The Leaside Memorial Gardens Honour Roll commemorates young Leaside men who gave their lives during WWII. Since then, many other young Leasiders have gone to war. One of them was Ronald Campbell (1929-1952). Ronald fought in the Korean War, and like many Canadians who went to war, he never came home. His story is a tragic one – and a forgotten one – as his death went unreported in the Toronto newspapers. But it’s a story that deserves to be told, especially as Remembrance Day approaches.
A Leaside lad
Ronald Campbell was born and raised in Leaside. He lived on Airdrie Rd. (#115 and later #237) and was one of at least nine children. His father worked at nearby Canada Wire and Cable as a rubber worker. Two of his brothers served in WWII, one of whom – Robert – was wounded. In 1946, Ronald left school to work as a telegraph delivery boy and was later employed by the Sangamo Electric Co. at Laird and Eglinton.
On April 14, 1948, at the age of 18, he enlisted in the Canadian Army. According to Professor Andrew Burtch of the Canadian War Museum, who has studied his military record, Ronald joined the army because he liked the outdoors and believed he would benefit from the rigour and discipline of military life. He may also have been motivated by the example of his two older brothers.
Upon joining, he was assigned to the 1st Battalion of the famed Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI). Three years later, in 1951, he re-enlisted in Calgary and was promoted to corporal. At the time, the Korean War had been raging for over a year and Canada was deeply involved. That October, Campbell and others in his regiment were sent to Korea as
part of the United Nations peacekeeping mission to stop communist aggression in South Korea.
Korea
Corporal Campbell undoubtedly saw action while in Korea – especially around Hill 355, 40km north of Seoul. This was the scene of intense bombardment and violent assaults from Chinese forces in November 1951 and again in late October 1952. In the first 10 minutes of the October assault, it’s estimated that Chinese artillery fired 1,000 shells on Canadian advance positions.1 In both battles, the PPCLI along with the Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR) held or retook their positions, but they sustained heavy losses, totalling over 120 casualties. In short, Ronald Campbell’s battalion witnessed some of the bloodiest fighting experienced by Canadians in the war.
Death
What happened next is both sad and mysterious. One week after the October assault, Campbell was with some fellow soldiers away from the front lines. Their tour in Korea was nearing completion, and they were scheduled to go home. While they were drinking beer in celebration, an argument occurred between another soldier and him over their various war experiences. During the argument, Campbell angrily declared: “I’ve seen people dead and people running around picking up different parts of their bodies”– a probable reference to Hill 355.2 Campbell left the group soon after this outburst. Hours later – on October 31, 1952 – shots were heard, and his dead body was found. A Court of Inquiry ruled that he had killed himself, “probably while of unsound mind.”3
His suicide seems strange considering that he was soon to leave Korea. But given his battalion’s recent battle experiences and what we now know of post traumatic stress disorder, it’s likely that Campbell did indeed take his own life – one of eight Canadian soldiers to do so during the war. Alcohol may also have played a role.
In Memoriam
Ronald Campbell lies buried in the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan, South Korea, along with the 377 other Canadians. In addition, his name is among the those of 516 Canadian solders inscribed on the Korean War Monument in Ottawa. Closer to home, his name appears on a bronze plaque on the Korean War Memorial Wall at Meadowvale Cemetery in Brampton, Ont.
This Remembrance Day, let us remember this overlooked Leaside soldier and the thousands of Canadians like him who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Note: The author would like to thank Andrew Burtch, historian at the Canadian War Museum and adjunct professor at Carleton University, for providing vital information for this article.
1[G.R. Stevens, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry: 1919-1957, Vol. 3, page 350].
2[Oct. 12, 2023, email from Prof. Burtch].
3[Oct. 12, 2023, email from Prof. Burtch].
