# A doctor with the Irish Regiment of Canada



## dfuller52 (5 Aug 2009)

Can anyone tell me what Field Ambulance unit of the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps was attached to the Irish Regt. in Italy in January 1945? I am trying to pinpoint their whereabouts when a doctor from Toronto, Capt. William Bruce Spafford, was killed, possibly by shrapnel on Jan 9.


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## PMedMoe (5 Aug 2009)

24th Field Amb, formerly 28th from Kitchener?

http://www.wlu.ca/lcmsds/cmh/back%20issues/CMH/volume%208/Issue%201/Russell%20-%2024th%20Canadian%20Field%20Ambulance%20-%20Royal%20Canadian%20Army%20Medical%20Corps.pdf


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## mariomike (5 Aug 2009)

There's a story in the Star dated Thurs Jan 18, 1945 page 26 that says "killed while serving at his first aid post in the front lines of Italy Jan 4." It says he served without sleep for 60 hours in December while Allied troops crossed the Lamone River. 
Apparently, there was a Sgt. W.C. Stephenson M.M. "who so bravely gave his life with him." 
According to the cemetery records, it looks like they are buried side by side.
Also, are you sure you have the right date?:
http://wwii.ca/memorial/world-war-ii/153669/captain-william-bruce-spafford/
You should notice that of the "Irish" who died that same only, that only Spafford and Stephenson are buried at Ravenna.
http://www.cwgc.org/search/certificate.aspx?casualty=2223369
It looks like they were KIA at San Alberto:
http://www.canadiansoldiers.com/fatalities/fatirish.htm
I came across a letter to his parents, "This has been the most gruelling fight of the whole time. It's odd to see our planes just 400 yards ahead of us strafing the enemy."
He graduated from U of T and was an intern at Toronto Western Hospital. 
The Star list all his family members in the obituary, and it is obvious that the Spafford and Stephenson families were in contact.


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## Blackadder1916 (5 Aug 2009)

Though Capt Spafford had been previously with 24th Fd Amb, he was on the strength of the Irish Regiment of Canada at the time of his death.  Back then doctors were not only posted to medical units; they could be posted to arms units as the Regimental Medical Officer, though still badged as RCAMC.  The medical orderlies of the battalion, however, were not RCAMC personnel and were badged as (and selected from) the regiment to which they belonged.  A medical officer could be (and often was during action) posted from a supporting field ambulance to one of the units in the formation if a replacement was required for a doctor.  That’s probably how Capt Spafford ended up in the IRC.

There is a very good site about the IRC. http://metsystems.no-ip.org/irish/

This is an extract from an info sheet available at that site.  There is one for each member of the regiment killed during WW2.  I included the sheets for Capt Spafford and Sgt Stephenson as pdf attachments.

Spafford, William Bruce, Captain

Date of Enlistment: 01 August 1942
Place of Enlistment: Toronto, Ontario
Regiment or Unit: RCAMC #2 District Depot
Date Taken on Strength to Irish Regiment of Canada: 15 September 1944 as Medical
Officer.
Theatres and Dates of Service: Canada 01-Aug-42 to 16-Jul-43
U.K. 17-Jul-43 to 19-Feb-44
Italy 20-Feb-44 to 04-Jan-45
Other service facts: University of Toronto COTC 1935-1940, Recognized as Lieut after
completing internship effective 29-Jan-43. Promoted to Captain upon arrival in U.K.
from Canada 23-July-43. Embarked to Italy with RCAMC attached to 24th Canadian
Field Ambulance, from 22-Jun-44 to 14-Sep-44.
Date of Death: 04 January 1944
Circumstances: KIA, while recceing a suitable location for the Forward Aid Station, he
along with the Medical Sergeant, were killed instantly when the building they were in
was hit by a shell.
Action: San Alberto
Location of Burial: Ravenna War Cemetery, Italy
Grave reference: Plot VI. Row E. Grave 28.


The entry in the regiment’s battle diary for 4 Jan 45 reads: 


> SAN ALBERTO
> 4 Jan 45
> At 0615 hrs, the Battalion received word that an enemy counter attack was coming in area 4747 Sheet 89. At 0645 hrs the Battalion was orderd to counterattack the enemy who had penetrated to area MR 482468. B Company commanded by Capt. HLJ Hendrie with a troop of 8 NBH tanks under command moved at 0710 hrs and at 0745 hrs came in contact with a large number of the enemy (MR area 482468) in the process of consolidating. The counter attack force supported by withering fire from the tanks, moved in and mopped up with great vigour, killing approximately 20 and capturing 65 POWs from 3 Battalion 36 Regiment 16 SS Division. B Company then consolidated are 482468 and the situation quickly restored.
> At 1200 Major LHC Payne, A/Comd held an Orders Group at TAC HQ and gave his instructions for a further advance. At 1400 hrs A Company relieved Westminster Regiment at MR 491484. B Company moved to MR 493481 where they were consolidated without difficulty. D Company ordered to Cartese (MR 485490) came under heavy MG fire and fired on by SP guns at 485490. They were unable to get onto the objective but firmed up at 484484. C Company remained at 487487 in Battalion reserve. Tanks, Anti-Tank guns and Wasps in position with B and D Companies making them strongpoints. The enemy withdrew from MR 485490 under heavy fire from the Regiment’s guns leaving both houses in flames. D Company captured three 8 cm mortars at MR 384486 and marked Artillery maps which were sent back to 5 CAD.
> ...



And this later entry mentions Capt Spafford’s replacement.  It would be interesting to see if there is any previous diary entry that explained how/why Capt Spafford came to the IRC from 24th Fd Amb. 



> 14 Jan 45
> The rain continued in the morning. Mud was once more becoming a problem. Major General BM Hoffmeister, CBE, DSO visited TAC HQ in the morning and discussed the position with the CO. There was still no word of their being relieved. Capt. JC Duffy the new MO was promoted to Major and transferred to 2nd L Field Ambulance.  Capt. NRJ McMillen was to be the new MO. He was a familiar figure to the Battalion as he had often worked with them at the CCP.
> Weather: Rain.



The diary entry from 13 Sept 44 at CORIANO (the day before Spafford was posted to the IRC) also listed many casualties which included:



> Capt. Statten T (RCAMC)      wounded 440913



Of note, Capt Statten was later awarded the MC for the action in which he was wounded.
http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/gal/cao-aco/details-eng.asp?firstname=Taylor&lastname=Statten&rec=id3638


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## Rifleman62 (5 Aug 2009)

Att is the PDF of the actual recommendation of an immediate MM for Sgt WC Stephenson. It is interesting to view the actual document that was staffed at the time and the signatures affixed.


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## dfuller52 (6 Aug 2009)

Thanks all for the replies. After posting the question, I too found the wonderful regimental web site, which is cared for by Cliff Weirmeir, currently stationed in Kandahar. He has just contacted me and said has a friend who was with Spafford at the time he was killed and we are going to try to chat with him. I have also recently been in touch with Spafford's family.

I realized after seeing the Irish Regiments' war diary that he was probably not with an RCAMC unit. I am also currently reading a couple of histories of the corps and starting to figure out how it all worked:

_Seventy Years of Service_, by G.W.L. Nicholson (who also wrote the volume of the official history _Canadians in Italy 1943-1945_), and _Death their Enemy: Canadian Medical Practitioners and War_, by Bill Rawling.

Spafford is one of the 102 men and 1 woman on the Honour Roll of Malvern Collegiate Institute in Toronto, which I am researching.

Thanks again all, what a crack group you all are.


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## Blackadder1916 (6 Aug 2009)

dfuller52 said:
			
		

> . . .  I am also currently reading a couple of histories of the corps and starting to figure out how it all worked:
> 
> _Seventy Years of Service_, by G.W.L. Nicholson (who also wrote the volume of the official history _Canadians in Italy 1943-1945_), and _Death their Enemy: Canadian Medical Practitioners and War_, by Bill Rawling.



If you want to add something else to your reading list try Feasby's official histories of the medical services in WW2.  While a hard copy may be difficult to find outside of a well stocked university library, they are now available for download from DHH.

Official History of the Canadian Medical Services, 1939-1945, Vol 1 Organization and Campaigns
Official History of the Canadian Medical Services, 1939-1945, Vol 2 Clinical Subjects


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## dfuller52 (13 Aug 2009)

Thanks Blackadder for that link. I do work at a university but haven't come across it yet in the catalogue.


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