The Ontario Regiment has lost two of its legends in 2020 – Second World War veterans John Richardson and Ralph Kearney. John passed away on February 7 and Ralph on July 3. John was the last known officer from the war and Ralph was the last known member of any rank. Both men remained closely connected to the Regiment in the post-war years, regularly attending social events.
John Richardson
A few days after Canada declared war on Germany in September 1939, Weston resident John Richardson decided to join the Toronto Scottish Regiment. Upon arriving at the Toronto recruiting centre he found that the Scots and all the Toronto regiments were full. He and several others were told that the Ontario Regiment would be there the next day to sign up recruits. John returned the next day, joined the Ontarios and was on a train to Oshawa that evening.
John and the other members of the Ontario Regiment lived in the former Williams Piano Works factory that had been rented and reconfigured as a barracks. The training program was elementary at first due to the lack of equipment. Training aids and equipment trickled in throughout the autumn and winter. John was one of many Ontarios who attended courses at the Canadian Armoured Fighting Vehicles Centre (CAFVC) at Camp Borden over the winter of 1939-40. It was a wireless course that took John to Borden, the first of many wireless experiences he was to have in his military career. During the fall of 1939 John met and began dating Eleanor Warne, who would go on to play a big role in John’s life.
In the spring of 1940 the Ontarios received orders that they were being sent to Camp Borden for the next phase of their training. The Ontarios arrived at Camp Borden on 28 May, settled into camp life among three other tank regiments and began training on the CAFVC’s pool of sixteen Vickers Mark VIB light tanks.
The tank training was interrupted in the summer of 1940 when the Ontario Regiment was ordered to send two detachments to northern Ontario to guard German prisoners of war at new camps at Espanola and Monteith. John was assigned to the Espanola detachment where the duty was quite dull. The only excitement came during an unsuccessful escape attempt which John nearly slept through.
Fortunately, the guard duties were short-lived as the Ontarios were relieved by the Veterans’ Home Guard beginning in late July. By mid-August the Ontarios were back at Camp Borden, ready to resume their armoured training. In the autumn of 1940 over two hundred First World War vintage FT-17 tanks arrived at Borden. John and the Ontarios trained on these relics until the late spring of 1941 when it was time for the Ontarios and the 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade to move to the U.K. for more advanced training. The Regiment disembarked at Greenock, Scotland on 1 July and on the following day they arrived at Lavington camp on the edge of Salisbury Plain.
Within days of arriving at Lavington the Ontarios began receiving Churchill Mark II tanks, fresh off the Vauxhall Motors assembly line and armed with a two-pounder main gun. The Ontarios not only trained on the Churchill, they also provided feedback to Vauxhall Motors for improvements.
In 1942 John’s army career took off. He was promoted to Corporal early in the year and then Sergeant a few months later. In November John left the Ontarios for six weeks of officer candidate training at Number 2 Canadian Armoured Corps Reinforcement Unit (CACRU). Having successfully completing that course, he was accepted for an officer’s training course at Royal Military College Sandhurst. John graduated from Sandhurst on 29 August 1943 and was commissioned as a Lieutenant. He was next posted back to 2 CACRU in Aldershot, England where he served as Officer Commanding, Wireless Training Wing but his desire was to get back to the Ontario Regiment.
It took John several months and “a hell of a job to get out of there” but on 19 April 1944 he rejoined the Ontario Regiment as a special increment. The Regiment was located near the village of Presenzano, south of Cassino, where he setup a temporary wireless training wing during a lull in combat.
With the arrival of the drier weather, it was time for the Allies to make the push to capture Rome. On 16 May 1944 John was officially taken on strength of the Regiment and assigned as a troop leader in “A” Squadron. His troop consisted of three M4A4 Sherman tanks armed with a 75-mm main gun. Before the Allies could reach Rome they had to break through the Gustav Line and Hitler Line in the Liri Valley.
The Allies broke the Gustav Line in mid-May and set their sights on the Hitler Line. The 5th Battalion, the Buffs were assigned to exploit a reported breakthrough at Aquino with support from by “B” Squadron of the Ontario Regiment. “A” Squadron, including John’s troop, were to support from the north end of the Aquino airport.
“A” Squadron rolled off on 19 May at 05:15 in a heavy fog that John recalled was so thick that he “couldn’t see the tank ahead of me and I was practically touching it.” John’s troop reached the Aquino airport and began moving across the airfield to take up their support positions. The fog began lifting and “all hell broke loose” as the Ontarios came under fire from several panzerturm, a Panther tank turret mounted on a concrete pillbox and positioned with interlocking fields of fire.
John’s troop made it across the airfield unscathed and he positioned his tanks in a depression where they stayed most of the day with one panzerturm continually firing at him, but unable to make a hit. Smoke was employed throughout the day to provide cover to the Ontarios. The smoke came from artillery support and even hand-thrown smoke grenades when necessary. As darkness was falling the Ontarios were able to withdraw their tanks under the cover of a final, large smoke bombardment.
Rome fell to the Allies on 4 June 1944. Like many Canadian veterans of the Italian campaign John felt slighted at being denied the honour of parading through Rome, recalling, “We went through Rome at three o’clock in the morning. We just whistled through there and said ‘Hello Rome’ and ‘Goodbye Rome’.”
The Ontarios continued to push north and entered Florence in mid-August, broke the Gothic Line in mid-September and continued driving north until mid-October when the war moved into one of its static phases. In early November 1944 the Ontarios were tasked with sending soldiers to relieve the crews of static American Sherman tanks and M18 tank destroyers near Monte Grande.
John’s troop was among the group assigned to this tasking. He was disgusted to find that the American tanks had dead batteries, water in the guns and water in the troop compartment. He recalled that, “the things were useless” and he decided to, “clear the guns and get some ammunition in case the Germans attacked.”
On 14 November, 1944 John received his only wound of the war. He was moving outside his immobile tank that night when he tripped over a pile of scrap metal causing a loud crashing sound in otherwise silence. Within seconds shells began landing in the area and John received wounds to an arm. He was given immediate medical attention and evacuated.
John returned to the Ontarios on 1 January 1945 after recovering from his wounds. He was carried as a supernumerary officer in Headquarters Squadron and then “A” Squadron for the next few months.
In mid-February the 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade and 1 Canadian Corps began the move from the Italian theatre to north-west Europe as part of Operation Goldflake. Not long after arriving in north-west Europe, Lieutenant Jack Sheriff (MC) suffered from illness and was evacuated. John took over command of Sheriff’s troop in “B” Squadron for the remainder of the war, including the final battles to liberate numerous Dutch towns and cities. During the waning days of the war John’s troop was attacked by Royal Air Force Typhoons who mistook the Ontarios for Germans. John’s troop was not hit but infantry nearby suffered numerous wounded. The end of the war came on 8 May, 1945 and the Ontarios settled into a period of waiting to return to Canada.
John was required as a witness in a court martial at Camp Borden in the summer of the 1945. By the time the rest of the Ontarios arrived home to Oshawa on 29 November, 1945, John was settling back into civilian life and was among the thousands of residents lining the streets to greet his comrades.
After returning to Canada John immediately contacted Eleanor and they picked up their relationship where it left off. They were married in 1946, settled in Oshawa and had three children. John rejoined the Ontario Regiment in 1947 and retired as a captain for the final time in 1953 due to the commitments of his civilian job. John began working for General Motors in 1949, rising to Canadian Sales Office Manager before retiring in 1980.
John Richardson passed away on 7 February, 2020 at the age of 100. His funeral was held at the Colonel R.S. McLaughlin Armoury in Oshawa, the headquarters of the Ontario Regiment (RCAC).
Note: A longer version of this article will appear in the Canadian Army Journal in late 2020.
Ralph Kearney
Ralph Kearney was a few months short of his 16th birthday when Canada declared war in September 1939. Despite trying a couple of times, he was unable to join the army due to his age. Ralph wanted to contribute to the war effort in some way, so in 1941 he joined the Merchant Navy. His first and only trip across the Atlantic was on an armed merchant ship. The crew was sent to Baltimore, Maryland where they boarded the ship. Next, they sailed to Houston, Texas to take on a load of oil. The ship sailed back up the Atlantic coast to Sydney, Nova Scotia where they met the convoy to make the Atlantic crossing. Ralph and the ship’s crew arrived in Scotland, unloaded the oil and returned to Canada.
Not long after the Atlantic voyage Ralph turned 18 and joined the army. Specifically, he joined the Canadian Armoured Corps but did not know which regiment he would ultimately be assigned to. He did his basic and armoured training in Canada. In late 1942 he arrived at a reinforcement depot in Aldershot, England. His wait at Aldershot was a short one. On 16 March, 1943 Trooper Ralph Kearney was taken on strength of the Ontario Regiment.
The Ontarios were headquartered at Worthing, England when Ralph arrived. The Regiment had just completed Exercise Spartan a few days earlier and the unit’s Churchill tanks were undergoing maintenance and cleaning. Ralph was not assigned to anything specific for the first few days. Exercise Spartan turned out to be the last time the Ontarios trained on the Churchill tank. In late March the Regiment received word that they were to receive new, Canadian-built Ram tanks armed with a 6-pounder main gun. Before long, Ralph was assigned as a co-driver on a Ram tank in Headquarters Squadron. Ralph indicated that when the Ram’s engine was being started the job of the co-driver was to “…go to the rear with a fire extinguisher. It was a radial engine and there was a possibility that it would burst into flame, so you just stood there with a fire extinguisher.”
The Ontario Regiment jumped into training on their Rams with field exercises and gunnery at the ranges at Minehead. The Ram tank was destined to have a short life with the Ontario Regiment as they were replaced in mid-May with M4A4 Sherman tanks. Again, the Ontarios found themselves getting familiarized with a new tank. There were lectures from British veterans of the African Campaign and more firing on the ranges. Ralph remained in HQ Squadron as a member of the Ack-Ack Troop, comprised of four Sherman tanks and tasked with anti-aircraft defense.
It was obvious at this time that something big was brewing. Ralph participated in the dirty, time-consuming and tiring task of waterproofing the Sherman tanks. Meanwhile, plans were being made for the loading of tanks on Landing Ships Tank (LST), and maps and orders were received for the upcoming operation.
The Regiment, along with whole 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade, sailed in a convoy for an unknown destination on 25 June 1943. The drivers and crew commanders sailed on the LSTs and the other crew members were on troopships. Sicily was quiet for Ralph’s troop and he noted that it appeared they were being broken up. One of Ralph’s friends, Trooper Richard Burry, was transferred out of the troop and later became the only member of the Regiment to be killed in combat during the Sicilian Campaign.
The Allies completed the Sicilian Campaign in August 1943 and landed on the Italian mainland on 3 September. The Ontarios advanced north up the Italian peninsula as part of the Allied campaign. Ralph’s troop was broken up in November and he was assigned as the driver of an ammunition truck. In mid-December 1943 the Canadians were advancing from the south toward the town of Ortona. Near Villa San Leonardo, Ralph’s squadron came under fire from German mortars. Ralph took cover in slit trench behind the tank of Ken Braithwaite, his future brother-in-law. One of the mortar rounds made a direct hit on Ralph’s truck and blew it up. Ralph was not wounded.
Major Charles McLean arrived at the Regiment in January 1945 as the new second-in-command under the recently arrived Lieutenant Colonel Robert Purves. Both McLean and Purves had come from the Three Rivers Regiment. Ralph was assigned as McLean’s driver, a role that Ralph maintained throughout the war and after. Around this time Regimental Headquarters gave up its tanks and Ralph drove Major McLean in a jeep. Ralph carried a Thompson sub machine gun with him, but never had to fire it once during the war. He even held on to it after the Thompson was officially replaced with the Sten. Ralph spoke highly of Major McLean, saying that he was “a heck of a nice guy” and noted that, “wherever we went, he made sure I got taken care of.”
In February 1945 the Canadians left Italy and headed for north-west Europe to finish out the war with their country-mates who had landed in France on D-Day. The move was codenamed Operation Goldflake. The vehicles were transported from the Italian port of Livorno by LST and landed at the French port of Marseille. The tracked vehicles were taken by flat-bed railcar from Marseille to Belgium. As the driver of a wheeled vehicle, Ralph drove his jeep from Marseille to Mouscron, Belgium where the Regiment reassembled.
On 6 May 1945 Major McLean was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and assumed command of the Ontario Regiment. Ralph continued to be his driver which gave him a unique experience not afforded to the other Ontarios. Major McLean was required to travel to Lubeck, Germany to meet with the 98th Field Regiment of the British Army which was doing occupation duty in the city. He was driven there by Ralph, which meant that Ralph was one of the only Ontarios to see Germany. His trip took him through the bombed out rubble of Bremen and Hamburg.
Following the German surrender in May 1945, the Ontarios entered a period of waiting to return to Canada. Two squadrons of Ontario Regiment tanks participated in the Victory Parade in The Hague, Netherlands on 21 May. LCol McLean was part of the parade which meant that Ralph was there as well. He recalled the joy of the Dutch receiving their freedom, saying, “The people were fighting for us”, everyone wanted to touch the Canadians.
In early October the Ontarios began the journey home with stops in Nijmegen, Belgium and England. On 22 November the Regiment sailed from the UK and landed at Halifax on the 27th. From there, they traveled by train and the Ontarios arrived in Oshawa on 29 November. The citizens of Oshawa came out in force to welcome their Regiment home. Ralph and his comrades marched up Simcoe Street to Memorial Park where the welcoming ceremony took place. Ralph’s family came to pick him up and following the ceremony they all simply went home. Ralph was given 30 days’ leave, after which he went through medicals and paperwork. He was discharged on 26 January, 1946.
Ralph settled down into civilian life again. He married Kathleen O’Neill in 1948 and they had two sons. Ralph joined the Toronto Police Department in 1947. He left the force after a few years and spent much of his working career as a stagehand in the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.
Ralph passed away on 3 July 2020 at the Sunnybrook hospital.
Rod Henderson
Rod Henderson is the Regimental Historian of the Ontario Regiment. He served as a Sergeant in the Regiment and is the author of “Fidelis Et Paratus: The History of The Ontario Regiment RCAC”.