Michael Zell

Michael Zell was born in Drumheller, Alberta on May 21, 1914. He was the oldest of four brothers. The others were Bill, John and Fred Zell. Mike married his wife, Mary Holodryga, in 1938. Mike and his family were living in Calgary when he enlisted during the Second World War. He was about 30 years old at the time and had two small sons, Michael and Peter. He served from 1944-1946. There is not much information about his military history, though the family has a photo of him in a military uniform and patches from the Royal Regina Rifles and the Royal Canadian Hussars.

Like many veterans, Mike did not talk about his experiences in the military, though he did tell the family that he was in Holland at the time the dikes were destroyed, flooding the fields. Dykes in the Netherlands were destroyed at various times during World War II, primarily in October 1944 by Allied forces and in April 1945 by retreating German forces. As part of the Battle of the Scheldt to open the port of Antwerp, the Allies deliberately bombed the dikes of Walcheren Island to flood German defenses. Then in the final weeks of the war, the retreating German army blew up the dike of the Wieringermeerpolder to hinder the Allied advance. This inundation occurred just weeks before the German surrender in the Netherlands on May 5.

The Regina Rifles Regiment, Mike’s regiment, fought in the Netherlands as part of the Battle of the Scheldt in the fall of 1944. They were involved in heavy fighting around the Leopold Canal, which was part of the German defensive line, in early October 1944. Mike told a story of how cold he was in Holland, because he was so wet all the time from the flooding. His wife Mary sent him a whiskey bottle hidden inside a Kleenex box. He said that the whiskey was what saved him.

He needed saving, because he also told a story of when he was working to lay radio communication lines. He was almost caught by two German soldiers who passed on the other side of a row of bushes from where Mike was hiding. This incident must have occurred in 1944, during the Battle of the Scheldt, when there was still heavy fighting with the Germans.

The Regina Rifles returned to the Netherlands in early April 1945 as part of the final liberation push, advancing through towns like Deventer before the German surrender in May 1945. It is interesting to note that the regiment which later became the Royal Canadian Hussars, then the 8th Princess Louise's (New Brunswick) Hussars, moved from Italy to Northwest Europe in February 1945. They were also actively involved in the final stages of the war in the Netherlands and were instrumental in the liberation of towns like Putten in mid-April 1945. One wonders if this was the time Mike acquired the Hussars patch. One can imagine soldiers from different regiments swopping patches to remember the end of hostilities.

Michael must have worried at time whether he would return, because at some point, he mailed back the Bulova watch that his wife had given him. It has been kept by the family it in fine working order. The separation had been hard on his wife and family too, but because Mary knew someone at CP Rail, she was given the arrival time when the soldiers were going to be back home. She got her two sons, ages 4 and 6 at the time, up at 4 a.m., dressed in their matching outfits. Imagine the surprise on Michael’s face when he saw the three of them waiting for him on the platform. 

The family continued to grow after the war ended. Denise was born in February, 1948. She was named after a little girl whose family lived in Belgium and billeted Mike while he was in Belgium. Teresa was born in May, 1954 and Elissa in September, 1957, both at the Willett hospital in Paris.

The youngest two daughters were born in Paris, because the family had moved to Paris in 1950 and lived at 34 Banfield Street for 53 years. Mike was the manager at the former Muttart Builders Supply for 40 years. Both Michael and Mary belonged to Lions Club and St. Paul’s United Church. Michael was also a member of the Board of Trade and a proud Mason. Upon his retirement he was chair of the Christmas Hampers program. Mike passed away in August, 1990, and Mary followed in November, 2003. The family sold the house on Banfield Street after Mary passed, but they still have memories of holidays, birthdays and other occasions with five Zell children, their spouses, 10 grandchildren and many, many grandchildren.