Donald Angus McLellan was born on 3 October 1923 to Malcolm and Catherine McLellan in Pipers Glen, Inverness County, NS. His father was a farmer and his mother died while he was in the Army. Donald had four brothers: James, John, Archie, and Charlie and three sisters: Mary, Margaret, and Christine. Donald had left school at age 14 after Grade 6. He had worked at farming with his father for some five years and had been working as a laborer in the lumbering industry for 2½ years when he enlisted. Donald was 19, single and living at Pipers Glen when he enlisted at No 6 District Depot in New Glasgow, NS on 8 July 1943.
Donald was soon sent to A5 Canadian Engineer Training Center in Camp Petawawa, ON on 18 August 1943. After successfully completing his basic sapper training, Donald was sent to No 1 Training Brigade in Debert, NS on 17 February 1944 for final training before being sent overseas.
Donald embarked for the United Kingdom at Halifax on 10 April 1944 and was taken on strength No 1 Canadian Engineer Reinforcement Unit on 24 April 44 upon arrival in the UK. He was later taken on strength of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Engineers in May 1944 but then returned to 1 CERU.
Donald embarked for the Continent on 11 February 1945 and joined the 11th Field Company while it was engaged in the Battle of the Rhineland between 8 February and 11 March 1945. By 25 February, the company had arrived in Germany as the Allied forces continued to push back the enemy.
On 16 March, the 11th Field Company began to check a stretch of ground near Cleve, Germany for mines in order to make the area safe for 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. At 1300 hrs the next day, Sapper McLellan was part of Lieutenant O. H. Taylor’s party of nine that set out to destroy the mines in the two 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.
Donald Angus McLellan was Killed in Action at age 21 on 18 March 1945. He was given a temporary burial the Canadian Military Cemetery at Bedberg Germany. He was moved to his permanent grave in the Nijmegen Canadian Military Cemetery that is now named the Groesbeek Canadian Military Cemetery.
