HOSICK, GEORGE
George Hosick was born May 22, 1919 in Dunchurch, the son of John Henry and Mary Rebecca (Cooper) Hosick.
George Hosick
George Hosick
George enlisted in 1942 and remained in the service through the rest of the war.
He was in the in the 19th Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery, Gunner.
George participated in the D Day landing and continued with the 19th through Belgium and Holland.
George Hosick’s story is presented by John in his book “Now and Then, More Footnotes to Parry Sound History, pages 132 and 133. George was a bombardier in the 19th Field Regiment which landed On D-Day the 19th were deployed in a self-propelled mounted with a 105 mm gun.
The 19th Canadian Army Field Regiment (Self Propelled) Royal Canadian Artillery (RCA) was a Field Artillery regiment in the Canadian Armed Forces during the Second World War. They saw action in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, before ending the war in Germany. On D-Day, at Juno Beach, the 19th was attached to the 8th brigade. Together with the 12th, 13th, and 14th Field Regiments they were involved bringing a total of 96 M7 Priest guns into action .
An M7 Priest Self-Propelled Gun
Specifically, the 19th was part of the 14th Canadian Field Regiment Artillery Group led by Lt.-Col. H.S. Griffin with each regiment firing towards the beaches from four Landing Craft towards their target of Nan Red beach. The 19th ended D-Day in positions just outside St. Aubin-sur-Mer with them being called for close fire support multiple times throughout the day as German tanks and infantry counterattacked the positions gained by Canadian infantry. With night falling over northern France and the Allied beachhead secured the 19th had three soldiers killed and another 18 wounded in the first 24 hours of Operation Overlord.
'25 pounder' used by the Canadian Artillery
As part of the 1st Canadian Army, the 19th Field Regiment of which George Hosick was a part continued the breakout from the beaches of Normandy through the Falaise Gap and the drive up the channel Coast. Next came the push through Belgium to the Scheldt, Netherlands ‘liberation’, and the battle of the Rhineland.
Engagements by the 19th included: Operation Overlord; Normandy Landing; Operation Windsor; Battle for Caen; Battle of Mesnil-Patry; Operation Charnwood; Operation Atlantic; Operation Goodwood; Operation Totalize; Operation Tractable; and, Falaise Pocket.
During these campaigns the Canadian Artillary executed hundreds of barrages. They concentrated their fire on enemy targets. Hundreds of guns from different regiments could fire on one location.
By mid-April 1945, the 1st Canadian Army had driven the Germans from Holland.
George, like many other Canadian soldiers was indeed bothered by what they saw and experienced, in particular the hardship of war on the children. While in Holland, George befriended a little girl and gave her food. Years later as part of one of commemorative services in Holland, George and his wife Dorothy went back to Europe and while in Holland met the little girl who was now an adult.
