Jackson, Jesse Arthur Sergeant The Highlanders Royal Canadian Corps

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Jesse Arthur Jackson was born on 8 July 1917 in Sintaluta, Saskatchewan, the youngest of seven children in the family. His parents, Charles and Elizabeth Ellen Baines were both born in England and married in January 1902 in Shardlow, Derbyshire. They emigrated to three years later and belonged to the United Church of Canada. Jesse Arthur (called Arthur) had three older brothers, Charles Eric and James Walter; George William was murdered in October 1930 in Calgary. There were three older sisters: Vera A.E.Gillespie, Ellen May Landru and Rosa Eva Brooks.

Arthur left school at the age of sixteen, after completing grade 11 and went out to work. From 1934-38, he worked for the Family Moore as a butcher in Sintaluta. Then he bought his own truck and delivered goods for a year. After the war he wanted to work for Robin Hood Flour Mills in Calgary, .

Photo: Arthur with Harvey Moore (left) and Albert Moore(right). December 1939, Sintaluta.

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On 6 September 1939, Arthur joined the army at the district depot of , volunteering for active service.

He was 22 years old and single; he lived at 2835, 7th Avenue N.W. Calgary. At his medical, he was found to be a healthy young man, 10 feet and 10¾ inches tall and weighing 148 pounds; he had brown eyes and hair. In his free time, he collected stamps and was active in various sports: swimming, skating, ice hockey, softball and volleyball; he often went hunting. His basic training began in Calgary and in March 1940, his infantry training continued in Camp Shilo, , where he was promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal on 8 August.

Photo: Arthur in Camp Shilo - 1940

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After seven day’s leave, Arthur joined a group of 923 Calgary Highlanders in Halifax, Nova Scotia and boarded the ship, SS Pasteur. The Regiment was travelling to Europe for the first time. The ship had not been transformed into a troopship and the Highlanders enjoyed the luxury of sleeping in cabins and swimming in the pool.

Photo: SS Pasteur

On 4 September 1940, they arrived in Gourock, Scotland.

Photo: Convoy in Gourock harbour

The Regiment went by train to London and then to the Guillemont Barracks in Camp Aldershot, Hampshire.

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They had hardly arrived before the air raid alarm sounded; they were so impressed by the sight of German bombers flying overhead, that they forgot to take cover. Later that day, they were lectured on the importance of taking shelter when an alarm was sounded. For more than a year, there were periods of training in various English camps; the Highlanders became part of the defence force on the south coast near Brighton. On 5 March 1942, Arthur was promoted to Acting Corporal and on 6 June to Corporal. According to the War Diary for 10 August 1942, the Regiment’s 3rd Platoon, under the command of Lieutenant Jack Reynolds, was sent to training camp; but nothing was further from the truth. In reality, they were taking part in the Allied amphibious attack on the French port of Dieppe on 19 August. It turned into a tactical disaster. Of the more than 6000 troops taking part in the raid, over half were killed, wounded or made prisoners of war. The 3rd Platoon was on an LCT (Landing Craft Tank) with some of the Calgary Tanks and infantry from the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry; they were part of the second wave of attack, arriving at the beach at 6 am. The Germans shot with everything they had in hand and the troops in the LCT were overwhelmed by the noise, the smell and the chaos. German Stukas flew over their heads. Grenades hit the galley and engine room. The men manning the anti-aircraft guns got hit. The anxious crew was waiting for the signal to disembark. The soldiers of the RHLI were the first to leave the ship after lowering the front valve. But they died one by one. Tanks and a bulldozer were leaving the ship. The moment the Calgary Highlanders were ready, the LCT commander ordered the valve to close and retreat. The Highlanders were ordered to man the anti-aircraft guns and shell the German positions. A few more times they sailed back to the beach to pick up fallen and wounded soldiers. At 13.00 hours, all the crafts were ordered to return to England.

Photo: the Dieppe battle

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In the meantime, the rest of the Regiment realised where the 3rd Platoon had gone and went to Portsmouth to help unload the LCT and tend the wounded. Arthur was on leave from 11-18 August and it is not known if he took part in the raid on Dieppe. But the return of the 3rd Platoon in Portsmouth will have made a deep impression on everyone. More training and exercises followed, and there was cliff climbing practice on the west coast of Scotland. The troops were disappointed with their visit to the small village of Calgary nearby. In the winter of 1943, part of the Regiment was sent to North Africa, but Arthur remained in the UK. A month after D-day, on 5 July 1944, the Calgary Highlanders landed in to take part in the liberation of Western Europe. The first night was spent in the fields near Banville, 3 kilometres west of in Normandy. It was quiet at first, but a few days later, on the night of 10 July, they reached Abbaye d’Ardenne, which lies northwest of the city of .

Photo: Abbaye d’Ardenne 1944

Here, Arthur experienced war on the front line. The Regiment was under fire for twenty four hours a day. The 2nd Canadian , to which the Calgary Highlanders belonged, then took part in . The Highlanders moved in the direction of Vaucelles and crossed the Orne river. On 19 July, they went on towards La Haute and Fleury-sur-Orne.

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After the fall of Caen, the Germans retreated to the ridge by Verrières, from where they could observe Allied troop movements. Thirty minutes after the Highlanders had taken Hill 67, the Germans returned and a three day battle took place; 31 Canadians were killed.

Photo: Monument on Hill 67 - summer 2020

After this, there were some much- needed days of rest. Plans were underway for , where the intention was to take over the whole Verrières ridge.

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It was defended by elite Waffen-SS troops. The attack which lasted twelve hours, took place on the night of 24 July but was a catastrophe; the inexperienced Canadians were no match for the Germans, and communications also broke down; another 37 soldiers were killed. Rest days followed in Fleury-sur-Orne. British and Canadian troops had twice tried to win Tilly-la-Campagne without success. Now the Highlanders made an attempt, in thick mist; the fighting lasted twelve hours. Some soldiers were able to reach the village, but they too had to give up, with a loss of 36 men. On 8 August, the Highlanders took part in Operation Totalize. They were to capture the bridge over the Laize by Bretteville. Just after midnight, the Regiment left Ifs for Verrières, where they arrived at 1.30am. The whole night, they listened to planes flying over and the noise of heavy bombing. Before dawn, they left their trenches and marched towards Rocquancourt. At 11.00 they proceeded further to Caillouet, three kilometers from Bretteville; on the way, they saw the results of the bombing raids in the night: hundreds of wrecked army vehicles and the many Canadians and Germans who had been killed. The road was barely passable but there was little enemy resistance. At 17.00, the Calgary Highlanders together with Le Régiment de Maisonneuve had captured the Laize bridge. The German troops were up on the surrounding hills and it was not until the next morning that they were subdued and the Canadians, tired and hungry after 24 hours on the road, were able to enjoy a few days of rest. Eleven Highlanders were killed during this operation. Arthur was injured on 8 August, seriously enough to be sent back to England. He was treated in the Roman Way Convalescent Hospital, Colchester, Essex. After two month’s stay, Arthur was able to return to his regiment on 20 October 1944. At this time, they were resting near Ossendrecht, in the Netherlands, after the Hoogerheide battle. On 23 October, most of the Allied Forces in the area, moved towards Bergen op Zoom. The Calgary Highlanders, in Woensdrecht, were ordered to take terrain that lay between the Oosterschelde and the railway, running to the island of Walcheren, much of it underwater. On the map, the area took the shape of a coffin and the episode thereafter, was called the ‘coffin show’.

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It was cold and wet in the following days as they fought their way along the railway towards Kruiningen. They crossed the canal, which runs through South Beveland on 29 October and reached the Sloedam causeway; this linked it to the island of Walcheren. The battle for the Sloedam began on 31 October, and the Black Watch Regiment attacked first. They suffered heavy losses and withdrew; the next day, the Highlanders took over and attempted to cross but came only halfway. Fighting was at such close quarters that grenades could be caught and thrown back before they exploded. By 2 November, the Canadians could reach only the bridgehead on Walcheren. 107 Calgary Highlanders lost their lives here. Shortly after, the Regiment was transported 200 kilometers eastwards to the liberated area, situated close to the German border. They were first billeted in private houses on the road to Malden. For the next three months, their duties were first to guard the bridges over the Maas (Meuse) river down to Grave and second, to patrol the Dutch-German border along the front near Groesbeek, for periods of two weeks, with one week off. They were also trained in the use of the new flame thrower weapon. Arthur was promoted to Acting Sergeant on December 23. Towards Christmas, it began to snow; the Canadians had no white camouflage overalls to protect them while on duty, so they wore their underwear over their dark uniforms and draped towels on their helmets. On Christmas Eve, along the border by Groesbeek, the Germans could be heard singing carols, to which the Canadians responded with gunfire and grenades. The following day, they brought two bagpipers to play for the Germans. On Old Year’s Eve, exactly at midnight, the enemy sent up a barrage of gunfire, which according to eyewitnesses created so much light, that it was possible to read a newspaper. It stopped after five minutes and the Germans called: ‘ Happy New Year, Canada.’

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During these months, preparations were being made for the launching of ; this was a massive undertaking and was intended to clear enemy troops from the area between the Maas and rivers, in preparation for crossing the Rhine and continuing the liberation of the Netherlands. It began on 8 February 1945, The week before, Arthur and his comrades left Berg en Dal and stayed in the woods close to the border.

At 5am on 8 February, they attacked the village of Wyler: it was more difficult than had been thought and the battle lasted eight hours, with the loss of thirteen lives. They stayed two days in the ruins and then returned to Nijmegen and Berg en Dal.

Photo: Wyler

On 18 February, they left Nijmegen and travelled thirty kilometers southeast to the woods surrounding Moyland, near Kalkar in Germany. There had been heavy fighting there in the days before and the Highlanders took up two days of patrolling duties, encountering some skirmishes with the enemy

Photo: the rebuilt Moyland castle - December, 2020

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Their next task lay in the Hochwald forest, some ten kilometers away. This wooded ridge overlooking Xanten, was the scene of and some of the most vicious fighting of the war. Just after midnight on 27 February, the Regiment left, trekking through open landscape; the farms they passed seemed deserted. As daylight broke, they met some enemy resistance, but struggling through mud and snow, they achieved their goal late in the evening, which was the capture of the western part of the forest in the north. After twenty four hours on the road, they were able to enjoy a warm meal. Twelve Highlanders had been killed and 200 Germans were taken prisoner that day. On 2 March, Arthur was promoted to the rank of Sergeant. After days of patrolling, they crossed the Hochwald gap on the 4th of March, moved towards the Seelenhof farm and then, in the direction of Birten, three kilometers southeast of Xanten. On 9 March, they wanted to reach a certain point on the railway, two kilometers from Birten. They set off at 4am and met considerable enemy resistance; their route was also strewn with landmines. They could not reach Birten and diverted to a place where there were four bridges over the Winnenthaler canal. One bridge was still intact and the Highlanders went over it at 3.40 in the early morning of 10 March, in the direction of the Old Rhine. The plan was to continue to Wesel, where it was hoped there were bridges in place, but it was soon clear that they had all been blown up. A patrol was sent out to track any stray Germans left behind and give their position through, to the British 52nd (Lowland) Division; after that, they were told to return in the direction of Birten and go further west. At the age of twenty-seven, Jesse Arthur Jackson was killed on 10 March 1945, between Birten and Wesel; He was first buried in the Bedburg Hau military cemetery near Kleve in Germany. On 29 August 1945, he was reburied in the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery, in the Netherlands. Grave: V. H. 11.

Grave Inscription: ALL YOU HAD YOU GAVE TO SAVE MANKIND YOURSELF YOU SCORNED TO SAVE

Photo: Groesbeek – 18 February 2021

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Arthur received the following awards for the years he served in the :  1939-45 Star  France and Germany Star  Defence Medal  War Medal 1939-45  Canadian Volunteer War Medal and Clasp

Life story: Sigrid Norde – Research Team Faces To Graves.

Sources: Commonwealth War Graves Commission Library and Archives Canada David. J. Bercuson, of Heroes–The Calgary Highlanders in World War II, The Calgary Highlanders Regimental Foundation, 1994 https://www.myheritage.nl/research/collection-1/myheritage- stambomen?itemId=109261171-2- 18002&action=showRecord&recordTitle=Jesse+Arthur+Jackson https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war- memorial/detail/2663629?Jesse%20Arthur%20Jackson https://twitter.com/at192/status/391189188843819010 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Pasteur_(1938)#/media/File:SS_Pasteur_Hdou ay4.jpg https://www.blighty-at-war.net/dieppe-raid.html http://normandie44.canalblog.com/archives/2012/02/06/23451046.html https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2017/10/14/25th-july-operation-spring/ https://nl.pinterest.com/pin/493073859183934658/ https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/Canada/CA/Victory/Victory-18.html https://www.oorlogzeeland.nl/index.php/slag-om-de-schelde/scheldeslag- sloedam/bevrijding-sloedam

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