By the winter of 1943, the German armies in Italy were defending a line stretching from the Tyrrhenian Sea north of Naples, to the Adriatic Sea south of Ortona. The Allies prepared to break through this line to capture Rome. For its part, the 1st Canadian Infantry Division was to cross the Moro River and take Ortona. In January 1944 the Canadian Corps selected this site, intending that it would contain the graves of those who died during the Ortona battle and in the fighting in the weeks before and after it. Today, there are 1,615 graves in the cemetery, of which over 50 are unidentified and 1,375 are Canadian.
The Moro River Canadian War Cemetery lies in the locality of San Donato in the Commune of Ortona, Province of Chieti, and is sited on high ground near the sea just east of the main Adriatic coast road (SS16). The cemetery can be reached from Rome on the autostrada A25 (Rome-Pescara) by branching on the autostrada A14 and leaving it at Ortona. The approach road to the cemetery from the main road passes under an arch forming part of the little church of San Donato. The cemetery is permanently open and may be visited anytime.
Ralph was born in 1915 in Rumsey, AB. He married in 1936 and had two children before he joined the Royal Canadian Engineers on 28 July 1940 in Peace River. He was assigned to the 10th Canadian Field Squadron who were training in Lethbridge, AB at the time. By 1 September 1940, he and the squadron were on their way to Camp Petawawa in Ontario as part of the 5th Canadian Armoured Division. His initial trade was Driver Mechanic. He also trained as a Physical Fitness Instructor and took a machine gun course at Point Petrie, ON. He qualified as a Motorcyclist in September 1941. In December of that year, the squadron was sent to England where he continued training and qualified as a Pioneer Group 'C' and took a course at the traffic control school.
In November 1943, the 10th Field Squadron arrived in Naples. During a period of shaking out and equipping the squadron, Ralph along with others, was sent on temporary attachment to the 1st Field Squadron who were clearing the beaches in and around Naples of mines. On 23 December, a mine exploded and Ralph was killed by shrapnel. He was 24 years old.
