Former Mayor of West Carleton Township Roly Armitage has sadly passed away at the age of 99. He died surrounded by his beloved family on Wednesday 19th June 2024. Councillor Clarke Kelly confirmed the news of Roly passing through a post that reads “It is with great sadness that I learned of the passing of a West Carleton institution, Dr. Roland Armitage.” The circumstances surrounding the actual cause of Roly Armitage’s death has not been released.
Roly Armitage Birth and Early Life
Roly Armitage was born on February 8, 1925, in South March, Ontario, in the Ottawa area. He was raised on a farm, where he grew up alongside many brothers and sisters. His father was a veteran of the Great War, having seen action at Ypres. During the war, Roly’s father was gassed and while recovering in England, he met a young Red Cross nurse who would later become his wife. After the war, Roly’s parents returned to Canada with his older brother, and they began their life together in a log cabin on a farm outside Ottawa.
Growing up in the rustic conditions of the Ottawa Valley, Roly attended a one-room schoolhouse and enjoyed the bucolic life on the farm. He was the third of the brothers. When World War II broke out, Roly’s two eldest brothers enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). Inspired by their example, the teenage Roly was eager to join the war effort and left school to enlist at just 15, lying about his age. His father advised him to join the artillery, but young Roly had heard stories about the paratroopers and wanted to try that.
Roly Armitage Career
Roly traveled to Fort Benning, Georgia, to train with the paratroopers. However, his true age was soon discovered, and he was sent back to Canada to join the artillery. During this period, Roly trained to be a motorcycle despatch rider. When the opportunity to go overseas arose, he eagerly seized it. Stationed in England for about a year before heading to France, Roly experienced the intense V-1 rocket attacks on London and found time to engage in sports when off duty.
In June 1944, the D-Day invasion occurred on the 6th, and Roly, along with his artillery unit (3rd Medium Regiment, 5th Battery), landed in France on D+10. He was immediately thrust into battle as Canadian forces fought through Caen and Carpiquet, pushing along the coast to liberate the Channel Ports. Roly saw fierce combat during the Battle of the Scheldt, where the port of Antwerp was captured, and he continued to fight as Canadian forces liberated the Netherlands.
