Lieut. George Parker Rodd

"D" Company

Cape Breton Highlanders

Killed in Action February 1, 1944

George Parker Rodd was born in Milton, Prince Edward Island, on April 7, 1915. He went by his middle name Parker. He was the son of Thomas Ambrose Rodd, from Milton, and Lizzie Ethel (Crockett) Rodd from nearby York. Parker had three brothers and two sisters.

Growing up, Parker attended local schools and received a high school education. He was described by his brother John as being physically fit and always ready for a challenge. He enjoyed hunting, shooting and playing hockey. From 1936 to 1939, Parker served in the Prince Edward Island Highlanders militia.

There was an abundance of military history in Parker’s family lineage. He was named after his uncle, Lieut. Parker Crockett, who was killed in the First World War, and his father Ambrose had been a lieutenant in the Boer War. Parker’s grandfather, George Crockett, had also been in the army and had held the rank of colonel.

When war was declared, Parker lived in Montague, PEI, and worked in a retail store. He was immediately called up, and on October 2, 1939, in Charlottetown, he signed on to the active forces, Prince Edward Island Highlanders. His rank was company quartermaster sergeant and his appointment was retroactive to September 2, 1939. At the time, his leg was in a cast and he was on crutches due to a fall.

During the remainder of 1939 and into 1940, Parker was posted with the battalion to various parts of Nova Scotia, including North Sydney, Halifax and Dartmouth. On June 18, 1940, he received his commission to 2^nd lieutenant and on October 29th he was promoted to lieutenant. From 1941 to 1942, Parker was posted to several locations across Canada for training and courses, including Valcartier, Quebec, and Botwood and Gander in Newfoundland. He attended battle drill school in Vernon, British Columbia.

On September 25, 1942, Parker embarked for the U.K. and landed there on October 7^th. He was attached to a divisional reinforcement unit, and for brief periods of time, was posted to several different units, one of which was the North Nova Scotia Highlanders. While in England, Parker received the sad news that his mother had passed away.

On October 23, 1943, while attached to a reinforcement unit, Parker sailed from the U.K. for Italy. During the voyage, his troop ship, the Santa Elena, was torpedoed and sunk by German planes in the Mediterranean Sea. He was plucked from the water by another ship but all of his clothes and personal belongings were lost. Parker disembarked in Italy on November 10^th. While waiting for a posting to a field unit, he acted as an air courier and was able to see much of Southern Italy from the air. Finally, on January 22, 1944, he was posted to an active field unit, the Cape Breton Highlanders, who had moved into static positions on the Orsogna sector of the Adriatic Front the previous day. In a letter addressed to his father and dated January 28, 1944, Parker described life at the front:

Dear Dad 
     Well at last I have had a little sample of Army life and can’t complain in the least about anything with the exception of mail service and the mud, which is the worst that I have ever experienced, as it is a very heavy thick clay and sticks to our feet like glue. Not only the bottoms of one’s feet but all up the sides as well... 
     Have been out on a couple of night patrols but was rather lucky as I managed to find my way back O.K. and didn’t have too much jerry fire. 
     The weather has been exceptionally good the last couple of weeks and the flies are buzzing around the sunny sides of this wall as I write while the whine of mortar shells keep us amused overhead but don’t have to worry very much as the targets are some distance away...

According the Battalion War Diary of the Cape Breton Highlanders, on the night of January 31-February 1, 1944, Parker and two enlisted men patrolled toward the enemy occupied town of Orsogna. Due to enemy positions on the approaches to the town, they were unable to get through, and returned to the battalion area at 4:00 am.

On the following night, February 1-2, Parker again led a patrol toward Orsogna. The Diary states:

Lieut. Rodd and two other ranks left on recce of Orsogna again. Rodd sent the two men back when about half way there and continued on by himself. About three hours later there was much machine gun fire and firing of flares from town. Lieut. Rodd is going to attempt to get in the town and lie up all day, coming back tonight.

Parker was never heard from again and was officially reported missing and presumed to have been killed on February 1^st. He was the first officer of the Cape Breton Highlanders to be killed in the Second World War. He was 28 years old.

Parker Rodd’s name is inscribed on the Casino Memorial located in the Cassino War Cemetery, Cassino, Italy.

References:

• Library Archives Canada website for Second World War Service Files - War Dead 1939-1947. To access the page pertaining to George Parker Rodd, click HERE.
• Canadian Virtual War Memorial website. To accesss the page pertaining to George Parker Rodd, click HERE.
• Find a Grave website for the Cassino Memorial. To accesss the page pertaining to George Parker Rodd, click HERE.
• War Diary - Cape Breton Highlanders.
• Morrison, Alex and Slaney, Ted. The Breed of Manly Men – The History of the Cape Breton Highlanders. Sydney: City Printers Limited, 2002.
• Family information provided by John A. Rodd (Parker Rodd's brother) in 1992.

The Collection:

Below is a collection of photos and press clippings in chronological order, pertaining to Parker Rodd. Some of these were were sourced from his brother, John A. Rodd of Charlettetown, PEI, in 1992. 

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