Lieutenant Colonel Jevon Albert "Jeff" Nicklin

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(December 10, 1914 − March 24, 1945) was a

Canadian Army The Canadian Army () is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also re ...

officer and

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player. He fought during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and was one of the first Canadians to jump on

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

, 6 June 1944, and led the

1st Canadian Parachute Battalion The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion was an airborne infantry battalion of the Canadian Army formed in July 1942 during the Second World War; it served in North West Europe, landing in Normandy during Operation Tonga, in conjunction with the D ...

in the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...

and later when it jumped into German territory in Operation Varsity during the final stages of the war in March 1945. Nicklin was

killed in action Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United States Department of Defense, for example, ...

during the operation.

Football career

The native of

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

was born in 1914, the son of Percy Harold Nicklin and Eva Louise Nicklin. He played

Canadian football Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field long and wide, attempting to advance a Ball (gridiron football), pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposi ...

as a

back The human back, also called the dorsum (: dorsa), is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck. It is the surface of the body opposite from the chest and the abdomen. The vertebral c ...

with the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play thei ...

from 1934 to 1940. In 1935, Winnipeg became the first Western team to capture the

Grey Cup The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...

. While Nicklin was there, the club advanced to the Grey Cup twice more in

1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Feb ...

and

1938 Events January * January 1 – state-owned enterprise, State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France (SNCF) and the Netherlands (Nederlandse Spoorwegen – NS). * January 20 – King Farouk of Egypt marries Saf ...

, before losing in the finals.Jeff Nicklin; Athlete/Football; Inducted 2004
, Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame, retrieved August 22, 2010. In 1939, Winnipeg returned to capture the

27th Grey Cup The 27th Grey Cup was played on December 9, 1939, before 11,738 fans at Lansdowne Park at Ottawa. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers defeated the Ottawa Rough Riders 8–7. The weekend of the match saw very low temperatures so the night before the game th ...

by defeating the

Ottawa Rough Riders The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded on September 19, 1876. Formerly one of the oldest and longest-lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup cham ...

.Lt.-Col. Jeff Nicklin, Rugby Star, OC Paratroops Unit, Killed by Huns
''Ottawa Citizen'', March 28, 1945. Nicklin received Western all-star honours as an end in 1937 and 1938, and as

flying wing A flying wing is a tailless fixed-wing aircraft that has no definite fuselage, with its crew, payload, fuel, and equipment housed inside the main wing structure. A flying wing may have various small protuberances such as pods, nacelles, blis ...

in 1939. He also played in the ''Tea Bowl'' for the Canadian Army football team against American Army team at White City Stadium on February 13, 1944 in London, England (the Canadians won 16-6, and Nicklin scored the final touchdown).

Military service

Nicklin served in the

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

(1939−1945), and, after enlisting in the

Royal Winnipeg Rifles The Royal Winnipeg Rifles (R Wpg Rif) are a Primary Reserve one-battalion infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. Nicknamed the "Little Black Devils", they are based at Minto Armoury in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Royal Winnipeg Rifles are part of 3r ...

of the

in the summer of 1940, he worked his way up through the ranks from

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

and later was commissioned as an officer. In 1941, he deployed to Europe. James Hill A179678-v6

Nicklin received parachute training in the United States at

Fort Benning Fort Benning (named Fort Moore from 2023–2025) is a United States Army post in the Columbus, Georgia area. Located on Georgia's border with Alabama, Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve compone ...

, Georgia, and then returned to Canada to establish the country's first parachute unit at Camp Shilo, Manitoba. He became the

Commanding Officer The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...

(CO) of the

, then serving as part of the 3rd Parachute Brigade of the

British 6th Airborne Division The 6th Airborne Division was an airborne infantry division of the British Army during the Second World War. Despite its name, the 6th was actually the second of two airborne divisions raised by the British Army during the war, the other bein ...

, just before November 1, 1944 and was promoted to lieutenant colonel on November 10, 1944. Nicklin was one of the first Canadians to jump on

in June 1944 and later one of the first to jump into Germany. 6thairbornedivisionofficers

On D-Day, June 6, 1944, he landed in the midst of a German position at

Varaville Varaville () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. It gives its name to the Battle of Varaville, which was fought in 1057. Population See also *Communes of the Calvados department The fo ...

. His parachute was ensnared on a rooftop, and he received fire from German soldiers before he cut himself free and took cover. He eventually rejoined his unit, and was later wounded by shrapnel. He was killed in action on March 24, 1945. During an airborne assault across the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

northwest of

Wesel Wesel () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel (district), Wesel district. Geography Wesel is situated at the confluence of the Lippe River and the Rhine. Division of the city Suburbs of Wesel i ...

as part of Operation Varsity, Nicklin's parachute became tangled in a tall tree, and as he attempted to free himself, he was shot and killed by German soldiers.Helpless After 'Chute Leap, Jeff Nicklin Slain By Foe
''Toronto Daily Star'', March 31, 1945. He is now buried in

Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery and Memorial ( French:''Le Cimetière de Guerre Canadien Groesbeek'', Dutch:''Canadese Oorlogsbegraafplaats Groesbeek'') is a Second World War Commonwealth War Graves Commission military war grave cemetery, locat ...

. He left a widow, Mary Eileen Nicklin, in

Port Credit, Ontario Port Credit is a neighbourhood in the south-central part of the City of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, located at the mouth of the Credit River on the north shore of Lake Ontario. Its main intersection is Hurontario Street and Lakeshore Road, ...

. On July 12, 1945 it was announced that he had been appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in North-West Europe (to be dated the 30th June, 1945)". The original recommendation for the honour describes how he was able to "rectify certain aspects of the Battalion's life which were not satisfactory" and credited him with "the smooth working and unparalleled success which has met the inclusion of a Canadian Battalion in a British Brigade", the recommendation concludes, "throughout the present campaign his example of courageous leadership has been an example to all who have come into contact with him."

Legacy

* The

Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy The Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy is a trophy awarded to the Canadian Football League West Division's most outstanding player, chosen from the nominees from each team in the division. Either this trophy winner or the winner of the Terry Evanshen Tr ...

for the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

West Division's most valuable player is named in his honour.Jeff Nicklin: Hero of the Gridiron and the Battlefield
CPAC, June 4, 2007. Nicklin was inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. Sportswriter

Vince Leah Vincent Leah (November 29, 1913August 9, 1993) was a Canadian journalist, writer and sports administrator. He wrote for '' The Winnipeg Tribune'' from 1930 to 1980, and was credited with giving the Winnipeg Blue Bombers their team's name. He e ...

placed Nicklin atop his list of all-time greatest Winnipeg players in ''A History of the Blue Bombers''. * A documentary film about Nicklin, ''Jeff Nicklin: Hero of the Gridiron and the Battlefield'', has been produced by

the War Amps The War Amps is a Canadian registered nonprofit organization, established in 1918 with the purpose of assisting veteran amputees. Initially founded to serve war veterans with financial and advisory supports, the non-profit has since expanded thei ...

of Canada. * Nicklin's story and that of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion during Operation Varsity was featured in the episode "Across the Rhine - Paratroopers in Germany" of Season 1 of the documentary series ''War Story''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicklin, Jeff 1914 births 1945 deaths Canadian football people from Winnipeg Players of Canadian football from Manitoba Winnipeg Blue Bombers players Canadian military personnel killed in World War II Canadian Officers of the Order of the British Empire Canadian Army personnel of World War II Deaths by firearm in Germany Royal Winnipeg Rifles officers Royal Winnipeg Rifles soldiers Military personnel from Winnipeg 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion