Gerald MacIntosh Johnston

Actor Gerald MacIntosh Johnston (190?-5 November 1944), known professionally as Gerald Kent, was a Canadian Broadway stage and film actor who was captured at the Dieppe Raid during the Second World War and died in a German POW camp.

Contents 1 Stage and film career 2 Dieppe raid and imprisonment 3 Stage performances 4 References 5 Links

Stage and film career

Gerald MacIntosh Johnston was born in 1903 or 1904 to James Macintosh Johnston and Clare Maud.^[1] Johnston’s family relocated to New York City and in the 1920s he became a professional stage actor. He took up the stage name Gerald Kent and appeared in numerous Broadway plays, including The Royal Family and That's Gratitude. When World War II began he joined the Canadian military and served in the first battalion of the The Black Watch of Montreal as a private; he later joined the commandos under Lord Louis Mountbatten,^[1][2] and in September 1940 Johnston deployed to England.^[3] 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.^[2][4]

Dieppe raid and imprisonment

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.^[5] Johnston, along with thousands of other Canadians captured at Dieppe, was transferred 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.^{[2][6] [7]} 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.^[8] Several days later the Toronto Daily Star rebuked this story, calling it pure “fabrication” and the “figment of someone’s imagination.” ^[9]

Johnston’s remains are buried in the Heverlee War Cemetery in Belgium.^[1]

Stage performances

• December–November 1936 - Iron Men at Longacre Theatre in New York. Role: Fred. ^[10]

• September 1936 - Arrest That Woman at National Theatre in New York. Role: Davis. ^[11]

• October–November 1933 - A Divine Drudge at Royale Theatre in New York. Role: Kid Pauker.^[12]

• June–December 1932 - That's Gratitude at Waldorf Theatre in New York. Role: Clayton Lorimer.^[13]

• April 1932 - Angeline Moves In at Forrest Theatre in New York. Role: Jerry Dugan.^[14]

• February 1932 - New York to Cherbourg at Forrest Theatre in New York. Role: Floyd Warren.^[15]

• September 1930-March 1931 - That's Gratitude at John Golden Theatre in New York. Role: Clayton Lorimer. ^[16]

• 1928 - The Royal Family at Selwyn Theatre in New York.^[2][17]

• December 1927 - Brass Buttons at Bijou Theatre in New York. Role: Kid Dickson. ^[18]

References

Links

• IBDB Internet Broadway Database: Gerald Kent
• The Maple Leaf Legacy Project: Gerald Macintosh Johnston
• V.A.C. Canada Remembers: Gerald Macintosh Johnston

Persondata
Name	Johnston, Gerald Macintosh
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth
Place of birth
Date of death	1944
Place of death