Sapper Frank Arnold Lowe was born in Boutilier Point, Nova Scotia, the on of James and Jessie Lowe, of Moser's River, Halifax Co., Nova Scotia. He enlisted in the 1st Field Company, Royal Canadian Engineers in Halifax on 18 November 1939.
Frank took part in the first Canadian deployment to France in June 1940 when the 1st Canadian Division, including its engineers, started to move from England to Brittany in France as part of the effort to re-establish a second British Expeditionary Force (2 BEF) in Europe following the Dunkirk Evacuation. They had hardly arrived when the Germans marched into Paris unopposed and quickly returned to England leaving all their equipment behind.
By March 1941, Frank was qualified as a Bricklayer Helper Group ‘C’ and drew trades pay as such. By August, he was a Bricklayer Group ‘B’ with a modest pay boost. He was posted to the 9th Field Squadron, 4th Canadian Armoured Division in July 1943. He spent three weeks in hospital in April 1944 and on 28 May, after discharge, he was assigned to the 11th Field Company.
The 11th Field Company arrived in France in July as part of 2nd Canadian Division Engineers. They participated fully in all operations during the Battle of Normandy and the advance across the Seine, through the Channel Ports and into Belgium, clearing routes and building bridges. In late September, they moved north of Antwerp in preparation for the Battle of the Scheldt. The battle officially began on 2 October 1944 when the 2nd Canadian Division crossed the Antwerp-Turnhout Canal to clear the Beveland approaches, but for the RCE, the Battle of the Scheldt started a few days day earlier.
On the night of 30 September, the 11th Field Company struggled under fire to build an 80-foot Class 40 bridge across the canal just west of a weakened bridge built the night before by the 7th Field Company near Lockenberg. The task was costly when a direct hit on the bank seat party killed two and wounded four more, three of whom would die of wounds that day. Continued mortaring slowed the work during the day, but the bridge was open to traffic before the evening.
Spr Frank Arnold Lowe received a serious head wound from the blast. He was taken to Number 9 Canadian Field Dressing Station and died later that day. He is buried in the Bergen-Op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery in Holland. In 1948, the Belgium Government awarded the Croix de Guerre 1940 avec Palme to Sapper Lowe in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the liberation of that country. The medal was presented by the Belgian Embassy to his mother. He had two brothers who also served overseas during the war and returned home.
Return to Part 5: Tributes to the Fallen Sappers of the Scheldt
