Corporal M. Davidson, New Westminster and Pte. J. F. Butler, Vancouver handle a daylight signalling lamp in the field during training in Britain, 5 December, 1942. Also noted as P00086. K67348 Pte. I.F. BUTLER served in the Seaforths from 24 July 1942 to 19 August 1943 K52798 Sgt. MacPherson DAVIDSON served in the Seaforths from 28.September 1939 to 2l.July 1943 when he was wounded in Sicily. p.165: Modica itself presented few problems as is illustrated by a story told about its capture actually one of several such stories. A short distance beyond the roadblock mentioned above on Highway the Seaforths struck off to the right to take up a position northeast of the town while the Patricias attacked it from the west. Cpl. M. Davidson of the Signal Platoon, coming up in the rear, did not realize the unit had moved off the highway. He was trying to catch up with it and sped along the road to Modica. He pulled up outside the town for directly in front of him was a delegation of civilian and military officials including the town mayor. These gentlemen, seeking to avoid further destruction and deaths in the town, wanted the corporal to accept the town's surrender. After some discussion one of the officials agreed to ride with Davidson on the pillion of his motorcycle and both set off to find Lt-Col. Hoffmeister. The Commanding Officer passed the word on to brigade headquarters but the action which was taken ultimately had nothing to do with the Seaforths. (W. D., Seaforth Highlanders of Canada, 12 July 1943) p. 178 During the afternoon the brigadier decided to launch the Seaforths against Leonforte under the cover of a strong artillery bombardment and additional covering fire from the Edmontons. Lt-Col. Hoffmeister called an "0" Group of his company commander which met in a farmyard about 1530 hours. Some of the officers stood " ... on a pad of concrete-like surface which every Sicilian farm seemed to have and which was built and used for the purpose of thrashing grain thereon by driving mules in a circle over it." The group was just breaking up when tragedy struck. Two shells landed at the edge of the concrete pad, quickly followed by two more. A British and a Canadian artillery officer who were nearby ran to their wireless sets to order a "cease fire" as it was felt that an earlier fire correction order was misinterpreted at the gun site. However, the damage had been done, and the scene at the time is described as follows by the unit's second-in-command: The concussion sat us (Lt-Col. Hoffmeister and Major Forin) both down on our "pratts" and our immediate reaction then was for me to roll down the bank and high-tail it into the sunken roadway .... I told the Company which was coming down into the sunken roadway from its position up the hill preparatory to forming up for the assault on Leonforte to go back to its position, and then, having been assured by the Arty. Major that the artillery fire had been suspended for the time being I went back to the pad. The shells bursting in the farmyard had struck the battalion hard. Captain D. H. Strain,36 the Adjutant, was killed instantly. Lt. Budd, the Pioneer Officer, was mortally wounded and died within minutes of the Medical Officer reaching him. Captain F. W. I. Merritt was badly wounded as was Cpl. M. Davidson. Cpl. G. J. Carmichael and Pte. T. F. Simpson, both signallers, were killed and others nearby, including Lt. J. C. M. Scott, were wounded. Hoffmeister ordered Forin to contact the Brigade Major, and as a consequence when Brigadier Vokes came up he ordered the Edmonton Regiment to take over the main assault with the Seaforths in a secondary role.