that Boulogne was the destination, but the next day, the ships were unloaded and troops returned to their barracks. They stood by until 30 May when the company’s sections (they were later re-named platoons), were allocated out to their affiliated infantry units - 1 Section to the RCR, 2 Section to the 48th Highlanders and 3 Section to the Hastings & Prince Edward Regiment. These connections lasted throughout the war. Enjoying the much-welcomed warmer weather, a fine week of training was spent in the field.

In June 1940, the 1st Canadian Division moved from England to Brittany in France as part of the effort to re-establish a second British Expeditionary Force (2 BEF) in Europe following the Dunkirk Evacuation in May.  The main body of the 1st Field Company, including Sapper Collins, landed in Brest on 14 June with most of their vehicles having arrived a few days earlier with the advance party on 8 June.  The company quickly moved out of Brittany inland to assemble in the area of Laval-La Mans.  Elements of the 2nd Field Park Company landed without their equipment and stayed in Brest with Divisional Engineer HQ.

Things moved faster than the planners had anticipated. The French Army was near collapse and unable to support the new Allied force. Without support and with the capitulation of France only days away, the newly landed troops were withdrawn little more than a week after the initial units had landed. The 1st Field Company left most of their equipment, destroying as much as possible. Charlie, with most of the rest of the company, re-embarked on 17 June and landed back in England the following day. After shaking out from the Brest excursion, the company took up where it left off focusing on developing sapper skills at the individual and company level.

In the first two years of his service, it appears he was a bit of a non-conformist. There are several entries on his conduct sheet for absence without leave and disorderly conduct – namely entering a pub during duty hours.  Despite these misdemeanors, he was considered a good soldier. By July 1941, he had completed the necessary and met the qualification standard for Pioneer ‘C’.

Beginning in December 1942, the company started to focus on preparing for an assault landing somewhere in Europe, and much of the training was based at the Combined Arms Training Centre in Scotland. Over the next six months, the 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, troops 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. Charlie would have been among the soldiers given a 48-hour leave in groups of 50 at a time starting on 5 June 1943.

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 cancelled 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 sunbathing.

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 landing force and the "Slow Assault Convoy" carrying the follow-on troops. The Slow Assault Convoy sailed first 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 slow convoys would meet near Algiers and later meet the Fast Assault Convoy off Malta on D minus 1. The ‘Fast Assault Convoy’ sailed down the River Clyde on 28 June 1943 and started its long journey to the Mediterranean. Charlie travelled in the Fast Assault Convoy and 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 RCR captured the crew of an Italian battery and the 1st Field Company destroyed the guns according to plan and then went to work on some small minefields in the area. An excerpt from the war diary on the night of 10 July describes the scene, “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. Although the battle was fierce, the Sappers were fortunate to not take any casualties, and spent "a hectic evening slugging dirt into a huge road crater".

The rest of the advance was slow due to German cratered roads, blown bridges, 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, Charlie and his fellow sappers would likely have been following behind the leading troops improving the way ahead. On 19 July, General Simmons ordered that the 1st Brigade move on Assoro, while the 2nd Brigade moved on Leonforte. The tasks given to the two Canadian brigades were not easy. To reach their mountain objectives – Leonforte at 2000 feet and Assoro at 3000 feet, the brigades had to cross the Dittaino valley hundreds of feet below exposed to constant German fire and observation from the high ground between the towns.

The Dittaino river bed, far below, was dry. Both brigades crossed early on 20 July despite German efforts to slow their advance. The 1st Brigade crossed in the vicinity of Dittaino Station three miles south of Assoro. As they moved into a narrow valley, a supporting squadron of the Three Rivers Regiment ran into a minefield and nine tanks were put out of action. Continuous enemy artillery fire held the crews inside for five hours. German mortars shelled the advance from the hills on either side. Lieutenant Ken Heron, commanding the sappers at the front of the advance, did not hesitate to start clearing the field to stop any further casualties. He led his platoon under fire and spent two hours clearing lanes so the stranded tanks could move. It was said that this was one of the most courageous mine-clearing operations of the entire Italian Campaign. Lieutenant Heron was awarded a Military Cross. It was on this day that Charlie was killed in action and a number of his comrades were wounded. In the end, the Canadians prevailed, but the cost was high. Sapper Charles Edward Collins is buried in the Agira Canadian War Cemetery.

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