Photos from the Front: Kenneth McKenzie and his Lost Photographs
2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the end of World War Two. It also marks the year Kenneth McKenzie would have turned 100 years old. Step back into the past and read his words, experience his joys, feel his loss and witness the war through his eyes.
Below are my favourite images from Kenneth’s collection that span his service during World War 2. All sequencing has been kept the same as Kenneth had it in his album out of respect for his story and how he wanted it shown.
Kicking Horse Pass & Kicking Horse River
Two sentries standing guard in front of a machine gun nest guarding Muir Creek Bridge. This is just one gun. There are several more there.
Eating & cooking our own breakfast on a three day convoy to Nanaimo BC
Grub line up at the side of the road. The fellow marked with an X is a Lieutenant. They eat with the men on a trip like this.
Another view of the stuck carriers
A jeep. A light rescue car. Has 4 wheel drive and will go 65 MPH. Seats 4 & 6 men can carry it anyplace. Has a Willy Overland motor
A close up of the Jeep
Just a bit of shoreline on Vancouver Island
Otter PT. A Camp - from a hill overlooking the camp.
Patterson & Roels. You can see the spray shooting up almost to their heads.
J. Boatfield and I taken on Kemp Lake. Rock in the background.
Just a picture of the flag, a seagull & some mountains in BC.
L/Cpl Macdonald and TPR Doole
Jack Boatfield (Winnipeg) on the boat.
One of our carriers in the parade.
Some of our boys in the 2nd Victory band Parade in Victoria
Most of the Winnipeg “gang”.
Bill Henderson feeding Caesar.
Some of the best of my troop in the background.
Just a friendly scrap. I’m somewhere in the bottom.
Some of the troop & Caesar our troop mascot.
L to R. lying down.
CPL Jonas, TPR. Morris, Nicholson & Boatfield.
Sitting up.
TPR McKingie J.A, Plaisier & CPL. (illegible)
CPL. Watson in behind the dog you can just see his arm.
McKingie J.A used to be a sergeant in this squadron. He reverted at his own request.
Sgt. T.C Hicks cutting break for dinner.
TPR. A. Nicholson in the foreground frying meat.
Taken somewhere in England at one of our better stopping place.
This is one of our more elaborate meals. We had a lot of time for this one.
Me sitting in the driver side rescue car.
Me standing on the fender of a rescue car.
Didn’t know this was going to be taken.
It’s kind of informal.
Taking it easy at noon hour. As usual, Caesar is the centre of attention.
TPR. W.J. Morris An ex dispatch rider now my co-driver. He’s holding a tommy gun.
TPR. L. Leach, scout car driver, having a shave while out on scheme.
Xmas Day 1943
Taken in front of our house.
The bottle(s) were beer.
Caesar. Keeping radio watch. He’s sitting on a bedroll tied on the top of the tool box of my stag.
The staghound going down a narrow road. The wheels were up on the bank on both sides in this picture. The gravel is about six feet wide here. The tag is 9ft. You can see my goggles shining in the port on the right.
The Stag and two of my crew. The car is covered with a camouflage net. Taken on scheme last summer.
Some camp in Eng. Of these six, two are dead. Killed in action. A third wounded in action. All out of the same troop as me.
“Staghound”
15 ton. 9ft wide.
and it’s all mine.
TPR. L Leach.
Caesar
L/Cpl. Bill Henderson (on the right)
SItting on the front of a scout car at the end of a 4-day scheme without sleep.
A snap of me in our last camp in Eng. It was the middle of a forest so it’s rather dark.
Passed by HQ First Cdn Army Film Service
Myself at Loen. Take On a knocked out Jerry self-propelled gun. Commonly called FERDINAND. See the horseshoe that had on it for good luck. Seems like it didn’t help any.
The same gang except for me on the left. Bill took the picture.
Ross Baker, Caesar and Nicholson.
Ross is my gunner.
Alf, was Jacks gunner. He was killed in action in France.
This was taken back at Laen. The boys were just having a bit of a snooze.
City of Ostend Belgium welcoming Staghounds
TPR. Devine P.J. (Killed in action)
An anti-tank mine exploding on our mines and demolition school.
17th Troop D Squadrom
XII Manitoba Dragoons
L to R
Lieut. A.B Mehaw
TPR. S.L Anderson ( K in A )
SGT. Balfour ( K in A )
L/CPL. L.M Paterson
TPR. W.J Morris ( K in A )
TPR. G.J Andrews
TPR. W.R Davies
TPR. L Leach
TPR. F.G Hinks
TPR. R G Baker
My armoured car. Front view
CPL. Brown
SGT. Caesar
Germany April 24, 45
Corporal Brown in the same uniform giving us the Heil Hitler.
This part of the cap is where the S.S. guards lived before we came along. Then we inherited it. Plus about 20 cars and 50 motorcycles. We had a field day there in the daytime but often spent the night in trenches. Had some casualties here but also buried a few Boche
TPR. Bill Lawrence dressed in a German uniform & weapon standing beside on of our captured Jerry Cars.
Taken in a concentration camp in Germany.
Prisoners were German Political prisoners in this camp
This may look like ice and snow to you but it’s “NO MANS LAND” to me. With Jerry in the bush in the background.
Holland - 45
German Officers in the lead.
Troops Following
Holland - 45
More Jerries on the hoof.
After seeing some of these mobs I am more than ever convinced that we didn’t kill enough of them
Holland 45.
10-minute break for a smoke. That’s more than they ever gave our boys.
Holland - 45
A German picture taken of part of the same camp. Picture was captured there.
Another German picture of same camp.
(illegible) Staghound armoured car. 194 H.P. 15 tons blown up by a sea mine near Esterwegen, Germany. April 21, 1945.
TPR. S.L Anderson (Killed in action)
TPR. W.J Morris (Killed in action)
TPR. M.V Hamilton (Killed in action)
TPR. P.J Divine (Killed in action)
SGT. A. Balfour (Killed in action)
Notice drivers & co-drivers hatches blown off & roof caved in over their heads. Turret is completely gone. Only one wheel left. Car was originally upside down. Picture taken after it had been pulled out by a Scammel
CDN. Army trucks at transit camp near Cologne, Germany. This is the start of the autobahn.
Sept 45
A blown bridge on the autobahn between Frankfurt & Cologne
Sept 45
Same bridge taken from the river bed.
Sept 45
Mick. Collins on a captured Jerry M.Bike. One of our rest days in Fresoyth, Germany.
Railway gun 240mm
First seen Sept 10 - 44
Boy was I scared. I was practically looking down the barrel but it had been demobilized by the Jerries.
L to R.
CAPT. Purdue - 2 O.C D Squadron
Major Bastedo - O.C D Squadron
A few armoured cars lined up in amsterdam before the parade.
A few more stags.
Amsterdam - June - 45
Part of D Squadron being inspected by the Colonel.
A letter describing Caesars contribution as well as granting him travel to Canada.
Myself, Caesar & Stag
TPR L. Leach
SGT. Caesar, singing.
TPR. Baker R.G inside the house.
Leeuwarden, Holland
June - 45
TPR. Baker sitting on top of our Stag. Wamel, Holland.
My Stag that was knocked out by a bazooka last April as it is today. Sept - 45. The gun is still pointing the same direction as when it was hit. It is now in a vehicle grave yard near Hengelo, Holland.
SGT. Caesar in his favourite riding place, the front of a scout car.
SGT. Balfour
17 troop
SGT Caesar
Holland - 45
SGT Balfour.
Taken by himself on top of a church tower in Lissewege, Belgium.
Since killed in action in Germany at Fresoyth April 20, 1945
Picture taken Oct, 1944
TPR. Hamilton manning a .50 calibre machine gun post, it looks and is COLD
Jack & myself taken beside the same FERDINAND near Laen. As it’s plain to see, you don’t walk around here careless, you are armed. This is one of the few times that I wore a steel helmet. I don’t like the thing so never wear them unless necessary.
28 - 5 - 45
Leeuwarden - Holland
France. A small village we liberated & most of the people posing for their picture to be taken. You can see how happy they are.
The same little town in France. We are just preparing to “push on” after having liberated it.
A ruined chateau, somewhere in France. This used to be an orchard. The rough spots in the ground are where mortar shells have landed. Our scout car is proceeding up the trail, my vehicle is following. This picture was taken on the move.
A small village near Laen. This gives you a small idea of some of the damage.
Kenneth McKenzie with his Brownie in hand and Caesar by his side.
Thank you Kenneth for the view into your life. This past year has been an unforgettable journey that I could only have dreamed of experiencing.
