[1] The 10th Canadian Infantry Brigade was tasked to cross the Ghent Canal about five kilometers south of Bruges at the small village of Oostkamp in early September 1944.

Two batteries of the 15th Field Regiment, RCA were placed in support but due to the rapid advance of the allied armies, supply lines were hundreds of miles long and not much ammunition was available for the guns.

Major Mackenzie was wounded and "D" Company was driven back to the canal by German counter-attacks.

The 9 September 1944 would see The Lincoln and Welland Regiment cross the canal and take up a position on the right flank of the Argylls.

Ignoring both the wound of the morning and the one he had just received Cpl Alexander rallied his section, seized a Bren gun and propping himself against a wall, stood-up fully exposed to fire and the enemy and to cover the movement of a party of his men, which had become detached from the remainder."

Company Sergeant Major George Mitchell deserves much credit for holding the defence together.

Lance Corporal Lorne A. Webb and Private Arthur Bridge held their position in an upstairs window and returned fire with their Bren gun despite German machine gun and 20 mm cannon fire directed at them, some of which passed through the window opening but missed hitting them.

Because of the incessant German shelling and mortaring of the crossing site, the engineers found it impossible to construct a Bailey bridge so supplies and ammunition had to be ferried across the canal in boats.

Slowly, more artillery ammunition was finding its way forward to the Canadian guns and supporting fire increased.

At 14:00, "A" Company and the Scout Platoon were recalled from their diversionary task and moved to a supporting position on the friendly side of the crossing.

At 19:00, the Germans blanketed both sides of the crossing with a hail storm of mortar fire as a prelude to their final counter-attack.

However, by midnight, Canadian counter battery fire finally suppressed the German shelling of the bridge site.

German shelling and mortaring would continue sporadically all day but ownership of the crossing site was no longer an issue.