James Albert McAlpine enlisted in Hamilton with the 4/10th Dragoons on 28 June 1942. He gave his date of birth as 17 January 1921 in Caledonia, Ontario and his next of kin as his mother, Mrs. Emily McAlpine. He was given the service number B41871.
He trained in Ontario and on 13 March 1943 was qualified Driver Class III (Motorcycle). He went by train to Nova Scotia, transferred to the 1st Battalion, Algonquin Regiment and embarked for overseas on 14 December 1943, disembarking in the UK on the 21st. In the UK he was placed on the 48th Highlanders X-4 list (soldiers ready for reinforcement) and embarked on 14 February 1944 for Italy where he joined the 1st Battalion, 48th Highlanders of Canada on 28 March.
At that time the battalion was in the Arielli River area on the Adriatic, probing the Gothic line with fighting patrols to determine the German positions and strength. They pulled out in late April, sent to Campobasso for training with the Suffolks (British Tank regiment). In the 1st week of April, having just been issued summer uniforms, they and the entire Division, moved across Italy to a position south of the Liri Valley. The Division prepared to advance up the Liri to assault the vaunted Hitler Line defences near Monte Cassino, about 80km south of Rome. On 17 May the advance up the Liri Valley began. Following success, and with the Germans retreating to the Hitler Line, the 48th Highlanders were ordered to assault the Hitler Line, alone as a single battalion, without support. They were to be a diversion as the Division prepared their main assault to the east at the Melo River. On 22 May the 48th breached the Hitler line and for two days fought inside the Line, creating a beachhead large enough for the rest of the Brigade to pass through and complete the total breaching of the Hitler line. It was on the second day, 23 May that Pte James McAlpine was killed.
” The steady bravery of Privates A. Bannister, Dalton Carey, J. Clark, Forbes-Hay, J. Little, R. Miller, A. McAlpine, Ken Massey and L.S. Reed was lauded.” Dileas page 530
This page is supported by a donation from his niece – Betsy McBurney.
