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Houston, Raymond Drummond

Private

Algonquin Regiment

Royal Canadian Infantry Corps

C103001

Raymond Drummond Houston was born on March 21, 1925 in the town of

Almonte. Ontario. He was the fourth of seven children born to a

bricklayer, James Robert Houston (1889-1933) and Catherine “Kate” M.

Sweeny (1890-1977).

The Houston family consisted of Kathleen (1911-1968), Marjorie (1912-

1983), Mary (1915-1971), Muriel (1922-1968), Edward (1924-1990),

Raymond (1925-1945) and Desmond (1933-2018).

Raymond Houston followed a family military tradition. His father, James,

had belonged to the militia, the 42nd Regiment for eight years, according

to his attestation papers. He enlisted in 1915 with the 130th Battalion of

the Canadian Expeditionary Force in the First World War. James Houston

was promoted to the rank of Corporal. His own brother, Edward Houston,

who was a Sapper in the Canadian Engineers corps, had died of gas in

1918 in the First World War.

In the next generation, Raymond’s older brother, Edward (Eddie), who

was named after that uncle, also served oversin Northwest Europe during

the Second World War with the Royal Canadian Regiment.

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Raymond with brother Eddie.

Raymond completed Grade 7 for his education but left school at age 16.

He worked as a spinner at the Collie woollen mills in Appleton, Ontario; as

a labourer in the coal and wood business and as an operator of equipment

in a wood craft factory.

He had served for a year in the militia with the

Lanark and Renfrew Scottish Regiment. But on

March 5, 1943, he joined the regular Canadian

Army. He stood five foot five inches and

weighed 102 pounds. His military examiner

described him as “a short, slight energetic man

of frank, friendly manner.”

His training in Canada took him to the Cornwall

army depot and Camp Borden, Ontario, and

then to Vancouver and Vernon in British

Columbia. He was finally sent overseas to the

United Kingdom arriving on Dec. 25, 1944.

His service records show that he was deplaned

in Northwest Europe on Feb. 13, 1945. Private

Houston was transferred to the Algonquin

Regiment on March 7 as a reinforcement for the

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infantry unit. Within two days, he died in an accident near Veen in

Germany. (A Canadian newspaper article incorrectly stated he died in

Belgium.)

“On 8 Mar ‘45 at about 2000 hours (10 pm), Pte. Houston and I went to

bed in our dugout. We fell asleep,” stated Private T. L. Hopkins at the

military board of inquiry into the Houston death. The board on March 13

determined that the simultaneous firing of heavy guns nearby caused

reverberations that led to the roof’s collapse onto the two sleeping

soldiers.

“We were awakened by the roof falling in on top of us. I tried to dig for air

and made a small hole. I kept asking Pte. Houston if he could breathe

alright and he said he was having a little air. At about 02.30 hours (2:30

am) 9 Mar ‘45, the guard dug us out,” stated Pte. Hopkins.

But it was too late since Pte. Houston died of suffocation as a result of the

cave-in of the slit trench. Medical officers treated him for an hour but

without avail.

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He was initially buried in a temporary cemetery in Sonsbeck, across the

Dutch-German border.

In 1946, he was re-interred in Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery. His

burial references are Plot IV, Row F, Grave 5.

The inscription on his headstone is:

“May his soul rest in peace”

The Canadian military awarded him posthumously these medals -- the

1939-45 Star, France-Germany Star, War Medal (1939-1945) and

Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with Clasp.

His mother, Kate Houston received the Memorial Cross or Silver Cross

which is given to mothers whose loved ones died on active duty in

wartime.

Life story and photos contributed by Kurt Johnson.

Life story made available for Faces To Graves, with courtesy of Kurt

Johnson.

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Sources:

*Library Archives Canada, WWII Service Files of War Dead, 1939-47

* Veterans Affairs Canada, The Canadian Virtual War Memorial

* Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Casualty file

* “Age shall not weary them…”, Second World War Casualties of Mississippi Mills,

edited by John Souter and Jennifer Yake, Royal Canadian Legion Branch 240

Almonte publication, 2014.

* Auld Kirk Cemetery: Stone Inscriptions. Edited by Gary John Bryon

* WWW.GreatWarProject for searches of Houston family members’ service in

First World War.

Raymond is remembered in Canada at the family headstone.