219664 Pte. Pius Steele Canadian Army North Nova Scotia Highlanders from:Chepstow, PE. My father Pius Steele joined the Canadian Army on September 1st, 1939 and served with the North Nova Scotia Highlanders. He was assigned to Newfoundland for a year, then Sussex, NB, Canada for six months and then left for overseas to Europe on 6th May 1944. He landed on Normandy beach facing the German guns on the cliffs. Some of the men lost it and swam back to the landing craft. He was captured at the Falaise Gap in France. He was accompanying another soldier in an ambulance which was taking severely wounded German POW's to a better equipped field hospital and the driver drove right into enemy lines. The POWs walked day after day to the prison camp, Stalag 9C. He worked in the salt mine while at the camp. Some of the men committed suicide. What helped my Dad was the dream of getting back to Canada and to be with his young wife and daughter. I was three years old when Dad returned but I remember his return vividly.
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