re: Calgary Highlanders Scout Snipers

The uniform of Major SO Robinson, of the Calgary Highlanders, plus a photo, badges, etc. was sold at auction last Saturday for $500.
 
Garand said:
Look a bit closer and I'm sure you will see a Colt 1911 not a Browning.
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Very interesting to see a M1911 in the tanker holster as I have not seen photographic evidence of it before. I can't imagine that this holster was well suited for the M1911 but I know of one other individual who did the same. He managed to acquire a M1911 in France and Holland and was quite proud to show it off. However, one day he wore it with the holster's retaining strap over the grip safety and later managed to #### the hammer. He was later exiting a vehicle or got the holster stuck on something, causing the M1911 to go off and that was the end of the war for him. I can't recall if he survived the incident or not.
 
Here's a link with some pictures of the old boy in 2008.
Cheers,
Alan

http://www.calgaryhighlanders.com/2008/transitions2008.htm

Sergeant Harold Marshall
September 2008

When Hollywood film-makers require a "small, elite" band of soldiers to fit a storyline, they usually create a reconnaissance unit to fill that role. Films such as Cross of Iron and Heartbreak Ridge depict the actions of these small groups of hand-picked, resourceful men who perform deeds out of proportion to their numbers, sometimes stretching believability. In The Calgary Highlanders in the Second World War, the Scout and Sniper Platoon actually existed, made famous by Ken Bell's photograph of Sergeant Harold Marshall in Belgium in October 1944. The battalion War Diary noted:

The Scout platoon came into the limelight when Lt. Bell of "Army News" came around to get pictures and a write-up about Calgary's Western Scouts. The photographers found Lt. G. Sellar, Sniper-Sgt. H. Marshall and Scout J. J. Levesque very photogenic...The entire Scout platoon had a group picture and in all, the Army photographers were very satisfied with their visit.

In September of this year, the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Vernon and Regimental Sergeant Major Emmett Kelly were pleased to renew ties with Sergeant Marshall, paying a visit to him and his wife Cathy in their home.
 
Cpl Kermandy is shown carrying a liberated P38.... on the pic linked by Sheeldrake.

First time I ever saw Sgt Marshall famous picture was at the Juno Beach Canadian Museum in 2007. It was framed as a large poster and I tried desperately to buy, beg or.... steal w/o success.

I wonder why nobody ever made a movie or got some footage about these great soldiers.

BB
 
Boom-Boom said:
I wonder why nobody ever made a movie or got some footage about these great soldiers.

BB
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They weren't American, but the movie makers were. My wife's father was part of the public affairs photo and film unit, they took the vast majority of all allied photos and film on D-Day, if you look at most of the "American" soldiers pictured actually on D-Day, you'll see they are mostly Canadians. The American and British photo and films units landed AFTER the fighting was over, our guys went in beside the troops, from the first landing craft onward. My wife's father was actually on the first Canadian vehicle to enter Paris, they were constantly sniped at, because the Germans hadn't vacated, but they wanted pictures of the French Maquis, so in they went. If you could get him talking, his stories were outstanding.
 
They would have done well to even find the "Maqui" to take photos of if there were any Germans around. My uncle served in France in WW2 and had a very low opinion of the majority of the French "Resistance". They only came out in force after the Germans were long gone.
 
militariacollector said:
Very interesting to see a M1911 in the tanker holster as I have not seen photographic evidence of it before. I can't imagine that this holster was well suited for the M1911 but I know of one other individual who did the same. He managed to acquire a M1911 in France and Holland and was quite proud to show it off. However, one day he wore it with the holster's retaining strap over the grip safety and later managed to #### the hammer. He was later exiting a vehicle or got the holster stuck on something, causing the M1911 to go off and that was the end of the war for him. I can't recall if he survived the incident or not.
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IIRC :redface: , the P37 holster was referred-to as being for "lend-lease 1911's" as well as for Enfield revolvers....:yingyang:
 
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