My father was Arland Kenneth Scott, H35621, who served with the 12th Field Regiment RCA from October 1940 until he died from wounds received in Normandy, 8TH June, 1944.

Here is a short biography of Arland:

Arland Scott was born (July, 1917) and raised on his family’s farm in Manitoba. He was son of Sarah and David Scott, who had emigrated from Ireland.  He had three sisters.

He volunteered for the Royal Canadian Artillery in October, 1940. After initial training in Canada, he was posted to  Britain, arriving  on Christmas Day, 1940.  His regiment was stationed at Borden in Hampshire.  In the spring  of 1941, when on leave, he travelled to Co.Tyrone, Northern Ireland,  to visit his grandmother.  There he met my mother Ellen Nixon.  On every  subsequent leave he  returned  to Co. Tyrone.   Arland and Ellen were engaged on 10th January, 1942, and married on 12th August the same year.

They set up home together in  a rented house Hayward’s Heath,  Arland’s regiment ( the 12th Field ) had been  moved to Sussex.  In early 1943 the regiment began intensive training for the Invasion,  which required all military personnel to be based in camp.  Ellen returned to her family home in Ireland in July, 1943.  They had  spent 11 happy months living  together.   The regiment  moved  to Parkstone (Dorset) with its extensive heathland, suitable for artillery practice.

 I was born in November, 1943.  Arland  had  9 days leave for my birth but stayed for 20 days.  He presented his case so well to the court martial that he escaped with  just a loss of pay for the 11 days AWOL.

Next move was to Parkgate, near Fareham, Hampshire.  There was no more leave, as the training and preparations  intensified.

The 12th Field Regiment  landed on Juno Beach around 9am on D-Day.  On evening of 7th June they had gun emplacements about 10 km inland, near Bray.    It was here that Arland  sustained  gun shot wounds to his head.  On 8th June he was taken back to England where he died of his wounds (not known if this was on board ship or in hospital in England, I have scoured hospital and regimental records but can find no reference to his injury, treatment or place of death).  He was 26 years old.   He was buried in Gosport, Hampshire, but reinterred in Brookwood  after the war.

Joan Scott Allen

Link to BBC article >>