Gerald Mac Intosh Johnston - World War II and Death

World War II and Death

Shortly after World War II broke out in Europe Johnston returned to Canada and joined the Canadian military. He served in the first battalion of the The Black Watch of Montreal as a private; he later joined the commandos under Lord Louis Mountbatten, and in September 1940 Johnston deployed to England. In 1941, while stationed with his unit in Britain, Johnston landed a role in the film From the Four Corners, which starred Leslie Howard. Johnston played a character based on himself, Private J. Johnston, who was a member of The Black Watch of Canada regiment. The next year the Black Watch of Montreal participated in the disastrous Dieppe Raid on 19 August 1942. Johnston’s status was unknown for months after the battle and he was listed as missing in action, until it was finally reported in December that he had been captured. Johnston, along with thousands of other Canadians captured at Dieppe, was transferred to Stalag II-D Prisoner-of-war camp located near Stargard in the Baltics. On November 5, 1944 Johnston was caught attempting to escape and was shot dead by guards after following their command to raise his hands. In January, 1945 the Sunday Pictorial, published out of London, reported that Johnston’s death occurred during a mass escape of 1,500 Canadian P.O.W’s. Several days later the Toronto Daily Star rebuked this story, calling it pure “fabrication” and the “figment of someone’s imagination.”

Johnston’s remains are buried in the Heverlee War Cemetery in Belgium.