Donald Alexander Mackenzie was born in Kincardine, Ontario on July 9, 1914. After his father’s death, he was raised in Owen Sound by his mother, Marguerette. With a strong family tradition of military service, he joined the 48th Highlanders in 1935. When war broke out, Mackenzie volunteered immediately and served as Transport Officer during the 48th’s early operations in England and France. He later became aide-de-camp to Field Marshal Montgomery and married Louise Oxley in Aldershot, UK, with whom he had a daughter.
In 1944, Mackenzie returned to the 48th Highlanders in Italy, serving as second-in-command before becoming the unit’s youngest commanding officer at age 30. He led the battalion through fierce battles including the Gothic Line and the Lamone River, earning the Distinguished Service Order for bravery.
In April 1945, during Operation CANNONSHOT to liberate Apeldoorn in the Netherlands, Mackenzie was killed by the concussion from enemy artillery fire while moving closer to the lead companies outside the town of Wilp. He was awarded the U.S. Distinguished Service Cross posthumously. Originally buried near the battlefield, he now rests in Holten Canadian War Cemetery. Wilp later named a street, Mackenzieplaats, in his memory.
