Walter Forsyth Currie was born in Port Williams, Kings County, Nova Scotia, the child of William F. Currie and Beatrice W. Currie. He was working as a field hand on a farm in Greenwich, NS when he registered under the National Resources Mobilization Act (NMRA), in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia on 6 April 1942. The National Resources Mobilization Act (1940) aimed to provide a better planning base for the increasing war effort for military service overseas and military production at home. To help prepare for military service, most of the population was required to register for military service. The Act further restricted men eligible for military service from obtaining civilian employment in positions considered not to be essential to the war effort, so that women, and men who had been discharged from service or who were ineligible for service, could be hired instead.
As a farm worker, Walter was not required to enlist but was still required to register. Once registered, he volunteered to start basic training at Number 60 Canadian Army Basic Training Centre in Yarmouth. Once completed and despite his exemption, he volunteered for service in the Canadian Active Service Force and was sent for advanced training at A5 Canadian Engineer Training Centre in Petawawa, Ontario. On completion, he left Halifax for the United Kingdom on 14 June 1942.
Walter arrived in Glasgow on 25 June and after a short period of leave, he was sent to the Canadian Engineer Reinforcement Centre (CERU) located at Guillemont Barracks in Hampshire in southern England. The CERU was organized into holding companies whose main task was completing the individual training started in Canada before new arrivals were sent out to units. As well, the CERU sent troops on temporary assignments to various construction projects the RCE undertook in the early days of the war. Throughout his training from basic, advanced and the CERU, Paul was judged to have been a good soldier with good potential. It was recommended he be trained as a Pioneer and a Driver.
Walter was posted to the 4th Field Company on 20 September 1942. When he arrived at the new unit, there had been an operational and training focus on the defence of Britain against a German invasion. That started to change in December when the focus of the 1st Division’s training started to take on a different flavour. It was now obvious that the Allies were preparing to take the fight to the enemy. In December, a small party from the unit visited the Combined Operations Training Centre near Inverary in Scotland to prepare for exercises that would start in January. He qualified as a driver in December while in Scotland. He also took a vehicle and equipment waterproofing course in January 1943.
The next six months included amphibious operations, mountain warfare and individual fighting skills. The unit developed a closer affiliation with the 3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade (3 CIB) they would support in any upcoming engagements. No one knew where or when they were going, but they knew they would be among the first in Europe and would be landing by sea. The training was rigorous and covered combined operations, mountain warfare, bridging, mine and booby trap clearance, small arms, route repair and construction, field craft and small arms practice. There was even some rudimentary German language training.
The Company was back in Scotland in June and had just completed three weeks of mountain warfare when they took part in a large amphibious landing exercise on the west coast of Scotland. They were issued tropical clothing and started to waterproof their vehicles.
By this time, the whole division was on edge with tensions rising and rumours spreading about where and when they would see action. Would it be Greece? Crete? Sicily? No sooner was the exercise completed than they were issued tropical clothing and loaded onto ships for a week-long amphibious landing exercise and carried out an assault landing from landing craft.
The upcoming operation was dubbed Operation HUSKY, and although the troops were unaware of the details, they were re-embarked and confined on the same ships when the exercise ended. The total strength of Canadian units embarked for 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 actual landing force and the "Slow Assault Convoy" carrying the follow-up troops. The Slow Assault Convoy would sail first and meet the Fast Assault Convoy off Malta on D minus 1. The ‘Slow Assault Convoy’ left in two groups on 19 and 24 June 1943 respectively. Taking different sea routes for reasons of security and safety, they would meet near Algiers. The Slow Assault Convoy carried troops, equipment and supplies not needed for the initial assault. On 1 June 1943, Walter and 24 others left the company area before the major exercises took place and drove a convoy of 24 vehicles to Dumfries, Scotland. As part of the Slow Assault Convoy, they were loaded on the MV Devis along with detachments from other 3 CIB units and Division HQ including HQ Divisional Engineers. Its main cargo included mechanical transport, heavy weapons and stores for the follow-up wave. It carried 22 of the Division Headquarters' 26 motor transport vehicles, half of the division's 17-pounder antitank guns, some field artillery pieces, important signal equipment and engineer stores. Soldiers on board included detachments from the Carleton and York Regiment, the Royal 22e Regiment, the 1st Anti-Tank Regiment and the 4th Field Company.
Once at sea, the troops occupied their time with physical training, washing, eating, fatigues, games and lectures emphasizing first aid, sanitation and the treatment of prisoners of war and civilians. On 1 July 1943, as they neared the Strait of Gibraltar, the men aboard the ships learned they were now part of Montgomery’s 8th Army and were headed to Sicily. With the announcement, a sealed bag containing detailed orders, maps, aerial photos, operations orders and intelligence pamphlets was opened on each ship along with a large-scale relief map and officers and men developed a solid vision of the topography upon which they would carry out their mission. This was in strict compliance with General Montgomery’s direction that every soldier would go ashore physically fit and knowing what was required of him.
For the fast assault convoy, the passage was easy, but not for the slow convoy. After passing through the Strait of Gibraltar, the slow convoy was attacked by submarines. On the night of 4 / 5 July, the MV St. Essylt and the MV City of Venice were torpedoed. The St. Essylt was abandoned in flames and the City of Venice sank while being towed to Algiers. Six Canadian soldiers were lost along with a significant amount of equipment and supplies. The next afternoon, MV Devis was also hit, just aft of amidships and just below the soldiers’ mess deck.
When the torpedos struck, Bill was reportedly on the mess deck on a medical parade receiving routine medication. He was likely killed instantly along with anyone else unfortunate enough to be there. With the ship on fire, the ammunition stores exploded and the gasoline supplies in the hold caught fire. The fire separated the front from the back of the ship and blocked the escape of anyone below decks. Amazingly, despite the fire, there was little panic and 257 men were able to abandon ship only when the order was given. The ship sank 20 minutes after being hit taking 52 Canadian soldiers and a considerable amount of equipment with it. Those not badly wounded in the attack were able to join their comrades in Sicily about a month later.
Sapper William Franklin Currie is memorialized at Cassino. He was 23 when he died.