“C” Squadron’s support work with the infantry and engineers continued into October, while “A” and “B” Squadrons remained in reserve. Regimental Headquarters came under enemy shell fire on 4 October, with Trooper Kornelius Bohonis being severely wounded. He died of his wounds the following day.

Kornelius Bohonis was born in Lwow, Poland on 22 January 1925. It is not known when he moved to Canada, but he was living with his father in Prince, SK when he joined the army on 11 November 1941. Bohonis lied about his age on his attestation paper, putting his birth year as 1923. He was still a few months short of his 17^th birthday at the time. His true age was discovered and he was kept in a reinforcement unit for more training until he came of age. He was briefly in the Calgary Regiment in mid-1942 when he was found to be under-age. Bohonis was taken on strength of the Ontario Regiment in April 1944.

No. 15 Troop of “C” Squadron provided support to British infantry units for several attempts to assault German positions on Monte Cece. Heavy rain had restricted the movement of the tanks to the roads. Finally, in the late afternoon of 8 October, the 1st Battalion, Duke of Wellington’s Regiment, successfully assaulted and held Monte Ceco.

“C” Squadron was not engaged in any substantial fighting in the next few days but No. 15 Troop remained active. They fired on enemy self-propelled guns seen in the town of Baffadi. The troop was the target of German shelling a number of times, including on 12 October when Corporal Cecil Jones was killed.

Cecil Lloyd Jones was born in Brethor, Ontario on 15 May 1921. He was a pre-war member of the Algonquin Regiment. His time in the Active Service Force began on 4 July 1940. Living in Kirkland Lake, ON, he was working as a clerk in the early days of the war. After going through his initial training he was taken on strength of the Ontario Regiment on 5 June 1941.

Throughout the rest of October, both “A” and “B” Squadrons remained static while being held in reserve. They used the time to conduct training courses on various high school subjects, along with conversational Italian, German and French. Only “C” Squadron saw action. They were the farthest forward troops of the Regiment and as a result were shelled almost daily. The stagnant situation continued into early November.

In mid-November several Ontario Regiment crews from “A” and “B” Squadrons took control of 13 vehicles, consisting of Sherman tanks and M-18 tank destroyers, from American units. These vehicles were in static positions near Monte Grande. The tanks were in poor shape, with many of them with inoperable guns. Eventually some of the guns were put into firing condition. The tanks regularly came under German artillery and machine gun fire. A few Ontarios were wounded by shrapnel during this period, but only one death was suffered. Trooper George Thomas was killed by shrapnel from a shell that landed in the area on 25 November.

George Thomas was born in Molesworth Township, MB on 29 November 1918. By the summer of 1940 he was living in Galt, ON and was working as a truck driver for the W.I. Reid Lumber Company. His military career began in October 1940 when joined the reserve battalion of the Highland Light Infantry of Canada. He attested to the Active Service Force on 5 February 1941 and was assigned to the 1^st Hussars. After he completed his initial training he arrived in the UK in December 1941. Thomas was taken on strength of the Ontario Regiment on 30 August 1943.

While the crews of “A” and “B” Squadrons were manning the stationary tanks, “C” Squadron was finally pulled from the line and given a rest. Most of the Squadron were given leaves to Florence.

In the last half of the month twelve “B” Squadron tanks and their crews were temporarily assigned to two artillery units. Their task was to thicken up the artillery barrage with high-explosive shells from the tanks’ 75mm guns. To get the required range, it was necessary to park the tanks on hills with their noses raised. The war in northern Italy was settling into a period of static activity due to the nearly continuous rain and the impending winter. Both sides were preparing defensive positions and conducting patrols.

The Ontarios suffered another non-combat death on 30 November when Trooper Maurice Wilding was killed as the result of a vehicle accident. Wilding was riding in the back of a truck on its way to Rome in wet weather. This truck collided with another while passing, causing Wilding’s vehicle to slide into some trees.

Maurice Wilding was born on 16 January 1915 in Toronto. Wilding joined the Ontario Regiment on 19 September 1939. He was one of many Toronto recruits who could not join a local regiment due to those units being at full strength. Immediately prior to enlisting he was working as a labourer at Canada Packers Limited.

In December two new Sherman tank models were assigned to the Regiment. The Ontarios took charge of four improved Shermans with the British 17-pounder gun. An additional six tanks armed with a 105-mm gun were also received. Some of the Regiment’s crews took these new vehicles to the Brigade Gunnery School for conversion training. Both models were well received by the Ontario Regiment’s crews.

The Regiment took the opportunity of this comparatively quiet time to conduct some training. A unit-run NCO school ran for the second half of December. There were courses at the Florence university in non-military subjects such as Italian art and history run by the 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade, and a number of five-day leaves were granted to visit the British 1st Infantry Division Rest Centre near Florence.

The Ontarios were able to participate in some Christmas activities. On the 24th the children of the town of Ronta were hosted by Headquarters and “C” Squadrons, and each squadron held an open house. The crews of the static tanks in “A” and “B” Squadrons spent Christmas Day in their tanks. It was the second consecutive Christmas in action for the men. The rest of the Regiment had a more relaxed time and there were Christmas and New Year parties.

Unfortunately, the Christmas season was marred by tragedy. Trooper John Manion died on the 24th as a result of injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident while working as a dispatch rider. The accident report indicates he was sent to Florence to pass a message to one of the Regiment’s officers. On the way he drifted into oncoming traffic and hit a truck.

John Manion was born 13 August 1918 in Perth, ON. He was living in New Liskeard, ON and working as a labourer at the D.C. Burkholder bottling plant in the months before the outbreak of the war. His service record seems to indicate that he had moved to Oshawa and was not working when he joined the Ontario Regiment on 19 September 1939.

Rod Henderson

Rod Henderson is the Regimental Historian of the Ontario Regiment. He served as a Sergeant in the Regiment and is the author of “Fidelis Et Paratus: A History of The Ontario Regiment (RCAC), 1866-2016”.