73 The Royal Canadian Legion MANITOBA & NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO COMMAND www.mbnwo.ca GUIMOND, Rosario WWII Rosario enlisted in Winnipeg Light Infantry in May 1942. He did basic training in Fort Osborne Barracks, Winnipeg for one month then was sent to Vernon, BC for advance training. On August 19, they got word of the Dieppe Raid and the 2nd Division needed many reinforcements, so Rosario was one of the many Winnipeg Light Regiment sent to England as reinforcement to the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada on the Athlone Castle French Luxuryship. The Camerons were posted in “Pathworth Park” an estate in England near Worthing. They did a lot of battle drill training and were always cold and wet. Rosario and his buddy Milton Needolin were smaller in stature than average so they were called “Short Asses” and decided there should be an easier job in this man’s army than crawling in muddy ditches doing battle drill, so they applied for a signallers course which they graduated with flying colours. They stayed at signal school and escaped battle drill at least three months before being called back to the Camerons. When they went on their first scheme, they found out that signaller was not that easy because they had to carry an extra eighteen pounds, besides their normal equipment. They had many a good time too, going on leave and seeing the British Isles. Edinburgh, Scotland was their favorite city. They completed training at Broome Park near Canterbury. On July 3, 1944, they took off to Caen, France which was their first baptismal of battle at Fontenay le Marion. On August 8 they were dug in, in an orchard. By the time the battle was over there were no branches left on the apple trees. Rosario was wounded at the “Moaning Minnie Barrage” by the enemy, that area was known as the Falaise Gap. On August 18, they broke through the Gap and had the Jerries on the run with some resistance from the rear guards at Roven and crossing the Somme River, from there to Belgium. They travelled until they had some hard fighting in Brasschat and were stopped at “Mook” on November 9 and were held there until February 13, 1945. In an attempt to break through the enemy strong-hold the SSR were making a night raid. Rosario’s buddy Milt had to maintain telephone communication between the leading troop and HQ. Milt got wounded while laying telephone lines which earned him a military medal. After the Allies decided to make the big move, the Germans blew up the dykes and flooded the Reichswald Forest. It was very slow going, all the heavy equipment was getting stuck and blocking the roads. On the April 14 they lost their Colonel. There were many concrete “Pill Boxes” to contend with which also slowed them. On May 3, 1945 they reached Oldenburg and were organizing for another attack when they got word on May 6 that the war was over. Rosario and Milt spent most of this summer in Amsterdam, Holland waiting to get repatriated. In October they got moved to Aldershot, England. In November they boarded the Queen Elizabeth and were home by the end of the month. GUIMOND, Todd G. J. PEACETIME Todd is the son of Jean and Rosario Guimond of Fisher Branch. He enlisted on October 23, 1986 at the Recruiting Centre in Winnipeg. He arrived in Cornwallis, Nova Scotia on October 24, 1986 to begin basic training. He stayed in CFRS Cornwallis for ten weeks. After he graduated he went to an air frame technician course in Canadian Forces Base Borden, Ontario. He spent six months there from January to June 1987. After the course, he left for posting to CFB Moose Jaw, SK. He was at Moose Jaw for three years and received a posting at CFB Winnipeg.
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