Remembering World War II

Jean Baptiste (John) VanSnick

Jean-Baptiste (John) VanSnick Private 3494 2nd Motorized Unit, 3rd Platoon Free Belgian Forces (Piron Brigade) August 2, 1925 Joggins, Cumberland Co., NS November 11, 1944 19 Bourg-Léopold Cemetery, Belgium Listed on the War Memorial, Joggins, Cumberland Co., NS Belgian Soldiers Monument, Thorn, Netherlands John Baptiste VanSnick was the son of Peter Joseph VanSnick (1903-1958) and Katherine (Gibbons) VanSnick (1903-1995) of Joggins, Cumberland Co., NS. At the outbreak of WWII John VanSnick was 15 years of age and not eligible to join the Canadian Forces until August of 1943. While born in Canada, he also held Belgian citizenship and joined the Piron Brigade, Free Belgian Forces. Troops of the Belgian Forces were trained in Great Britain and Canada and in 1942. The enlistment place and date of John VanSnick could not be determined; however, he would have trained in England in preparation for service in France and Belgium. The first units of the Brigade arrived in Normandy on July 30, 1944 and entered active service on August 9. The Belgian armoured vehicles joined with the Brigade on August 26. On September 2, 1944, the Brigade and the Dutch Princess Irene Brigade were ordered to move as quickly as possible to the Belgian border and they entered northern Belgium on September 3, 1944. The Brigade acted as guides for British soldiers, attempted to aid Resistance fighters, and took part in mine-clearing. On September 25, 1944, the Piron Brigade reached the Wessem Canal with fighting reaching its peak on November 11, 1944. The Germans had dug themselves in on the Hunsel side of the canal. From there the German soldiers could spy and lay mines at night as far as Hunsel. In the afternoon of November 11, 1944, the Brigade received an order from the British to capture a bridgehead in the neighbourhood of Santfort. The assignment was to take on positions near the canal itself, after expelling the German forces. The attack started at 16.30 hours and a platoon of the Belgian brigade moved in the direction of the German positions. The German reaction was fierce and heavy artillery and mortar fire fell on the Belgian soldiers. The Brigade was to set up an observation post on the other side of the canal to prevent further infiltrations by the Germans. At 6.25 pm a platoon of the 2nd motorized unit went on the attack. After fierce fighting, this group reached the other side at 6.59 pm. Private VanSnick was one of six killed in Hunsel, victims of mortar fire, during a patrol on an enemy post. They were buried in the Bourg-Léopold Cemetery, Belgium on September 15, 1944.

Sources: findagrave.com The Piron Brigade

November 15, 1944. The funeral of the six men of the 2nd Motorized Unit killed on November 11, 1944 at Hunsel,