Modeler’s tank evokes veteran’s memories

My father, Hardy Worden from Riverview, N.B., served with Canada’s armed forces from 1942-1946 in England, North Africa, Italy, Belgium and Holland as part of the 8th Field Artillery Regiment, 5th Armored Division.

He was the number three man on a 105 millimetre self-propelled motorized gun and saw action in Italy at Ortona and Cassino before moving on to fight in Belgium and Holland.

So when modeler Mark Amirault set a collection of his Second World War army tanks on display at his store they immediately caught my eye and interest.

I questioned Amirault about the models, which included a light half-track vehicle that was used for ground targets and anti-aircraft by the Germans. “My father was in the air force so I became interested in building models when I was a kid,” said Amirault. “After college I still bought models but never built them until I got interested again two years ago.”

When I explained to Amirault that my father had been on a 105 mm self-propelled gun during the Second World War, he knew what piece of artillery I meant. “The M7 was a motorized gun nicknamed the ‘Priest’ by the British because of the cupola on the right hand side of the vehicle that held a 50-calibre machine gun,” he said. “It reminded the British of the pulpits in the Anglican churches.”

I asked Amirault if he might be able to find and build a model for my father’s birthday in late April.

Amirault said at first he drew blanks but through a fine scale-modeling magazine was able to locate a store in Texas that not only knew what he was asking for but also had it in stock. “Within a month I had the kit,” he said. “I went at the job in bits and pieces but overall it took about 16 hours to complete.”

The hardest part in building the model was getting the fighting compartment to fit in with the driver’s compartment because one of the armored sides that had to be put around them was bent, explained Amirault.

The birthday gift brought a smile of appreciation and recognition to my father’s face as the ‘Priest’ was examined and differences from the actual motorized gun noted.

My father enlisted in the Canadian forces on May 5, 1942, a week after he turned 18 and was shipped to Camp Petawawa for advanced training on artillery guns. “Some of my friends were going into the artillery so I went along and we trained on 25 pounders, guns that were towed by a military vehicle,” he said.

After a time in England and North Africa, his regiment landed in Naples, Italy, in 1943 and was trucked to Ortona where they learned to use the 105mm guns.

My father explained that each of the eight men had a number. He was the number three man on the gun whose job was to lay the gun or calibrate it in readiness for firing. “There was the sergeant, bombardier and myself,” he said. “Number four fired the gun, five was the driver and the rest looked after the ammunition.”

My father recalled that ammunition for the gun was put in long heavy containers and if the supply trucks couldn’t get to them the crew would carry the shells which were set in heavy packs of three.

With all the rain and mud during the winter, both the Allies and Germans were in static positions and my father said they slept in slit trenches ready for stand by. “We had to guard our gun and position in case the Germans broke through the line,” he explained.

In the spring of 1944, the regiment was sent west to Cassino but moved 10 miles south of the city as it was still in German hands. “The troops had to break through the lines before they could get to the city. We had a lot of firing to do to support the infantry and there was very little rest during this time.”

Most of their danger came from the German’s counter artillery and the shell bursts gave my father and the other soldiers a taste of what it was like at the front. “I was fortunate to never be hit with the shrapnel from these shell bursts but others around me were,” he recalled.

After the Allies took Cassino, the regiment was moved back to the Po Valley in readiness for the drive to northern Italy. But instead, the 1st and 5th Divisions were sent back to west Italy where troopships took the men to France and on to Belgium and Holland for the final months of the war.

In reflecting on the model he was given, my father said it was an honor to receive the special gift for his 85th birthday and was appreciative of the time and energy Mark Amirault put into building it. “I am honored to be given this gift as it is a visible and important reminder of my service in the Canadian forces overseas,” he said. “I am proud to be a Canadian and proud as well to have served my country.”

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