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Ed Groves fought behind enemy lines with the First Special Units Force Ed Groves was only 19 years of age when he took part in the strategic battle at Anzio Beach, Italy during World War II. As a soldier in the highly trained First Special Units Force, he spent many nights infiltrating the German lines. Referred to as the Black Devils by the German forces, because their faces were painted with black shoe polish, the Force spearheaded the drive to Rome and became the first allied troops to arrive in that city. Ayear and a half earlier Ed had been liv- ing in Toronto. He had finished school, and was working odd jobs when he made the de- cision to enlist. “Everyone was joining the army,” he recalled in a recent interview with Focus On Scugog. After enlisting in the Canadian Army, Ed went through his basic training in Toronto and North Bay before joining the ‘battery’ in Cape Breton. Here he was being trained to shoot anti-aircraft guns. Then by chance he had an opportunity to join the First Special Service Force sta- tioned in Vermont, U.S.A. The First Special Service Force consist- ed of acombined force of 900 Canadian and 900 US soldiers with special training, under the command of the American 5th Army. He smiles when he recalls that shortly after arriving, he was loaded into a DC3 and told to jump. It was quite an experience for a young man who had never set foot in an airplane before, and had been given no prior training in parachute jumping. After a couple of months in Vermont, the troops were shipped off to North Africa and then to Italy, where they spent more than a year fighting the German troops. Fighting in the rugged and mountainous terrain, Ed and his comrades were constant- ly under fire and took many casualties. The unit lost more than 400 men and another 1,800 were injured during the fighting. Following the successful battle of Anzio Beach to Rome, the troops took part in the invasion of southern France, fighting their way to near the border of Switzerland. After these battles, the outfit broke up, and in January 1945 Ed was among the troops which returned to England, where they would wait for almost a year before being shipped back to Canada. “The worst part of the war was the year waiting in England to come home,” Ed recalls. The troops finally landed in Halifax in mid-January 1946, then boarded a train to the Toronto exhibition grounds, where they were discharged from the army. Back home in Toronto, Ed went to work for his father in a construction company, and later took a job with Canada Packers. He joined Birchcliffe Branch No. 13 of the Royal Canadian Legion in Scarborough during 1946 and has been a member of the Legion every since. In 1972, he joined Port Perry Branch 419 after moving to his new home along 7A Hwy,., near Nestleton. Ed, who is now 82 years-of-age, lives in Port Perry and is proud to say he’s been a member of the Royal Canadian Legion for DOWN O THE MO? EMEME MEMB 60 years, although he says it’s changed a lot because there are very few veterans. Reflecting on Canada’s role in the current war taking place in Afghanistan, he says he has mixed feelings but endorses Canada’s decision to back up the U.S.A. in the war on terrorism. He thinks Canada should be there to do its part, and feels today’s soldiers are far more professional, educated and well trained than during his time. “During World War II, if you could walk, you could be in the army,” he said, due to the necessity for thousands of troops. id with Remembrance Day only days away, Ed plans to be at the service like he has every year since the war. “On Remembrance Day I always put on my Legion uniform. It’s the one day of the year we can remember our comrades and their sacrifice.” he said. By J. Peter Hvidsten 14 FOCUS - NOVEMBER 2006 focus@observerpub.ca