An Army (ragedy at

Tough Northland

DURING THE WAR the 6th Canadian
Division stationed at Prince George had
a Bush Warfare School under the com-
mand of Major A. Constable, formerly
of Courtenay, Canadian Scottish Regi-
ment. The School camp was situated on
the south bank of the Nechako near
Central Fort George, and to it men from
yarious units in the Command were sent
for specialized instruction in bush-fighting
tactics.

One of the instructors was Lance
Corporal Alex J. Smith, a bright young
soldier 24 years old, who had enlisted in
the Canadian Scottish at Vancouver.

At the time in question the School was
practising a display to be put on for the
Governor General, who was to inspect
the camp a few days later. One of the
exercises was that of troops crossing the
river under battle conditions, and all
ranks were working hard to perfect it.
During the morning of August 30th, 1943,
they had gone back and forth across the
river in boats, and in the afternoon after
lectures on the previous operations, the
practice was continued.

The Nechako River was about two
hundred yards wide and some distance
below the point of crossing there was a
safety line stretched from shore to shore
in case of accident. This rope was kept
on the surface by means of floats attached
at intervals to the rope.

As the afternoon wore on, a breeze
sprang up, and by 3.30 it was blowing
strong down stream. This wind in addi-
tion to the current flowing at eight knots
caused the boats to drift more rapidly
than was expected. One boat containing
eight men in charge of Lance Corporal
Smith, lost headway so rapidly in spite
of frantic paddling, that before they were
half-way across, the boat was forced
against the safety line. The force of the
wind and current on one side and the rope
holding the boat at the waterline caused
it to capsize, and the men in it were thrown
into the water. They were fully equipped
in battle order, with rifles and ammuni-
tion, and were wearing steel helmets, and
inflated life belts, Wae Wests.

The river was dotted with struggling
men, swimming desperately, for in spite

SEVENTEENTH EDITION

Prince George

Battle Exercises Shaped the Canadian

Sometimes There Were Casualties.

of the life belts the heavy equipment and
the drag of the current made it necessary
for them to swim to keep afloat. Lieut.
Zala and an N.C.O. leaped into the water
from another boat and succeeded in bring-
ing several exhausted soldiers ashore. In-
cidentally, Lieut. Zala and the N.C.O.
both received awards for their action.
Some men drifted a considerable distance
down stream before they were able to
reach a footing on solid ground, and it
was at least half an hour before those who
had been in the capsized boat were mus-
tered and checked. When this was done
it was discovered that Lance Corporal
Smith was missing.

The Police were notified and they im-
mediately commandeered a boat with an
outboard engine from a nearby mill, and
searched the Nechako from the scene of
the accident to where it flowed into the
Fraser River, just above the steel bridge.
It was hoped that Smith would turn up
as he was known to be a strong swimmer,
and there was the possibility that he had
been carried further down stream than the
others. When nightfall came and_ there

*

By
SGT. GEO. H. CLARK, M.C.

*

Fighting Man—

was no trace of the missing soldier, the

worst was feared.
Give Up Hope

The following day the Police and Game
Department continued the search, assisted
by the Military. Every backwater and
log jam in the Nechako was thoroughly
gone over, and even the Fraser River for
some miles below the confluence was
patrolled. After several days the search
was abandoned, and Lance Corporal
Smith was officially reported drowned,
and the next of kin notified. A Military
Court of Enquiry was convened and the
Police were called to testify as to their
part in the search.

Over a month later, on October 3rd, a
Fairchild plane piloted by Capt. Pat Carey
of the Canadian Pacific Air Lines took
off from the Fraser River at South Fort
George ‘with Const. Russell and_ several
witnesses who had attended the trial of an
Indian charged with the murder of his
wife at Fort Ware. The Fall Assizes at
Prince George were over and the witnesses
were on their way home. Among them

Looking down stream from near the point where L/Cpl. Smith drowned.

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