The Holy Roller Sherman Tank: London, ON

The Holy Roller is a First Hussars Sherman tank that battled in the European Theatre of the Second World War. It currently serves as a memorial tribute at Victoria Park in London, Ontario.

Dedicated to the First Hussars, the Holy Roller is the only tank from the regiment that completed the entire North-West Europe Campaign ~ from D-Day to VE Day.

Captain Neil ~ "The Holy Roller's Hero" ~ was one of the men who used, maintained, and repaired this storied tank during its time in Europe. A major repair that Captain Neil oversaw was the installation of several track suspension assemblies in 1945 after the Holy Roller was badly damaged by anti-tank fire. This allowed the Holy Roller to continue battling and complete the campaign. Following the end of the war, the Holy Roller was sent to a boneyard. Captain Neil located and retrieved it. He also took part in efforts and arrangements that resulted in the Holly Roller's relocation to Canada.

An article in the May 11, 2006 edition of the London Free Press provided details on the Holy Roller's journey to Canada, and the new logistics building at Wolseley Barracks that was named after Captain Neil for his recovery of 51 stranded tanks from a muddy minefield in early 1945. One of them was the Holy Roller.

The Holy Roller also makes a brief appearance in the video game Call of Duty 3. It can be seen in the following video clip around the 10 second mark: View video »