Private Stanley Howard MacLellan
Stanley Howard MacLellan was born on March 31, 1924 to Norman and Marian MacLellan (née Currie), in Wadena, Saskatchewan. Stan was the third child, having an older sister Mabel and brother Gordon, and a younger brother Russell who died in infancy. His father came from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and his mother’s family emigrated from London, England to Saskatchewan, just before World War I. Six of his maternal uncles volunteered and returned overseas. The youngest uncle, Edmund V. Currie was killed at Vimy Ridge, and his death had a significant impact on the family. His grandparents, Grampa and Gramma Currie received a letter from the King of England commending them for having six sons in service.
Stan’s parents met in Wadena, Saskatchewan. His father and father’s brother were both blacksmiths and mechanics in Wadena. In 1934, his father and uncle went to Flin Flon, Manitoba and were hired on at Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting (HBM&S). Stan, his mother, older brother and sister joined them in Flin Flon in 1937. Stan was greatly influenced by his Uncle John MacLellan who stayed with the family and taught him to love the outdoors, how to handle firearms and marksmanship, which Stan became very good at. He completed up to Grade 8, before joining the workforce. When he turned 17, he started working at HBM&S as a boilermaker’s apprentice with a starting wage of 27 cents per hour.
Stan waited until he knew his mother would be alright and until his brother joined the Navy before joining the army himself. He was sure his brother was safer in the Navy than in the Army. Stan enlisted on October 25th, 1943, and decided that he wanted to be a paratrooper. He was told by the recruiter that there was no direct entry to becoming a paratrooper; he would first have to become a trained soldier, and then be selected to try out for the paratroopers. His father told his mother that upon hearing that Stan volunteered to be a paratrooper, that they would never see him again. He received his Certificate of Military Qualification for parachute jump training held at Shilo, Manitoba, having attended from March 27th, 1944 to April 15th, 1944.
Stan went overseas by ship, on July 21st, 1944, arriving in the U.K. on July 27th. He was based in England with the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, Company B and went to France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. He first travelled by sea to Ostend, Belgium, then taken by truck to the Ardennes and took part in the Battle of the Bulge. He then trucked back to Ostend and returned to the U.K. Stan said they usually never knew where they were, although he said near the end, they parachuted over the River Rhine. It was a daring daytime drop during Op Varsity onto an active drop zone under enemy fire. Stan recounted the jump where the soldier before him and the one behind him were both killed before they reached the ground. He marveled how he could have survived.
Stan was wounded on April 26th, 1945. He returned to Canada on a ship for the wounded, that left July 18th, 1945. As a result, he wasn’t able to come back with his battalion, which he regretted. He also missed the repatriation parade. Stan was discharged from the Army on September 7th, 1945. He was greeted at the train station by his sister and mother in Flin Flon. Stan continued to fish, although his passion for hunting had dwindled. He also was involved with his father and uncle in their brick making business and they prospected on the side. He became a miner, being hired back on with HBM&S.
Stan married Ruby Buxton on March 1st, 1958 and they had two daughters Shirley and Beverley. They moved to different mining communities, Atikokan and Bancroft, Ontario, Lynn Lake, Manitoba and then he said that they decided to flip a coin, east or west. They ended up in Merritt, B.C., working underground at Craigmont Mine until it closed in 1982. He was very reticent to speak of his experiences in the war, although he continued to have nightmares and battled with depression. He found out he had PTSD when he was 59. Stan and Ruby had a few happy years, target shooting and fishing and camping around the hills around Merritt in the airstream trailer. His wife Ruby died in 1993 and he lived alone until 2010 when he returned to Flin Flon to be near Shirley and her family. Stan said many times that he couldn’t believe he could live to be so old, when he never thought he would see 21. Stan passed away on December 5th, 2017, at the age of 93, in Flin Flon. His ashes are interred with Ruby’s, which are also near his mother’s grave.
Below is a poem that Stan liked and would often quote:
Just a Common Soldier, by A. Lawrence Vaincourt
He was getting old and paunchy and his hair was falling fast
And he sat around the Legion, telling stories of the past.
Of a war that he had fought in, the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies; they were heroes every one.
And tho’ sometimes to his neighbours, his tales became a joke,
All his Legion buddies listened, for they knew whereof he spoke.
But we’ll hear his tales no longer for old Bill has passed away,
And the world’s a little poorer, for a soldier died today.
He will not be mourned by many, just his children and his wife.
For he lived an ordinary and quite uneventful life.
Held a job and raised a family, quietly going his own way.
And the world won’t note his passing, though a soldier died today.
If we cannot do him honour while he’s here to hear the praise,
Then at least let’s give him homage at the ending of his days.
Perhaps just a simple headline in a paper that would say,
Our country is in mourning for a soldier died today.
If you have read Stanley Howard MacLellan's biography, you have kept his memory alive, and we thank you for that.
Information and photographs were provided by the veteran’s daughter, Shirley (MacLellan) Fortier.
Bren Light Machine gun
This is a Bren Light Machine Gun, Private MacLellan would have used one similar to this one during training and while serving overseas. This magazine-fed weapon system uses 303 calibre ammunition. It weighs 25 lbs with a firing rate of 500 rounds per minute with an effective range of 600 yards.
