Paying tribute to some unsung heroes
Nicknamed the “Kangaroos,” they were officially called the 1st Canadian Armoured Carrier Regiment. This Second World War regiment was composed of two fighting squadrons of personnel carriers. One squadron, each with 53 carriers, could lift an entire infantry battalion into battle. My father, Arnold Frederick Hare, was a proud Kangaroo.
The Kangaroos were so named because their primary function was to safely transport army personnel to their front-line objectives throughout Holland and into Germany in the steel belly of a tank chassis—the same way a mother kangaroo protects and carries her young within her pouch.
They made military history, being the first heavy-armoured personnel carriers ever commissioned, the development of which was a guarded secret at the time. Many of the soldiers selected were farm boys and mechanics who had the necessary skills to traverse difficult terrain and maintain their tanks.
They carried men and supplies to the front lines and brought back the wounded, often at great risk. Their efforts substantially reduced casualties. While working through long days and often terrifying nights, they formed incredibly close bonds and a deep loyalty to one another. They also developed a fondness for their specially altered tanks, often naming them after sweethearts or mothers back home.
My father told some harrowing stories of near misses and lost comrades. Even though we children pestered him for more of what we thought were incredibly romantic and death-defying stories, he would grow quiet and tell us that war was truly terrible, and not to be glorified. He’d gone overseas an immature, inexperienced farm boy, eager to get into the thick of things, but returned a seasoned and more sombre man.
The Kangaroos achieved many firsts, including becoming the only regiment to be formed, battle-tested and decommissioned on foreign soil. After the war, members were sent home to their far-flung hometowns in Canada, without fanfare or recognition for their courage and service.
Over 70 years after the war, the surviving Kangaroos still meet for a reunion in Toronto every November. Originally more than 500 strong, they are now few in numbers but still proud, patriotic and more than willing to share their stories, particularly the ones that demonstrate their spirit of camaraderie and shared humour. Many say it was the hijinks and laughter they shared in the midst of chaos and fear that got them through. Before they are all gone, it’s time to recognize their quiet heroism and sacrifice.
—by Colleen O’Hare, Parry Sound, Ontario