Submitted by William (Bill) Dziadyk, author of “S.S. Nerissa, the Final Crossing”
On the 19th of November, 1950, the 2nd Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery (2RCHA) boarded two troop trains in Shilo, Manitoba.
The trains left two-hours apart — 18:00 and 20:00 — and were bound for Fort Lewis in Washington State where advance personnel had already arrived by road, with the regiment’s trucks and artillery pieces.
About 100 miles east of Fort Lewis, the mountainous terrain of the Yakima Firing Center’s artillery range was similar to what 2RCHA would experience in Korea. The range was also wide open and uninhabited which would allow the use of live rounds to measure and improve accuracy before being deployed to Korea.
In the first train, referred to as “CA 117” were: Commanding Officer Lt. Col. A. J. Bailey and his Regimental HQ staff, D Battery personnel, and one troop of E Battery (three officers, one Warrant Officer and 65 “rank and file”.
Embarked in the second train known as “CA 118” were: E Battery and F Battery. Also embarked was a medical doctor, Major R.N. Hetherington, RCAMC who would leave the train in Edmonton. A logistics officer, Major White, the train conduction officer would join the train in Edmonton. The senior 2RCHA officer was Major F.P.O. Leask. Under his command were 22 officers, three warrant officers and 310 “rank and file”.
Including the engine, the troop train was 21 cars in length: three Baggage Cars; two Diners; ten Tourist Sleepers, four named Sleepers (Underhill, Moosejaw, Ryerson and Urling) and the Caboose (with a raised cupola). With the exception of the named sleepers, these cars were older models constructed with wood bodies (covered by steel sheathing) on steel underframes.
Immediately after the engine were: Baggage Car #1, three Tourist Sleepers followed by the two remaining Baggage Cars #2 (mail car) and #3. The baggage cars were followed by the four named Sleepers, two Diner cars, seven Tourist Sleepers and finally the caboose.
After crossing into British Columbia early on the morning of November 21st, the troop train (Psgr Extra 3538) stopped at Red Pass Junction where the conductor received a telephoned voice message from the area dispatcher Alfred Atherton regarding the next leg through the Rocky Mountains.
However, that transcribed voice message did not include the requirement to “meet” an eastbound train at Cedarside. The result being that the two approaching trains had overlapping orders as to the location of the siding tracks where the westbound troop train would wait for the eastbound passenger train to safely pass.
The westbound troop train (Psgr Extra 3538) had an order to meet passenger Train No. 2 at Gosnell which is to the west of the collision site, while the eastbound passenger train (No. 2 Eng 6004) had an order to meet the westbound troop train at Cedarside, to the east of the collision site.
The 21st of November was a beautiful sunny Rocky Mountains’ winter day at -18° C, with about 15 cm of snow on the ground which accentuated the pristine and ever changing environments as seen from the train. Majors Leask (on left) and White (on right) were enjoying the view from the cupola on the caboose. At about 10:35, the troop train was travelling around a sharp bend (from left to right) at 25 to 30 miles per hour, when it suddenly collided head-on with the CNR (Vancouver – Montreal) trans-continental passenger train about 0.6 miles east of the small station Canoe River.
The engines of both trains were immediately demolished resulting in the deaths of the Engineer and the Fireman of both trains, and the release of deadly steam. The railway cars of the trans-continental train were of a newer all-steel construction, and damages from the crash were considered minor with no further casualties.
However, the 2RCHA troop train experienced catastrophic damage and related casualties. The six cars with wood bodies, which were positioned after the engine and before the more modern named Sleeper cars, gave little resistance to the impact and sustained major damage.
Doctor J.J. Kimmett with his wife were passengers in the other train and he immediately offered his help. Mrs. Lillian E. Linney, a former Registered Nurse (retired since 1924) with her husband were also passengers in the other train. She also assisted with the first aid. One diner car became a first-aid centre and the second a morgue. In the freezing cold, these volunteers treated the injured with the limited medical supplies on hand. This timely help no doubt saved many lives before the hospital train sent from Jasper arrived hours later.
The survivors of the train crash were taken by a rescue train to Camp Wainwright, southeast of Edmonton. After a few day’s rest and a reconstitution of E Battery and F Battery, they boarded another troop train bound for Fort Lewis.
Over the winter, the 2RCHA gunners trained in the mountainous artillery ranges in Washington State. On 21 April 1951, in Seattle, the Regiment (including trucks and artillery pieces) boarded the troop ship USNS Edwin D. Patrick, which was bound for Pusan, South Korea.
By mid-May, the Regiment was in action about 30 miles east of Seoul in support of the 28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade.
On January 9th, 1951, the 22-year-old Red Pass Junction dispatcher Alfred Atherton was charged with manslaughter as a result of allegedly failing to transmit correct orders for the westbound troop train. Atherton’s father approached his Member of Parliament, John Diefenbaker (King’s Counsel) who was retained as one of three defence counsels.
The trial in Prince George BC, began on 9 May 1951. Four days later, Diefenbaker’s summation to the jury took three hours. The jury deliberated for 40 minutes and returned with a verdict of acquittal.
Six years later, John Diefenbaker would become the 13th Prime Minister of Canada.
The home of the 2nd Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery is now in Garrison Petawawa, Ontario. In Artillery Park, a cairn memorializes the Bombardier and sixteen Gunners killed at Canoe River on 21 November 1950.
Each year on November 21st, the 2RCHA conducts a memorial parade (with veterans) in honour of these lives lost while training for the Korean War.
This article has been edited for clarity.
