John Campbell Reid

Jack Reid was born in Toronto on July 29, 1923 to Scottish parents. His father Robert Hamilton Reid was born in 1893 in Glasgow and his mother Elizabeth Lambie Wilson was born the same year in Ayr. They married in June 1918 in Darvel, Ayrshire, while Robert was serving with The Gordon Highlanders and Elizabeth was working in a munitions factory. Soon after they moved to Toronto, initially living on Waverley Road, but by the late 1920s they were at 307 Kenilworth Avenue. Robert worked at Simpson's department store, first as a salesman and ultimately as a manager. Jack had a younger brother Robert Hamilton Reid Jr, known as Bob. They attended Bellefair United Church.

There is a caveat to Jack's story. It appears he may have lied about his age when joining up and consequently some of his childhood story can be questioned. The army was not as rigorous with background checks, unlike the RCAF, which required reference letters and a birth certificate. When Jack enlisted on July 18, 1940, he was most likely 15 years old, almost two weeks shy of his 16th birthday. He claimed that he had completed four years at Eastern Commerce, starting in September 1936. Perhaps he skipped a grade at Norway. He left Eastern in March 1940 to be a clerk and stenographer at Massey Harris on King Street for $10 a week. He also claimed that he had been in the militia for 5 weeks prior to enlisting. In the letter below, written by Jack in March 1942, he said he was 18, which, if he was born in 1923, would have been correct. After his death, his parents stated on documents that he was born in 1923 and for this account, his birth date will be considered as 1923.

Jack would have attended Norway starting in 1928. In March 1940 he would have left school in Grade 11. He may have had a summer job during high school, fruit farming in Winona, Ontario. He enjoyed boxing, swimming, track and field and played left wing on a hockey team.

If Jack Reid didn't skip a grade, he would have been in the Norway graduating class of 1937. Agnes Mutrie Kerr collection.

He joined the 2nd Canadian Motorcycle Regiment, part of the Governor General's Horse Guards. Basic training started in Toronto and a month later it continued at Camp Borden. Jack won a camp boxing championship.

In February 1941, the 2nd Canadian Motorcycle Regiment became the 3rd Armoured Regiment. In August, Jack was back in Toronto taking a Drivers Operational Course at Central Tech and a wireless course. In October 1941 Jack's regiment sailed to Britain and he began taking gunnery classes as he was to be a tank gunner.

By December Jack had been promoted to Lance Corporal. Unfortunately Jack had many discipline infractions, all of them for returning late from leave. One incident on February 16, 1942 demoted him to Trooper. His feelings about the army can be summed up in the letter below, which was censored and never delivered. The previous day (March 3) he put in for a transfer. The note in his file read: “This man will not be satisfied until he receives a transfer to a Highland Regiment. His aim is to eventually join the commandos along with other Canadian soldiers.” Jack's father had fought with the Gordon Highlanders in the First World War and Jack, due to his Scottish heritage, probably felt that he should fight in a Canadian Highland regiment.

Undelivered letter (censored) from Jack to Dixie Hershmiller of Huron Street, Toronto. From his army file, Library and Archives Canada.

By May 18, 1942 he was a private with The Cape Breton Highlanders. They had arrived in Britain a month before Jack and were in training. Finally in October 1943 the Highlanders were deployed to North Africa, in anticipation of the assault on Italy. Jack received a small promotion to Corporal. On November 10, 1943 the Highlanders landed in Italy.

The Italian campaign had started in early September. The Italians signed an armistice several days later and the Germans were essentially fighting without support from the Italian army. The Germans made every Allied advance difficult. They used the mountain terrain and fast moving rivers to their advantage. The terrain was so terrible that supplies had to be brought in by donkey. Roads were peppered with land mines. The Cape Breton Highlanders moved up the Adriatic coast. The Canadian and British armies drove the Germans from the Sangro River, then a few days later at the Moro River. Winter snows did not help their circumstances. The Germans repeatedly counter attacked and the town of Ortona was the focus. There was vicious street fighting and the town officially fell on December 28.

Due to the awful winter weather, fighting ground to a halt. In the spring, the Germans remained relentless, striving to hold their Italian positions at all costs. The Canadians were diverted from the east coast to aid in the fight for Rome. In May of 1944 there were four days of hard fighting at Cassino. On May 4, Jack was hit by grenade shrapnel in the right thigh. He spent several days in hospital and returned to his unit.

The Toronto Star, June 1944.

By May 31, the Canadians had achieved their objective of occupying Frosinone. The Canadians were withdrawn by the beginning of June for a well deserved rest. By the autumn, the Canadians were back on the east coast moving slowly north toward Rimini again with the Germans using the rivers to their advantage. In September rains came and the soldiers were found in the waterlogged Romagna region. After ten weeks of fighting the Canadians were given another break to rest and train for the battles ahead.

Map of Italy with campaigns of The Cape Breton Highlanders while Jack was with them.

They returned to battle on December 1, trying to break through the Po River valley into the Lombardy plain in Northern Italy. It was a bloody battle with heavy casualties. On December 17, Jack was made a sergeant. It wasn't for long. He was killed on January 3, 1945.

One hundred thousand Canadians took part in the Italian campaign, more than in any other theatre of battle in World War II. About 6,000 Canadians died and over 25,000 were wounded.

Jack was buried in the Villanova Canadian War Cemetery in Northern Italy.

Jack's grave, Villanova Canadian War Cemetery. From The Canadian Virtual War Memorial.

Jack's parents lived at 307 Kenilworth Avenue until the 1970s.