Theme Collections

 

Cape Breton Highlanders

 

Photos and Photo Postcards - WW2 - Canada - 1939-1941

 

Photos

This section contains six group photos of men from the Cape Breton Highlanders, taken at Debert, NS, shortly before the battalion went overseas.

Click or tap on the images below for high resolution, expandable images. Use your back button to return to this page.

 


Officers

Cape Breton Highlanders

Debert, NS

Autumn, 1941

Front (Front) Row, Left to Right:
1.  Major W.A.D. Gunn, Sydney, NS
2.  Major William MacKinnon, Sydney, NS
3.  Capt. Alex C. Ross, Sydney, NS (Adjutant)
4.  Lt-Col. Edgar Harold Small, Halifax, NS (Commanding Officer) (Commanded the battalion from November 1940 to April 1942.)
5.  Major G.M. MacNeil, Grand Narrows, NS (Second in Command)
6.  Major J.I. MacLean, Grand Narrows, NS
7.  Major Carl Dauphinee Arnold, Sydney, NS (Commanded the battalion through most of the 1950’s including the transition to the 2nd Battalion The Nova Scotia Highlanders.)
8.  Major J.A. MacInnis, Glace Bay, NS
9.  Hon. Capt. T.W. Morley, Sydney, NS
10.  Capt. Angus Norman MacDonald, Glace Bay, NS (Commanded the battalion from March 1949 to June 1953.)

Second Row, Left to Right:
1.  Mr. Robinson, Summerside, PEI (Auxiliary Officer)
2.  Capt. A.O. Gunn, Sydney, NS
3.  Capt. L.C. Wood, Woodstock, ON
4.  Capt. F. Martin, Chatham, NB
5.  Capt. R.D. Buckley, Sydney, NS
6.  Capt. E.F. Keeling, England
7.  Lieut. A.K. Gale, North Sydney, NS
8.  Lieut. J.A. Crane, Sydney Mines, NS

Third Row, Left to Right:
1.  Lieut. Hank C. Ballem, Sydney, NS
2.  Lieut. E.W. Barry, Toronto, ON
3.  Lieut. W.A. Nelson, Hamilton, ON
4.  Lieut. F.L. Dunphy, Sydney, NS
5.  Lieut. M.R. Cummings, New Waterford, NS
6.  Lieut. J.G. Leefe, Sydney, NS
7.  Lieut. O.J. Price, Moncton, NB
8.  Lieut. J.H. MacKenzie, Christmas Island, NS

Fourth (Back) Row, Left to Right:
1.  Lieut. H.T. Frizzle, Sydney, NS
2.  Lieut. A.J. MacSween, New Waterford, NS
3.  Lieut. J.K. Sullivan, Sydney, NS
4.  Lieut. F.X. McNeil, Iona, NS
5.  Lieut. D.A. MacDonald, Marble Mountain, NS
6.  Lieut. A.C. Sim, Sydney, NS
7.  Lieut. Rod Kerr, Glace Bay, NS
8.  Lieut. J.F. Lockman, Sydney, Mines, NS
9.  Lieut. Graham MacLeod, Sydney, NS

Names, military ranks and place names in the photo were taken from a wartime captioned newspaper photo. Place names are believed to be home town addresses at time of enlistment and not neccessarily places of birth.

Photographer:  Unknown
Ref. Number:  11-2 (1-1-49.2)
Image Information:  Scan of original photo
Source:  Laurie Arnold, Sydney, NS, 2011
 


Senior NCO's

Cape Breton Highlanders

Debert, NS

Autumn, 1941

First Row, Left to Right:
1.  CSM N.J. Gillis, Jamesville, NS
2.  CSM J.D. MacLean, Washabuck, NS
3.  CSM G. McAulay, Sydney, NS
4.  CSM D. Smith, Sydney Mines, NS
5.  RSM Johnny E. Toms, Glace Bay, NS
6.  Bandmaster F.L.F. Christie, Glace Bay, NS
8.  CSM W. Livingston, Glace Bay, NS
9.  CQMS W.V. Murphy, Sydney, NS

Second Row, Left to Right:
1.  Sgt. J.J. Morrison, Sydney, NS
2.  Sgt. Michael B. MacDonald, Long Beach, NS
3.  Staff Sgt. D. McLennan, Nyanza, NS
4.  CQMS F.R.E. Roe, Sydney, NS
5.  CQMS J.S. Teat, North Sydney
6.  CQMS Daniel Fraser, New Waterford, NS
7.  CQMS J. MacLean, Washabuck, NS
8.  CQMS R. MacDonald, Glace Bay, NS
9.  Sgt. N. Travers, Sydney Mines, NS
10.  Sgt. J. MacKenzie, Sydney, NS       

Third Row, Left to Right:
1.  Sgt. J. Campbell, New Waterford, NS
2.  Sgt. R.P. Power, Sydney, NS
3.  Sgt. A.A. Rolls, Dartmouth, NS
4.  Sgt. David Leo Bellefontaine, Sydney, NS
5.  (?)
6.  Sgt. Pipe Maj. J.A. MacDonald, Soldiers Cove, NS
7.  Sgt. M.A. O’Grady, North Sydney  (?)
8.  Sgt. A. Fry, Glace Bay, NS
9.  Sgt. Phil F. MacCormack, McIntyre Lake, NS
10.  Sgt. H. Petrie, New Waterford, NS
11.  Sgt. Raymond Jessome, Florence, NS
12.  Sgt. R.S. Crocker, Glace Bay, NS
13.  Sgt. P. Petrie, New Waterford, NS

Fourth Row, Left to Right:
1.  Sgt. D.J. Gallant, Sydney, NS
2.  Sgt. G.T. Nash, Sydney, NS
3.  Sgt. J. Boutilier, Reserve Mines, NS
4   Sgt. J. Haley, Sydney Mines, NS
5.  Sgt. Tom Kuchurean, Sydney Mines, NS
6.  Sgt. F.C. MacLean, Sydney Mines, NS
7.  Sgt. J.F. Gear, Florence, NS
8.  Sgt. M. Van Volsen, Inverness, NS
9.  Sgt. Joseph W. Oldford, Glace Bay, NS
10.  Sgt. C.H. Robinson, Sydney, NS
11.  Sgt. J. MacIntyre, Glace Bay, NS
12.  Sgt. H. W. Wooley, Glace Bay, NS

Fifth Row, Left to Right:
1.  Sgt. D. MacLean, Baddeck, NS
2.  Sgt. V.T. MacDonald, New Waterford, NS
3.  Sgt. S.M. MacDoanld, New Waterford, NS
4.  Sgt. C. MacLean, Sydney Mines, NS
5.  Sgt. Louis Hiley, Sydney, NS
6.  Sgt. C.H. MacLean, Glace Bay, NS
7.  Sgt. J. MacIntyre, Glace Bay, NS
8.  Sgt. A.L. Pyke, Glace Bay, NS
9.  Sgt. Allenby V.S. Wadden, Glace Bay, NS
10.  Sgt. G.J. Heustis, Glace Bay, NS
11.  Sgt. M.A. MacNeil, Gillis Point, NS
12.  Sgt. W. MacInnis, Glace Bay, NS

Names, military ranks and place names in the photo were taken from a wartime captioned newspaper photo. Place names are believed to be home town addresses at time of enlistment and not neccessarily places of birth.

Photographer:  Unknown
Ref. Number:  11-6 (4.2)
Image Information:  Scan of original photo
Source:  Leona Bellefontaine, Sydney, NS
 


Pipe Band

Cape Breton Highlanders

Debert, NS

Autumn, 1941

Front Row, Drummers, Left to Right:
1.  Cpl. B.R. “Woody” Woodman, Glace Bay, NS
2.  William Palmer, Sydney, NS
3.  Melvin MacLean, Sydney, NS (bass drummer)
4.  Dan S. MacDonald, Sydney, NS
5.  Allister “Allie” Wood, Glace Bay, NS

Second Row, Pipers, Left to Right:
1.  Pipe Major John Alexander “Black Jack” McDonald, Soldiers Cove, NS
2.  John Joseph “Joe” MacMillan, Reserve Mines, NS
3.  William “Willie” Bernard Gillis, Inverness, NS
4.  Gordon “Red Gordon” MacQuarrie, River Denys, NS
5.  John Joseph “Piper” MacMillan, Reserve Mines, NS

Back Row, Pipers, Left to Right:
1.  Dan James MacKenzie, North Sydney, NS
2.  George Sutherland, Soldiers Cove, NS
3.  Archie Allan MacKay, Inverness, NS
4.  Gordon Hammand MacDonald, New Waterford, NS (Killed in Action in Italy on January 15, 1944)

Note that the drummers wear dark blue glengarries with diced banding, the same as issued to all men of the battalion, while the pipers wear dark blue glengarries with feathers and without diced banding.

Most names and place names above were taken from a wartime captioned newspaper photo. Place names are believed to be home addresses at time of enlistment and not neccessarily places of birth.

Photographer:  Unknown
Ref. Number:  13-48 (2-1.2)
Image Information:  Scan of original photo
Source:  Marjorie MacKay, St. Peters, NS, 2013
 


"C" Company Officers

Cape Breton Highlanders

Debert, NS

Autumn, 1941

Left to Right:
1.  Capt. A.O. Gunn, Sydney, NS
2.  Lieut. Art Gale, North Sydney, NS
3.  Lieut. J.K. Sullivan, Sydney, NS
4.  Lieut. J.A. Crane, Sydney Mines, NS
5.  Major Carl Arnold, Sydney, NS

Major Arnold went on to command the Cape Breton Highlanders through most of the 1950’s including the transition to the 2nd Battalion The Nova Scotia Highlanders in 1954.

Names, military ranks and place names in the photo were taken from a wartime captioned newspaper photo. Place names are believed to be home town addresses at time of enlistment and not neccessarily places of birth.

Photographer:  Unknown
Ref. Number:  11-2 (1-1-21.2)
Image Information:  Scan of original photo
Source:  Laurie Arnold, Sydney, NS, 2011
 


Soldiers From "C" Company

Cape Breton Highlanders

Debert, NS

Autumn, 1941

Front Row, Left to Right:
1.  Sgt. Tom Kuchurean, Sydney Mines, NS
2.  Pte. C.P. Davison, Little Bras d’Or, NS
3.  Pte. T. Miller, Sydney Mines, NS
4.  Cpl. S.G. Herald, Sydney Mines, NS
5.  Pte. Walter Walsh, Sydney Mines, NS
6.  Cpl. W.L. Snow, Sydney Mines, NS

Middle Row, Left to Right:
1.  Pte. Austin Francis Reid, North Sydney, NS
2.  Pte. Ralph Strickland, North Sydney, NS
3.  Pte. James Hare, North Sydney, NS (Killed in Action in Italy on February 12, 1944)
4.  Pte. M. Kelley, North Sydney, NS
5.  Pte. Norman Morris, North Sydney, NS

Back Row, Left to Right:
1.  Pte. Russell Jesso, North Sydney, NS
2.  Pte. Phillip McLean, Sydney Mines, NS
3.  Pte. W.M. Campbell, Sydney Mines, NS
4.  Pte. Jack R. Serroul, Little Bras d’Or, NS
5.  Pte. Harry Rogers, Sydney Mines, NS
6.  Pte. W.N. Dyet, Sydney Mines, NS
7.  Cpl. Malcolm MacAulay, Sydney Mines, NS

Names, military ranks and place names in the photo were taken from a wartime captioned newspaper photo. Place names are believed to be home town addresses at time of enlistment and not necessarily places of birth.

Photographer:  Unknown
Ref. Number:  15-4 (1.2)
Image Information:  Received as electronic file
Source:  J.R. Reid, 2015
 


Pioneer Platoon

Cape Breton Highlanders

Debert, NS

Autumn, 1941

Front Row, Left to Right:
1.  Cpl. Reginald (Reg) H. Roy, Sydney, NS
2.  L/Cpl. E.L. Meyer, New Waterford, NS
3.  Pte. F.A. LeBrun, New Waterford, NS
4.  Lieut. A.C. Sim, Sydney, NS
5.  Pte. James C. Robinson, North Sydney, NS (Died of Wounds in Italy on September 1, 1944)
6.  Pte. A. Wallace, Rogerville
7.  Pte. William (Billy) A. Day, Little Bras d’Or, NS

Back Row, Left to Right:
1.  Pte. P.E. Dooley, Passchendaele, Glace Bay, NS
2.  Pte. Patrick Michael Cahill, L’Ardoise, NS (Killed in Action in Italy on May 25, 1944)
3.  Pte. John Truesdale Fraser, Sydney, NS (Killed in Action in Holland on April 9, 1945)
4.  Pte. J.F. Vickers, Leitches Creek, NS
5.  Pte. Peter (Dan Archie) MacNeil, Big Beach, NS
6.  Pte. J. Chesal (?), Scotchtown, NS
7.  Pte. H. McLean (?), Beach Cove

Names, military ranks and place names in the photo were taken from a wartime captioned newspaper photo. Place names are believed to be home town addresses at time of enlistment and not necessarily places of birth.

Photographer:  Ronald Mosher, Truro, NS
Ref. Number:  0-3 (23-1.2)
Image Information:  Scan of original photo
Source:  Robert MacLellan Collection
 

© Cape Breton Military History | Nova Scotia Website Design by: immediac