23/08/2025
Recently, I acquired this Canadian MKII helmet (GSW 1940) because it features the liner’s lugs mounted in reverse. The helmet, however, was actually used by Alexander James McLean, who thoughtfully added the essential details of his enlistment.
There is quite a bit of information online that allows us to reconstruct his story (full source texts are included at the end of the post):
Markings found inside the helmet:
B20035 A.M. – C.F.C. – 11 COY
After a fairly quick search, I discovered that it belonged to Private Alexander James McLean, who enlisted in the Canadian Forestry Corps in 1940 (as indicated by the acronym C.F.C.). He worked as a lumberjack, contributing to the war effort by supplying timber. Later, in 1944, he was urgently transferred to the infantry, joining the Cape Breton Highlanders, R.C.I.C.
On December 13, 1944, he was killed in action during the crossing of the Lamone River, near Ravenna, Italy. Just a month later, his brother Keith also died in the same area. At their mother’s request, the two brothers were buried together in the same grave at the Villanova Canadian War Cemetery (Grave 7B3).
The helmet was later recovered — for reasons unknown — along with a German helmet in Le Havre, in northern France. How and why it ended up there remains a mystery.
McLean Private Alexander James - B20035
Cape Breton Highlanders, R.C.I.C.
Alexander James McLEAN was a dedicated and resilient individual whose life was marked by his commitment to both his family and country. Born on April 29, 1909, in Kenmore, Ontario, near Ottawa, Alexander grew up in a rural, hardworking family. His parents, Alexander and May McLean, had married in Chesterville, Ontario, and raised a large family in Tomstown, Ontario. Alexander was one of several siblings, including brothers Gordon, Norman, Alan, Wallace, and Keith, as well as a sister, Katherine, who served as a lieutenant in the Nursing Service with the 7th Canadian Hospital.
Alexander initially enlisted with the Canadian Forestry Corps (CFC) on August 13, 1940. After advanced training overseas with the CFC in April 1941, he was employed as an Edgerman and Log Canter, working until October 12, 1943, when he returned to Canada. Despite being granted a six-month forestry leave, Alexander stayed only a week before returning, due to a dispute with Selective Service. His Personnel Selection Record from April 18, 1944, reflects his willingness to return to active duty, and he expressed a preference for joining the Royal Canadian Engineers (R.C.E.) to serve alongside his younger brother, Norman, who was stationed overseas with the 14th Field Company, R.C.E. Although he was ultimately unable to join the Engineers due to specific qualification requirements, Alexander remained committed and cooperative, expressing his readiness to serve in the Infantry if necessary.
Alexander’s life was deeply rooted in family values and a strong work ethic. For ten years before his military service, he had lived on his family’s farm, working tirelessly to build a house and stable, paying taxes, and supporting his parents. His mother, May, in a Department of National Defence form dated January 15, 1945, expressed her pride in his hard work on the farm, noting that she and her husband were left without help and not young, with four of their children serving overseas.
Tragically, Alexander’s service overseas was cut short. In the same year, his brother, Keith McLean, a Sapper with the 10th Field Squadron, was killed in action in Italy on January 12, 1945. Alexander himself was later killed, and Colonel C.L. Laurin, Director of Records, informed their mother, Louisa, on January 3, 1946, that both Alexander and Keith had been carefully reburied together in the same grave in Italy. Due to the limited space, it was not possible to bury them side by side, but they were honored with a shared resting place, symbolizing their close bond.
In 1947, a photograph of the brothers’ grave and marker was sent to their mother, a testament to their sacrifice and the profound impact they left on their family. The McLean family’s grief deepened when Louisa May McLean passed away on July 29, 1951, leaving her surviving sons, who had returned to Englehart, Ontario, to continue their legacy.
Alexander and Keith McLean’s shared grave in Italy stands as a poignant reminder of their devotion to duty and the lasting bonds of family. Their story reflects the resilience, sacrifice, and love that characterized the McLean family’s contributions during one of history’s most challenging times.
https://wartimefriends.org/cemeteries/soldiers/mclean-alexander-james
12 January 1945
A Canadian sapper was killed in Italy and would eventually share a grave with his brother.
Keith Mabin McLean was born to Alex and Louise May McLean on 27 November, 1921, in Tomstown Ontario. He was working as a farmer in Temiskaming, ON, when he opted to travel to Toronto to enlist in the Royal Canadian Engineers on 15 October, 1941 (his brother Alan also enlisted in the RCE and served in NW Europe). Spr Kieth McLean arrived in the UK on 19 April 1942 and qualified as Group C Pioneer in February 1943.
He arrived in Italy on 8 November, 1943. Sapper Keith McLean was posted to 10 Field Squadron. His older brother, Private Alexander J McLean, Canadian Forestry Corps, arrived in Italy nine months later as a Group C Forester (edgerman/log canter) assigned to the Log Centre of the West Nova Scotia Regiment. Keith and Alexander would serve together in the 5th Division.
By September, 1944, it was apparent that both the 1st and 5th Divisions were not going to be reinforced in any significant way, as the vast majority of replacement troops in Canada and the UK were being sent to north-west Europe. The Canadian commanders in Italy became desperate to replace the wounded and the dead, of the combat units, with any soldiers who could be quickly taught some basic infantry skills. Those replacements came from the support trades. On 16 September, Private Alexander McLean, the Group C Forester, was posted to the Cape Breton Highlanders to be employed as an infantryman and was killed in action on 13 December 1944, during the Lamone River Crossing. Alexander had a ‘direct burial’ in a cemetery that would become known as the Villanova Canadian War Cemetery.
In January, 1945, the 5th Division was attacking the Germans north of Ravenna on the Adriatic coast. Sapper Keith Mabin McLean was killed in action on 12 January, near Conventello-Commachio. He was buried in the Ravenna War Cemetery. In July his mother requested that his body be moved to Villanova for burial with his brother Alex. In December, Keith's body was exhumed and transported south to the Villanova Canadian War Cemetery. Sapper Keith McLean and his brother Private Alexander McLean share grave 7B3.
Lest we Forget
Post di Gary Silliker
