North Nova Scotia Highlanders

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]
Surnames/tags: Military_and_War Nova_Scotia

See: Category:North Nova Scotia Highlanders for profiles.

Founded in 1936 as The North Nova Scotia Highlanders (M.G.) by the amalgamation of the Cumberland Highlanders, The Colchester and Hants Rifles, and 'C' Company, 6th Machine-Gun Battalion, it acquired its present title in 1941. The regiment landed on Juno beach on D-Day, assigned to 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade, 3rd Canadian Infantry Division. In 1954, as a result of the Kennedy Report on the Reserve Army, this regiment was amalgamated with The Cape Breton Highlanders and The Pictou Highlanders to form 1st Battalion The Nova Scotia Highlanders.

The North Nova Scotia Highlanders were allied to the South Staffordshire Regiment and were kitted with a blue glengarry with diced border, scarlet doublet, white sporran with five black points, scarlet & green hose, green garter flashes with full dress only for pipers and drummers.

The regiment perpetuated the 25th, 106th & 193rd Battalions C.E.F and held its final Order of Precedence as 34.

Their worst day was 25 March 1945 when 39 men were killed at Bienen on the River Rhine. C. P. Stacey, Canadian historian, wrote:

This was the Novas first battle on the east bank of the Rhine, and as if to show the significance of this action, the war diary of this veteran unit contains the heading 'The day of the battle 25 March '45'; as though everything else which had befallen since 6 June '44 was as nothing compared to this costly day.” See: Bill Slavin, "The Day of the Battle"

In June 1944, soldiers under the command of Major Kurt Meyer of the Waffen SS murdered captured 5 soldiers from the regiment and several other Canadian soldiers (The Ardenne Abbey massacre). After the war he was tried and convicted in Canada. Sentenced to death on 28 December 1945, his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment on 14 January 1946. After serving nearly nine years in prison (ironically at Dorchester, not far from Nova Scotia), Meyer was released on 7 September 1954.

See:

• Canadian Forces - The North Nova Scotia Highlanders
• Wikipedia - The North Nova Scotia Highlanders]
• Wikipedia - The North Nova Scotia Highlanders (North)