On 27 October 1944 Sapper Schan was operating an armoured bulldozer in support of 34 Tank Brigade. The tanks were held up by an anti-tank ditch and demolished causeway 200 yards west of Warberg (13 Southeast Bergen-op-Zoom, 697273). The enemy were in position on the far side of the bridge and directed considerable Spandau fire on anyone approaching the ditch. Sapper Schan took his bulldozer forward and commenced filling the damaged causeway. Every time his machine tipped forward he was directly exposed to the enemy fire. Bullets whistled round inside his cabin. Disregarding this, he worked for two hours and made a causeway suitable for tanks. He was wounded in the leg, while outside his machine, deciding how best to tackle his job. He refused to go back, however, and completed his task, enabling the tanks to cross and clear the enemy. He then handed over to his mate and returned, hobbling to 34 Tank Brigade Headquarters, escorting a bunch of German prisoners of war. The success of the operation was ensured by the fearless courage and devotion to duty of Sapper Schan.

The Fighting Schans

Leo Schan was born on Remembrance Day in 1919 in Winifred, AB to Russian immigrants, one of 13 children born between 1905 and 1925 on the Prairies. The family bounced around the prairies before settling in Lethbridge, where Leo presaged his fighting spirit with a short but successful career in the ring, boxing as a featherweight under the moniker "Alberta's Toy Bulldog."

When the Second World War began, Leo, six of his brothers and a sister, James, Jack, John, Joe, Leo, Leonard, Nick and Dorothy, all enlisted in the Canadian Army. Brother James, also a Sapper serving in No 1 Mechanical Equipment Company, was killed in Holland. Four, including Leo, were wounded.  Leo received his Military Medal at Buckingham Palace.  

After the war, four of the brothers,  Jack, Joe, Nick and Leo, settled in Port Alberni and found work as longshoremen on the docks.  The brothers quickly integrated into their new community and made an impact.  A retired Merchant Seaman, on receiving his payout from the Canadian government, used his money to build a memorial on the waterfront.  Under the title "The Fighting Schans" words tell the story of the brothers starting with "They fought in streets, alleys and bars. fought for human rights and for union brothers' work rights."

Leo died in May 2003 Port Alberni (see Last Post entry).