The invasion force of over 3,000 Allied troopships, landing craft and warships arrived in secrecy off the coast of the island of Sicily. On July 10, 1943 British forces, including units of the Canadian Army, landed ashore and quickly moved inland with little enemy resistance. The only information about Peter’s experiences during his time in Italy are in the records from his file in Ottawa. This file is a list of dates and facts about administrative items that the army noted for their records. What was it like for the soldiers in Italy? Most soldiers did not talk or write about their experiences because they did not want to worry their families. One Canadian writer, Farley Mowat, served with the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment in World War II in the Italian campaign alongside the 'Loyal Eddies'.  He wrote a personal account of the landing in his book, And No Birds Sang (#2. page 74):

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Then the waning night was ripped asunder by such an eruption of sound and fury as might have marked the world’s beginning…or its end.

 

HMCS Roberts had triggered the opening of the naval barrage with a full broadside. Four incandescent spheres burst from her suddenly revealed grey bulk – four suns, rising with the speed of thought, that seemed to ignite the whole arc of the southern horizon in flickering red and yellow lightning as squadron after squadron of warships opened fire. It took perhaps three seconds for the sound to hit us and then we were cowering below the gunwales, hands over ears, as cataclysmic thunder overwhelmed our world.

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Later he writes (#2. page 76):

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Revolver in hand, Tommy gun slung over my shoulder, web equipment bulging with grenades and ammo, tin hat pulled firmly down around my ears, I sprinted to the edge of the ramp shouting, “Follow me men!” and leapt off into eight feet of water.

 

Weighted as I was, I went down like a stone, striking the bottom feet-first. So astounded was I by this unexpected descent into the depths that I made no attempt to thrash my way back to the surface. I simply walked straight on until my head emerged.

 

The landing is described by Cynthia Faryon in her book, Unsung Heroes of the Canadian Army. (#1. page 55)

       

Surging ahead on the left side of the beach is the 2nd Infantry Brigade, including the Loyal Edmonton Regiment. By 8 am, tanks, Bren-gun carriers and trucks are rolling north as the air force circles above. After landing more or less uneventfully on the beach, the Canadians travel for about five days before encountering German fire just outside the village of Grammichele. Once inland, the Canadian troops are at a disadvantage. The retreating Italian and German armies have already been over the ground and are familiar with the area. At first, they leave in a hurry, and the invading troops make good time. Later, closer to the Gustav and Hitler Lines, the Germans shell roads behind them, destroying the bridges, and burning the crops. Fresh water becomes a luxury to the advancing army, and supplementing their rations with fresh produce becomes difficult.

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Farley Mowat continues his description of the invasion (#2. page 86):

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As the sun rose high, the winding tracks became smoking arteries sending up dusty projections of themselves into the still air. The dust rose so thickly it was almost as if we were physically thrusting against its pall. It gathered on sweating faces where it hardened into a cracking crust. Our feet sank into it, as if into a tenuous slime. The heat was brutal – and there was no water. The sun became an implacable enemy and our steel helmets became brain furnaces. The weight of our personal equipment together with weapons and extra ammunition, became almost intolerable.

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Peter served with the 'Loyal Eddies' throughout the difficult fighting in the mountains and narrow valleys of Sicily. Canadian forces then crossed over to the Italian mainland to continue to push the Germans north from June 28, 1943 until February 1945. The actions in the summer and fall of 1943 involved many units of the British Eighth Army including the “Loyal Eddies”. One famous series of attacks took place in the Moro River Valley including the capture of the town of Ortona in December, 1943. The Loyal Edmonton Regiment was a major part of the Canadian Army efforts in the Ortona battle. Peter Macaulay would have treated many of the casualties during this battle. Canadian forces were able to fight their way through the city and force the Germans to retreat further north. British and Canadian forces continued to push the Germans north throughout the next year.

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Wikipedia describes how the Canadian government recognized the significance of the battle for Ortona:

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In November 2000, the Government of Canada erected a plaque at the Piazza Plebiscito in Ortona, in recognition of the battle as a National Historic Event of Canada that “symbolized the efforts of the Canadian Army in the Italian Campaign in World War II”. The plaque reads: “In early December, 1943 the 1st Canadian Infantry Division and First Canadian Armoured Brigade began their most savage battle of the Italian campaign. In the mud and rain, troops attacked from the Moro River to Ortona. Then, from house to house and room to room there raged a ferocious battle against resolute German defenders. With extraordinary courage the Canadians prevailed, and just after Christmas finally secured the town”.

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Battle for Ortona National Historic Event of Canada Parks Canada. 15 November 2000. (Wikipedia)

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Farley Mowat describes the situation as Canadians moved North along the Adriatic coast. (#2. page 168):

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By noon next day we had struggled eighteen miles into the heart of the high mountains and, at an altitude of five thousand feet, found ourselves in a world which by contrast with Sicily seemed incredible. Gone were the skeletal olive trees and cactus, replaced by thick, leafy trees of chestnut, oak and beech. Gone too were the heat and drought. During the next few days, it rained steadily and massively. It was so wet that fires could hardly be persuaded to burn and we huddled in our thin tropical clothing under dripping trees and shivered through bitter nights.

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Later Mowat describes the situation in northern Italy in 1944 (#2. page 170):

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Although the Germans did not at first oppose us in the flesh, they had done as thorough a job of demolition as has been seen in modern warfare. Not a bridge along the few snake-gutted highways, byways and even mountain tracks remained undestroyed. There was hardly a culvert or overhanging cliff that had not been demolished to form an obstacle. And everywhere – along the road verges, at blown bridges, in the exits from roads and tracks, even in the few level fields where vehicles could be dispersed and men could camp – were mines, mines and more mines.

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Peter was reported wounded on September 18, 1944 but remained on duty despite his injuries. He was awarded the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and was promoted to Corporal as a result of his actions. The fighting was very intense at this time as the Germans resisted the efforts of the attacking Canadians. Many Canadians were killed and wounded during the dangerous and intense fighting as allied forces moved up the east coast of Italy.

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We have a copy of a letter sent by Peter to his mother, dated Dec. 2, 1944. In this letter he describes a visit to Vatican City where he purchased a rosary that he sent home to his mother. He must have been on leave at that time and visited Rome after it was liberated from German occupation. He also mentions that he recently returned from a stay in hospital. The records note that Peter had several bouts of malaria while he was in Italy so this could have been the reason that he was in hospital. He notes in his letter that mail delivery was often slow but a pile of letters arrived while he was in hospital.

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Peter Macaulay was one of the casualties during the series of attacks in late December, 1944. We don’t know the details of how he was killed but Canadian forces were exerting pressure on the Germans throughout the month of December. There were a series of battles fought to gain control of river crossings, bridges, mountains and ridges, and many small towns. Front line medical personal worked closely with the infantry forces. They would be responsible for treating casualties, stabilizing the soldiers and transporting them for further treatment to secure areas behind the battlelines. Often these medical units would be hit by German artillery barrages as they worked to support the wounded.