Raymond Donald Foster was born in Peterborough, Ontario, the son of John and Mabel Foster. He was a twin brother to Ralston and had three other brothers and two sisters. He had been working as a press operator at the General Electric plant in Peterborough with a weekly salary of $20. His ambition was to become a commando during the war, and machinist afterwards. He was happily married with one child.
Raymond enlisted on 15 August 1940 in Peterborough and was taken on strength of the 3rd Field Park Company that was forming in Peterborough. In March 1941, the company re-located to Camp Debert, Nova Scotia and joined the other engineer companies of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division. Raymond had qualified as Pioneer Group ‘C’ when he was transferred to the 16th Field Company in June and sent to the United Kingdom.
Landing in Greenock, Scotland on 22 June 1941, they moved south to England to join other units of the 3rd Canadian Division in the Aldershot area. They immediately took part in a massive works program building new camps, roads and airfields, and defence works. Once released from their works tasks, they reverted back to the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division. Robert’s training now focussed on combined operations, bridging, demolitions, small arms, route and mine clearance, water supply and other field engineering tasks.
On 6 June 1944, the first beach clearance parties from Number 3 Platoon landed at Bernieres-sur-Mer and St-Aubin-sur-Mer with the Queen’s Own Rifles and North Shore Regiment. They touched down at H-Hours and the infantry landed five minutes later. In those first five minutes, the Sappers were expected to have cleared most obstacles to allow infantry to advance with a minimum of casualties and then to continue working their way forward with the incoming tide preparing ways forward for successive waves of landing craft carrying more engineers, infantrymen, guns and tanks. Once off the beaches by mid-morning, they led the infantry inland clearing booby traps and mines along the roadways. As a dispatch rider, Raymond was awarded a Military Medal for bravery on D-Day.
The Battle of Normandy continued until late August when Canadian and US forces closed the Falaise Gap. The 16th Field Company had supported the 3rd Division throughout these battles and continued with them over the Seine in early September. Over the next month, they worked to capture and re-open the Channel ports. By the first week in October, they were near Bruges with orders to prepare for the 7th Brigade’s assault over the Leopold Canal in the coming week.
Early on the morning of 6 October 1944, the 3rd Infantry Division launched Operation SWITCHBACK, the assault over the Leopold Canal, as the first step in clearing the Breskens Pocket. The 16th Field Company had a kapok footbridge across the Canal at 0540 hours for the Canadian Scottish Regiment on the right. On the left, efforts to put in a bridge to support the assault of the Regina Rifles enemy fire held up completion until nightfall. In one of the attempts to get the second bridge across, the sappers launched seven bays before intense mortar, machine gun and sniper fire drove them back behind the dike. For the next few days, the company struggled to keep the crossing open despite enemy shelling. However, on 8 October when the company was attempting to move Wasps flame throwers across the canal, the shelling was so intense, their efforts were called off until the following days. In the shelling, Raymond was badly wounded in the abdomen and thigh. His left foot was severed. He was taken to Number 6 Field Dressing Station and died of wounds ten days later. He is buried in the Adegem Canadian War Cemetery. He was 25 years old.
Raymond‘s young widow was presented with the Memorial Cross in Ottawa in recognition for his sacrifice for Canada.
Two of his brothers served overseas during the war. His twin brother Ralston was also in the 16th Field Company.
Return to Part 5: Tributes to the Fallen Sappers of the Scheldt