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The Militia Gunners Canadian Military History Volume 21 Issue 1 Article 8 2015 The Militia Gunners J.L. Granatstein Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh Part of the Military History Commons Recommended Citation J.L. Granatstein "The Militia Gunners." Canadian Military History 21, 1 (2015) This Feature is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Canadian Military History by an authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact [email protected]. : The Militia Gunners The Militia Gunners J.L. Granatstein y general repute, two of the best in 1926 in Edmonton as a boy soldier, Bsenior artillery officers in the Abstract: Two of the best senior got his commission in 193[2], and in Canadian Army in the Second World artillery officers in the Canadian the summer of 1938 was attached Army in the Second World War were War were William Ziegler (1911-1999) products of the militia: William to the Permanent Force [PF] as an and Stanley Todd (1898-1996), both Ziegler (1911-1999) and Stanley instructor and captain. There he products of the militia. Ziegler had Todd (1898-1996). Ziegler served mastered technical gunnery and a dozen years of militia experience as the senior artillery commander in became an expert, well-positioned before the war, was a captain, and was 1st Canadian Infantry Division in Italy to rise when the war started. He from February 1944 until the end of in his third year studying engineering the war. Todd was the senior gunner went overseas in early 1940 with at the University of Alberta when in 3rd Canadian Infantry Division the 8th Field Regiment and was sent his battery was mobilized in the and the architect of the Canadian back to Canada to be brigade major first days of the war. Todd had artillery fireplan on D-Day. He went on (Artillery) with the 3rd Canadian attended the Royal Military College to serve as the senior gunner in 2nd Division. He attended Camberley Canadian Corps under Lieutenant- in a war-shortened course, leaving General Guy Simonds. Both men Staff College where he was told he in 1916 for service with the Royal talked with J.L. Granatstein in 1991 should try to stand first of the ten Artillery. He served in Britain and and the transcript of those interviews Canadians there and not to worry the Middle East and was invalided offer their sometimes brutally frank about the 190 others. He placed out of the service after contracting appraisals of personalities and second, Dan Spry [later a division attitudes in the Second World War diphtheria. In business in Ottawa, he Canadian Army. commander] beating him out. He joined the NPAM artillery and was then became GSO1 Artillery at First a lieutenant-colonel in 1939. Todd Canadian Army, commanding officer became Commander, Royal Artillery and then wrote up a memoranda of 13th Field Regiment, a colonel at [CRA] in 3rd Canadian Division and of each conversation, both of which Canadian Military Headquarters, Commander, Corps Royal Artillery – with minor editing and some and in February 1944 a brigadier and [CCRA] in 2nd Canadian Corps. deletions – follow. Copies of these Commander, Royal Artillery [CRA] Ziegler was CRA in 1st Canadian and all the interview memoranda of 1st Canadian Division in Italy in Division. Both saw much action that I prepared are in my papers at which post he stayed to the end of the and had high – and deserved – the York University Archives while war. In 1946 he went to work for the reputations. another set is held by the Directorate Allied Control Commission and was I interviewed Todd at his home of History and Heritage at National governor of a province in northern in Ancaster, Ontario in May 1991; Defence Headquarters, Ottawa. Germany for five years. Ziegler in Edmonton in October of I asked about his impressions of the same year. The conversations the PF. He was not overly impressed covered personalities and attitudes Brigadier William S. Ziegler, by PF quality. There were princes and were sometimes brutally frank, interviewed at Edmonton, (Major-General H.O.N. Brownfield), which pleased me and suited my 23 October 1991 terrific soldiers (Major-General Chris purposes as I did the research for The Vokes), and others who had to be Generals: The Canadian Army’s Senior orn in 1911, Ziegler had wanted sacked. Still, when he was president Commanders in the Second World War Bto attend RMC but couldn’t get of a corporation he had to sack people (Toronto, 1993). As was my usual in. He joined the 61st Field Battery too. The army was a cross-section. practice, I made notes as we talked of the Non-Permanent Active Militia Bert Hoffmeister would have been Published© Canadian by Scholars Military Commons History @, Laurier,Volume 2015 21, Number 1, Winter 2012, pp.79-84. 79 1 Canadian Military History, Vol. 21 [2015], Iss. 1, Art. 8 Library and Archives Canada PA 190300 PA Canada Library andArchives Brigadier W.S. Ziegler, the acting commander of 1st Canadian Infantry Division, follows behind General Harry Crerar during an inspection. The officers on the left are Majors P. Potvin and Y. Dubé of the Royal 22e Régiment, Utrecht, Netherlands, 10 July 1945. a leader even if there had not been hammered together, their training like all the Canadians. And, yes, a war. Guy Simonds was a man of was comparable. He added that his he was, while good technically, such quality as to be unusual in any regiment had no guns initially (this weaker in higher command skills. army – even when he first met him was before Dunkirk) so he devised He wasn’t a presence and saw troops at a Royal School in 1931-2 you knew mock-ups out of timber and they infrequently. he wasn’t to be trifled with. So was practised on those. Basil Price who commanded 3rd Bernard Montgomery, though he was He had high regard for General Division was a grand old fellow, a little SOB. The PF’s problem was McNaughton and told a story of lovable, a person you’d like as a slow promotion: at the end of the training at Larkhill where they grandfather. It was hard for him to war he was offered a regular army were using a new artillery board for bawl out anyone. These were not commission as a brigadier but he plotting. He was leaning over a board compliments, said Ziegler. Price refused because he thought he could when he heard a voice from behind: was one of the “old dugouts” and it look forward to one promotion only, “What’s the trouble?” “I don’t know, wasn’t until the fighting began that so he got out…. but if I ever get hold of the SOB that they disappeared. Still, there was no When he went overseas, his designed this board….” It was, of option until 1942 or so, and the blame regiment was billeted with the 11th course, McNaughton, and it was his is not the “dugouts” but Canada’s from Toronto (with Bruce Matthews board. McNaughton just laughed. for stripping its military after 1919. [later a division commander]). There Still, Andy’s problem was that he He said the result would have been was initially no mixing between the couldn’t deal with the Brits. He was chaos if McNaughton, Price, and [2nd officers, and the westerners thought OK as a trainer, though perhaps he Division GOC Major-General Victor] the Toronto officers were snobs. had been weak in preparing senior Odlum had had to lead the army into But after a large party where all got officers. After all, he was green action, though the sprinkling of good https://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh/vol21/iss1/880 2 : The Militia Gunners staff officers under them might have He thought it was natural for have he would have left with Vokes. helped. If they’d been smart, they Vokes to favour the PF. But even so, Ziegler had known Foulkes since would have left the fighting to their under his veneer he was not a tough 1941 when, as a lieutenant-colonel GSO1s. They did their best but they guy. He was a real human being. he had been on ship with Ziegler. were no good. He wasn’t gunshy and he always Even then he was unapproachable. When he arrived at 1st Cdn Div went forward, taking Ziegler along Was he able? A corps commander as CRA, he thought the artillery was in his jeep. Often they had to hide in in Italy had to leave most things to stuck in the mud – literally. He knew ditches together under fire. He was division commanders, and at his first Bruce Matthews, his predecessor, a good planner, left Ziegler alone to major fight on the Lamone River the was a Simonds and Vokes favourite, do his work and his Commander, Corps had a setback. Foulkes was but it was inevitable that artillery Royal Engineers too (which, as Vokes angry and sacked Brigadier [J.A.] was suffering through a hard post- was RCE must have been hard). He Calder [commanding 1st Brigade in Ortona winter dug into gun pits and could decentralize command. While 1st Cdn Div], making him, Ziegler a bit slack on shaving, etc. He hauled he was no brilliant tactician, he was said, the scapegoat. That cemented COs over the coals, ordered the guns certainly adequate. Moreover, the feeling against Foulkes in the Corps cleaned and, he says, restored morale.
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