This Remembrance Day, we share a story of a local Newscastle hero, Gunner Maynard A. Clough of the Royal Canadian Artillery who was killed in action in World War 2.
Maynard Clough was 31 years of age and living in Newscastle when he joined the 1st Midland Battalion and volunteered for overseas duty with the Royal Canadian Artillery. He drove one of the first vehicles ashore when France was invaded on “D” Day.
Born on 8 February 1913 in Toronto, Maynard was the son of Arthur and Nellie Clough. He grew up in Newcastle, Clarington, sharing cherished childhood memories with his two sisters and brother. A popular figure in sporting circles in Newcastle and Orono, he was particularly fond of hockey and baseball.
After completing his education, Maynard began working at the Queen’s Hotel in Newcastle and alongside local farmers. Surrounded by the familiar faces and streets of his hometown, he was building a life for himself, finding his place in the community he knew so well and looking towards a future filled with promise and opportunity.
Yet, as the shadow of war spread across Europe, Maynard chose to step forward and serve his beloved country. Driven by a strong sense of duty, he initially joined the 1st Midland Battalion before volunteering for overseas service with the Royal Canadian Artillery. Leaving his home and family behind, he arrived in England on Christmas Eve 1940, preparing for the immense challenges that lay ahead.
As the war continued to claim countless innocent lives, Maynard trained relentlessly for the day he would face the enemy. That day came on 6 June 1944, when the Allied forces launched their long-awaited invasion of Normandy. Attached to Motor Vehicle Transport, R.C.A., Maynard drove one of the first vehicles to land on the Normandy beaches. He was soon caught up in some of the fiercest fighting of the campaign, displaying outstanding bravery and determination as the Allies fought to liberate Nazi-occupied France.
By August 1944, Normandy had become a landscape of relentless combat, where fire, steel and exhaustion defined every advance. Soldiers moved through a shattered French countryside under constant artillery bombardment. Smoke drifted over the ruins of villages, and danger could be hidden in even the smallest hedgerow. Among the men enduring these terrible conditions was Maynard. Sadly, on 13 August 1944, his service came to a tragic end when he was struck and killed by enemy fire. He was only 31 years old, with so much life still ahead of him.
Back in Newcastle, news of his death sent shockwaves through the entire community, leaving those who knew him heartbroken. His siblings lived on, forever haunted by the memory of the brother who never came home, while his parents carried an unbearable grief for the rest of their lives. The world moved on, but for those who knew and loved Maynard, 13 August 1944 remained a day frozen in time—an unbearable reminder of what the war had stolen from them.
His final resting place lies thousands of miles from Ontario, in the hallowed grounds of Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery in Normandy. His parents are buried at Orono Cemetery, in Orono.
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