On this day in 1944, during the opening blows of the Battle of the Scheldt, the 7th Infantry Brigade assaulted across the Leopold Canal in Belgium on kapok bridges assembled in the dark pre-dawn hours. The constant repair and maintenance of these bridges under enemy fire over the next three days was vital to the success of the operation and brought Military Medals to A/Cpl George Wilson and L/Cpl Carl Overby of the 18th Field Company, Royal Canadian Engineers.