Name: Hugh Murray MacLeod Rank: Major Service Number: Officer Service: 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, Canadian Army Date of Birth: January 1, 1919 Place of Birth: Glace Bay, Cape Breton County, Nova Scotia Date of Enlistment: December 26, 1940 Place of Enlistment: Amherst, Cumberland County, Nova Scotia Age at Enlistment: 21 Address at Enlistment: New Glasgow, Pictou County, Nova Scotia Height: 5 feet, 9 ½ inches Complexion: Dark Hair Colour: Brown Eye Colour: Brown Occupation: Banker Marital Status: Single Religion: United Church Next of Kin: Alexander Ford MacLeod (Father) Date of Death: June 6, 1944 Age at Death: 25 Cemetery: Ranville War Cemetery, Calvados, France Grave: Section VA, Row B, Grave 1 Hugh Murray MacLeod was the son of Alexander Ford MacLeod (1887-1969) and Margaret Marion (Ross) MacLeod (1880-1927) and the brother of Florence Mary MacLeod (1914-2006), Donald Murdock MacLeod (1915-1998), Alexander Ross MacLeod (1917-1967), Catherine Grace MacLeod (1923-2016), and John William ‘Buck’ MacLeod (1924-2004). Hugh’s brother Sergeant Alexander MacLeod also served overseas in France. Alex enlisted in 1941 in the 1st Hussars, a tank regiment based in London, Ontario, and transferred overseas later that year. As part of the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade, the 1st Hussars played a prominent role in the success of the D-Day landing. The 1st Hussars, despite the vulnerability of their Sherman tanks to larger German tanks and anti-tank guns, and despite serious losses, provided essential support to the success of the Normandy invasion. On April 13, 1945, near Apeldoorn in the Netherlands, Sgt. MacLeod undertook actions at great risk to his own safety, making possible the successful advance of his unit with minimal delay. These actions earned him a Distinguished Conduct Medal for his great initiative, determination, and outstanding courage. When his troop leader’s tank was knocked out, Sgt. MacLeod took command, first making possible the safe evacuation of the soldiers in the burning tank. He then advanced on foot under fire to pinpoint the enemy guns and tanks, returning to his own tank to position the tanks to successfully destroy the enemy tanks and artillery. He repeated this action later in the day when dusk made it difficult to pinpoint an enemy tank, thus again opening the way forward. He first began his studies at New Aberdeen School. Later he took up residence in New Glasgow where he was a leader in the activities of his church and community. While attending the New Glasgow High School, 1934-37, he was president of the Student Council, captained football and basketball teams and was major of the Cadet Corps. He was record-breaking miler on the high school track team which won the Dominion championship. Hugh served in the Militia with the 1st Battalion, Pictou Highlanders as of 1936, and the 2nd Battalion, Pictou Highlanders as of 1940, and enlisted for active service in WWII at the rank of 2nd Lieutenant with the North Nova Scotia Highlanders. As Lieutenant, he went on active service with the Pictou Highlanders, August 21, 1940, and he went overseas in 1941, having transferred to the North Nova Scotia Highlanders. After Commando training in Scotland, he returned to Canada and the United States with the 1 Canadian Paratroop Battalion. As major, he led his company on D-Day, pathfinders for the Airborne Division. The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion was part of the British 6th Air Borne Division's 3rd Brigade. The division was dropped east of the Orne River on the left flank of the main British assault force. The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion was to protect the left (southern) flank of the 9th Battalion during that battalion's attack on the gigantic coastal battery at Merville. Then the Canadians were to seize and hold the vital strategic position astride the Le Mesnil cross roads. The crossroads were located at the centre of a long sloping ridge overlooking the Orne River and the sea at Ouistreham. The success of the Allied eastern flank depended on the Canadians to hold this ridge and prevent a German counter-attack from reaching the invasion forces on the beaches at Ouistreham. The night of June 5-6 was moonless with patchy cloud and winds gusting up to 20 miles. The paratroopers landed between 0100 and 0130 hours on June 6th. The pathfinders of the 22nd Independent Parachute Company dropped accurately on the drop zone near Varaville, but the radar beacon and responder units were all smashed in the drop and totally useless. With no homing devices, and due to the high winds and flak over the coast the paratroops landed over a wider area than planned. In some cases, paratroopers were dropped miles from their drop zones causing delays in the soldiers reaching their objectives. Chaos was everywhere, but small groups of well-trained men went about their tasks knowing their comrades depended on them. Most of 'C' Company was dropped west of the Dives River and only 33 of the 110 men who jumped made it to the Varaville area. Despite the losses one group of paratroopers quickly destroyed the road bridge over the Divette, a tributary of the river Dives. The remaining men, under the command of Major Murray MacLeod attacked a chateau in Varaville where a German pillbox and 75mm anti- tank gun covered the Varaville road. The Canadians came under heavy fire. Shell fire from the 75mm killed five men including Major MacLeod. The remaining men dug in around the town shooting it out with the Germans. Major MacLeod was interred at the Ranville War Cemetery in Ranville, Calvados, in Normandy, France.