Midnight Charge
ATTACK ON KITCHENERS WOOD
Veterans Revolt
RISING ANGER AND DESPAIR
BONUS POSTER! INSIDE
First World War Battle Map PLUS Timeline
tumbling S
SPECIAL FEATURE
War
Into
THE FORGOTTEN STORY of CANADA’S CHAOTIC FIRST DAYS
Royal 22nd Regiment Celebrates 100 Years
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FEATURES
LEGIONMAGAZINE.COM
B ON U S
POSTER I N S I DE
Stumbling Into War 32 SPECIAL FEATURE
How Canada answered the call in 1914. By Andrew Iarocci
40
CANADA’S WAR ART Brian Lorimer
By Jennifer Morse
42
THE ROYAL 22ND REGIMENT
Celebrating 100 Years Of Service And Sacrifice By Tom MacGregor
40
46
FAR FROM HOME
The Epic Search For Lost Canadian Graves By Dan Black
52
FANTINO UNDER PRESSURE
Profile Of An Embattled Minister By Sharon Adams
56
THE VETERANS REVOLT
46
Charting A Year Of Rising Anger & Despair By Adam Day
60
60
THE BROTHERHOOD OF UNDERGROUND MUSHROOMERS
Deep Inside A Cold War Nerve Centre By Tom MacGregor
73
IN
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FACE TO FACE
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Is It Wrong To Sell Military Medals? By John Boileau and Glenn Wright NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 LEGION MAGAZINE
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On The Road to
2
War
LEGION MAGAZINE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014
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MODERN WARFARE ON WHEELS Automobile Machine Gun Brigade vehicles are prepared for inspection by the governor general at the Rockcliffe Rifle Range in Ottawa, September 1914. Later renamed 1st Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigade, it is believed to have been the first motorized armoured unit formed by any country during the First World War. However, in many other ways Canada was not prepared for the fighting to come. SEE PAGE 32. PHOTO: JOHN WOODRUFF, LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA—C11272
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 LEGION MAGAZINE
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ON THIS +
DATE
See Our VETERANS BENEFITS SURVEY, page CANADIAN MILITARY HISTORY IN PERSPECTIVE
66
ARMY
DECEMBER PAGE 6
Midnight Charge: The Attack On Kitcheners Wood
64
By Terry Copp
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BATTLE HONOURS OF THE CANADIAN FORCES
NAVY
By John Boileau
Bullets, Bombs And Coke Bottles: Battling A U-Boat In The Caribbean By Marc Milner
NEWS
24
76
JOURNAL
HEALTH FILE
AIR FORCE
By Adam Day
Drop Zone Burma
79 Slave Lake Legion Welcomes Wounded Warriors 81 Impairment Allowance Awards Inconsistent, Veterans Ombudsman Finds 82 Track Meet Sets New Records 87 Government Response On Charter Changes Disappoints Veterans 88 Grenade Accident Remembered 40 Years Later 90 Mounting Medals Properly 91 Quebec Armoury Being Rebuilt 91 Serving You 92 Joining The Pilgrimage 92 Canadian Forces Boutique Offers Legion Items
By Hugh A. Halliday
DEPARTMENTS
106 106 107 107
VIEWS
8 10 12 30 108
VOLUNTEERING IN THE COMMUNITY
94
AL
SNAPSHOTS
SO
The Snapshots section is available online in the Community Section of legionmagazine.com.
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rISIng anger and deSpaIr
bonus poster! InSIde
First World War Battle Map PLUS Timeline
Stumbling IntoWar
SPECIAL fEATURE
The ForgoTTen STory of Canada’S ChaoTIC FIrST dayS
PLUS
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On The Cover Officers and members of the 26th Battalion at Saint John, N.B., 1915. PHOTO: LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA—C026127
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ON THIS
DATE
1 DECEMBER 2011 The Canadian flag is lowered during a ceremony at Kandahar Airfield marking the end of Canada’s military presence in southern Afghanistan under Operation Athena.
D EC EMB ER
5 - 6 DECEMBER 1950
6 DECEMBER 1917
In Korea, HMCS Cayuga, Athabaskan and Sioux assist in evacuating Chinnampo, then bombard and demolish fuel and artillery dumps and harbour installations.
More than 1,600 are killed and 9,000 wounded in the explosion of a munitions ship in Halifax Harbour.
12 DECEMBER 1916
10 DECEMBER 1813
11 DECEMBER 1962
Retreating American forces evacuate Fort George and burn farms and homesteads in Niagara, Upper Canada.
Convicted police killers Ronald Turpin and Arthur Lucas are hanged in Toronto in Canada’s last executions.
Approval is given to establish 20 Royal Flying Corps training squadrons in Canada.
17 DECEMBER 1944
18 DECEMBER 1916
HMCS Montreal rescues survivors of a U-boat wrecked south of Land’s End on the English coast.
The First World War Battle of Verdun ends after 10 bloody months of fighting—and more than 700,000 French and German casualties.
16 DECEMBER 1944 The Battle of the Bulge begins—Hitler’s last major offensive of the war.
21 DECEMBER 1942 Butter rationing begins in Canada.
26 DECEMBER 1943 Bound for the port of Murmansk in northwest Russia, Canadian destroyers help protect a convoy stalked by the German battle cruiser Scharnhorst.
22 DECEMBER 1865 An aboriginal village near Fort Rupert, B.C., is destroyed by a Royal Navy ship seeking the surrender of three Amerindians involved in a killing.
27 DECEMBER 2001 Deployment is announced of two long-range surveillance and maritime patrol aircraft and roughly 200 air force personnel to the Persian Gulf.
23 DECEMBER 1970 Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau announces that troops—dispatched in response to the FLQ crisis—will be withdrawn from Quebec on Jan. 4.
28 DECEMBER 1965 Four Royal Canadian Air Force Hercules transports make the first delivery of oil to Zambia, which was under blockade by Rhodesia.
29 DECEMBER 1837 Armed men from Canada seize and destroy the SS Caroline, a steamer used to ferry goods from the U.S. to an island occupied by rebels led by William Lyon Mackenzie. PHOTOS & ILLUSTRATIONS: LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA; DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE; LEGION MAGAZINE ARCHIVES
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LEGION MAGAZINE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014
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DECEMBER
FIRST WORLD WAR
1914 –1918
SECOND WORLD WAR
1939–1945
KOREAN WAR
1950 –1953
4 DECEMBER 1866
2 DECEMBER 1942
The atomic age is ushered in with the first—and ultra-secret—controlled, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction at the University of Chicago.
Constitutional talks begin in London, England—a step towards the British North America Act and Canada’s Confederation.
3 DECEMBER 1944 Canadian Flying Officer J.W. Garland downs an enemy fighter, the first of four (he also shared in the downing of a 5th) in an eventful war career that included being shot down, taken prisoner and escaping.
7 DECEMBER 1941 HMCS Windflower sinks after colliding with a freighter in dense fog.
13 DECEMBER 2008 Responding to reports of suspicious activity, three soldiers of the Royal Canadian Regiment are killed by an improvised explosive device in southern Afghanistan.
8 DECEMBER 1952
9 DECEMBER 1941
Over Korea, Squadron Leader A.R. “Andy” Mackenzie is shot down by friendly fire and begins two years as a prisoner of war.
Galvanized by the attack on Pearl Harbor, commercial radio stations on Canada’s West Coast are shut down from dusk to dawn and a blackout is ordered.
THE FACTS: BORN AUG. 10, 1920 IN MONTREAL; SPITFIRE FIGHTER PILOT IN SECOND WORLD WAR ON 421 AND 403 SQUADRONS; DIED SEPT. 21, 2009.
14 DECEMBER 1915
15 DECEMBER 1916 Canadian Aeroplanes Ltd. is incorporated to provide training aircraft for the Royal Flying Corps.
A.S. Ince is the first Canadian credited with downing an enemy aircraft, shooting down a German seaplane off Ostend, Belgium.
20 DECEMBER 1915 The Allies complete the evacuation of 105,000 troops from Gallipoli, Turkey, where the Newfoundland Regiment first saw action.
19 DECEMBER 1915 Captain M. Bell-Irving of Vancouver is wounded while downing an enemy aircraft and chasing off two others.
24 DECEMBER 1914 25 DECEMBER 1941 An unofficial Christmas truce begins on the Western Front.
THE FACTS: BORN OCTOBER 18, 1919; 15TH PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA FROM APRIL 1968 TO JUNE 1979, AND AGAIN FROM MARCH 1980 TO JUNE 1984; DIED SEPTEMBER 28, 2000.
30 DECEMBER 1922 The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is created.
31 DECEMBER 2002 The United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, begun in 1995, is terminated.
Hong Kong surrenders to Japanese forces.
November On This Date Events Visit our website legionmagazine.com The items will appear Nov. 1. Here’s a taste of what to expect.
2 NOVEMBER 1918 The Canadian Corps captures Valenciennes, France, in the last major battle of the First World War.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 LEGION MAGAZINE
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VIEWS EDITORIAL
NOVember | DECEMber 2014
NOT GOOD ENOUGH Veterans Affairs Canada had 120 days—from early June 2014—to respond to 14 recommendations aimed at filling serious gaps in the New Veterans Charter (NVC). When the government’s response came at 3 p.m. on Oct. 1, it failed to announce anything more than window dressing. This lack of decisive government action on the recommendations put forward by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs (ACVA) to address serious shortcomings in financial support and benefits is a major disappointment to veterans, their families and veterans groups. As tabled, the government’s two-stage approach to dealing with the committee’s recommendations is a delay tactic that will further frustrate and further erode confidence—if any still exists—especially among seriously injured veterans and their families. The announcement did not deliver on any of the major financial aspects articulated in the committee’s recommendations (Government Response On Charter Changes Disappoints Veterans, page 87). While the government points to a second phase aimed at addressing the more complex issues raised by the ACVA, there was nothing of substance—nothing of real value for veterans to take away from the government’s response. So instead of taking big, solid steps to cover the longstanding and well-identified gaps, the government has decided to tiptoe forward at a time when a lot more action is needed. “While we appreciate that these issues are complex and require considerable time, effort and financial resources to implement, it is the belief of the Legion that the government has had more than enough time, and certainly enough input from subject experts, to be
able to take solid action on improving the NVC,” said Legion Dominion President Tom Eagles. “We remain committed to the ACVA recommendations and will not cease our efforts to push this government to come up with some tangible activities.” Those subject groups or stakeholders the Legion’s president is referring to are numerous, and they are running out of patience. Before the ACVA submitted its recommendations to the government, it had heard from 54 witnesses, including individual veterans who have been frustrated by the lack of action and communication. “The Legion was expecting to see real action to address problem areas within the NVC,” added Eagles who identified three major areas for improvement: 1) The Earning Loss Benefit (ELB) must be improved to provide 100 per cent of pre-release income and it must also continue for life and include increases for projected career earnings for a Canadian Armed Forces member. 2) The maximum disability award must be increased so that it matches or is consistent with what civilian workers have received for personal injury. 3) End the inequity that exists between regular force and reservists injured due to military service. This is an issue that should be of great concern to all Canadians who care about how our veterans are treated as a whole. When the NVC came into effect in 2006, it was meant as a “living document”—one that could be amended as gaps became apparent. Sadly, this latest government response falls far short of action. The delay is worrisome because of the time it takes to amend legislation, especially when a federal election is looming in 2015.
Remembrance And The First World War At this year’s Remembrance Day ceremonies many will pause a moment longer than usual with the thought that 2014 marks the centenary of the start of the First World War. The Great War was the beginning of a war the likes of which people had never seen before. Canadians responded with enthusiasm in 1914, but they would pay a terrible price for that commitment. Indeed, it was a war so atrocious that our forefathers and the founders of The Royal Canadian Legion vowed to always remember the nation’s sacrifice. Those men who return from the Great War were
8
forever changed by what they saw, and they must have been so shaken when the world entered war again in 1939 and by the war that followed in Korea which broke out five years after the Second World War. From that time the price of war has been paid in Canadian lives over and over again—from the Cold War, through peacekeeping and peacemaking operations to Afghanistan. So when Canadians wear the poppy they have a lot to think about. Collectively, our remembrances bind us together in our sacred belief never to forget.
LEgion MagazinE NOVember/DECEMber 2014
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NEWS
Veterans Benefits Survey How well does Canada look after its veterans? Following the success of our Veterans Benefits Guide 2014, Legion Magazine plans to produce a new version in our March/April 2015 issue. The issue will feature informative articles on benefits you or someone you know may be eligible for, as well as the pension and award rates for 2015. We also need your help in gauging how well these benefits are received. Please take a few minutes to fill in the following survey telling us what you think. Owing to the confidential nature of this survey, we are not asking you to give your name or address.
1. Do any of the following describe you? I am q a serving member of the Canadian Forces q a veteran q a serving or former member of the RCMP q an immediate family member (spouse, child) of a veteran
b) If yes, how useful have these programs been in finding new employment? q Very useful q Somewhat useful q Not useful
12. Are you actively caring for someone who receives or is eligible to receive benefits and services from VAC or DND? q Yes q No
7. Are you satisfied with services
13. How satisfied are you with the
from Veterans Affairs Canada? q Yes q No
in the Veterans Independence Program (VIP)? q Very satisfied q Somewhat satisfied q Not satisfied q Not sure
3. Are Canadian veterans
8. Do you like the new VIP grant
2. Are you in receipt of benefits
well served by Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC)? q Well served q Adequately served q Poorly served q Not sure
more than the old program where VAC paid the service provider directly? q Yes q No
4. How familiar are you with the
policies and programs related to assisting veterans with a disability? q Very familiar q Familiar q Not familiar
5. How easy is it to understand
the application process for a VAC disability benefit or service? q Very easy q Easy q Not easy q Not sure
6. a) Have you used the Department of National Defence (DND) and VAC career transition service? q Yes q No
VAC reassessment process? q Very satisfied q Satisfied q Not satisfied q Not sure
14. Have you used the following to assist you in applying for benefits? q Veterans Affairs Canada q Canadian Armed Forces q The Royal Canadian Legion q Service Canada q Other (please specify)
9. How satisfied are you with
VAC case management services? q Very satisfied q Satisfied q Not satisfied q Not sure
10. Are you satisfied with the
financial support you receive from VAC? q Very satisfied q Satisfied q Not satisfied q Not sure
11. How well has your income
from all sources kept up with the cost of living? q Very well q Adequate q Not well
15. If you answered yes to the last question, how would you rate the service you received? q Excellent q Good q Fair q Poor Please mail or fax the survey by Monday, Dec. 1, at 4 p.m. to: Surveys, Legion Magazine 86 Aird Place Kanata, ON K2L 0A1 613-591-0146 (Fax)
!
The Survey Is Also Available online at legionmagazine.com/survey NOVember/DECEMber 2014 LEgion MagazinE
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Storylines
I
t’s difficult—in 300 words or less— to describe the fantastic features in this issue. We’ve included everything from a First World War commemorative poster, complete with timeline and map, to a major piece on the dramatic challenges Canada faced when it marched off to war 100 years ago. Your attention should definitely be drawn to Sharon Adam’s profile on Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino; Adam Day’s synopsis of events that underscore the anger many veterans have felt this year; Tom MacGregor’s retrospective on the massive Cold War-era nerve centre that operated beneath CFB North Bay, Ont.; and my piece on a British couple who have embarked on an epic journey to research the lives and locate the graves of Canadians who died in the U.K. during the Great War. In our cover story, Stumbling Into War, respected historian Andrew Iarocci explains that Canada’s response in August 1914 was immediate
november/december 2014 and unprecedented in scale, but was also burdened by false starts. He describes how the teetotaller Sam Hughes delighted in “locking horns” with soldiers of the permanent force and how he cast aside a smart, prewar mobilization plan. Iarocci traces the equipment woes that plagued the First Canadian Contingent even before it arrived in France, from defective boots and artillery shells to bad kit. “The Oliver equipment, made primarily of leather, was poorly designed and uncomfortable to use,” he writes. “The bulky cartridge pouch... was situated inconveniently over the top of the stomach, making it difficult to fire from the prone position.” Also featured is our popular FaceTo-Face series. Up for debate: Is it wrong to sell military medals? With historians John Boileau and Glenn Wright standing firmly behind their answers, I invite you—the reader—to state your view. —Dan Black, Editor Advertisement
The Royal Canadian Legion
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Vol. 89, No. 6 November/December 2014 www.legionmagazine.com
Legion Magazine is published by Canvet Publications Ltd., ISSN 1209-4331. Member of CCAB, a division of BPA International. Printed in Canada. PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40063864 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO LEGION MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION DEPARTMENT 86 AIRD PLACE, KANATA, ON K2L 0A1 email:
[email protected] Published six times per year, January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October and November/December. Copyright Canvet Publications Ltd. 2014. Reproduction or recreation, in whole or in part, in any form or media, is strictly forbidden and is a violation of copyright. Reprint only with written permission. Recommended by The Royal Canadian Legion.
Editorial & Advertising Policy
Opinions expressed are those of the writers. Unless otherwise explicitly stated, articles do not imply endorsement of any product or service. The advertisement of any product or service does not indicate approval by the publisher unless so stated.
Board of Directors
Chairman Dave Flannigan; Vice-Chairman Tom Eagles; Secretary Brad White; Directors Mark Barham, Jack Frost, Tom Irvine, Gordon Moore, André Paquette and Ed Pigeau.
Staff General Manager: Jennifer Morse Editor: Dan Black News Editor: Tom MacGregor Staff Writers: Sharon Adams, Adam Day Art Director, Production & Circulation Manager: Jason Duprau Designers: Dyann Bernard, Sophie Jalbert, Jennifer McGill Administration: Doris Williams Researcher/Administrative Assistant: Stephanie Slegtenhorst
Subscription Rates
Legion Magazine is $9.96 per year ($19.93 for two years and $29.89 for three years); prices include GST. For addresses in BC, a subscription is $10.63 per year ($21.26 for two years and $31.89 for three years). For addresses in NS, a subscription is $10.91 for one year ($21.83 for two years and $32.74 for three years). For addresses in ON, NB and NF, a subscription is $10.72 for one year ($21.45 for two years and $32.17 for three years). To purchase a magazine subscription visit www.legionmagazine.com or contact Legion Magazine Subscription Dept., 86 Aird Place, Kanata, ON K2L 0A1. The single copy price is $5.95 plus applicable taxes, shipping and handling.
Changes of Address
Send new address and current address label. Or, new address and old address, plus all letters and numbers from top line of address label. If label unavailable, enclose member or subscription number. No change can be made without this number. Send to: Legion Magazine Subscription Department, 86 Aird Place, Kanata, ON K2L 0A1. Allow eight weeks. Or visit www.legionmagazine. com. Simply click on magazine, then subscription and follow the prompts. It’s quick and easy.
U.S. Postmasters’ Information
For more information on Member Benefits Package Partners, visit legion.ca.
United States: Legion Magazine, USPS 000-117, ISSN 1209-4331, published six times per year (January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October, November/December). Published by Canvet Publications, 866 Humboldt Pkwy., Buffalo, NY 14211-1218. Periodicals postage paid at Buffalo, NY. The annual subscription rate is $9.49 Cdn. The single copy price is $5.95 Cdn. plus shipping and handling. Circulation records are maintained at Adrienne and Associates, 866 Humboldt Pkwy., Buffalo, NY 14211-1218. U.S. Postmasters send covers only and address changes to Legion Magazine, c/o Simply Mail Inc., PO Box 1042, Niagara Falls, NY 14304.
LEgion MagazinE november/december 2014
We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada, through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities.
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VIEWS
letters
COMMENTS CAN BE SENT TO: Letters, Legion Magazine, 86 Aird Place, Kanata, ON K2L 0A1 or e-mailed to
[email protected]
2
QUESTIONS CLEARED UP I VERY MUCH APPRECIATED the article by Professor J.L. Granatstein on the Avro Arrow (Canada and the Cold War) in the September/October issue. It was very informative and cleared up the questions many Canadians Canadian have had on this emotional and debatable topic. Thank you for publishing it and for an overall fine magazine. REV. DR. FRED SPECKEEN, KELOWNA, B.C.
REASONS FOR THE BOMB I HAVE BEEN VERY INTERESTED in the Second World War all my life. Although I was not eligible to fight, being born in 1941, I have studied the Pacific War quite a lot. While Canada wasn’t too much involved in it, it was, I think, the dirtiest, nastiest, war there ever was for many reasons. While there are atrocities committed in every war, the Japanese outdid almost everyone else, not only with the prisoners of war in the camps, but with prisoners in general with their torture techniques. As these things became known there was a real hatred of them and a resolve to win against them at all costs. John Siebert makes a case that the impending Soviet attack was the reason they stopped (Face To Face, September/ October). Well, maybe, but the fact that senior Japanese officers were writing memos in 1945 doesn’t mean they were actually going to stop fighting. What stopped the fighting for sure, was [Emperor] Hirohito, who when he finally woke up
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to what was going on and what was probably going to come, ordered the end of fighting in order to save his people. As Hugh A. Halliday says, “it had taken both Truman and Hirohito to end the war.” A few years ago we took a commemorative cruise from Sydney, Australia, to Osaka following along the path taken by the Allies, stopping at such places as Guam, Okinawa and Guadalcanal. On that ship were about 375 veterans and their families. When we were in Japan on a tour bus, the tour guide, a woman in her late sixties, was asked how she felt about the Americans dropping the bomb. She and her sister lived in Hiroshima at the time. When the bomb dropped her sister pulled her along as fast as they could go into the river which saved her life. Later, after they found their mother, she asked her mother why the Americans had done that and her mother’s response was that they had no choice, as it was the only way to get the bad people in Tokyo, as she put it, to stop fighting. It seems the ordinary Japanese person was getting a fairly good idea of what was going on and that they had been lied to by their leaders but they couldn’t do anything about it. GARY RUSSELL, DELTA, B.C.
LEGION MAGAZINE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014
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2015, a very special year to embrace Europe 100th Anniversary of the Great War April 14 – 21, 2015 Exploring the tremendous achievements of our Canadian soldiers on the battlefields of Ypres, the Somme, Passchendaele and Vimy.
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Waterways of the Netherlands and Belgium April 20 – May 6, 2015 Celebrating the 70th anniversary of VE-Day and the bond between nations Join us this spring as we commemorate the many achievements and pay our respects to our Liberators and Peace bringers, while experiencing the beauty of the Netherlands and Belgium at a very relaxed pace. The 2005 & 2010 Waterways of the Netherlands & Belgium journeys that commemorated the 60th and 65th Anniversaries of VE-Day, continue to hold many great memories for our guests, and we are certain 2015 will as well.
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PHONOGRAPH ADDED MUSIC TO JUNGLE LIFE THE FORGOTTEN FLYERS by Hugh A. Halliday in your September/October issue brought a true heart-warming remembrance of my buddies in No. 20 Squadron, Royal Air Force, commencing Dec. 31, 1942. Early in
1943, medical problems intercepted my operational capability for several months, but I finally earned my keep at Imphal in June 1944 after 50-plus missions. My 1941 phonograph and 78-r.p.m. records added a touch of musical culture to the miseries of jungle life. This machine and some
records now rest in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum in Brandon, Man. In a moment of carefree lingo, everyone agreed “last one alive owns it.” JIM ASHWORTH, INVERMERE, B.C.
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COMPASSION ON THE BATTLEFIELD I WAS TAKEN BY THE PHOTO on the
front cover of Legion Magazine of the two German soldiers helping the wounded Canadian (July/August). It reminds me of the story my father told of his being assisted back to his lines by two German soldiers because he had been wounded. He said when they came upon him he thought it was the end. He was surprised that they wanted to surrender to him as prisoners. They offered their weapons up to him. He had said that he was relieved to find out things had happened as they did. My father is Lowell Stanford Spears. He signed up in Edmonton. He died in November 1977. I might add the Canadian soldier sure looks like him but I never heard him mention anything about photographers being around at that time.
LUCK ISN’T ENOUGH.
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letters POEM SHOWED TRUE FEELINGS
PHOTO: DONALD I. GRANT, LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA—PA163778
I MUST COMPLIMENT LEGION MAGAZINE and its editorial staff as
well as contributors for another fine edition. There is not any need to say that readers are presented with history and diligent fact-finding. This in itself provides readers the clearest review of our efforts and victories in war but also the civilian push to aid our men and women overseas. Well done! I would also like to compliment the poster and literary contests winners and honourable mentions (Relating To Remembrance, September/October). Top notch! Especially the senior poetry winner Sarah Jessica Butler of Torbay, Nfld. Her poem, The Lucky Ones, is an excellent, compassionate, passionate rendering of true feelings from both youth today
and veterans who made it home. Ironically my son Tim in Grade 6 was given an honourable mention by The Royal Canadian Legion’s Kanata Branch in 1988. He wrestled with the same emotions. RON BATES, CORNWALL, ONT.
MY OLD PIPE MAJOR WHEN I OPENED MY ISSUE of the
May/June Legion Magazine I couldn’t believe my eyes. There on page 2, right in the centre of a group of squaddies playing a set of pipes aboard ship ready for the invasion, was my old pipe major from the Liverpool Irish pipes and drums, Pipe Major Frank Murray, who was a member of the 7th Beach Group attached to the Winnipeg Rifles. When this photo was taken the Irish did not have a band but the odd guy here and there who played the bagpipes and a few
drummers. It wasn’t until the reformation of the regiment in 1947 that a pipe band was formed, financed by the officers’ mess. Frank didn’t become pipe major until about 1961. He held the rank of pipe sergeant for as long as I remember until taking over as pipe major. Frank was a stalwart and much respected member of the band and very instrumental in getting the band started. ERIC FAWCETT, HOPE, B.C.
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letters Defence Minister Rob Nicholson
OUR READERS RESPOND IN OUR SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER ISSUE WE ASKED READERS IF THE MESSAGE OF REMEMBRANCE RESONATES WITH SCHOOLCHILDREN TODAY. WERE IT NOT FOR THE REMEMBRANCE DAY EXERCISE observed in nearly all Canadian schools,
the significance of the day would most certainly die out. Legion branches across the country encourage and provide veterans for such events. But I believe that we must do much more, perhaps through reinvigorating the art and writing competitions. I don’t quite know how, but last year a young art student did a picture of me climbing into an old Harvard aircraft from 1952.
A QUESTION FOR OUR READERS Defence Minister Rob Nicholson has announced that four ships are being retired before the Royal Canadian Navy takes possession of new ships being built. Do you think Canada has an adequate navy for a country of its size? COMMENTS CAN BE SENT TO: LETTERS, Legion Magazine, 86 Aird Place, Kanata, ON K2L 0A1 or e-mailed to
[email protected]
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health file WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT AND BE HEALTHY? IT’S ONE OF THE MOST PERSISTENT and seemingly irresolvable debates in the world of health–what, exactly, should we be eating if we want to stay happy and healthy? With obesity rates high and rising across North America, heart disease becomes a crucial factor to consider as you get older. And now, there is a new major study funded by the American National Institutes of Health and published in the Annals of Internal Medicine that puts a surprising new twist on the old wisdom about healthy eating. Advertisement
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PHOTOS: THINKSTOCK
The upshot of the study is that reducing your intake of carbohydrates (think bread, pasta, potatoes) and instead eating more fat will have you shedding pounds and it will keep your heart healthier too. It may seem like this is kind of old news and in a way it is, the Atkins diet and others like it have been preaching this basic formula since the 1970s at least: eat meat and vegetables and you’ll stay fit and healthy. But what’s so interesting about this new study is that it’s the first of its kind to be conducted without restrictions on calorie intake. Hard to believe? Maybe, but it’s true. The subjects in this study followed a low-carb diet for a year but could eat as much as they wanted, and they still lost weight and gained significant markers of increased heart health. “To my knowledge, this is one of the first long-term trials that’s given these diets without calorie restrictions,” said Dariush Mozaffarian, dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, to the New York Times. “It shows that in a free-living setting, cutting your carbs helps you lose weight without focusing on calories. And that’s really important because someone can change what they eat more easily than trying to cut down on their calories.” The study took a group of 150 men and women and split them into two groups, one group was to eat a low-fat diet for a year and the other was to eat a low-carbohydrate diet. Subjects in the low-carb group not only lost about eight more pounds, on average, than those in the low fat group, but they also had less bad fat circulating in their blood, more HDL, or good cholesterol, and they lowered their risk of heart attack in the next 10 years versus the low fat group. As interesting as this study is, it should be noted that this debate
will continue and that many scientists disagree, so don’t consider this definitive, just think of it as one more piece of information on the way to understanding our diets and health.
WATCH OUT FOR ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS
IN A RECENT ISSUE OF THE JOURNAL, Nature, researchers revealed that artificial sweeteners may actually be contributing to the current obesity and diabetes epidemics. Despite having no actual sugar— and in most cases no actual calories—the artificial sweeteners have been shown to raise blood sugar levels in both mice and humans because they interfere with microbial activity in the stomach. In the abstract to the report, the authors sum up their finding this
way: “Here we demonstrate that consumption of commonly used [artificial sweetener] formulations drives the development of glucose intolerance through induction of compositional and functional alterations to the intestinal microbiota.” Stated in less scientific terms, the authors of the report are claiming that the widespread use of artificial sweeteners may be in part responsible for the widely seen increases in diabetes and obesity. “Our findings suggest that non-caloric artificial sweeteners may have directly contributed to enhancing the exact epidemic that they themselves were intended to fight,” said researcher Eran Segal. While the exact mechanism by which the artificial sweeteners contribute to obesity and diabetes remains unclear, the researchers Advertisement
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believe they may promote the growth of bacterial species that work to extract and store fat. In any case, the findings were clear–the more artificial sweetener consumed by mice or by humans,
the more markers of disease were found in the bloodstream. Of course, the findings are not yet reason enough to panic, though as in all matters, moderation is probably a good idea. Advertisement
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NEW RESEARCH ON PTSD
IN AN EFFORT TO PROVIDE SOME DIAGNOSTIC RIGOUR to the assessment of injuries like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI), the Canadian Armed Forces recently teamed up with the neuroimaging specialists at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. The aim was to use the doctors’ special skills at a type of brain scan called magnetoencephalography (MEG) to discover whether PTSD or TBI could be “seen” or if it had a characteristic physical effect on the brain. A discovery such as this would be a breakthrough for the diagnosis of the two ailments, which are currently being diagnosed through the assessment of psychological symptoms. “While the two disorders can be confused because of similar behavioural symptoms, the data show that they are very distinct,” said Dr. Margot Taylor, co-investigator of the research and Director of Functional Neuroimaging and senior scientist at Sick Kids. “This research could lead to faster diagnosis based on objective measures rather than having a soldier self-identify, which according to Canadian Forces Health Services is an ongoing challenge.” While Sick Kids had previously been using MEG–which is the most precise brain-imaging tool currently available–to diagnose children with epilepsy and Autism Spectrum Disorder, there was sufficient reason to believe it could be useful in spotting other brain dysfunction. As it turns out, that hypothesis was correct. After studying a group of soldiers and civilians suffering from PTSD and/or TBI, and contrasting those studies with a control group of subjects with similar military experience but no history of brain injury, researchers reported that the differences in brain activity
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A MEG scanner provides images of the brain.
between the two groups was notable and significant, with the injured group having a far higher level of brain activity, even during rest. The results show enormous promise for the treatment of PTSD and TBI. In addition to a more definite diagnosis, the objective nature of the brain scan could help reduce the stigma associated with PTSD by revealing it to be an actual brain injury, rather than merely a set of psychological symptoms. “The ultimate goal of providing objective diagnostic testing for PTSD and TBI is to not only to better understand the conditions and make fast, accurate diagnoses, but also to be able to test the individual to determine if he or she can safely return to service,” said Taylor. PHOTO: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH
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September 15, 2014
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journal
WHILE IT WAS HARD TO DECIDE which of Canada’s new international conflicts to lead off with for this issue, the nod has to go to all those Cold Warriors out there who must have been feeling all sorts of nostalgia in these past few months as the Russian Bear awakens once again. Who would have thought that a solid 25 years after the end of the Cold War we’d been seeing headlines proclaiming that Russian MiG fighter jets buzzed a Canadian frigate in the Black Sea? Well, it happened. Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship Toronto was deployed to the Black Sea as part of Operation Reassurance, the NATO-led effort to try to convince Russian President Vladimir
BY ADAM DAY
Putin that he couldn’t simply slice off parts of Eastern Europe and call them New Russia. And while that may be exactly what he’s done—after sending Russian troops into Ukraine and declaring the eastern portion of that country be thereafter called Novorossiya— nobody in the Harper government is too happy about it. Nor were they happy about HMCS Toronto being buzzed, with Minister of National Defence Rob Nicholson declaring—in starkly war-like terms—that “while the Russian military aircraft that circled HMCS Toronto did not in any way pose a threat to the Canadian ship, their actions were unnecessarily provocative and risked escalating tensions even
further.” Nicholson went on to add that HMCS Toronto was in the Black Sea “taking part in reassurance measures as a direct result of the Putin regime’s military aggression and invasion of Ukraine…the message that Canada is sending—along with the rest of our NATO allies—is that Russia’s reckless actions must stop.” The Russians, meanwhile, don’t seem to be reading these strongly worded press releases, as their provocative actions show. Take, for example, the recent missile-launch Advertisement
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PHOTO: SGT. MATTHEW McGREGOR, CANADIAN FORCES COMBAT CAMERA
practice run that Russian Tu-95 Bear bombers took off Canada’s northeast coast. American analysis of the flights showed the bombers were flying to a “launch-box,”
a predetermined area from which to lob nuclear cruise missiles at North American targets. Certainly sounds like more reckless behaviour from the Russians.
HMCS Toronto navigates the Black Sea in September.
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journal
While Canadian CF-18 Hornets have a history of shadowing Russian bombers near Canadian airspace, there are also CF-18s deployed to Lithuania as a part of Op Reassurance. For the next few months, those fighters will be closely watching Russians much closer to home as they participate in the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission until at least the new year. “Our air policing mission is purely defensive,” said Lieutenant-Colonel David Pletz, commander of the mission. “The weapons payload of the Hornets meet the requirements of the mission at hand which is to intercept and identify unknown or unlawful airborne objects within or approaching our area of responsibility.”
In addition to facing down the Russians, the air force is also deeply involved in the new fight against the terrorist group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
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PHOTO: CPL. KATE SUPPA, CFJIC/CANADIAN FORCES COMBAT CAMERA
A C-130 lands in Siauliai, Lithuania, in support of Operation Reassurance in August.
to Iraq. So far in the mission, one C-17 and one C-130 are taking part, having flown into Iraq more than 20 times, dropping off at least a million pounds of supplies. Beyond the supplies and the tens of millions of dollars in aid money promised for Iraq, a Canadian special operations task force will be deploying to the country to advise and assist in the fight against ISIS. While Canada’s special operations forces command (CANSOFCOM) routinely deploys soldiers to foreign countries to take part in training and liaison activities, this deployment has been met with a substantial amount of interest and trepidation, given the apparent possibility that U.S. airstrikes against ISIS could escalate into ground combat aimed at rolling back the terrorist group’s territorial gains. As a result, there has been some high political theatre in Ottawa, with politicians on all sides jockeying for position. For example, at an emergency debate held in the House of Commons on the Iraq situation in mid-September, Liberal MP Marc Garneau sought assurances from the government that Canada’s special operations soldiers would not participate in combat under any
situation, that they would not accompany friendly forces into the field to fight ISIS nor would they “be involved in any defensive operations in case ISIS decided to mount a counter-offensive.” Not great options if ISIS is bearing down on Canadians training Kurdish troops. In any case, the deployment is going ahead and by the time you read this there will be teams of Canadian troops on the ground helping advise and assist in what has already become a conflict of unprecedented scope, brutality and complexity. In war news from a different era, it turns out that a group of young Canadians killed during the First World War will receive an unusual distinction during Remembrance Week this year. These young men are all linked by a common bond—they were law students at the time of their death overseas. The story—as reported by the Toronto Star—goes like this: a few years ago a lawyer by the name of Patrick Shea was attending the Remembrance Day ceremony at Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto where they read out the names of their students killed during the war followed by the phrase ‘never called’ to the bar. NOVember/DECEMber 2014 LEgion MagazinE
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Shea felt this was unacceptable, so he approached the Law Society of Upper Canada to ask for a compromise, that the law students receive an ‘honorary call’ to the bar. As he told the Star, this was a chance to “provide these men and their families what the fates denied them almost 100 years ago.” It worked, the law society agreed with his initiative and decided to confer and honorary call to the bar on these young men. As a result Shea has spent the past couple of years trying to determine exactly how many law students died during the First World War, and if they had any family remaining. In doing so he used several sources, including
Legion Magazine’s Lost Trails column in the May/June issue. Among the law students that will receive the honorary calls this November at the law society’s Remembrance Day ceremony is Matthew Maurice “Sonny” Wilson, a lieutenant who died in October 1918 during the 100 Days offensive. “Osgoode Hall has done a wonderful thing by recognizing these young men,” his greatniece Meta Hall told the Star. “One hundred years after their deaths, their names will not just be remembered, but remain connected with the values they held dear of duty, honour, and self-sacrifice for a cause.”
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eye on defence BY DAVID J. BERCUSON
At the beginning of the 1980s, Canada purchased 18 brand new CP-140 Aurora maritime surveillance aircraft primarily to maintain its designated North Atlantic Treaty Organization task of locating, and if necessary, hunting and killing Soviet submarines in the Atlantic. The aircraft was and is a Canadianized version of the P-3 Orion patrol aircraft flown by the United States Navy and by dozens of other air forces and navies around the world. Based on the 1950s-era Lockheed Electra turboprop passenger plane, it still sets the global standard for these sorts of aircraft. In the U.S. and elsewhere, the role of the aircraft has changed significantly since the Cold War and by stripping out and replacing all Advertisement
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manner of surveillance and detection technologies, these aircraft still fly in the hundreds performing the submarine-detection role as well as target identification and vectoring for fighter bombers, search and rescue, coastal surveillance, open-ocean surveillance and even, in the United States, as hurricane hunters. But the P-3s and CP-140s are obviously getting older and the intensity of their use plus their thousands of hours of over-water operations in salt air have taken a heavy toll on their airframes. It is relatively easy—though expensive and time consuming—to take one of these aircraft out of service to modernize its avionics—and both the U.S. and Canada have done that to the P-3s and the CP-140s several times. It is harder, and still more expensive, to literally take the airframe apart every few years to replace each and every part and panel–including wings—that have not stood the test of time under trying conditions. This latter process goes on all the time, particularly in the U.S., because any nation with significant coastlines and maritime interests simply cannot do without aircraft of this kind. It is all the rage today for those who know little about the capabilities—and the limits—of unpiloted vehicles and surveillance satellites to decry the need for new “manned” aircraft to replace these old planes, but no pilotless vehicle now in existence, or even on the drawing boards, can replace an aircraft such as the P-3 (or the CP-140). These aircraft perform
at very long ranges, carry large numbers of radar and other specialists and perform a wide range of maritime tasks. In Canada’s case these include sovereignty patrols of the north and Canada’s exclusive economic zones, environmental surveillance, monitoring shipping traffic, watching for human smuggling, submarine detection (yes, still!), as well as the air traffic and target identification duties that the CP-140s did for the Royal Canadian Air Force in the Libyan air campaign in 2011. Canada, the U.S. and other countries thus have a choice—continue to spend billions of dollars to keep the aircraft flying for another decade or so, replace the aircraft entirely with a single new airframe and avionics package, or refurbish some old aircraft and swap out others for newer, cheaper, but somewhat less capable aircraft, or buy new ones. The U.S. and Australia have chosen to gradually replace their P-3 fleets with the brand new P-8 Poseidon built by Boeing which is essentially a Boeing 737 airframe and engines stuffed full of the newest detection and surveillance electronics. Britain is also considering the P-8, although possibly leasing them (as they do with their C-17 airlifters) rather than buying them. Canada, too, was considering the purchase of at least four P-8s—not nearly enough for a nation with a three-ocean coastline and some of the harshest flying conditions in the world. The government was probably considering another upgrade of part of the CP-140 fleet combined with the new P-8s, but never spelled out its thinking. This past summer the government decided to scrap any plans to purchase the P-8s, instead shrinking the CP-140 fleet to 10 aircraft which will be refurbished so as to continue flying
PHOTO: SGT. MATTHEW McGREGOR, CANADIAN FORCES COMBAT CAMERA
VIEWS
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e
A Royal Canadian Air Force Aurora takes off during a training exercise in Hawaii in July.
sovereignty and control of our own coastal waters are growing by the month. This is due both to geopolitical developments—the growing Russian military presence in the Arctic Ocean—and environmentally caused issues such as the appearance of more open Arctic waters especially in the summer months. The latter opens up so many possible
until 2030. Estimated cost of this program is $3 billion. The RCAF’s estimate of the cost of purchasing four new P-8s: $5 billion. Here, then, is another case of putting dollars ahead of the real, concrete, necessity that this maritime country has for a sufficient fleet of modern, long range, maritime surveillance aircraft precisely when challenges to Canadian
missions, from locating downed civilian aircraft to detection of illegal shipping or environmentally hazardous vessels in, or approaching, Canadian waters, that it would take an encyclopedia to list. So here is another Sea King fiasco in the making—patching together older and older equipment to serve the vital needs of the nation. Will we ever learn? Advertisement Advertisement
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FEATURES
Stumbling Into War By Andrew Iarocci
Boots disintegrated in the mud, rifles jammed and there weren’t enough trucks and artillery shells. Add to that a backdrop of mistrust and cronyism as a young nation marched off to war.
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Clockwise from top left: Soldiers train at Camp Valcartier; Minister of Militia and Defence Sam Hughes; members of the First Canadian Contingent at Valcartier, 1914.
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PHOTOS: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS; DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE, LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA—C020240; DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE, LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA—PA022739
C
Canada’s response to war in August 1914 was immediate, enthusiastic and unprecedented in scale, but its entry into the First World War also had plenty of false starts and wrong turns. No one had ever tried to build, assemble and equip a massive expeditionary force and few could foresee the logistical headaches of getting such a force overseas, let alone sustaining it on the Western Front. Although the young nation had, amid much controversy, dispatched overseas contingents to fight in the South African War (1899-1902), it was now prepared to send a full division of more than 20,000 troops to join the British forces in France—with more to follow. In October 1914, more than 30,000 men crossed the ocean with the first overseas contingent in one of the largest armadas ever to leave Canadian shores. By late 1915, the Canadians formed their own corps, a formation that grew to four divisions a year later. The magnitude of Canada’s contribution was, without doubt, immense. But exactly how well prepared was the nation to fight a modern global war in 1914? And who were the first ones to join the colours? Sam Hughes dominated centre stage in this opening act of the national war narrative. As minister of Militia and Defence since 1911, Hughes was already a larger-than-life character who had worked tirelessly to reform the Militia, although the departmental budget had already increased significantly since the South African War under Hughes’s predecessor, Frederick Borden. Hughes delighted in locking horns with professional soldiers of the permanent force (about 3,000 strong) who comprised the core of the much larger part-time volunteer militia (more than 70,000 men across the country). A strict teetotaller, Hughes derided the regulars as ‘barroom loafers,’ needlessly preoccupied with ‘parade-square regimen.’ As far as Hughes was concerned, free-thinking Canadian volunteers, if properly trained, would be far superior to their permanent force counterparts, bound as they were by archaic military tradition and convention. It was Hughes who cast aside the mobilization plan
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Clockwise from left: The Canadian-made Ross Rifle MK III; an internment camp at Valcartier held “enemy aliens.” Between 1914 and 1920, more than two dozen internment camps and receiving stations existed across Canada. Below: Lorries and men wait at an ammunition park, June 1916. that had been prepared by permanent force staff before the war, opting instead to summon volunteers from across the dominion—through a sort of levée en masse— to an as yet non-existent camp at Valcartier, Que. Hughes got results—at least at the beginning. As of the third week of August, more than 25,000 men had volunteered for overseas service. A month later, the size of the contingent swelled to 33,000. The Valcartier training area near Quebec City took shape in short order, transforming a vast scrubland into sprawling rifle ranges and a metropolis of bell tents. The overseas contingent soon embarked for Britain, arriving in October. But while the Canadian mobilization proceeded at breakneck speed, the troops lacked much of the kit and equipment that they required to fight a modern, total war.
THE VOLUNTEERS
endured a difficult economic downturn in the pre-war years. In the labour market, the most recently hired were often the first to be let go. It is likely then that at least some of the British-born volunteers were simply seeking a free ticket back home to start over. British-born men were not the only newcomers who answered the call for overseas service in 1914. Between 1901 and 1921, more than three million immigrants found their way to Canada. Some twothirds came from Britain and the United States, but many others were from Europe. Daniel Tenaille, a 5th Battalion officer who was killed in May 1915 on the bloody fields near Festubert, France, was originally from France. One of his countrymen, Raymond Brutinel, was the well-known machine-gun advocate who commanded a special armoured car unit in the CEF, the Automobile Machine Gun Brigade.
But who were those men who rushed to join up with the first contingent of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF)? The question is not a simple one, since national identity in early 20th-century Canada does not easily equate with our own Canadian values in 2014. At least two-thirds of the roughly 1,500 officers in the first contingent were Canadian-born, but about the same proportion of the other ranks had immigrated to Canada from the British Isles. The significance of this ratio—two-thirds of the rankers being British born—is debatable since we do not have a clear picture of how recently these men had arrived in Canada. Yet given the influx of British immigration in the immediate pre-war period, it is possible that a meaningful number of the British-born had come to Canada as adults. Among this group, more than a few fell on hard times in their new land, as many parts of Canada
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EQUIPPING THE VOLUNTEERS
Modern armies require a vast range of manufactured goods and supplies to exist, let alone to fight. The CEF was no exception, but the Canadian government,
generally, fell short in its efforts to properly equip the rapidly expanding overseas forces during the early phases of the war. Historical appraisals of Canadian procurement during the First World War usually focus on the illfated Ross rifle. Hughes was a champion of the weapon, which had been adopted in Canadian service by the Laurier government a decade before the war. While the Ross rifle’s deficiencies became painfully evident on the battlefield in 1915—the weapon tended to jam under rapid fire—it was by no means the only piece of kit to cause trouble. Canadian-manufactured service dress uniforms and boots were not up to the rigours of military service, and were widely replaced by War Office items before Canadian soldiers reached the front. The British officer in command of the 1st Division, Lieutenant-General Edwin Alderson, wisely discarded the Canadian Oliver pattern load-bearing equipment before the division left for France, kitting out the troops instead with the far superior 1908 pattern web equipment that was standard in the British infantry. The Oliver equipment, made primarily of leather, was poorly designed and uncomfortable to use. The
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PHOTOS: CANADIAN WAR MUSEUM—19440025-009; GEORGE METCALF ARCHIVAL COLLECTION, CANADIAN WAR MUSEUM—19990058-001; DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE, LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA—PA000014
So how ‘Canadian’ was the first contingent? A portion of the men, to be sure, were Canadian as much by virtue of the badges on their uniforms, as by outlook or temperament. Canadians in 2014 might find some comfort in the multi-ethnic or transnational composition of the first CEF contingent (soon known as the 1st Division). After all, these were the same men who gained notoriety for their lax discipline during the winter of 1914-15 on Salisbury Plain, especially when it came to strong drink. Although Hughes insisted that the Canadian camps remain dry, off-duty soldiers found plenty to drink in the local taverns and on brief, but eventful benders in London. The soldiers of the 1st Division quickly earned a reputation for drunken brawling, as roughnecks who had come from the Last, Best West to teach the Hun a welldeserved lesson. It was a little ironic, given the number of men in the division who had grown up in Britain.
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FEATURES
PHOTO: WILLIAM IVOR CASTLE, DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE, LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA—PA001262
PHOTOS: JOHN WOODRUFF, DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE, LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA—C006258; METROPOLITAN TORONTO REFERENCE LIBRARY—966-1-6;
Clockwise: The Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry marches out of the exhibition grounds in Ottawa, 1914; Russell motor cars on display in the early 1900s; Canadian troops loading ammunition, May 1917.
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PHOTOS: JOHN WOODRUFF, DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE, LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA—C006258; METROPOLITAN TORONTO REFERENCE LIBRARY—966-1-6
bulky cartridge pouch, for example, was situated inconveniently over top of the stomach, making it difficult to fire from the prone position. An improved pattern issued in 1915 was little better. In a damning trial report, a Canadian staff officer observed that he “should not expect the men wearing this equipment on a march to arrive at the battle point in such fighting condition or able to keep up such a sustained rate of fire, as they would with an equipment where the ammunition was worn more distributed on the body.” An even and balanced distribution of load was a key strength of the 1908 pattern web equipment, a fully adjustable woven cotton assembly that incorporated accessible cartridge pouches, water bottle, entrenching tool, bayonet carrier and pack. It was well ahead of its time, and fortunately, remained standard for most Canadian dismounted troops at the front throughout the war. It was already clear in 1914 and early 1915 that the new conflict would require a massive volume of
artillery ammunition. The Canadian government, hoping to boost a lagging economy through war production, created the Shell Committee under Sam Hughes’s auspices to administer contracts. Most of the committee members were friends of Hughes, and predictably, conflicts of interest abounded. Worse still, manufacturers turned out defective products, or were incapable of filling orders at a time when the Allies were falling desperately short of ammunition. As of June 1915, the Shell Committee had received only $5.5 million of the $170 million worth of ammunition that Canadian manufacturers had promised. Frustrated by this serious shortfall, British buyers sent orders to the United States instead of Canada. Money speaks volumes; Prime Minister Robert Borden was listening, and decided to dissolve the Shell Committee. The new Imperial Munitions Board took its place, and eventually put Canadian production back on track. The number of shells exported by Canada increased from $5.5 million in 1915 to nearly $24 million in 1917. Much of Canada’s ammunition output went to the Allied powers, but it mattered little how many shells Canada could supply to its own army if the overseas forces lacked front-line transportation capacity. The Canadian government, during the first part of the NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 LEGION MAGAZINE
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war, was incapable of equipping the CEF with fully serviceable horse-drawn and mechanical transport (MT) equipment—especially the three-ton trucks that came to play increasingly important roles in battlefield logistics throughout the war. Prior to the outbreak of hostilities, the Canadian Militia had virtually no MT capacity to speak of. Horsedrawn wagons did most of the supply work at the summer training camps, as they had for decades. Militia officials had considered a subsidy scheme whereby operators of civilian motor transport fleets would receive an annual payment from the government in exchange for the promise to make their vehicles available to the armed forces in time of war. Such a scheme, however, was impractical in pre-war Canada, as there were simply not enough heavy delivery trucks in use at the time. This meant that the government would have to purchase transport vehicles for the first contingent ‘off the shelf,’ with little time to lose. A typical 1914 British Expeditionary Force division was equipped with 165 motor vehicles, of which more than 150 were trucks of various sizes (130 of these were three-tonners). Upon the outbreak of war, Sam Hughes appointed T.A. Russell, a fellow Conservative, the owner of Canada Cycle and Motor Company, and the president of the Russell Motor Car Company, to buy up vehicles for the first contingent wherever he could. Russell ordered several cars from Russell Motor Car, as well as about 50 American trucks, including White, Jeff rey and Kelly-Springfield models. He had a personal interest in both transactions, as president of Russell Motor Car and as the Canadian sales agent for Jeff rey and Kelly-Springfield. After much public outcry, a Royal Commission ruled that Russell had not acted improperly. The Liberals thought otherwise, and presented Canadians with a litany of Conservative misdeeds, accusing the government of abetting a ‘million-dollar rake-off ’ through its handling of war contracts.
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By the time the 1st Division arrived in England, it had five different makes of truck on its rolls (White, Jeffrey, Kelly-Springfield, Gramm and Peerless), totaling about 160 machines in all. The division’s transportation strength might have seemed sufficient on paper, but in practice it was anything but. There were too many different makes in service, not enough spares, and some of the models were not up to the task of battlefield logistics. Heavy rainfall on Salisbury Plain over the winter of 1914-15 did not ease maintenance operations. Three of the five makes of truck that had been shipped over to Britain for the 1st Division actually reached France. The others were held back due to poor serviceability, but also to compensate for serious shortages in the second overseas contingent (the 2nd Division). For the moment, the War Office made up the difference of some 50 trucks from its own stocks to complete the 1st Division’s establishment in the field. Sam Hughes resented the substitutions, insisting as always that whatever equipment the Canadian government provided for its troops was surely the very best to be had. Alderson, in command of the 1st Division, knew better, and found serviceable vehicles wherever he could. If 1st Division’s equipment had been less than perfect, 2nd Division fared little better in 1915. As troops of the new division arrived overseas, Canadian military authorities based in England had no idea if MT was on the way from Canada, or was to be sourced elsewhere. No one in Hughes’s department found time to answer repeated queries on this vital matter. As late as June 1915, two months before it left England for the front, the 2nd Division lacked a full complement of vehicles. Hughes promised time after time that the trucks were ‘expected to be shipping in another week or so,’ but they never seemed to arrive. They were badly needed, even while the division remained in camp. As one of the divisional staff officers
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ILLUSTRATION: LIEUTENANT COMMANDER NORMAN WILKINSON, BEAVERBROOK COLLECTION OF WAR ART, CANADIAN WAR MUSEUM—19710261-0791
Ships carrying the First Canadian Contingent cross the Atlantic, October 1914.
During the decade that had passed between the South African War and the call to arms in 1914, Canadians had taken renewed interest in military affairs. There was by then a surplus of volunteers, even if most of them were not Canadian-born. But regardless of where they came from, the men of the first contingent were to learn hard lessons in their first battles—a reality that greeted soldiers of all armies in a world war that consumed millions of lives.
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ILLUSTRATION: LIEUTENANT COMMANDER NORMAN WILKINSON, BEAVERBROOK COLLECTION OF WAR ART, CANADIAN WAR MUSEUM—19710261-0791
was all in the public interest, but the scheme proved to be of little military value. As it turned out, the upkeep of a motley collection of private vehicles was an expensive headache, and in reality, most soldiers were far more interested in having a motorcycle or car available for weekend and evening ‘joyriding’ than pitching in their vehicles for the good of the war effort. The policy was gradually abandoned as the war intensified in 1916.
C A N A D A’
observed, some 18,000 men and 2,000 horses under his care required deliveries of rations and supplies in the Shorncliffe training area. Only 20 trucks borrowed from the British were available for the workload. It was almost impossible to keep all of the troops supplied with so few vehicles. By August, the division was still short nearly 70 vehicles. There was little option but to borrow more trucks from the War Office in Britain, an unpopular decision in Ottawa. Why did the Canadian government experience so much difficulty with procurement? Partly because the types of trucks it needed were, largely, available only in the U.S., and American manufacturers were swamped with orders. But there were other inefficiencies in the system, ones that were purely the products of Canadian political considerations, such as the reluctance to cut out the Canadian middlemen who acted as sales agents for American automobile manufacturers. Part of the solution was to take responsibility for war purchasing away from Hughes. A new War Purchasing Committee was formed under Sir Edward Kemp, a trusted minister in Borden’s cabinet. In the mad scramble to equip the early overseas contingents with motor vehicles the government permitted officers and men to bring personal vehicles with them on the ocean crossing or to purchase vehicles in England. Canadian soldiers who volunteered their machines for official military use did so ‘free of charge,’ but with the understanding that the Canadian government would pay for fuel and oil, as well as daily upkeep and repairs, a financial commitment of some significance. Some Canadian soldiers from the 1st and 2nd Divisions jumped at the chance to own and operate a private vehicle at public expense. In the widely spaced out army camps in southern England, owning a vehicle was the ticket to freedom and status during off-duty hours. Of course, members of the CEF who volunteered their cars or motorcycles insisted that it
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FEATURES
CANADA’S
WAR ART BY JENNIFER MOR SE
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LEgion MagazinE November/December 2014
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BRIAN
Lorimer Brian Lorimer paints big, vivid pictures and for the last two years he has dedicated himself to capturing and commemorating the First World War. He has titled this newest series Project Remembrance and it was completed just in time for the centenary.
Clockwise from opposite page, bottom: The painting Winter Trench resulted from Brian Lorimer’s experience in a trench he built on his property; Remembrance, which is two paintings, depicts a young girl walking through the ruins of a battlefield; Over the Top depicts soldiers huddled in a narrow trench prior to an attack; Unknown Soldier honours those men who never made it home.
Lorimer was born in Belleville, Ont., in 1961, studied at the Ontario College of Art and Design for three years and a decade later founded a studio focusing on mural design. He sold the business in 2002 and concentrated on his art. This artist has painted works as large as 76 feet long and Project Remembrance continues the tradition. It is made up of 36 canvases, most measuring five feet by six feet. But, it wasn’t enough to simply paint the war, the artist wanted to experience life in the trenches, albeit without the rats and artillery. Lorimer dug a 40-foot ditch on his land, “I needed to feel the trench, see it, make a connection with it to try and understand what I was about to undertake… Sitting within those tight confines made me just crazy enough to want to paint this painting (Winter Trench), plus 35 more.” Then in the spring of 2013 he travelled to Belgium and France. “You can’t do a series of this magnitude without going there…it is amazing how close the lines are to each other,” he said. Inspired, he returned home and transferred those emotions into oil on canvas. Bold colour is splattered like blood over many of the compositions. The treatment works—it is energetic and raw—bringing to mind victims, violence and devastation. The colours in the painting Unknown Soldier give an unintentional nod to War Artist Eric Aldwinckle’s bold painting, The Survivor. Both artists rendered war in brash and splintered colour. A percentage of the profits from Project Remembrance has gone to Support Our Troops, The Vimy Foundation and The True Patriot Love Foundation. Earlier this year, four of the paintings from the series were sold. On Nov. 5, 2014, the collection will be showing at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, with 10 of the paintings up for sale. The artist has related items, prints and books, online at http://www.projectremembrance.ca. These days, Lorimer paints full-time from his studio on the shores of Lake Mississagagon, Ont.
There’s more online: Check out the War Art section of our website where you can explore other Canadian war artists. legionmagazine.com
November/December 2014 LEgion MagazinE
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FEATURES
The Royal 22nd Regiment
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Celebrating 100 Years Of
Service And Sacrifice
PHOTO: LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA—PA000262
BY TOM MacGREGOR
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There is a quiet, dignified chapel in the Citadelle, the great walled fort that dominates the skyline of Quebec City. The chapel is a sacred place for the Royal 22nd Regiment, which makes its headquarters in the fort and marks its 100th anniversary this year. Buried inside the chapel is Major-General Georges Vanier, the valiant French-Canadian soldier who lost a leg during the First World War and went on to command the Royal 22nd Regt. and become Canada’s second Canadian-born governor general. At his side is his wife, Pauline, whose own good works distinguished her career. Meanwhile, the regiment’s retired colours hang high on the walls and interred within those walls is soil from the graves of the regiment’s two recipients of the Victoria Cross in the First World War and the ashes of Paul Triquet who earned the VC in Italy during the Second World War. In the centre of the chapel is a Book of Remembrance listing those members of the regiment who made the ultimate sacrifice. But that book is unfinished. The calligraphy still needs to be done, adding those who died in Afghanistan. The sacred book is a reminder that as the Royal 22nd Regt. celebrates its centennial, the regiment is still a fighting unit, one that continues to serve and sacrifice. The unit’s storied history is brilliantly brought to life in the regimental museum, a new space replacing the regiment’s original museum which started in 1950. The new museum opened in May with more artifacts and using contemporary technology to be interactive with visitors. The Citadelle is the working headquarters for the 2nd Battalion of the Royal 22nd Regt. and the spiritual home of the whole regiment. Today it has five battalions; three regular force and two reserve battalions. The First, a mechanized
infantry, and the Third, a light infantry battalion with a company of paratroopers, are stationed at Canadian Forces Base Valcartier, 30 kilometres north of Quebec City while the reserve battalions are in Laval and Saint-Hyacinthe, Que., respectively. History is also part of a daily ceremony from June 24 to Labour Day each summer with the Changing of the Guard. Dressed in scarlet with huge bearskin caps, the unit that has been on guard for the past 24 hours is relieved by a fresh unit in a ceremony complete with the pageantry of precision marches, the regimental band and an
appearance by Baptiste X, a Tibetan goat descended from the original given to the unit by its colonel-in-chief, Queen Elizabeth. “Protocol is a big part of everything at the Citadelle,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Eric Laforest, the commanding officer of the base for 2012-14. The Citadelle is an official residence for the Governor General. It is also residence for Laforest and his family, “There are times when I felt like an old 18th-century British officer sitting in that old house, with the fireplace blazing, sipping on my scotch.” Laforest explains the role he has had as CO. “I have really had three hats while I was here. First I have command of the Citadelle and all the protocol that goes with that. I am responsible for the battalion, ensuring that it is combat-ready NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 LEGION MAGAZINE
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PHOTOS: ERNEST MAUNDER, DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE, LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA—PA002777; TOM MacGREGOR
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Clockwise from opposite page: Members of the 22nd Battalion relax in the trenches, July 1916; Major Georges Vanier, June 1918; the Tibetan goat Baptiste X participates in the changing of the guard ceremony at the Citadelle in Quebec City.
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FEATURES Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas-Louis Tremblay told them, “This is our WHEN THEY JOINED THE REST OF THE CANADIAN first big attack. It must be a sucEXPEDITIONARY FORCE, THEIR ENGLISH-SPEAKING cess for the honour of all French COMRADES HAD TROUBLE PRONOUNCING THE NUMBER Canadians which we represent in VINGT-DEUX, IT CAME OUT AS VAN DOO AND THE France.” The attack was successFRENCH CANADIANS EMBRACED IT AS A NICKNAME. ful. The Van Doos repelled 14 German counterattacks without giving up any ground. In four days of fi ghting, 88 men were killed, including six officers. and thirdly, I am president of the museum which is just Another 119 were wounded. being completed.” Eventually the battle honours would add up, FlersThe museum takes a careful chronological approach to the unit’s history beginning with war being declared in Courcelette, Vimy, the Somme, Mount Sorrel, Arras, August 1914. Even though mobilization plans had been Ypres, Passchendaele, Amiens and Cambrai. On the night of June 8-9, 1918, Corporal Joseph Kaeble drafted prior to the outbreak of war by the permanent force officers taking advantage of the militia system in found himself in charge of a Lewis gun at NeuvilleCanada, Minister of Militia and Defence Sam Hughes dis- Vitasse, France. Following an intense bombardment, trusted the regimental system and favoured new num- some 50 enemy soldiers moved on his position. By that time all of his section except one had become casualties, bered units. French-speaking volunteers were scattered among the Kaeble jumped over the parapet, holding the Lewis gun at his hip and kept firing, even though he was wounded by units and the orders were all given in English. Strong political pressure was put on Prime Minister shells and bombs. He stopped the enemy before falling Robert Borden from French-speaking Canadians in backwards into the trench, mortally wounded. Kaeble reQuebec to form a French-speaking battalion. Like the ceived the VC posthumously. Lieutenant Jean Brillant would die with equal valour Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, which is also celebrating its centennial in 2014, it took private money— two months later during the Battle of Amiens. During two a $50,000 donation from Dr. Arthur Mignault who made days of vicious fighting, Brillant led a company on an adhis fortune in pharmaceuticals—to convince the govern- vance of 12 miles. Twice he rushed machine-gun nests ment to raise a French-speaking unit with Roman receiving wounds himself and killing enemy soldiers. Finally, while held up by a field gun, he organized and led Catholic chaplains. As one of the guides showing tourists about the Citadelle a rushing party towards the gun. He got roughly 600 put it, “It was bad enough getting killed because you can’t yards when he was seriously wounded for the third time, understand the orders but you sure didn’t want to die and collapsing from exhaustion and blood loss. He, too, was awarded the VC posthumously. have the last rites read by a Protestant minister.” The regiment lost 1,147 men during or just after the The new unit, which became active on Oct. 14, 1914, was the 22nd (French Canadian) Bn. with Frederic-Mondelet First World War. In addition, 2,893 men were wounded. Gaudet, a native of Trois-Rivières and a graduate of the The regiment would adopt the motto “Je Me Souviens” Royal Military College in Kingston, Ont., as the command- which means “I Remember” (The Fallen Ones). The unit was disbanded following the war, but a strong ing officer. Training began in Montreal and St-Jean but when the temptations of the big city caused desertion and lobby convinced the government to form a permanent morale problems, the unit transferred to Amherst, N.S., French-speaking regiment. On April 1, 1920, it was reformed as the 22nd Regiment and became headquartered before sailing to England in May 1915 aboard the Saxonia. The ranks were filled with young, tough French in the Citadelle. The title Royal was added to the regiCanadians. Many had served in the French-speaking mili- ment’s name in 1921 by King George V. With the Second World War the Van Doos were again tia units such as the Voltigeurs de Québec and the Maisonneuve and Châteauguay regiments. To that were called into action. In 1940 they were given the honour of added Acadians from the Maritimes and francophones guarding Buckingham Palace at the request of George VI. In 1943 the Van Doos landed in Sicily and then from Northern Ontario and Manitoba. When they joined the rest of the Canadian Expeditionary moved through mainland Italy where it continued to Force, their English-speaking comrades had trouble pro- earn battle honours. The awarding of the VC was much more rare in the nouncing the number vingt-deux, it came out as Van Doo Second World War, but the Van Doos received the first of and the French Canadians embraced it as a nickname. The war was a year old when the Van Doos entered the three awarded for the Italian Campaign. It was for action war in Flanders in September 1915 but it did not take long on Dec. 14, 1943, when Captain Paul Triquet was assigned before their fighting spirit was evident. Throughout the to lead his company across a gully in a vineyard to secure Casa Berardi, a large family home. The company was soon war, the Van Doos fought in most major battles. They first gained distinction in September 1916 when pinned down and all the company’s officers and half of its they took part in the offensive at Flers-Courcelette. men were killed or wounded. According to his citation,
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Triquet encouraged the men, calling into his wireless set, “There are enemy in front of us, behind us and on our flanks. There is only one safe place—that is on the objective.” The men followed him to the objective, securing it and repulsing counterattacks. The Van Doos spent the last part of the war in the Netherlands and northern Germany. Five years later the regiment was back in action in the Korean War. A second battalion was formed in August 1950 at Valcartier and then trained for six months at Fort Lewis in Washington State. The 2nd Bn. was relieved by the 1st Bn. and it was relieved by the 3rd. Peace talks began in July 1951, but fierce fighting continued. In November 1951 the Van Doos repelled savage attacks on its positions on Hill 355. During the war, 110 officers, non-commissioned officers and men were killed and nearly 470 were wounded. The simple battle honour, Korea, was given to the regiment. It was added to the 18 earned in the First World War and the 25 earned in the second. Since then the Van Doos have served on peacekeeping operations around the world, including several stints in Cyprus where two members were killed during the Turkish invasion in the 1970s. Because they were French speaking, the Van Doos were the natural choice to go to Haiti on several occasions, especially in 2010 following the devastating earthquake. The museum also shows the Van Doos in the spotlight again in 1990 during the Oka crisis when local Mohawks on a reserve near Montreal erected blockades to protest the expansion of a golf course and residential development. Native protesters also blocked the Mercier Bridge which tied up traffic for Montreal commuters and put pressure on the Quebec government to resolve the situation. Events escalated when a member of the Sûreté du Québec was shot and killed and the Quebec government asked the military to intervene. Approximately 800 members of the Royal 22nd Regt. took over from the police and assumed positions only metres from the barricades.
A lasting image from that time shows a baby-faced Private Patrick Cloutier of the Van Doos standing with his nose only inches away from a native protester wearing a bandana over his face. The barricade on the Mercier Bridge was soon lifted and within days the remaining protesters broke their weapons and surrendered to the army. During that same decade, the regiment was on active duty in Bosnia. Warrant Officer Ken Jalbert was there. “I was a driver for an armoured personnel carrier. It was kind of scary being out there in no man’s land. I was only 19 at the time,” said Jalbert. Quebec’s discomfort with armed conflict abroad raised its head again in 2007 when it was announced that the Van Doos would be rotating to Afghanistan. The Van Doos had served in Kabul before but Kandahar was a very different place. The government tried to raise awareness of the military in the province by inviting Canadian Armed Forces members to a Montreal Alouettes football game and organizing a march through Quebec City. Both events brought out crowds that cheered them on and protesters who were against sending the men to the conflict. When a number of Canadian Armed Forces personnel were invited to the National Assembly they were greeted by a standing ovation. However, a few members of the Parti Québécois refused to stand. Just weeks after the arrival in Afghanistan, Private Simon Longtin was killed by a roadside bomb while travelling with a Canadian convoy in Kandahar. Shortly after, another was killed when his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device that killed another Canadian soldier and their Afghan translator and injured a Radio Canada cameraman. Nearly 20 more members of the Van Doos would be killed before the regiment was rotated out of Afghanistan in 2012. The names of these fallen will be added to the Book of Remembrance in the chapel at the Citadelle—another sombre, but powerful reminder of the regiment’s 100 years of service and sacrifice. november/december 2014 LEgion MagazinE
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PHOTOS: CPL. JAX KENNEDY, CANADIAN FORCES COMBAT CAMERA; SGT. FRANK HUDEC, CANADIAN FORCES COMBAT CAMERA
Paratroopers from 3rd Bn. prepare for exercises in Ukraine, July 2011; a member of the regiment returns from patrol in Kabul, Afghanistan, April 2004.
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FEATURES
Far from
Home:
The Epic Search For Lost Canadian Graves
Story and photography by Dan Black
Above: Large headstones fill a small part of Tower Hamlets Cemetery in London’s East End. Opposite page: Diana Beaupré and Adrian Watkinson make plans for an upcoming trip to Canadian graves in Scotland; a portrait of Paul Beaupré, Diana’s father. 46
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DRIAN WATKINSON IS NO LONDON CABBIE, but it’s clear something’s at work as he shuffles his little car in and out of traffic along the narrow, congested streets of the city’s East End. As it turns out there’s an inherited line of “cabbie blood” in Adrian’s veins. Benefitting from his acquired sense of direction is his partner, Diana Beaupré, who only recently changed her name from Baldwin to Beaupré after discovering a box hidden in her mother’s closet that revealed who her real father was: a FrenchCanadian soldier named Paul who met her mother during the Second World War while she was married to a Royal Air Force serviceman. The personal nature of this wartime affair, which will be expanded upon later, is crucial to our little storyline as it intersects both life and death. It will show how a deep, dark secret spilled onto the floor and gave rise to a personal campaign to create a comprehensive ‘memorial’ to the 3,893 Canadian casualties sustained in the United Kingdom during the First World War.
Moving forward with the soothing voice of ‘Tim’ riding shotgun on a dash-mounted GPS, Adrian and Diana accept the built-in redundancy of a technology that could assist them on their morning adventure. Both Brits are approaching 70, but you would not know it from their energy—akin to a couple of teenagers en route to a splash park. Diana—a former self-employed dog groomer—and Adrian, who owned and operated a large boarding house for cats, burn brightly as they lay out the day that will unfold on the north side of the Thames. Indeed, if Diana’s ardour could be converted into sunlight, it would be radiating out of her eyes and fingertips. Such utility would certainly cast a welcoming light on how both of them spend most days—walking among graves and talking to dead people—or at least the spirits of dead people. The dead are mostly men—the majority in their 20s—buried in small to large cemeteries at some 853 locations in more than 88 counties and nine far-flung islands across the United Kingdom. Most of these soldiers and their graves are long forgotten, as are their
families and stories of service. And some of them would still be a name on a memorial wall if Diana and Adrian hadn’t trudged through overgrown cemeteries to find and mark lost or hidden graves as part of their Far From Home project. Their aim is to record—for posterity—all of the graves and as much as possible about the soldiers in them. And while this volunteer work is amassing valuable information on Canada’s wartime experience in the U.K. it should give Canadian and British researchers—not to mention genealogists and the relatives of First World War servicemen—a more complete and personal narrative. For starters, it is a little known fact that some two-thirds of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) had immigrated to Canada from the British Isles before the war, which explains why so many of these men and 15 women are found in obscure churchyards and private cemeteries from Shorncliffe on the English Channel to the wind-swept Isles of Orkney off northern Scotland. “Diana and Adrian are in the midst of accomplishing something quite unique,” offers Glenn Wright, a former archivist and historian with Library and Archives Canada. “The basic information on these soldiers is available from the Canadian Virtual War Memorial, but Diana and Adrian are going beyond that by visiting every gravesite and documenting, through meticulous research, every soldier. Their dedication...is exceptional...” november/december 2014 LEgion MagazinE
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“I
FEATURES
tell them someone is here, remembering them,” says Diana. “I tell them it’s about the life they lived before and during the war. Sometimes I chat to them as if they are there...standing next to me in their Canadian uniform.” Recently, the couple has been working to locate the burial places for Canadians whose names appear on the Brookwood (United Kingdom 1914-1918) Memorial Wall in Surrey. The graves of these men are listed as unknown, but Diana and Adrian have found the graves of 10 by purchasing the soldier’s death certificate and then determining the most logical cemetery or churchyard where their remains may be. “Before hitting the road, we write letters or send emails to churches, cemeteries or local authorities requesting a burial check,” explains Adrian. “Through a process of elimination, graves can be found this way, but it takes time, effort, patience and tenacity. The results are passed to the CWGC (Commonwealth War Graves Commission) for their records and for a war grave headstone to be ordered if one is not present.” As of mid-August, more than 3,500 graves throughout Britain and Northern Ireland have been visited. In 2012 alone, Diana—assisted by Canadian volunteer Lyette Brochu—visited 226 locations in England, Wales and Ireland. Next June the couple will embark on their sixth month-long road trip which will take them to 306 gravesites at 160 locations throughout Scotland. “It will take us 800 kilometres just to get to the Scottish border from Canterbury and we will be covering roughly 4,200 kilometres once we’re there,” explains Adrian. By the time the entire project is completed in 2016, the couple estimate they will have travelled—by car, plane and ferry—roughly 29,000 kilometres. “That’s a lot of petrol calls at £1.32 per litre,” he adds. To save time and money, Adrian maps out the best route, the location of entry points and the exact or probable location of a grave. Whether it is a trip into London or a longer journey, each trip has its own ‘soldiers packs’ and ‘flight plan’ detailing who it is they are looking for and how to get there. Tucked into the boot of their car this morning— next to a thermos of tea and a box of sandwiches— is the “grave kit,” an assortment of gloves, garden shears, brushes, trowels, kneepads and water-filled spray bottles used to clear dirt and weeds from around graves. Adrian and Diana also never leave a grave without planting a small Canadian flag and saying a few words. “I tell them someone is here, remembering them,” says Diana. “I tell them it’s about the
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life they lived before and during the war. Sometimes I chat to them as if they are there...standing next to me in their Canadian uniform.” “Judging by the condition of most of the private graves we visit, nobody—or very few people—visit these men, at least in the last 50 or so years,” adds Adrian. “We, in fact, may be the last people to visit them. That doesn’t worry me, it saddens me.” Diana gives the example of a grave belonging to Sapper Ernest Stigant of Winnipeg. Although born in the U.K., Stigant served with the Canadian Engineers and died in January 1918 from wounds received at the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Diana and Adrian had to cut their way through dense undergrowth in the municipal cemetery before they found the grave with a large tree growing through it. Whatever they learn about a soldier before, during or after a visit is documented and triple sourced. Each profile draws on primary research sources in the U.K. and Canada, and sometimes further afield. “We apply the same research standards to each and every casualty,” notes Diana who earned a first-class honours degree in American and Canadian studies from Canterbury Christ Church University in 2007. “We are dedicated to trying to find the same information on all of them and this often results in new or corrected information—such as the spelling of a name.” “This is a magnificent project that is not only meticulously researched but is also being carried out with great dedication and a very keen sense of history,” says historian Tony McCulloch of University College London, England. “Each year they have ventured increasingly ‘far from home’ themselves. Importantly,
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they are also making their findings accessible to all...” The work has produced an array of stats on everything from how Canadian soldiers died, how many were buried in a given year at a particular cemetery, marital status, religion, regiment, ethic origin and age at death. The profiles are compiled, regularly updated and then fed into volumes with each one assigned to a particular county. At last count there were 92 volumes in the couple’s “war room” situated in a cottage behind their modest bungalow near Canterbury. The binder for Kent/ Shorncliffe, for example, contains 305 soldier profiles, all of whom died in the U.K. between 1915 and 1919. The highest number—112—died in 1916. Interestingly, the causes of death for the 305 were 29 by accident; 29 air raid; one at sea; 216 illness; 15 suicide; 15 wounds. “Some of the figures are quite surprising and show unexpected results,” explains Adrian. “For instance, the number of deaths through battlefield wounds was quite low compared to those for serious illness. As expected, the influenza pandemic that peaked in 1918 wreaked havoc amongst the troops, but even in the earlier years of the war, meningitis, tuberculosis, pneumonia, measles and alcoholism claimed their share, with a dramatic number of deaths through accidents or suicide.” Lieutenant Ewen McLachlin of Arnprior, Ont., was the first Canadian suicide Diana and Adrian learned about. On the night of Aug. 19, 1917, the 29-year-old officer was on a shingle beach near Shorncliffe and after staring out to sea fired a bullet into his head. “Learning about his death opened a window on my psyche,” says Diana. “I wondered how many more
From left: Before planting a cross and a Canadian flag, Diana Beaupré and Adrian Watkinson say a few words for a soldier in a church yard cemetery; Beaupré and Watkinson—with the help of Ken Greenway’s dog Quinn—locate the grave of Private Frederick Ludeman at Tower Hamlets Cemetery; Shorncliffe Military Cemetery. there were and why. It is the suicides that get to us more than anything because they died alone. This officer had spent the afternoon golfing with his friends and while he was sitting on the beach that night he would have heard the guns in France.” In Scotland, the couple will visit the grave of Private Antonio Hébert who served in the Canadian Forestry Corps. On April 30, 1918, the 22-year-old left camp and wandered into the woods with a piece of rope in his hand. He picked out a birch tree along the River Findhorn and ended his life without anyone knowing. Three years later, two young men hiking through the forest decided to stop for a rest on a crag some 100 feet above the river. One of them noticed a boot containing the remains of a foot. Soon a skull was found, then the rope still dangling from the tree with two vertebrae. A later search uncovered buttons from a Canadian tunic. “It is really sad to know that he hung there for an indeterminate period of time before his body disintegrated,” says Diana. “When we visit his grave we will spend a quiet time there talking to him.” The fatal accidents listed in the files include everything from falls to road mishaps to the discharge of firearms. Private Duncan McLean of Charlottetown, november/december 2014 LEgion MagazinE
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The search continues for another grave— far from home.
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who had served in the South African War and enlisted in the CEF in 1915 at the age of 36, was struck by a truck. Private James Brown of Montreal died Aug. 24, 1915, after a train severed both feet and crushed both arms. Another soldier died after falling off a Martello Tower and breaking his back. The discovery of such facts coupled with the opportunity to visit each grave is what energizes the project. Between Adrian and Diana is a shared tenacity for chasing down details. They are known for knocking on all doors—sometimes loudly—in their quest for information. It’s a commitment that makes them vulnerable to frustration, but also open to reward—or as Diana says—“eureka moments.” “It isn’t a project for the faint-hearted,” she explains. “The month-long road trip we did last year was able to take place only after four months of detailed preparation as it is simply impossible to turn up at a cemetery and hope to find a grave, particularly a private one. Unlike cemeteries I have visited in Canada, where there appears to be order and every section is clearly marked, it is only the military cemeteries here that have order whilst the rest, to use an old saying, is like looking for a needle in a haystack.” This morning’s adventure in London’s East End could go that way. However, there is a strong sense of optimism in the car as they arrive and begin to zero in on the missing graves of Canadian Sergeant Joseph Clark and Private Frederick Ludeman. Hours of research has pointed them to Tower Hamlets Cemetery, one of London’s oldest and largest burial grounds. However, locating two missing and unmarked graves in the 33-acre cemetery won’t be as simple as walking in, grabbing the register and finding them by row and plot. Diana and Adrian have a strong ally in Ken Greenway who manages what for decades has been a closed cemetery within a nature reserve. In addition to Millionaires Row with its towering, vinecovered monuments, the ground at Tower Hamlets contains some 350,000 interments. As if on cue, a large crow settles on one of the waterstained monuments and begins to caw in the rain just as Ken, Diana and Adrian leave the main path and push beneath a dripping canopy of sycamore interspersed with ash and large London plane trees. The wet, uneven ground is a mixture of wild garlic, sweet violets, herb Robert and blue bells—just about everything you would associate with an English woodland. There are grave markers, too; all of them chipped and stained and leaning forward and aft like deteriorating teeth. Stretched across the top of one is a dead rat. With Ken’s assistance—and relying on information from the London Metropolitan Archives—Diana and Adrian draw reference points off two markers with names. Soon they pinpoint an empty space—the unmarked grave of Private Ludeman and some nine other people—all beneath them in the cold London clay in plot R1304. It’s what they call a public grave—for
civilians who could not afford a separate plot, let alone a marker. In there with Ludeman are the remains of people who are entirely unrelated to him, including an eight-month-old infant named Grace and a 92-yearold named Sarah. “It’s a little sad that our soldier’s grave seems non-existent,” says Diana as she plants a small Canadian flag. “But it is so satisfying to find it, mark it and say a few words.” The search for Sergeant Clark takes Diana and Adrian into a more open, but equally crowded space. They know approximately where Clark’s grave is, but they can’t pinpoint it so they will have to return when there’s more time. From Tower Hamlets, they travel to six other cemeteries where the work continues. It is evening by the time they return to Canterbury. “Our main frustration is that we do not have unlimited resources to finish the work as quickly as we would like to,” says Diana. “This is totally self-financed, although we would like to attract some support. We are also very aware that we are both becoming older and therefore our current physical energy levels are likely to fall over the next few years. However, neither of these factors has caused either of us to diminish the mental energies we expend daily on working to get this done. We will plough on to the end.” When she gets to the end, Diana will look back to the day she found that box in her mother’s closet. She had lived most of her life believing her father was the RAF serviceman who was married to her mother during the war. However, the box of secrets revealed that the couple had just one daughter—Diana’s older sister. She also learned that while her husband was away on war service, Diana’s mother had an affair with a Polish soldier, resulting in a second child—Diana’s brother. “By August that year my mother was hanging off the arm of a French-Canadian soldier—my dad.” Fourteen years ago, while digging through the box, Diana vowed to learn more about her dad and what she learned she liked. Her curiosity led her to Quebec where she discovered he had died. But when she visited the cemetery she could not find a headstone for Paul Beaupré. There was none, and a fire had destroyed the cemetery’s records. A CWGC headstone—erected through the Last Post Fund in Montreal—is now located close to where it’s believe her father is buried and on the strength of her father’s wartime service, Diana proudly joined the Legion’s Pierre Boucher Branch in Boucherville, Que. “The upsetting memory of walking around that cemetery for so long—hoping to find his grave—has remained with me. It coloured my determination to complete the Far From Home project—for the boys who are here.” To learn more visit www.canadianukgravesww1.co.uk november/december 2014 LEgion MagazinE
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H
FEATURES
Fantino Under Pressure
PROFILE OF AN EMBATTLED MINISTER By Sharon Adams
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H PHOTO: REUTERS/Chris Wattie
Housed in a utilitarian building in downtown Ottawa,
the office of the minister of Veterans Affairs is a comfortable, but not opulent space with paintings and sculptures commemorating and honouring Canada’s veterans and serving military. During visits to interview previous ministers I’ve noticed personal photos and mementos that reveal a warmer side to the position of cabinet minister. My latest visit to interview the current minister offers no such opportunity because it is convened in a small meeting room. Julian Fantino, who was named to the veterans’ portfolio in 2013, is the fourth minister since the New Veterans Charter (NVC) was enacted in April 2006. Fantino has been busy during his time at the helm. He has made many close connections to veterans, but he has also been heavily criticized by those who are dissatisfied with veterans’ services; objections which have led to angry confrontations and left veterans feeling disrespected. Some of Fantino’s critics, along with representatives of various public unions and opposition politicians, have called for his resignation. Today, I have a 30-minute interview with the minister, so there is not much time for long explanations or personal observations. There is time to touch on five or six key issues, but Fantino does not stray far from answers he’s given before about the department’s record and performance. My final question—what is the biggest challenge facing you now?—does arouse a more personal response. “Negativity,” he answers. “The negative stuff, including mischief-making...does a disservice to all the good work our government has done (and which) the taxpayers have contributed to. We’re spending a lot of time…speaking to people directly, unfiltered, eyeball-to-eyeball. We’re always open to hear from people who have issues and concerns. I talked to all the veterans who came with us to Normandy (in the delegation during D-Day commemorations). I get direct information. I don’t need to read the negativity in the media to know what’s going on. I am in a very positive place working with great people in Veterans Affairs Canada at all levels, working on behalf of...the veterans we care greatly about.” Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) has a $3.6-billion budget. The department says over 90 per cent of it goes to financial, vocational and rehabilitation support for its 208,000 clients, including RCMP veterans and serving members of the military as well as military veterans and their families. More than 80 per cent of VAC’s clients are happy with the service and benefits they receive, accord-
Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino (centre) makes his way past journalists after testifying at the House of Commons Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs in May.
ing to the department’s 2010 National Client Survey. Major accomplishments in Fantino’s first year include bringing on more partners to offer jobs and careers to veterans through such projects as Hire a Veteran and Helmets to Hardhats; a pilot project for PTSD therapy dogs; partnerships to help homeless veterans; an expanded contract with The Royal Canadian Legion to support the visitation of veterans in long-term care; the organizing and hosting of various commemorations marking wartime anniversaries. “He’s moved Veterans Affairs in the right direction,” says Gordon Moore, Dominion President of the Legion from 2012 to 2014. “If he puts into force all 14 recommendations arising from the Commons Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs’ review of the NVC, he’s going to look very good. But if he fails on any one of those recommendations, he may not be the minister of Veterans Affairs next go-round.” (See our news story on the government’s response to the 14 recommendations, which came at press time, page 87). When Fantino stepped into the portfolio he inherited growing resentment over a number of issues, not the least of which is anger about gaps in the NVC. Anger reached a boiling point in January when he was late for a scheduled meeting organized by the Public Service Alliance of Canada with a delegation of veterans from across the country concerned about closures of nine district offices. When he talked to the veterans, they vented their fury in front of the media. He later publicly apologized for his late arrival and said the 70-minute delay was caused by a cabinet meeting that ran long. The media was there again in May as he was filmed walking away from the wife of a veteran with PTSD who was attempting to talk to him between meetings about needs for family support. A spokesman later explained the minister did not see or hear the woman over shouted questions from reporters. These two events are trotted out frequently by those with beefs against the department and the minister. “People seem to feast on the one-offs,” Fantino says. “As far as some of the hiccups I’ve encountered, you know what: it’s not about me; it’s about what people see that is an advantage for their own particular agendas.” Fantino is the first to admit there is no one veterans’ agenda. “There’s no one-size-fits-all. There’s no homogenous veterans’ community. There’s no cookie-cutter approach to any of this.” One of the biggest challenges with the portfolio is november/december 2014 LEgion MagazinE
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FEATURES minimum annual pre-tax income of approximately trying to meet the very personal and complex needs of $40,000. And the lump-sum payment does not go far in people in need or in pain or who are angry, with what is outfitting a life for permanent disability. Campbell says often seen as impersonal, bureaucratic tools—all at a time his $276,000 NVC lump-sum payment was not enough to when the federal government is tightening departmental build a wheelchair-accessible house. budgets across the board. Veterans Affairs’ priorities and In 1996, after his medical release from the forces, retired planning documents show funding for benefits is increasair force intelligence officer Sean Bruyea became a vocal ing, but operating costs decreasing. The department says critic of Veterans Affairs. Slowly, others were emboldened cutting red tape and modernizing procedures are priorito speak out about their own struggles with the military ties. Staff reduction has a lot to do with those savings. and veteran establishments, and soon a storm began buildVeterans Affairs Canada will ultimately lose about a quaring. In 2007 a class-action law suit was launched to end ter of its employees to federal cutbacks, according to the Service Income Security Insurance Plan (SISIP) clawbacks Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. of monthly VAC pensions. In 2008 a breach of privacy The department is working smarter, says Fantino. complaint was filed over political use of information in a “We actually didn’t cut. We made some adjustments. veteran’s medical file; veterans also began protesting fedWe’re doing things more efficiently, more effectively. eral government budget cuts. Two years later the Privacy We’ve cut out red tape galore. We’ve done away with millions of transactions where veterans had to submit a bill for $35 for cutting the grass. We don’t “... They can tell you they’ve done more have that hard manual, labour-intensive work to than any other sitting government, and be done. These are not jobs for life. Working in government...there’s a taxpayer here too. We have to that may or may not be true. What I can be conscious and we have to be responsible enough tell you is, that is not the perception at the to realize we are in fact spending taxpayer’s money coal face, among the veterans.” too. My duty, my responsibility...is that we do it wisely, we do it efficiently and with high regard Commissioner found that the department had many sysfor who is paying the freight.” temic flaws in the way it protected the information of veterIn modernizing, VAC is slowly changing focus from ans, their dependants and survivors. Bruyea subsequently Second World War-era veterans, mostly volunteers who sued the government and received a settlement. returned en masse to civilian life, to the differing needs That fall, a veterans’ protest rally on Parliament Hill of modern personnel who were counting on a long miliwas organized—and since then, protests and rallies have tary career. Billed as a means to better meet the needs of increased. In 2012 a privacy breach at the Veterans’ post-Korean War veterans, the NVC focuses on medical, Review and Appeal Board was revealed. That same year vocational and financial support meant to move veterans the SISIP clawback suit succeeded, to the benefit of more from military to civilian careers. Lifelong disability penthan 7,000 veterans. The following year a Royal Canadian sions were replaced by income support, allowances and a Legion letter-writing campaign resulted in increases to one-time award for pain and suffering, popularly known the funeral and burial benefits. as a lump-sum payment. All political parties and most Fantino, 72, was elected in 2010 as Member of veterans advocates supported the charter, but it was on Parliament for Vaughan, Ont. He joined cabinet as minister the understanding that it would be “living” legislation of State for Seniors in January 2011 and was appointed that could be amended as needed. associate minister of National Defence that May, then Gaps in the NVC began appearing almost immediately, minister of International Co-operation in 2012. but changes to the legislation were a long time coming. His early background in law enforcement includes Amendments in 2011 addressing some deficiencies only 23 years with the Metropolitan Toronto Police, during seemed to emphasize how slowly beats the heart of the which time he rose through the ranks from police con‘living’ charter. “They forgot about us, the catastrophically stable to acting staff superintendent of detectives. In 1991 disabled,” says Major Mark Campbell of Edmonton, who he became chief of police in London, then York Regional lost both legs in Afghanistan in 2008. “They adopted a Police and finally the Toronto Police Service. After a year discriminatory insurance model which bases compensation on salary.” The military takes “the lowest paid, newest as Commissioner of Emergency Management, he became Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner, a post he held and youngest members and puts them in the position of from 2006 to 2010. the most danger. So by adopting the civilian insurance Fantino was no stranger to public controversy during model the government has ensured that those who inhis police career. However, each time he weathered the curred the most danger are the ones who receive the lowstorm and his career continued to progress. est (financial benefits). It’s based on a percentage of their Critics, meanwhile, continue to mine the permanent salary at the time of injury. And it’s taxed.” memory banks on the Internet for data to support their As a major, Campbell is near the top of the scale, “but causes. Media- and social media-wise veterans are using the vast majority are not 17-year majors. They’re one, two, this technology to rally support and marshal forces. three-year corporals and privates” stuck near NVC
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A significant number have become skeptical as they see a difference between what the department and politicians say, and what they’re hearing from each other. Veterans’ skepticism notched up this year after Postmedia News reported on documents from 2012 revealing a communications strategy meant to head off angry reaction to the news of office closures and layoffs. “Bureaucrats were instructed to provide pre-approved, cookie-cutter responses as requests for information came in, assuring the public the government was still committed to helping veterans and indicating that service would actually increase,” stated the story that ran in newspapers from Montreal to Vancouver. Meanwhile, there continues to be a steady stream of good news press releases from the minister’s office—more than 170 in his first year—announcing grants for improving memorials and cemeteries, commemorating military anniversaries and announcing and then reporting on appearances by the minister or his representative at conferences, meetings and other events. The veterans who were reacting angrily to reports of the office closures were not mollified by announcements that benefit forms would be available at some 600 Service Canada sites, nor were they impressed by reminders that the department now has a 24-hour 1-800 number and has increased its presence on bases and wings across the country. Instead, veterans rallied and protested the closures. It was then announced that one staffer would stay on in some locations. “We don’t expect veterans to go down to the local veterans’ office or Service Canada office if they are in any way, shape or form in a hardship situation,” maintains Fantino. “We will go to them. We do go to them.” Campbell says he is one of a number of veterans who are no longer willing to take any minister’s word for anything. “There’s truth and then there’s spin,” he said. “And there’s been an awful lot of spin. They can tell you they’ve done more than any other sitting government, and that may or may not be true. What I can tell you is, that is not the perception at the coal face, among the veterans.” Fantino, meanwhile, remains proud of the department’s record. “We’ve enhanced greatly the services to veterans. Amplifying our delivery sites where veterans can go and get help if they need it.” Second World War veteran Roy Lamore of Thunder Bay, Ont., doesn’t buy it. Offering forms at Service Canada Centres or over the Internet and advice via telephone trades quantity for quality. “We shouldn’t have to beg for face-to-face services.” “Our workload has changed, our environment has changed,” says Fantino. “The demographics have changed and we need to change with the current situation as it presents itself.” Despite changes, “it’s totally and absolutely inaccurate to say that VAC has cut services.” “All I hear is spin and deflection and blame and denial, denial, denial,” adds Campbell. He and other veterans say the government cherry-picks statistics to put the best possible political spin on criticism.
Four years ago, the Veterans Affairs client survey that reported 80 per cent satisfaction among clients was criticized on the website Our Duty, a Newfoundland veterans’ advocacy group. Author Jeff Rose-Martland pointed out only about half of those contacted agreed to be interviewed and seriously disabled clients were under-represented. In April, suspicions were deepened for some veterans who had never believed government reassurances that the budget is not being balanced on the backs of disabled veterans. Retired lieutenant-general and Senator Roméo Dallaire told the Canadian Press that Conservative politicians’ complaints about the cost of supporting disabled veterans were “pissing me off.” The government responded by saying it has invested more in veterans than any government in modern history. Dallaire argues the cost of benefits for wounded veterans should be considered at the outset, as part of the cost of any mission. Campbell is part of a class-action suit filed in British Columbia Supreme Court on behalf of disabled soldiers who argue NVC settlements break a long-standing government promise to care for those injured or made ill in military service. Crown lawyers countered that today’s government shouldn’t be held to historical promises. Now advocates are pressing for a clear definition of the covenant between the people of Canada and the men and women who are killed, injured, disabled or made ill in their service. “It’s become a matter of contention,” says Fantino. “I personally don’t know why. I’ll give you my personal opinion now. I believe we do have a responsibility and a mandate to look after our veterans. That’s why we’re here, why the government since 2006 has put some $4.7 more billion into veterans’ issues, programs, services, support for veterans. The reality is we’ve been doing it. We will continue doing it.” But, says Moore, “It’s not just the minister of Veterans Affairs, it’s the government as a whole” that needs to keep the sacred duty in mind. “That’s why we’re pushing for the covenant to be in black and white.” A recurring review of the NVC should also be in black and white, he said. Although it was promised that the charter would be changed when necessary, the first changes came after five years of reports and protests, and a full review was done after eight years. Fantino does not favour a specific timeline. “My view is we should be driven by circumstances and events and situations that need to be addressed, as opposed to ‘no, no we don’t do that until 2016.’ I’d much rather have the flexibility of delving into these things on a needs basis when required when circumstances are such that we need to revisit, review, rethink a position.” However, the definition of timely response is different for politicians than it is for veterans in need. The minister’s office in downtown Ottawa will see a lot of work over the coming months, and Fantino seems aware criticism is likely to continue. “Are there gaps? Yes, there are, and we’re addressing them. It’s a work in progress. I do not profess that either I or VAC are perfect in everything we do.” november/december 2014 LEgion MagazinE
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FEATURES
The Veterans Revolt
By Adam Day
2013
Across Canada this past year a new entity has emerged into Canadian public life: the angry veteran. In courtrooms and hospital rooms and on Facebook pages, this group of former soldiers—largely but not all Afghan vets—have come out swinging hard against the government, the New Veterans Charter and the standard of care they receive. They don’t all belong to the same group and they themselves often don’t see eye to eye, but this is their story laid out in just the bare outline, arranged into a series of facts, events and quotes to form a chronology of anger and disappointment.
CHARTING A YEAR OF RISING ANGER & DESPAIR
MASTER BOMBARDIER TRAVIS HALMRAST
MASTER CORPORAL WILLIAM ELLIOTT
WARRANT OFFICER MICHAEL ROBERT MCNEIL
MASTER CORPORAL SYLVAIN LELIEVRE
NOV. 25, 2013
NOV. 26, 2013
NOV. 27, 2013
DEC. 3, 2013
SUICIDES
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DEC. 4, 2013: Amid the rash of suicides, Chief of Defence Staff General Tom Lawson releases a video aimed at addressing the problem. In the video, he says “suicide is an international public health concern,” but that we “have an expert health care system to support us,” if only the soldiers will end the “self-stigma” and come forward to get help.
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2014 RETIRED CORPORAL LEONA MACEACHERN
CORPORAL ADAM ECKHARDT
CORPORAL CAMILO SANHUEZA-MARTINEZ
LIEUTENANT-COLONEL STEPHANE BEAUCHEMIN
DEC. 25, 2013
JAN. 3, 2014
JAN. 8, 2014
JAN. 16, 2014
DEC. 15, 2013: During this wave of suicides, former Chief of Defence Staff General Rick Hillier notes that many of our “young men and women have lost confidence in our country to support them” and makes a call for a public inquiry into the treatment of veterans in Canada. He writes on his personal Facebook page: “I’ve read a couple of the transcripts of the interview and already heard folks in the media refer to it. Just to be clear: I’m advocating a public look, (a public inquiry or even a Royal Commission) at how we treat our veterans here in Canada, whether they are serving or not. Because, even with all the stories we have heard in recent weeks, I believe the greater problem lies outside the CF. How can we build on the many good programs and people working hard in support now, and make sure, as a nation, that we get this right. God knows that if we had screwed up our missions, there would have been lots of public investigation into what had gone wrong, why and who was to blame! Canada’s sons and daughters in uniform stood tall in our defence. Canada now needs to stand tall in defence of them.”
JAN. 28, 2014: A group of disgruntled veterans arrive in Ottawa to meet with Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino in an attempt to stop Veterans Affairs Canada from closing eight offices, which they said would negatively impact their ability to receive care. In the event, Fantino showed up 70 minutes late and then stormed off, telling the veterans the decision had already been made. Not only were the veterans outraged by the ill-treatment, but calls for Fantino to be fired were made in Parliament the next day. “What the minister did yesterday was disgraceful. The only thing we want is a commitment to keep open the eight offices and reopen the Prince George office. Veterans have earned that respect,” said a joint statement from the veterans at the meeting. That same day, Fantino issued an apology, stating the delay was “due to a cabinet meeting that ran long.”
PHOTOS: SGT. NORM MCLEAN, CANADIAN FORCES COMBAT CAMERA; SGT. MARCO COMISSO, ARMY NEWS; CPL. DARCY LEFEBVRE, DND; ADAM DAY
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FEB. 28, 2014: The government cuts a cheque for one cent and sends it to Denise Stark—the mother of Corporal Justin Stark, an Afghan veteran who committed suicide in 2011 at age 22. “It’s humiliating and degrading,” said Keven Ellis on behalf of the family. “It took the wind out of [Denise’s] sails. It’s been two-and-a-half years and she gets a cheque in the mail from the government addressed to her son for one cent? This woman lost her son...” Following the incident, Defence Minister Rob Nicholson personally apologized for the “insensitive bureaucratic screw-up” and said it wouldn’t happen again. Denise Stark accepted the apology.
FEB. 24, 2014: SERGEANT RONALD ANDERSON FEB. 24, 2014
APRIL 9, 2014: Published on the Military Minds Facebook page by one of the administrators with a little note attached, saying “The more things change…” “I would like to be able to make people see that those pale set faces and lean forms in ragged muddy uniforms sweeping on the foe with a godlike faith and high purpose, being faithful even to the uttermost agony of rent torn flesh, broken bones, shattered nerves with shattered souls or spirit, were not merely military machines, not blood thirsty man killers in a feast of blood and slaughter but just plain lonely Canadian boys that played at their mothers knees, carried their books to school, played hockey or baseball, living their short lives at home feeling all the little joys and sorrows. Left sweethearts and mothers behind as well as all the hopes or prospects of their youth and their ambitions. Turned their backs on it, facing this hell—fighting, bleeding or dying because they believed it was the right thing to do. How many of our leaders, teachers and preachers who heckle and insult the orphans and widows these boys left behind could rise to their spiritual height and claim courage? At this time 15 years after the war they are still dropping off one by one. Lingering half sick and wholly sick both in body and spirit. Occasionally we hear of one of them taking his own life and immediately we hear some wise-cracker suggesting that these returned men are sort of nutty anyway. There is a strange and terrible contrast between people’s attitude toward the dead soldier and the live one. It seems sometimes as though it was a serious mistake for any of them to come back to their home land, for their welcome seems to be very hard mixed and questionable and continues to this day.” –Frank S. Iriam, Canadian sniper, scout and observer who served in World War I from August 1914–September 1919. Gassed and wounded in action. Written in 1933.
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APRIL 28, 2014: Afghanistan war veteran Chris Dupee was the founder of the Military Minds peer-support group for veterans with post-traumatic stress issues. As his own battle with PTSD reached a critical point, he posted this on his Facebook wall. “Get diagnosed with PTSD, your career clock starts ticking. Basically the moral of the story is, shut the f--k up and take it if you want to continue in the forces. I say that but don’t really mean it, your mental health is number one, so deal with it. That said, a release is the true beginning of your fight. In my case I have 5 mouths to feed and a roof to keep over our heads. I won’t get my pension because I have not served 10 years. By the time of my release it will be 9 years and 8-9 months... If I got out with at least a pension, I’d know no matter what, my mortgage would be paid for, and I’d just try and find a job to cover off the rest. Now I’m all f--ked up, no pension, no job, but many mouths to feed. I understand I’m just a waste to the forces, and if I’m not deployable, well then I’m not employable, it’s now my job to bow out and let someone else in. This stressor has weighed so friggen heavy on me it’s not fit. I signed the dotted line to be a soldier for the rest of my life, I was set, but made the mistake of putting my hand up and saying I’m f--ked up sir “tic toc tic toc.” I am probably at my worst right now since the day I put my hand up, yet they look me in the eye and say I’m doing so much better, but here, take this prescription. FML. Time to figure out what’s next.”
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MAY 8, 2014: Royal Canadian Legion Dominion President Gordon Moore objects to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s intention to receive the last Canadian flag flown in the Afghanistan mission during the ceremony at the National Day of Honour. Instead, said Moore, the flag should be accepted by Governor General David Johnston who “is the commander-inchief of the Canadian Armed Forces. That’s who we as former members and serving members hold in respect because he is our commander. I firmly believe that’s who should be receiving the flag.” The Globe and Mail picks up on Moore’s complaint and gives the story prominent coverage. In the end, the flag passes from Harper to Johnston.
MAY 9, 2014, was officially designated the National Day of Honour to provide a sense of closure for the end of Canada’s war in Afghanistan. Many veterans did not appreciate the gesture. Captain Wayne Johnston (now retired) who is the founder of Wounded Warriors Canada, is quoted in the Sun newspapers on May 10: “Yeah, I’ll say this, and you can write it if you want,” said Johnston. “The last refuge of a scoundrel is patriotism. Right now, I’m sorry, I view this prime minister and this government as scoundrels,” he added. “They think a f--king parade is going to change my mind?” asked Johnston. “Not a f--king chance.” Meanwhile, Bruce Moncur, a wounded Afghan veteran and the founder of the Canadian Afghan Veterans Association, wrote a column published on the Huffington Post Canada. “When I was asked to write about the Day of Honour I found it difficult. I knew that the sooner I finished the better, but I had a hard time wrapping my head around it. The ceremony itself went off without a hitch. The military worked within the seven-week timeframe flawlessly, DND followed the word of command and put on a parade that would make Caesar jealous, while cities across Canada honoured the 40,000-plus Afghan veterans with a display of gratitude that was truly appreciated. Despite these facts, I have misgivings about painting a happy picture of military affairs in Canada. One day of organized remembrance does not undo the actions—or lack thereof—of our government on every other day. I fear that our veterans continue to be mistreated and disrespected within a system that ignores their sacrifices on a daily basis. When I arrived at the ceremony I did not anticipate having to march on parade. I was conflicted, and yet I fell in to ranks. A retired colonel began to delegate, immediately appointing a Regimental Sergeant Major RSM to form us up. They began to call out drill, but I could not bring myself to follow the word of command. Being called to attention, after all of the grief my injury caused me, was too difficult. Veterans Affairs of Canada legislation is set up in such a way that a penetrating head injury like the one I sustained in Afghanistan will garner you 10 per cent of 298,000 dollars. I will not come to attention. The conservative government is currently arguing that the “moral obligation” owed to injured veterans spoken of by former Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden does not apply to those veterans now. When we were a poorer country, with more veterans and less people, there was a moral obligation. But when we are a richer country with less veterans and more people, the moral obligation no longer applies. I argue that you must possess and act in honour to declare a day in support of it. This should be a cautionary tale to everyone. The veterans’ inability to come together proved to be their downfall...”
MASTER CORPORAL DENIS DEMERS SEPT. 12, 2014
ON JUNE 4, 2014, Retired Major Mark Campbell who lost both his legs in combat in Afghanistan travels to Ottawa to attend a protest on Parliament Hill. Campbell is one of the six former soldiers currently suing the government to establish their fair treatment under the New Veterans Charter. “This is not what has me punching and trying to kick in bed at night,” said Campbell, referring to his missing legs. “My trauma continues every single day (because of) my sense of betrayal at the hands of the Canadian government.” “Right now,” Campbell told the Canadian Press in early June, “based on the lawsuit, the government of Canada’s position is that there is no special relationship and the government of Canada has no special responsibility towards soldiers more than—and I quote—‘welfare recipients.’” “[Changing that] would be beneficial for those who are serving, because they would know once and for all that the government has their back should they be injured in the line of duty—or worse, killed,” he said.
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FEATURES FEATURES
THE BROTHERHOOD OF UNDERGROUND MUSHROOMERS DEEP INSIDE A COLD WAR NERVE CENTRE
By Tom MacGregor
T
here is a select group within the Canadian Armed Forces who have received a certificate at the end of their tour of operations in North Bay, Ont., inducting them into the Brotherhood of Underground Mushroomers. It was an in-joke among those who kept a vigilant eye on Canada’s skies during the Cold War, spending all their working hours in a secret complex deep in the ground where daylight never shone. “We called it the Hole. When you did a tour there you received a pin and certificate with a mushroom drawn on it,” said Master Corporal Allan Silk who volunteers at the Canadian Forces Museum of Aerospace Defence at Canadian Forces Base North Bay, 350 kilometres north of Toronto. The Hole, as Silk called it, housed two buildings inside a 5½-storey high cave. You could get to the buildings by North Tunnel from the air base or by the South Tunnel from the city. The complex was behind three 19-ton steel doors which were normally kept open but could be shut during an emergency. “Yet they were so
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well balanced a five-year-old child could move them with her fingers,” said Silk. “You had everything you needed there. There was a barber shop, a gym, cafeteria, and doctors’ offices. We assumed that if we had to stay there we could go three weeks or more without needing supplies,” said Marshall Swartz of Bracebridge, Ont., who was stationed at the underground complex three times. The complex also had all it needed for running a war— a command post, intelligence centre, briefing rooms and a telephone network. It used civilian hydro electricity but had two banks of batteries to provide electricity in case of a power failure. They were backed up by generators that could run on diesel or natural gas. “We had a reservoir down there for cooling the equipment and the air. We called that our lake. We had a navy too; it was a row boat,” said Swartz. The aerospace defence museum takes the visitor from the early days to the Cold War. The two main antagonists in a possible nuclear war were the United States and the U.S.S.R. The closest route between the two was over the North Pole and if they were going to clash, it would most likely be in Canadian airspace. There was no room for neutrality and strong trade and a shared continent put Canada in the U.S. camp. The mood of the times is captured with preserved publications from the period such as an issue of Life Magazine blaring the headline, “How you can survive fallout” and brochures showing how to build a nuclear shelter in your backyard. In the early 1950s, the Royal Canadian Air Force
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Clockwise from opposite page: Radar screens on the SAGE system are monitored in what was called the Blue Room; a certificate for the Brotherhood of Underground Mushroomers; the granite mushroom; a car pulls over to let the bus pass in the tunnel; a Ground Observer Corps post in rural Canada.
established the Ground Observer Corps across Canada. Much like the Aircraft Detection Corps in the Second World War, this was a group of 50,000 volunteers, many of them housewives, farmers, lumbermen and fishermen who watched the skies with binoculars and reported aircraft sightings by telephone to filter centres (The Plane Spotters, May/June 2013). The filter centres were set up across the country commanded by air force officers with a combination of paid and volunteer staff. They would try to identify the aircraft and if unable to do so, alert a radar station which would scramble fighter aircraft to intercept the target or shoot it down. Still, by the mid-1950s, these “eyeball reports” were obsolete and unreliable if an attack occurred at night or in bad weather. In 1957 Canada and the U.S. formally created the North American Air Defence Command, or Norad, later called the North American Aerospace Command. The task of identifying aircraft in North American airspace fell to the men and women using the new SAGE computerized system, analysing information from the three radar lines, the Pinetree, the Mid-Canada and the Distant Early Warning lines. The SAGE (Semi-Automatic Ground Environment)
system was complex and large. Most of all, it had to operate out of a secure facility. After a Canada-wide survey was conducted, North Bay was selected to house the facility in part because there already was an air force base, eliminating the need to build one. As well, North Bay was a rail, highway and telecommunications crossroads and nearby Trout Lake offered all the water needed to cool the complex. But the most impressive credential to the selection committee was its geology. Here was a 2.6 billion-yearold rock formation of granite, one of the hardest rocks on the planet. They could build an underground complex 60 storeys beneath the surface, capable, it was believed, of withstanding a four-megaton nuclear blast which would be 260 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The construction of the Underground Complex (UGC) took four years—one and half years just to excavate and two and a half to build and outfit. One of the prize exhibits in the museum is a chunk of solid rock which looks like a mushroom that was excavated during the building. It is kept by the display for the Brotherhood of Underground Mushroomers.
PHOTOS: CANADIAN FORCES MUSEUM OF AEROSPACE DEFENCE—PCN4720; CANADIAN FORCES MUSEUM OF AEROSPACE DEFENCE; CANADIAN FORCES MUSEUM OF AEROSPACE DEFENCE; CANADIAN FORCES MUSEUM OF AEROSPACE DEFENCE—NB64-85-10; CANADIAN FORCES MUSEUM OF AEROSPACE DEFENCE—PC455
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A 19-tonne blast door into the main entrance is opened easily. Below: A small section of the SAGE computer.
The UGC cost was $51 million of which Canada paid one third and the U.S. paid the rest. It always had a Canadian in charge and a U.S. officer as secondin-command, mirroring Norad headquarters in Colorado which is overseen by an American general with a Canadian lieutenantgeneral as his deputy. Canadian and American military personnel started working in the complex Oct. 1, 1963, and continued 24 hours a day, seven days a week until October 2006. “This was all underground,” said Mel Cannell, a retired lieutenant-colonel in Regina who was stationed there four times. “If you were claustrophobic at all you would go out of your mind.” There was a bus which came down the tunnel to pick up workers and drive them to the entrance. Cannell remembers one night waiting for his ride at about 9:00 p.m. when suddenly there were no lights. “I could hear water running down into the tunnel. There had been one hell of a storm outside and the municipal power had gone off,” said Cannell. “For five or 10 minutes everything was black as can be. I remember thinking, ‘Where is the wall?’” The auxiliary power did come back on and a vehicle came down to pick him up. But for a moment, Cannell couldn’t help wondering if this was the attack. “We believed that an attack could happen at any time,”
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said Cannell. “They had to keep you on edge. The controllers were monitored more than normal. They had to take exams every month.” The SAGE computer system consisted of two huge computers nicknamed Bonnie and Clyde taking up 11,900 square feet. Everything that flew in the northern Norad region had to be identified in two minutes. If not, fighter aircraft, kept fully fuelled and fully armed, were scrambled. The aircraft and the pilots were stationed in a Quick Reaction Alert hangar at the end of the runways. They were expected to be airborne in five minutes. From the 1950s into the 1990s, the military base was the largest employer in North Bay which today has a population of about 53,000. “I loved the city. It was a great place to raise children,” said Cannell. “There was fishing in the lake and water skiing. We belonged to all the clubs. We didn’t miss out on rock ’n’ roll.” Among the artifacts in the museum is an unarmed Bomarc missile. Between 1961 and 1972, 446 Surface-to-Air Missile Squadron operated about five kilometres north of the city. In Quebec, 447 Surfaceto-Air Squadron operated out of La Macaza, northwest of Montreal. After much parliamentary debate, nuclear warheads
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were finally allowed into Canada. As John Clearwater writes in his 1998 book, Canadian Nuclear Weapons: The Untold Story of Canada’s Cold War Arsenal, it was hardly done without notice. Seven nuclear warheads arrived on a United States Air Force transport aircraft and unloaded at 10:00 p.m., New Year’s Eve 1963. “Three trucks marked ‘Explosives’ went from the airfield to the Bomarc site, and one stopped at the ordnance building for unloading. The remaining two trucks moved to the shelter area to deliver the warheads directly to the launchers. The next morning [Minister of Defence] Paul Hellyer would announce the warheads delivered that night had been installed on the Bomarcs upon arrival.” The warheads remained under the guard of the American forces. Both nations held a key that would arm and launch the weapons if needed. “The keys needed to be inserted into the launch equipment at the same time and the use had to have the authorization of the president of the United States and the prime minister of Canada,” explained Silk. The SAGE computers were eventually replaced by the Regional Operation Control Centre (ROCC). It was a more versatile system that was substantially smaller than SAGE. It only took up floor space equal to about two houses. The Bomarcs, too, were becoming obsolete as the Americans created their intercontinental ballistic missiles and the Soviets modernized their weapons systems. In August 1971, Defence Minister Donald Macdonald announced the missiles would be phased out and the nuclear warheads would be returned to the United States. Canada’s External Affairs Department negotiated with their American counterparts deciding that the two Canadian air force squadrons would stand down as of March 31, 1972. “With much less fanfare and press coverage than their arrival over eight years before, the warheads from the 56 Bomarc surface-to-air missiles were removed and shipped back to the United States in the
Left: Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and his wife Margaret tour the underground complex, June 17, 1973; a Canadian captain and U.S. staff sergeant at a console, March 1970.
spring of 1972,” writes Clearwater. Plans to replace the Underground Complex started in the 1990s. Its computer and communications systems were no longer state-of-the-art and the cost of running such a large facility underground was becoming uncontrollable. A new above-ground building was built and on Oct. 26, 2006, Colonel Rick Pitre, the base commander, led a symbolic parade of complex staff out of the UGC for the last time. During its 43 years of operation, about 17,000 Canadian and U.S. military personnel had worked there. The Hole is still there but all the equipment and furniture has been taken out. All that remains are the cooling and ventilating systems that only maintenance workers are allowed to visit. A colourful movie poster hangs on the wall of the museum’s office. It is for the 2013 Canadian-made science fiction film, The Colony, starring Laurence Fishburne and Bill Paxton with a supporting cast of Canadian actors. Telling the story of survivors of a future Ice Age, the movie was filmed in the Hole. However, there are no plans to use the Hole as a movie set again. Instead the government hopes to find a new use for the space, perhaps as a storage facility for archives. The days of the Brotherhood of the Underground Mushroomers may be over but their work in North Bay continues. Today, the controllers have a new tool, the Canadian Sapphire satellite. “Where we used to use technology just to look down on our air space, we are now using the space technology to look out into space and watch for space junk,” explained Silk. Even with the Cold War, the Bomarc missiles and the Hole gone, current history tells us vigilance over our skies is still necessary.
PHOTOS: CANADIAN FORCES MUSEUM OF AEROSPACE DEFENCE—NBC72-1301; CANADIAN FORCES MUSEUM OF AEROSPACE DEFENCE—PCN4708; LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA—E010858633; LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA—E010858623
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FEATURES
Special Part: New War of 1812 Battle Honours By John Boileau
P
Part 1 of this series (January/February 2008) described the battle honours awarded for the War of 1812. While the British created five honours for the war, they left many battles out—especially those fought in Canada— and did not award a theatre honour. Additionally, only three Canadian units received an honour. After several years of agitation by military historians and others, this oversight has finally been corrected. Although steadfastly resisted in some quarters, six new battle honours and one theatre honour for the War of 1812 were announced in 2012 by the Government of Canada. The new honours were awarded to current units that either perpetuate a unit that fought in the War of 1812
or that commemorate a fencible regiment of the British Army recruited in North America. As well, units that participated in the war but have no link to existing units and are not perpetuated were also considered and given appropriate honours. In addition to the units that were awarded the bilingual theatre honour, Defence of Canada—1812-1815— Défense du Canada, other units received it as a non-emblazonable honorary distinction. This honorary distinction is for units that did not engage the enemy but performed other valuable service— such as garrison duty or being held in reserve— which contributed to the overall defence of British North America.
There is more online: For more stories on the War of 1812 visit www.legionmagazine.com. For stories on Canadian First World War and Second World War Battle Honours, see back issues of Legion Magazine.
Survivors of the War of 1812, Toronto, 1861.
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FEATURES
From top: The British 41st Regiment of Foot comes under fire while advancing in line during the War of 1812; the monument at Crysler’s Farm. Field Artillery Regt., Royal Canadian Regt., Royal Hamilton Light Inf. (Wentworth Regt.), Princess of Wales’ Own Regt. (perpetuates Bn. of Incorporated Militia of Upper Canada), Lincoln and Welland Regt., Brockville Rifles (perpetuates Bn. of Incorporated Militia of Upper Canada, 1st Regt. Leeds Militia), Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders, 1st Bn. Royal New Brunswick Regt. (commemorates 104th Regt. of Foot), North Shore (New Brunswick) Regt. (commemorates 104th Regt. of Foot), Essex and Kent Scottish Regt.; (not perpetuated) Niagara Provincial Light Dragoons (Niagara Frontier Guides) 7 Queen’s York Rangers (1st American Regt.), Sherbrooke Hussars (perpetuates Frontier Light Inf.), Royal Canadian Hussars (perpetuates Canadian Light Dragoons), 56th Field Artillery Regt., Royal Canadian Regt., Royal 22e Régt., Canadian Grenadier Guards, Black Watch (Royal Highland Regt.) of Canada, Voltigeurs de Québec, Royal Hamilton Light Inf. (Wentworth Regt.), Princess of Wales’ Own Regt., Lincoln and Welland Regt., Brockville Rifles, Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders, Fusiliers du St-Laurent, Régt. de la Chaudière, Fusiliers Mont-Royal (perpetuates Longue-Pointe Division), 1st Bn. Royal New Brunswick Regt., North Shore (New Brunswick) Regt., Essex and Kent Scottish Regt., Royal Newfoundland Regt.; (not perpetuated) 3rd Bn. Select Embodied Militia, Captain Fraser’s Troop of Provincial Light Dragoons, Niagara Provincial Light Dragoons (Niagara Frontier Guides), 1st, 2nd Regts. Grenville Militia.
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PHOTOS: D.K. WARNER, LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA, C-059693; PETER RINDLISBACHER; LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA, C-014466
Battle Honours: 1 Detroit 2 Queenston 3 Maumee 4 Châteauguay 5 Crysler’s Farm 6 Niagara 7 Defence of Canada – 1812-1815 – Défense du Canada Dates: 1 Aug. 16, 1812 2 Oct. 13, 1812 3 Jan. 21, 1813 4 Oct. 26, 1813 5 Nov. 11, 1813 6 July 5Aug. 15, 1814 7 June 18, 1812-Feb. 16, 1815 Location: 1 southeast Michigan Territory 2 on Niagara River 3 along Maumee River, Ohio 4 south of Montreal 5 east of present-day Morrisburg, Ont. 6 Niagara Peninsula 7 British North America Units awarded: 1 Queen’s York Rangers (1st American Regiment) (perpetuates Battalion of Incorporated Militia of Upper Canada, 1st, 3rd Regts. York Militia), 56th Field Artillery Regt. (perpetuates Provincial Artillery Company, Provincial Royal Artillery Drivers (The Car Brigade), 1st, 2nd Regts. Norfolk Militia), Royal Canadian Regt. (perpetuates 1st Regt. Middlesex Militia, 1st Regt. Oxford Militia), Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (Wentworth Regt.) (perpetuates 2nd Regt. York Militia), Lincoln and Welland Regt. (perpetuates Bn. of Incorporated Militia of Upper Canada, Coloured Corps (Captain Runchey’s Company of Coloured Men), 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th Regts. Lincoln Militia), Essex and Kent Scottish Regt. (perpetuates Loyal Kent Volunteers (Kent Rangers)), Western Rangers (Caldwell’s Rangers), 1st, 2nd Regts. Essex Militia, 1st Regt. Kent Militia), Royal Newfoundland Regt. (commemorates Royal Newfoundland Regt. of Fencible Inf.) 2 Queen’s York Rangers (1st American Regt.), Royal Hamilton Light Inf. (Wentworth Regt.), Lincoln and Welland Regt. 3 Essex and Kent Scottish Regt., Royal Newfoundland Regt. 4 Royal 22e Régt. (commemorates Canadian Regt. of Fencible Inf.), Canadian Grenadier Guards (perpetuates 2nd Bn. Select Embodied Militia, 1st Militia Light Inf. Bn.), Black Watch (Royal Highland Regt.) of Canada (perpetuates 5th Bn. Select Embodied Militia), Voltigeurs de Québec (perpetuates Provincial Corps of Light Inf. (Canadian Voltigeurs)), Fusiliers du St-Laurent (perpetuates 4th Bn. Select Embodied Militia), Régt. de la Chaudière (perpetuates 1st Bn. Select Embodied Militia); (not perpetuated) 3rd Bn. Select Embodied Militia 5 Royal 22e Régt., Voltigeurs de Québec, Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders (commemorates Glengarry Light Inf. Fencibles, perpetuates 1st Regt. Dundas Militia, 1st, 2nd Regts. Glengarry Militia, 1st Regt. Stormont Militia); (not perpetuated) Captain Fraser’s Troop of Provincial Light Dragoons 6 Queen’s York Rangers (1st American Regt.), 56th
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CANADIAN MILITARY HISTORY IN PERSPECTIVE / BY TERRY COPP
PART
ARMY
FEATURES
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MIDNIGHT CHARGE THE ATTACK ON
KITCHENERS WOOD
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s darkness fell on the night of April 22, 1915, three German divisions, advancing behind clouds of poisonous chlorine gas, had torn
a five-kilometre gap in the defences of the Ypres Salient. Two French divisions had been forced into a disorderly retreat, exposing the entire left flank of the Canadian Division.
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The historian of the 48th Highlanders of Canada, who was in Ypres that night, described the scene as an “inferno more terrible than Dante’s.” It was, he wrote, “a nightmare, so awful it seems in memory a phantasy of terror and misery. Ypres was under the most terrific bombardment the shell-mauled sector had yet known. Above the old town the sky was a livid void, ablaze from the red glow that rose and fell and rose and fell incessantly. The road to the west was shocked with mad traffic, over-run with terror... It was the river of fear and while it flowed
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on, dying Ypres, behind, would shake to mighty concessions, would glow suddenly and stand with the fallen walls stained against her own blood-red shroud and the vault of flame over St. Julien.” Along the Ypres-Poelcappelle road, Canadian soldiers, on their own initiative, tried to prevent a complete collapse, holding on to a series of isolated positions. At the apex of the salient, Montreal’s Black Watch prevented an immediate breakthrough while in St. Julien their commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick Loomis,
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WATERCOLOUR: GORDON WILSON
A painting by Gordon Wilson depicts the Canadian night attack on Kitcheners Wood.
deployed reserve companies of the 14th and 15th battalions to defend the village. Major-General Edwin Alderson, the divisional commander, and Brigadier Richard Turner needed to make some immediate, crucial decisions. However, they lacked accurate information about the battle or the enemy’s intentions. No one knew that the German 52nd Div. had been halted on Pilckem Ridge north of Ypres because the 51st Div., in the face of French and Canadian resistance, had failed to keep pace. This may explain why Alderson agreed to a request from a French liaison officer who sought Canadian support for a counterattack by the 45th Algerian Div. which, he claimed, was preparing to retake the ridge. The idea of immediate counterattacks to regain lost ground before the enemy could consolidate was deeply embedded in military doctrine and it frequently trumped common sense. So despite evidence that the Algerian Div. was in fact incapable of attacking anyone, Alderson ordered Turner to “make a counterattack towards the wood,” continuing to the northwest to link up with the French. Turner, who was under pressure to reinforce the garrison at St. Julien and support the Black Watch, did not question his orders. He committed the 10th Bn., drawn from Brig. Arthur Currie’s 2nd Brigade, and his own 16th Bn. to an improvised midnight attack on Kitcheners Wood. Kitcheners Wood was set on a slight rise northwest of St. Julien, overlooking the Canadian positions. At dawn a well-hidden enemy could direct observed artillery fire on much of the narrowed salient before launching a renewed attack. The German heavy artillery was in fact moved forward during the night to support a further advance “in the direction of Poperinghe,” well to the west of Ypres. By chance the 10th Bn. was the first to arrive at the start line. Garnet Hughes, Turner’s brigade major, gave the orders to organize the battalion into lines with the companies 30 yards apart, creating four waves of attackers who were to advance shoulder to shoulder. Lieutenant-Colonel Russell Boyle raised no objection to this formation which had last been used in the War of 1812. He also rejected a suggestion from a more cautious officer that men be detached from the main advance in order to eliminate a suspected German position at Oblong Farm which could be used to direct enfilade fire at the battalion’s flank. These tactical decisions were compounded when Hughes placed the 16th Bn. directly behind the 10th in the same formation with orders to follow them into Kitcheners Wood. Neither battalion was given specific objectives nor was there any suggestion of how the actions of the two battalions could be co-ordinated. No one appears to have asked the question of what would happen if the French failed to advance, a situation that would leave the Canadians in trouble. There was no attempt to contact the Algerians by brigade or divisional headquarters. No artillery support was available until a single 18-pounder gun, under repair in an ordnance workshop, was hitched up and moved forward. With
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51s t RESERVE DIVISION 2 n d RESERV E ERSATZ BRIGADE
Ba
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| 15 t
CHLORINE GAS CLOUD
h Ba ttali on
52nd RES ERVE D IVISION
t talion
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1st CANADIAN DIVISION
Ba tta
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GR AV EN STAF EL R I DGE Cana
RIDGE
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ig a
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|8
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Ypres Salient, April 22-23, 1915
Ypres
only 60 rounds and no clear idea of where the enemy might be, the gunners fired on the northern edge of Kitcheners Wood. The 10th Bn., which was to demonstrate extraordinary courage that night, was composed of men recruited by the Calgary Rifles and the Winnipeg Light Infantry, two of Canada’s leading militia regiments. As with other units in the division, their non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and ranks were largely British-born, many with recent military experience. The Canadian-born officers, drawn largely from the two regiments, included several Boer War veterans. Boyle was one of them. Wounded in action, he returned to Alberta in command of a cavalry regiment before he became commanding officer of the 10th Bn. Tall and powerfully built, the 34-year-old tried to shape the battalion in his own image. On arrival in England he challenged anyone who complained about his methods and strict discipline to fight him man to man. No one took up the challenge. The 16th Bn., known as the Canadian Scottish, was formed from four proud Highland regiments, each with its own regional and clan affiliation; the 50th from Victoria (Gordons), the 79th, Winnipeg (Camerons), the 91st, Hamilton (Argylls) and the 72nd, Vancouver (Seaforths). The Seaforths, who supplied half of the officers and other ranks, dominated and their commanding officer, Lt.-Col Robert Leckie, led the battalion. Leckie was an obvious choice. A Royal Military College graduate who commanded a squadron of the Canadian
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No artillery support was available until a single 18-pounder gun, under repair in an ordnance workshop, was hitched up and moved forward. With only 60 rounds and no clear idea of where the enemy might be, the gunners fired on the northern edge of Kitcheners Wood.
Mounted Rifles in the Boer War and been Mentionedin-Dispatches, Leckie had been singled out as one of the outstanding militia officers in western Canada. He was selected to command 3rd Bde. when Turner was promoted to take over 2nd Div. The regimental history suggests Leckie succeeded in shaping the battalion into more than a collection of rival companies, forging an agreement to wear a common khaki kilt and gradually earning the respect, if not the affection, of the officers and NCOs. The battalion was in reserve behind the Yser Canal when ordered to deploy. An extra emergency ration and two additional bandoliers of small arms ammunition was issued before the 16th moved out.
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Leckie had no opportunity to influence the planning of the counterattack. On arrival at brigade headquarters he was told that his task was no longer “to check the German advance” but to “support closely the 10th Bn. and attack the enemy so as to clear the wood northwest of St. Julien.” Leckie was given an extra hour to brief his men when the attack was postponed to 11:30 p.m. They “formed up in the moonlight about 1,000 yards from the enemy... four lines, single rank.” Canon Frederick Scott, the irrepressible padre, appeared shaking hands and murmuring, “A great day for Canada boys! A great day...” The advance began at 11:45. The 10th Bn. War Diary records that “the only sound was the quiet tramp of feet and “the knock of bayonet sheaths against thighs.” Then a hedge was expectantly encountered and the noise of breaking through brought a hail of bullets. After a “momentary pause” the lead companies raced forward clearing an enemy trench and pressing into the wood. The 16th Bn. was close behind, but as it passed through the hedge flares illuminated the scene. “We then doubled and when flares went up lay down.” After charging the woods the enemy fled. “Many were bayoneted, others surrendered… men were cautioned about dealing harshly with prisoners.” The Canadians cleared the woods, advanced to the north edge and established a line a few hundred yards forward. More than half the officers and men of the 10th Bn. had fallen, including Boyle. Leckie, as senior officer, tried to co-ordinate the defence of the wood
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PHOTO AND ILLUSTRATION: LEGION MAGAZINE ARCHIVES; SHARIF TARABAY
Above: Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick Loomis (centre). Right: Brigadier Richard Turner, VC
by reorganizing what was left of two battalions that had fragmented into small, often intermingled groups. Leckie sent messages to Turner, requesting reinforcements and horses to remove the four guns abandoned by a British battery in the initial German advance. There was no response and as dawn approached it became evident that the French attack had been cancelled or failed. The enemy continued to hold Oblong Farm, the northwest corner of the wood and a strong position on the southwest edge. Leckie, after consultations with the surviving officers, ordered a withdrawal to the south side of the wood where they occupied and extended the original German trench, holding on for 24 hours until relieved. Those who experienced the midnight charge and those who have examined it years later have struggled to make sense of an event that ended with 259 men killed, 406 wounded and 129 missing. The title of Daniel Dancocks’ book on the 10th Battalion, Gallant Canadians, evokes the theme of courage and determination. Andrew Iarocci, who has published the most detailed account of the Canadian actions at Second Ypres, believes that “an immediate counterattack, cloaked by darkness,” was the proper response to the situation whether the French attacked or not. The “principles of active defense,” he writes, “dictated that lost ground must be recaptured as soon as possible. Speed was essential to delay the enemy the opportunity to consolidate.” Iarocci insists that the attack, “although very costly… initially succeeded in driving the German forces from the woods, delaying further German offensive action west of St. Julien. He quotes Leckie’s comment “we gave them an ungodly scare, and checked their advance.” George Cassar’s book, Hell in Flanders Fields, argues that the surprise night attack was an “eminently feasible operation” ruined by “deplorable planning and execution.” It would be difficult to defend the planning of the attack, but given the haste at which the operation was mounted, the lack of artillery support and the failure of the French army it is impossible for me to criticize the men who executed the attack. The reality is that the British and thus the Canadian Army was ill-prepared for the kind of siege warfare that had emerged on the Western Front. Neither an appropriate doctrine nor the weaponry and logistics were yet available.
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CANADIAN MILITARY HISTORY IN PERSPECTIVE / BY MARC MILNER
PART
NAVY
FEATURES
66
BULLETS, BOMBS AND COKE BOTTLES
In late August 1942 a fierce and bloody battle in the Caribbean pitted a Canadian corvette against a menacing U-boat. What transpired is the stuff of legends.
N
ews from the sea was really quite good for the Royal Canadian Navy between late July and early September 1942. The fleet was sinking U-boats: two for sure in July by warships St. Croix and Saguenay and Wetaskiwin, maybe one or two more by Sackville, and Assiniboine’s dramatic sinking of U-210 on Aug. 6. These victories coincided with a period of quiet in inshore waters, especially in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Two more U-boat kills followed in the next four weeks. The final confirmed tally for the Royal Canadian Navy from
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Lieutenant-Commander Clarence King
July 24 to Sept. 1 was five U-boats destroyed, making those six weeks the best period for U-boat hunting in the navy’s history. But in a summer characterized by drama, the sinking of U-94 in the Caribbean on Aug. 28 is in a league of its own. It was an unusual place for a Canadian warship to sink a sub—a long way from the cold waters of the North Atlantic. The corvette responsible, His Majesty’s Canadian Ship Oakville, had been escorting Canadian oil tanker convoys between Halifax and Aruba. As
PHOTO: LIEUTENANT GILBERT MILNE, DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE, LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA—PA191029
BATTLING A U-BOAT IN THE CARIBBEAN
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PHOTO: LIEUTENANT GILBERT MILNE, DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE, LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA—PA191029
Sub-Lieutenant Hal Lawrence (left) and Stoker Petty Officer A.J. Powell jumped to the deck of the crippled U-boat as HMCS Oakville came alongside.
a submarine, was awarded two probable sinkings and earned a Distinguished Service Cross. After the war, King bought a fruit farm in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley and settled into the life of a gentleman farmer. The Nazis drew “Uncle Clarence” back to the colours in 1939. Hal Lawrence, who knew him well, described King as “a real fire eater” who “wanted to do his bit, sink more submarines.” And he did, eventually tying Chummy Prentice as the highest scoring RCN U-boat killer of the war. That, and King’s movie-star good looks, had all the makings of a public relations dream, and his ultimate accomplishments might have warranted some form of recognition at the time or afterwards. But King was RCNR, not real navy. The straight-stripers cast him and his ilk off after 1945 as quickly as they discarded the Sheep Dog Navy itself. In late August, King’s corvette, Oakville, along with HMCS Snowberry and HMCS Halifax, was lying off Port of Spain, Trinidad, waiting for convoy TAW-15. “Our cargo was oil, the life-blood of war,” Lawrence wrote in his
memoir titled A Bloody War. “We took only tankers, fast tankers.” Many of these had already come from British Guiana, 350 miles to the south. TAW-15 was routed to Curacao, where tankers from Aruba and Maracaibo joined, and then to the east coast of the U.S. There are only two direct ways northward from the central Caribbean; through the Windward Passage between Cuba and Haiti, and the Mona Passage between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. The Germans knew that, too. As the success rate of the U-boat fleet hunting in the Gulf of Mexico and across the wide basin of the Caribbean declined in mid-summer, German Admiral Karl Döntiz shifted most of it further south and east. By August U-boats were hunting successfully to seaward of Trinidad and along the Atlantic shoreline of South America. But Dönitz also knew that the Allies were routing convoys through the Windward and Mona passages, and so he deployed a number of U-boats there as well. The results at these two choke points were dramatic. “In the space of seven days,” the new RCN official history observed, “submarines torpedoed twelve ships, sinking eleven.” Most of these came from TAW convoys. So by the time TAW-15 reached Curacao, efforts were underway to bolster the escort. A Dutch minesweeper joined as TAW-15 departed on Aug. 25 with 19 merchant ships. Twelve more vessels and five United States Navy escorts joined at sea as TAW-15 headed north. Two U-boats lay in their path: U-511, operating well to the west of the convoy’s track, and U-94, patrolling the southern approaches to the Windward Passage. The commander of U-94, Oberleutnant Otto Ites, was an experienced, skilled and decorated veteran. A pre-war naval officer, Ites started the war in U-48, in which he served for nine war patrols as second and first officer. It was a good and comparatively safe time to be at sea, and Ites honed his skills under excellent captains. Promoted to Oberleutnant on Oct. 1, 1940, Ites took U-146 on two war patrols in the Baltic, then shifted to command U-94 on five patrols in the Atlantic. By August 1942, his score was sinking 15 ships totalling over 76,000 tons. Three of these ships were from the USN- and RCNescorted ONS 92 in May 1942. Now, in the warm waters of the Caribbean, Ites confronted a joint USN-RCN escort again. This time he would not be so lucky. As the 21 ships of TAW-15 approached the passage, the USN stepped up its air patrols. Catalinas from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, had—in the words of the USN official history—kept Ites “dodging Navy flying boats” all day on Aug. 27. However, these efforts did nothing to deter Ites because he knew that the intensity of air patrols meant that a convoy was approaching. Lookouts on U-94 spotted TAW-15 just after noon, local time. Ites reported its position, course and speed, and then shadowed it for the rest of the day. The report drew U-511, november/december 2014 LEgion MagazinE
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PHOTO: GEORGE A. LAWRENCE, DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE, LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA—PA106526
the Americans extended coastal convoy systems, the Canadian oil convoys became redundant: the last one departed Halifax on Aug. 13, arriving at Aruba on the 25th without loss. The corvettes assigned to this route were among the RCN’s best, many of them new construction with increased sheer and flare, higher bridges and better armament than average mid-ocean corvettes. Some of the RCN’s best people were there, too. Among them was Lieutenant-Commander Clarence King of the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve. At 56 years of age he was old enough to be the father of most corvette captains. An ex-pat Brit, King was schooled at Rugby and the British merchant marine depot ship Conway. During the Great War he commanded a Q-Ship (a decoy for U-boats), sank
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By August U-boats were hunting successfully to seaward of Trinidad and along the Atlantic shoreline of South America.
PHOTO: LIEUTENANT GEORGE A. LAWRENCE, DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE, LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA—PA106563
Able Seaman George Howard (left) and Leading Torpedoman Charles Skeggs also took part in the sinking of U-94.
under Kapitainleutnant Frederich Steinhoff, eastwards with the hope that he and Ites could attack together. But Ites declined to wait. Just after dark (2:32 a.m. Greenwich Meantime, Aug. 28) U-94 made its approach. “Conditions were favourable,” the RCN official history observed, “the night moonlit and bright.” Ites penetrated the screen between Snowberry, on the port bow, and Oakville, on the port quarter: neither had picked up U-94 on radar. U-94 was completely awash except for his conning tower, and only Ites and his first officer were topside. With USN Catalinas flying nighttime patrols around the convoy, Ites crew had been alerted to expect an aircraft alarm, and so U-94 was poised for a crash dive. The plan nearly worked. U-94 was ready to fire torpedoes when Ites spotted a USN flying boat, piloted by Lieutenant Gordon Fiss, headed his way. It is likely that Fiss found U-94 by the phosphorescence of her wake which Lawrence mentions as being present that night. Fiss dropped four 650-pound depth charges that exploded around the U-boat 30 to 60 feet down. The well-placed bombs blew off both of the U-boat’s bow hydroplanes. That made it all but impossible for Ites to control the sub underwater. Lawrence recalled that “The urgent jangle of the actionstations bells in HMCS Oakville jerked me from my sleep.” Wearing only his boxer shorts, Lawrence reached the asdic hut just as “Four plumes of water from the aircraft’s depthbombs were subsiding into a misty haze and showing small, ethereal rainbows in the moonlight.” King ordered an immediate turn towards the scene, and a five-depth-charge quick attack as they passed over the spot. King had killed at least one U-boat in the Great War, but “His score in this war was zero and he didn’t like it.” As the corvette’s
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charges exploded, “Oakville bucked, shuddered, and resumed her eager trembling,” Lawrence wrote. “Poor old girl: there was worse to come.” Oakville’s best asdic operator, Leading Seaman Hartman, soon had U-94 back in his sights. As the ship ran out from her attack, Hartman heard the unmistakable sounds of ballast being blown. Lawrence was quietly relaying information about the sub’s movements to King when everyone on the bridge suddenly shouted, “There’s the bastard now!” Everyone, that is, except King. Lawrence opined that Canadian naval officers were not given to inspiring words in moments of great drama. He had been on Moose Jaw in September 1941 when she and Chambly sank U-501—the first known RCN U-boat kill of the war. When the sub was sighted and battle joined, Moose Jaw’s captain, Davey Grubb, had turned to him and said simply, “Lawrence, what are you doing?” Now, with U-94 in sight, battle imminent, and Oakville’s crew baying for blood, King uttered a quiet “Ho, ho!” This, Lawrence concluded, “was not the stuff of legends.” King followed his “Ho, ho!” with an order to ram the sub. Oakville was barely 300 feet away, the distance was short and the ramming failed. The corvette just scrapped down the side of U-94, and probably escaped serious damage because the U-boat’s hydroplanes, which could easily slice Oakville open, were already gone. As the range opened again the corvette’s guns got busy. “Our 4-inch roared again and again,” Lawrence recalled, while both the twin .5-inch and several Lewis guns blasted away. U-94 was struck at least once by a 4-inch shell, and Oakville’s secondary fire struck down German gunners as they “poured out and made for their weapons. In that murderous fire none made it.” Oakville and U-94 manoeuvred frantically as the corvette tried to ram the sub. As Oakville slipped by harmlessly a second time, her crew “unleashed a weapon hitherto untried in modern warfare.” Idle depth charge crews, sheltering under the after gun position above the engine room, were close enough to pelt the conning tower of U-94 with empty coke bottles, yelling “Yah! Yah!” as each one crashed home. “Ducking heads on U-94 testified to their accuracy,” Lawrence wrote. “If Ites’s courage ever forsook him, it must have been then.” Lawrence’s courage, too, was about to be tested. And he would have good reason to regret the scantiness of his clothing and the shattered glass that now littered the conning tower of U-94. What happened next, which will be covered in the January/February issue, was the stuff of Hollywood.
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FEATURES
FACETOFACE FACETO FACE TOFACE TOFACE ON
IS IT WRONG TO
SELL MILITARY MEDALS? Military medals are bought and sold regularly in Canada and elsewhere and there are no rules against it. Is this practice wrong?
Author John Boileau of Halifax says NO. Author Glenn Wright of Ottawa says YES.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF DYANN BERNARD
Boileau, a retired army colonel, has authored several books and numerous newspaper and magazine articles on Canadian military history. He is also a frequent radio and TV commentator on military issues. Wright is retired from the federal government where he worked as an archivist and historian with Library and Archives Canada, and the RCMP. He has also authored books on Canada’s wartime service. Do you think it is wrong to sell military medals? Let us know what you think by sending us a letter to the editor or by going online at www.legionmagazine.com
PORTRAIT ILLUSTRATIONS BY TERRY SHOFFNER NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 LEGION MAGAZINE
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FEATURES
JOHN BOILEAU
M
ANY PEOPLE contend that selling military medals should be illegal. Unfortunately, some who believe this may not thoroughly understand the subject matter—or the total impracticality of what they suggest. There is nothing wrong with selling medals. Military medals on a soldier’s chest—more properly termed medals, orders and decorations— symbolize a number of events and tell a story. The most common denote participation in a peacekeeping/peacemaking mission, military campaign or war. Others represent long or distinguished service or, since October 2001, if the soldier was wounded. Others—the rarest of all—signify battlefield valour. A law banning the sale of medals would be largely unenforceable. It would have no legal force outside Canada and would do nothing to prevent medal sales internally. Selling certain drugs is also illegal, and law enforcement agencies have been spectacularly unsuccessful in preventing this. There are thousands of medal collectors in this country. Countless medals are bought and sold daily, in full public scrutiny. Outlawing medal sales would simply move them underground. For most of Canada’s wars, campaign medals awarded to our
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NO.
rightfully belong in the soldier’s service personnel were family, not with some collector. not Canadian medals, but If people sell or give away any of British ones. Millions of their possessions—from a book to them were given to soldiers a car—their descendants no longer across the British Empire/ have any claim on that item. At Commonwealth. Beginning some time either the individual with the Second World War, or a family member started this campaign and war medals issued chain by selling or giving away a to Canadians are “unnamed”— medal—all perfectly legal. That not engraved with the recipient’s ended the individual’s or anyone name—often making it impossible else’s—including relatives’—right to to tell who actually received them. claim it at any time in the future. Similarly, peacekeeping/ The cost to the taxpayer of a law peacemaking medals awarded to banning medal sales would be high. Canadians by the United Nations, Dealers have invested millions of NATO, European Union and dollars in their stocks of medals. other organizations do not have If selling them suddenly became the recipients’ names inscribed. illegal, these individuals would Soldiers around the world have a rightful claim against the wear them, and one cannot be government for reimbursement. distinguished from any other. Additionally, what would dealers Contrary to what the general and collectors be expected public believes, the vast majority of to do with their huge current medals are not awarded for valour; holdings—trace the recipients’ they only indicate participation in a campaign or war. Take, for example, THEY HAVE SAVED THOUSANDS OF the First World War MEDALS FROM BEING DISCARDED, Victory Medal, of which more than TRACED THEIR PROVENANCE AND 5.7 million were CAREFULLY SAFEGUARDED THEM. issued globally, including 351,289 to families and give them back? Canadians. This bronze medal was Much of our military history never issued alone, but always with would have been irrevocably the silver British War Medal. Many lost without medal dealers and War Medals are no longer paired collectors. They have saved with their Victory Medal—usually thousands of medals from being for a very depressing reason. discarded, traced their provenance Several years ago, when the value of and carefully safeguarded them. silver exceeded the collectors’ price Rather than criticize or for a War Medal, thousands of them try to stop those who deal were irretrievably lost. They were in medals, we should be melted down for their silver value, thanking them for continuing but not by legitimate collectors. to preserve this important part Another criticism levelled of our military history. against selling medals is that they
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YES. T
HERE HAS ALWAYS been a brisk market in military medals. Collectors pride themselves on the completeness of their collection and the extent of documentation on both the individual recipient and the events surrounding the award of the medal or medals. Gallantry awards are especially coveted. Collectors often add to the value of a medal by research and association not only with the recipient but with the particular circumstances of the award. Documented research means value-added which translates into increased prices in the marketplace. But we have to ask: for whose benefit? War medals, be they service medals or honours and awards in recognition of exceptional service or bravery, are tangible evidence of one’s service to the country. They are unique to the individual recipients and are a tangible link between that man or woman and their very personal contribution to our military history. Medals place him or her in a time and place—be they a First World War Victory Medal, the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal from 1939-45, a Distinguished Flying Cross or any of the many honours awarded military personnel over the past 200 years. Every medal tells a story, every medal represents a man or woman who served our country when called upon to do so. Preservation of the medals is another matter and is, admittedly, a challenge. Ideally, families themselves should preserve these very real connections to a serviceman or woman. In many cases, this is
GLENN WRIGHT
the only evidence one has to document that service. Medals may have a negative connotation for some families, if they serve as reminders of a lost loved one or of a young life cut short at Vimy or Ortona. But is this a reason to sell a set of medals? For almost 20 years, I have walked the corridors of the Perley and Rideau Veterans’ Health Centre in Ottawa as a volunteer and I never tire of stopping by the individual display cases to look at the wartime photos, souvenirs and
value of the medal is retained; it also secures the memory of the recipient. We often bemoan the fact that Canadian youth know little about our military heritage. War medals are one way to tell stories—experiences that hopefully will resonate with those who know little of our history.
MY FERVENT HOPE IS THAT A FAMILY MEMBER IS INTERESTED ENOUGH TO PRESERVE THESE MEDALS. IF MEDALS ARE NOT WANTED BY FAMILY, I WOULD SUGGEST THEY BE DONATED, NOT SOLD, TO A LOCAL OR REGIMENTAL MUSEUM, LEGION BRANCH, ARCHIVES OR HISTORICAL SOCIETY. more often than not, the veterans’ medals. These men and women take great pride in their service experience; this is their legacy to us. My fervent hope is that a family member is interested enough to preserve these medals. If medals are not wanted by family, I would suggest they be donated, not sold, to a local or regimental museum, Legion branch, archives or historical society. Older educational institutions, especially where the serviceman or woman attended, often house memorial plaques and other memorials to those who have served our country. Let us display medals in a similar fashion. This would ensure that the educational
With renewed interest in our military heritage from the War of 1812 to Afghanistan, and especially at a time of remembrance for those who served in the two world wars, medals should be treasured by families, relatives, communities and not sold to the highest bidder. With these anniversaries of wartime upon us, the intrinsic value of war medals will undoubtedly increase to the detriment of those who earned the recognition in the first place. But let us focus on preserving these valued links to the men and women who earned them in service to our country. Let us not market these treasures for profit or gain. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 LEGION MAGAZINE
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CANADIAN MILITARY HISTORY IN PERSPECTIVE / BY HUGH A. HALLIDAY
PART
AIR FORCE
FEATURES
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Canadian aircrew of No. 194 Squadron escape the hot sun by finding shade beneath the wing of an aircraft, April 1943.
Nasty weather, enemy fire and an unforgiving jungle—just some of the perils faced by the men who flew transport missions over Burma during the Second World War.
T
he charismatic figure of Brigadier Orde Wingate haunts accounts of the Burma campaigns of 1943-44. He was a brilliant leader, innovative in training and tactics, yet careless with the lives of his men. In February 1943, he moved 3,100 troops and 1,100 mules—the first Chindit Operation—into Burma to wreak havoc behind Japanese lines. Above the jungle, the operation was supported by aircraft that dropped vital supplies to men whose mere survival was considered a victory. When the ground force was withdrawn in late March 1944, it had sustained 818 deaths. Many of those lucky enough to get out of the jungle were wracked with malaria and dysentery; only 600 were fit for further service.
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Wingate’s second Chindit Operation involved a division-size expedition into Burma. It began with a marching column in February 1944 followed by a mass air delivery. Casualties were 1,396 killed, 2,434 wounded and once more the majority of survivors were unfit for further duty. The commander of the British 14th Army, General William Slim, considered the Chindit operations a waste of good manpower. However, both operations showed the power and flexibility of air transport, extending even to casualty evacuation. This role was also demonstrated elsewhere. In February 1944, for example, a Japanese attack isolated the Indian Army’s 7th Division which fell back on its headquarters area. The Battle of the Admin Box tested a new doctrine laid by Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, the commander-in-chief. Units that had been outflanked were not to withdraw—“Never let go—we will supply you from the air.” American and British transport squadrons did just that—repeatedly. Sieges at Imphal and Kohima during March and June 1944 were defeated because of unprecedented air deliveries to 14th Army units. Japanese troops had advanced with limited food and ammunition, expecting to capture these commodities. Instead, they
PHOTO: LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA—PL-18001
DROP ZONE BURMA
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PHOTO: LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA—PL-27691
found themselves starved for both. When 14th Army went over to the offensive, it had similar support through a campaign that saw fighting southwards through Burma, crossing rivers and racing the monsoon rains, until Rangoon was taken in May 1945. Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Park, air commander-in-chief, South-East Asia Command, would later write that in Europe: “...the Armies of Liberation are advancing under the protecting wings of the Air Forces. But here in Burma our Armies are advancing on the wings of the Allied Air Forces.” The best-known Royal Canadian Squadron Leader James Bell (left) and Flying Officer Air Force contributions were Nos. 435 Malcolm Forester display a flying suit that was ripped (Chinthe) and 436 (Flying Elephant) and torn by Japanese shell splinters. squadrons which operated in the theatre from December 1944 to August 1945. Nevertheless, Canadians had been involved in transport work since the beginning of the campaign. Their initial numbers were James Bell, an Argentinian in the RCAF and serving in small, but by mid-1944 it was estimated that 20 per cent No. 194 Sqdn. flew nearly 400 operational hours. During the second Chindit operation he carried out nine of transport crews were RCAF personnel, another element night sorties to a jungle airstrip. Flight Lieutenant Albert of the Lost Legion of airmen. Initially the Lockheed Hudson was the dominant Rogers of Montreal, a radio operator in No. 117 Sqdn., transport, lifting roughly 3,000 pounds of cargo per trip. logged 108 sorties or 479 operational hours from By mid-1943, Douglas Dakotas were supplanting them. Feb. 15 to Sept. 1, 1945. Flying Officer Norman Brown of Toronto saw the Burma These routinely carried 7,000 pounds of supplies. Their chief difficulty lay in a relatively small cargo door. When Campaign from several angles. In April 1942, as a nonmaking free or parachuted cargo drops, Dakota pilots commissioned officer pilot in No. 62 Sqdn., his Hudson was often had to make three or four passes to unload the cargo hit by anti-aircraft fire while reconnoitering the Andaman Islands. His RCAF navigator—Pilot Officer Richard A. while being peppered by nearby enemy units. No. 194 Sqdn., one of the theatre’s pioneers, was com- Baker—was mortally wounded and the aircraft was set manded from November 1944 by a Canadian member of on fire; once the flames had been extinguished, Brown the Royal Air Force, Wing Commander Robert C. Crawford. flew 600 miles to crash land at base. Switching to No. 194 He had been let go from the RCAF in the Great Cut of 1932 Sqdn., Brown flew 60 sorties on Hudsons in 1943 and 104 and had promptly joined the RAF. Crawford entered the sorties on Dakotas in 1944. Of this total, 43 were carried war flying Lysanders in France, earned a Distinguished out at night and 20 involved landings behind enemy lines. Terrain, weather, lack of forecasting and navigational Flying Cross with No. 194 Sqdn. and was killed in a Dakota aids—all conspired to complicate sorties. Following the crash on June 20, 1945. An RCAF news release dated Feb. 1, 1945, reported on a crash of a supply-dropping Dakota of No. 117 Sqdn. on the crew of No. 194 Sqdn. that included three Canadians—the night of March 27, 1944 (in which two of the crew were pilot, Flying Officer James Hazell of Brantford, Ont., and RCAF), the unit commander wrote: “These operations netwo wireless air gunners from Peterborough, Ont., flight cessitated flying aircraft at 300 feet over the dropping zone. lieutenants David E. Moorhead and Frederick F. Watson. With any high ground in the vicinity, it is obviously a hazThe story detailed the delivery of special Christmas ra- ardous operation at night under conditions of no moon.” Although Allied fighter aircraft dominated the Burmese tions for the troops, from live fowl to dressed turkeys for units too close to Japanese units to permit poultry rais- skies in 1944-45, there was too much air space to proing. Manifests included ham, eggs, sausages, oranges, vide individual protection to every cargo plane. Happily, jam, pickles, almonds, dates and cloves. With each con- the Japanese never mounted a sustained campaign signment went detailed instructions to the army cooks on against the Dakotas, but they occasionally intercepted them. On July 30, 1944, they shot down two Dakotas of how to prepare the meals. The pace of the transport flights was often grueling. No. 117 Sqdn. in flames. One, piloted by Flt. Lt. Reginald When Flt. Lt. Albert E. Anderson of Sardis, B.C., applied S. Smith, DFC, of St. Thomas, Ont., had delivered its load for an operational wing, he reported having flown 150 sor- and was en route home when intercepted. Controllers ties or 505 operational hours between Feb. 21 and Dec. 18, heard a message: “Cut off and being attacked by enemy 1944, as a Dakota pilot in No. 31 Sqdn. Squadron Leader fighters south on Chindwin”—then nothing.
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One hero of the Burma campaign was an aircraft type—the Canadian-built Noorduyn Norseman transport, known as the UC-64
ILLUSTRATION AND PHOTO: COURTESY HUGH A. HALLIDAY; LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA—PL-27686
in American service. On the night of Nov. 8, 1944, five Dakotas were destroyed by rampaging Japanese fighters; these included a machine from No. 31 Sqdn. whose five-man crew were all members of the RCAF, and another of No. 62 Sqdn. with three Canadians aboard. Not all the flying was direct army support. The air forces in the Far East were also engaged in clandestine warfare. In Burma, the British and Americans enlisted tribal allies— Karens, Katchins—who provided everything from passive intelligence to combat support and who, sadly, would be abandoned after the war. Siam (modern Thailand) was a mass of contradictions. It was formally allied with Japan, yet the population and armed forces sabotaged collaboration and stealthily aided the Allies. The Burmese seemed to have things both ways; they welcomed the Japanese as liberators, then watched as the war was fought out in their country. General Aung San formed the Burmese National Army to help the invaders, then switched sides in March 1945. To this day, statues show him wearing either Japanese or British uniforms. Keeping guerrilla allies supplied demanded considerable air support. On the evening of March 15, 1944, a Hudson of No. 357 Sqdn. took off from the city of Dum Dum to carry out an operation on behalf of “Quasi-Military Authorities.” The experienced crew of six included four RCAF members. This time the aircraft crashed into a hillside near the ChinaBurma border. Only FO Wallace P. Prosser of Vancouver, the RCAF navigator, survived, very badly injured. The RAF went to extraordinary lengths to rescue him. A doctor, who had never before parachuted, and a flight sergeant were dropped to him, but it was three weeks before he was well enough to move. A five-day, 100-mile trek through mountainous jungle, with coolies carrying the patient, brought Prosser to China, from whence he was evacuated by air to India. The courageous doctor who accompanied him throughout the ordeal received a Distinguished Service Order. Liberator aircraft, eschewing bombs for passengers and freight, penetrated deep into Siam and flew as far as Malaya on secret operations. In the forefront of
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From left: Advertising the merits of the Norseman; Flight Lieutenant Reginald Smith of St. Thomas, Ont.
these missions were Nos. 357 and 358 squadrons. At least two Canadians were awarded the Croix de Guerre for deliveries to French-Indo China. One of these was FO Harry Smith of Winnipeg who had a remarkable adventure. On May 29, 1945, in a Liberator of No. 358 Sqdn. (with an all-Canadian crew) he was over Siam in daylight, tasked to drop several American OSS (Office of Strategic Services) agents to waiting allies. He was intercepted by nine Ki.43 Oscar fighters. One was probably destroyed, but the others shot out all of the Liberator’s engines, forcing Smith to crash land in the jungle. One crewman had been killed in the fight, another died in the crash and one OSS agent died of wounds. The survivors contacted friendly civilians who buried the dead and evacuated everyone else to Bangkok by bullock cart and boat, all the while evading Japanese patrols. Eventually, they were flown out of Siam. One hero of the Burma campaign was an aircraft type—the Canadian-built Noorduyn Norseman transport, known as the UC-64 in American service. In that theatre it was used only by United States Army Air Force units and crews; the records of UC-64 operations lie in American archives, waiting for an interested historian. As the number of war veterans declines, one hopes that somewhere these men have left records of their adventures. Squadron Leader John Cook of Calgary spent 27 months in the India-Burma theatre, logged approximately 1,500 hours of flying, survived a crash at Imphal, and carried distinguished passengers, including Mountbatten, to all manner of places. He died in Vancouver in 1986. Do his logbook, letters or photographs survive in a library, museum or family archive? The question might be asked of several hundred men.
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NEWS
slave lake legion welcomes wounded warriors
PHOTOs: ADAM DAY
by ADAM DAY
Amid an incredible outpouring of support by the community of Slave Lake, Alta., a nearly 200-strong contingent of wounded warriors from Canada, the United States and Britain spent a weekend this August fishing, four-wheeling and generally helping each other heal. This was the third annual Wounded Warriors Weekend which ran Aug. 1-5 and it is aimed—like the foundation it was named for—at providing assistance to veterans suffering from operational stress injuries like post-traumatic stress disorder. It is another of the grassroots projects that have sprung up in Canada in the past few years to serve the particular needs of modern veterans. As envisioned by its founder— air force veteran Blake Emmons— the weekend was meant to augment Remembrance Day, as a way to celebrate those who went to war and survived. The origin of it was “pretty selfish,” joked Emmons. “I was watching what we did on Nov. 11 and I looked and I teared up and I said, ‘What a wonderful job we do, how wonderful what we do for the fallen.’ And here’s the selfish part: I thought, ‘What about me? What about all these guys?’” he says, looking around at the wounded warriors surrounding him in Slave Lake. “Man, we’ve got to have a celebration for guys like me, a party and a time for us to come together.” And so Emmons, then residing in Nipawin, Sask., began planning a weekend event for local veterans to get together and share some camaraderie. Before long, he heard of another organizer named Wayne Johnston, the founder of Wounded Warriors Canada. Shortly after they made contact, Emmons’ weekend had a new name and it had ballooned from a gathering of 20 veterans to about 200, all converging
on the little town of Nipawin. “A really bright flame got lit there a few years ago and it’s gotten brighter since,” said Johnston, who was on hand for the 2014 event in Slave Lake. The event moved to this little town three hours north of Edmonton this year because Emmons and his friend, Alberta organizer Don Clarke, thought it would be an excellent kind of symbolism to hold a weekend dedicated to recovering in a town that was itself in recovery. Slave Lake was almost entirely destroyed by wildfires in 2011. “Not only is there great fishing up there, but we wanted to have the event in a place where the whole community could come together,” said Clarke. “It’s a small town and it has also bounced back from its own trouble.” The weekend’s events began at Edmonton International Airport. As participants emerged into the baggage collection area, they were greeted by an honour guard of Legionnaires, military and local singers performing in the background. Since Slave Lake is a significant distance from Edmonton airport, the organizers planned a cavalcade consisting of four coaches and at
Top: A member of the veterans’ parachute team lands at an event in Slave Lake. Below: Local Legion branches provide support at the Heroes Hoedown.
times many other vehicles, including police cars and fire trucks. Along the route, there were dozens and dozens of civilian groups gathered periodically at the roadside, cheering and waving flags as the group went past. Once the cavalcade arrived at Slave Lake in the late evening, they were met with a genuinely unbelievable reception. To say the entire town of Slave Lake showed up would be only the slightest overstatement. Most of the town showed up. They lined the main road and they crowded outside Slave Lake Branch of the november/december 2014 LEgion MagazinE
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Legion. The townspeople cheered, hundreds and hundreds of them, as the wounded warriors got off the bus and went into the Legion. And with that, the weekend officially began. What followed was three days of outdoor adventure and workshops. On Saturday there was golfing, a fishing challenge, bison farm tours and a songwriting workshop. On Sunday, more golf and more fishing, plus shooting at the gun range, a spa day for the ladies and in the evening the LieutenantGovernor’s gala ball. On Monday, more golf, fishing and shooting plus a Heroes Hoedown (picture a music festival with military displays and a huge community turnout). Kevin Nanson is a Canadian veteran of the Afghan war who was badly wounded by an improvised explosive device while serving with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry in 2008. “This weekend in general I find different from the last two. I think this weekend’s important not only for the warriors here attending but this weekend is big for the people of Slave Lake. This is a great opportunity for Slave Lake to be able to showcase how the town has adapted and overcome their adversity and to show their support for this fantastic weekend.” For Nanson and the other veterans, however, this weekend has a distinctly therapeutic purpose in that it allows for the kind of peer-to-peer support that simply can’t be manufactured by health care professionals. “This weekend showcases just a
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completely relaxed and stress-free environment and it fosters an environment of brotherhood and compassion,” said Nanson. “Every single person that’s here for the weekend is on the same road; we all may be at different points on that road but everyone’s travelling the same path, so this is a fantastic way for people to relate to each other, get different tips and tricks to deal with the adversity they’re facing, because everybody faces it in a different way. So what I’m facing today somebody may have already faced and somebody else may not have faced yet. So all these people, whether you’re from the U.S., U.K., Canada or wherever, we come together in a non-judgemental, stress-free, relaxed environment and you are able to relate to each other like brothers.” Bobby Henline, a U.S. veteran of the Iraq war who has become a comedian since returning from the war, agrees entirely with Nanson in his estimation of the weekend’s importance. “The peer-to-peer factor is huge,” said Henline. “Some of us have found ways to deal with certain things, like anxiety and PTSD, but you get others who aren’t doing it so well. I may not do well in certain situations, but others may have better ways to deal with it, which would help me. So we share with each other. There’s no better way to heal than that, to share with someone who can understand what you’re going through.” Organizer Don Clarke also had a story to share about how the weekend
Left: The wounded warriors arrive in Slake Lake. Above: Alberta organizer Don Clarke shows off a special fishing lure.
was helping even those who couldn’t be there. As Clarke was getting ready to head to the Edmonton airport, he was met by an older couple whose son had been killed in Afghanistan. The couple’s grandson, just a young kid, had heard about the weekend and wanted to do something to help. “So he went and handmade a couple of fishing lures. He wanted to say to the surviving veterans, ‘Hey, my dad was one of your compatriots and he’d want to be with you.’ Some of the boys are going to use it later and if they catch a fish, they know where it came from,” said Clarke. “It’s an over-used word,” Clarke said of the weekend as it was wrapping up, “but it’s astounding. I’ve never seen a miracle cure, but I’ve seen some things up here that come pretty close. It’s becoming a big understanding family.” As for the future of the event, Emmons has high hopes. “My hope is that we’ll be able to spread this. In Saskatchewan they named it an official holiday–Wounded Warriors Weekend. The hope is that maybe across Canada we may have wounded warrior’s weekend,” said Emmons. “I know we’ve saved some lives. And changed lives. The network that these wounded warriors have created has been amazing to see.”
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NEWS
Impairment Allowance Awards Inconsistent, Veterans Ombudsman Finds by tom macgregor
Almost half of the veterans who are totally and permanently incapacitated are not receiving the Permanent Impairment Allowance and 90 per cent of those who are, receive the lowest grade of payment, according to a new report released in August by Veterans Ombudsman Guy Parent. The report entitled Supporting Severely Impaired Veterans looked specifically at the Permanent Impairment Allowance (PIA) and the Permanent Impairment Allowance Supplement. “Veterans who suffer from a permanent and severe impairment can face a lifetime of loss of employment and career opportunities. The Permanent Impairment Allowance and the supplement are key elements for the financial security of these veterans because they are paid for life,” said Parent. The PIA is a taxable economic support benefit provided under the New Veterans Charter. It is awarded in three grade levels with an objective to compensate for loss of earning capacity and career opportunities. Grade I is a monthly payment of $1,724.65 while a Grade III payment is $574.89. The supplement came into effect as a new taxable benefit in 2011 when a number of improvements were made to the New Veterans Charter and its regulations. It is to bring the payment to veterans receiving the PIA to a monthly rate of pay equal to at least 66⅔ per cent of the veteran’s pre-release military salary. The report found that 48 per cent of totally and permanently incapacitated veterans are not receiving the PIA, and thereby the supplement, and that the overwhelming
majority of allowance recipients are awarded the benefit at the lowest amount. The report states the office could find no evidence that adjudicators at Veterans Affairs Canada consider the effects of the impairment on a veteran’s employment and career progression opportunities when assigning a grade level.
Veterans who suffer from a permanent and severe impairment can face a lifetime of loss of employment and career opportunities. The Permanent Impairment Allowance and the supplement are key elements for the financial security of these veterans because they are paid for life. —Veterans Ombudsman Guy Parent
The report makes four recommendations: • that the minister of Veterans Affairs amend the New Veterans Charter to include “other permanent and severe injury or illness that affects employment and career progression opportunities” in the definition of a permanent and severe impairment. • that the minister and VAC amend relevant policy and regulations to include specific loss of earning capacity to ensure alignment
between the determination of the extent of the impairment and the objective of the allowance. • that policy and regulations be amended so that the assignment of grade levels is based on specific criteria, including the number of working years affected, that characterize the impact of the impairment on the loss of employment. • that the legislation be amended to provide the PIA and the supplement to a survivor at the full rate for one year following the death of veteran who was receiving it. “The underlying problem is that the adjudication of an application for the PIA is weighed towards the consideration of functional, physical and mental criteria when assessing extent of impairment. This is inconsistent with the objective of the benefit and it affects the determination of eligibility for the allowance, the assignment of grade levels and the eligibility for the supplement,” the report concludes. “The Ombudsman’s office has brought forward four recommendations that will improve accessibility to the Permanent Impairment Allowance and the supplement,” said Dominion President Tom Eagles of The Royal Canadian Legion. “This will ensure that the most seriously injured and ill veterans, and their survivors, are provided financial stability at a time when they may be quite vulnerable.” The Legion has long recognized the PIA provisions as being unduly restrictive and present unreasonable constraints for a number of disabled veterans. The position was reaffirmed with a resolution at the 2014 dominion convention in Edmonton in June. november/december 2014 LEgion MagazinE
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NEWS
2014 LEGION CANADIAN YOUTH TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
TRACK MEET Sets N STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHARON
T
he tranquil Monday morning on the beach near White Rock, B.C., is about to be disrupted as hundreds of young people—athletes all—appear, picking their way down a stony path between blackberry bushes, trekking across the sand to form up in lines facing the shore. The athletes have just competed in the 38th Royal Canadian Legion National Youth Track and Field Championships, a meet made special not just because it has started careers of dozens of Olympic athletes, but for a special rite these young people are about to perform. They are here to commemorate the landings at the D-Day beaches 70 years ago. As in previous Legion-sponsored meets, time is taken to give thanks for freedoms secured by the service and sacrifices of earlier generations of young Canadians. Greeting the athletes on the beach is an unusual sight— replicas of beach barricades and stacked rifles and posters from the Second World War. Tony Elliott, 15, of Mildmay, Ont., transports the young people back through time when young Canadian liberators were met by beach barricades, barbed wire, minefields and machine guns on Juno Beach in Normandy. “Imagine you’re a 17-year-old facing this. Jumping into the frigid water, running shooting and fighting... Can you imagine? It’s almost impossible. Our
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lives are so much different. This is why it is important for youth to participate in this moving act of remembrance. Every generation anew must continue to remember and to honour and to carry the legacy forward.” It was but one poignant moment in the championships held Aug. 13-19 at the McLeod Athletic Park in Langley, B.C., during which 427 Legion-sponsored and 374 independent athletes set 19 new Canadian youth records. Athletics Canada has recognized the Legion Nationals as the official Canadian championships for youth aged 12 through 17 since 2008. Olympic careers have been starting there since the mid-1970s. “In the 2012 London Olympics 60 per cent of the athletes on Team Canada came up through the Legion track program,” said Dominion Command Sports Committee Chairman André Paquette. The event began for Legion-sponsored athletes with advice from Regina’s Lynn Williams, bronze medallist in the 3,000-metre run in the 1984 Olympics, who set 11 Canadian running records between 1983 and 1989 and Chris Winter of North Vancouver, fresh from his sixth-place finish in the 3,000-metre steeplechase at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Their overall message was to never give up—not through disappointment, injury, loss, career plateaus. “You never know what’s going
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s New Records Miriam Abdul-Rashid (in red) takes the lead in women’s 300-metre hurdles.
to happen,” said Williams. Winter added that when the unexpected happens to an opponent, the wise athlete is prepared to take advantage of every break. Miriam Abdul-Rashid’s sights are set on the Olympics, and getting her first taste of stiff competition in the 2012 Legion nationals was a big step forward. “I’d never been to a meet that big.” Legion nationals prepared her for the World Youth Championships last year and the World Juniors this year. In her final appearance at the 2014 Legion nationals, the 17-year-old runner set a new Canadian youth record of 41.85 seconds in the women’s 300-metre hurdles. “I really wanted to go out hard for the first hurdle. It was mostly a technical race. It wasn’t a personal best I was going for; it was a record.” Athletes hone their skills against good competitors, and results of the 2014 distance races show just how stiff the competition is. All three medallists in the girls 1,200- and 2,000-metre races broke the previous Canadian youth records, shaving seconds off the best times. Winning gold in both events was Shona McCulloch of Ottawa with respective times of 3:31:70 and 6:14:15; silver medallist Sevanne Ghazarian of Guelph clocked in at 3:31:80 and 6:15:40; and Sophie Sigfstead of Edmonton was close behind at 3:33:77 and 6:17:62. The previous record for the 1200-metre race, set in 2012, was
3:35:33; in 2014 a mere tenth of a second separated gold from silver. Mathieu Plamondon of Timmins, Ont., and Speed River Track and Field Club’s Braydon Clarke of Erin, Ont., also both broke the record for the boys 1,200-metre race, setting respective times of 3:08:18 and 3:09:10. The previous record, set in 2013, was 3:10:21. Plamondon repeated the feat in the 2,000-metre race, clocking in at 5:43:26 for a new record. Other record-breaking track athletes included Kyra Danielson of Vancouver with a time of 7:51:83 in the 1,500-metre race walk; Arielle Bykovskala-Domin of Montreal, with 27:43 in girls 200-metre hurdles; Toronto’s Vahid Andrews with 25:23 in the boys 200metre hurdles; Nathan Friginette of Toronto with 35:53 in the boys 300-metre race; Winnipeg’s Victoria Tachinski with a time of 2:07:91 in the girls 800metre run; and Thomas Nobbs of Vancouver at 4:18:39 in boys steeplechase. Breaking records in field events were Cyerra Cassell of Toronto, with a hammer throw of 61.06 metres; Jessye Brockway of Mill Bay, B.C., set two new youth records with a wheelchair javelin throw of 15.30 metres and a seated discus throw of 20.22 metres. But it’s not all about breaking records. For some young athletes, it’s about proving themselves. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 LEGION MAGAZINE
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I’m not scared of messing up in front of people. I like the feeling they give me.
Ivan Nyemeck of Quebec performs a triple jump. Opposite page: young athletes give their all.
Foster Beaton of Brockville, Ont., just missed making Team Ontario, but that didn’t keep him from competing. “They picked the top 40 and I was the 43rd. I wasn’t mad at the coaches but was wondering why they didn’t pick me. (I thought) ‘you’ve made a wrong choice.’ That’s what gave me the extra push to get here.” He won gold in boys shot put with a throw of 15.96 metres. “My advice is just to stick with it. At the start of the year I was throwing 12 metres. My coach showed me the little things that moved me from 12 to 15 metres. I say, stick with it, train hard.” “I did my first personal best in that event in over a year,” said Kenneth Schultze, 17, of West Vancouver, B.C. “You get stuck and think you’ve plateaued, but competing shows you you have places to go.” He went on to place third in the 110-metre hurdles later in the competition and has his sights on the Pan American Junior Games in 2015.
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Some athletes look at these competitions as a way to motivate themselves and learn more. “It’s made me think about my future,” says Sara Murray, 16, of Saskatoon. “It seems, like, real, and makes me want to compete at higher levels. Taylor Dunn, 17, of Fredericton describes a continuous learning curve over her four experiences at Legion nationals. “I have really changed. I know what not to do, what to do, when to warm up. You learn from presentations a lot. You learn from your competitors.” Multiple medalist and para-athlete Madison Wilson Waker, who lost both legs to meningitis when she was three, knows about overcoming adversity and inner demons. “Just because you have a disability doesn’t mean you can’t do anything. You can do anything other people do—and maybe better, too.” She placed silver and bronze respectively in the mixed 100- and 200-metre para-ambulatory races and gold in ambulatory javelin. Many athletes said they couldn’t get through the many years of training without support of family and community. “I get hyped when a lot of people are watching me compete,” said Keysean Powell, 17, of Brampton, Ont. “I’m not scared of messing up in front of people. I like the feeling they give me.” He frequently urges the crowd to clap as he prepares his long jumps. His exuberance comes naturally, he says—his father was a three-time Golden Glove winner, his mother a sprinter, and his siblings are athletes, too. “Parental support for people in smaller towns is really high,” said Joseph Maxwell of Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron. “And a big part of my success is my parents, Steve Maxwell and Mary Mendes de Franca.” But all the athletes appreciate this opportunity to make friends. “I have a lot of friends from the different provinces,” says Dunn. “We stay in contact all through the year, we message each other.” “Relationships formed through track and field are important to happiness and success later in life; it’s what helps you through strife, and strife is where we all learn life’s lessons,” said Laurier Primeau, keynote speaker at the wrap-up banquet for Legion athletes. Primeau’s track career was sidelined by two bouts with cancer, but he came back, with help and support of a friend, to set his career record. He now coaches track at Trinity Western University in Langley. “Knowing your performance limits is important,” he said, “but working like you don’t have them is even better.” Having limitations “doesn’t mean the struggle is any
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Clockwise from top left: Athletes listen to guest speakers; Mathieu Plamondon, flanked by Brandon Vail (left) and Tyler Dozzi take medals for the boys 2,000metre run; Jamilah James (left), Nina Schultz and Rachel Jerome show their medals for the long jump; Local Arrangements Chairman Lesley Maudsley (left) and B.C./Yukon Command Ladies Auxiliary President Karen Crashley accept a plaque from Sports Committee Chairman André Paquette with Dominion President Tom Eagles looking on.
We believe the youth...are the cornerstone of this great country. less worthwhile. Push yourself to the limit as though you could be the world record holder.” “I’m getting a little choked up,” said Local Arrangements Committee Chairman Lesley Maudsley. She and the British Columbia/Yukon Command Ladies Auxiliary, who also organized last year’s games, had approximately 90 local volunteers, not counting coaches, chaperones and volunteers from other organizations, said Maudsley. But the event is all about the young athletes. “Just watching the performances, the dedication and focus of the athletes. If Canada is ever worried about its future adults, they’ve got nothing to worry about. The cream of the crop is here.” Producing such a crop year after year is one of the reasons the Legion sponsors the event, during which there were many displays of “hard work, dedication, natural ability and fitness...traits that will lead us into the future,” Dominion President Tom Eagles said. “We believe the youth...are the cornerstone of this great country.” The event ended with several high notes. Paquette announced that Leroy Washburn, who’s been involved with Legion track and field since 1975, has been inducted into the Athletics Canada Hall of Fame. Washburn is credited with playing a key role over six decades in standardizing
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and improving the Canadian officiating program. The Leroy Washburn Award for top Legion female athlete, presented by Washburn himself, went to Xahria Santiago of Ajax, Ont. Eagles presented the Jack Stenhouse Award for top Legion male athlete to Callum Macnab of Edmonton. Abdul-Rashid had some final advice for new competitors, many of whom will go on to win medals, set records, accept such awards, though at first they may not now believe it. “If this is your first nationals, don’t get intimidated by those around you. You’re here for a reason; you’re definitely good enough to be here. If you want to make a national team, keep working hard.” And even if reach exceeds grasp, “It’s definitely worth working for something bigger than yourself.”
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NEWS
Government Response On Charter Changes Disappoints Veterans
by Tom Macgregor
Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino has given a cautious, twophase response to the report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs recommending 14 major changes to the New Veterans Charter (NVC). The first phase is to address those recommendations that can be quickly achieved within existing authorities and budgets of Veterans Affairs Canada and the Department of National Defence. More complex recommendations requiring further interdepartmental work and budgetary analysis will be left to a second phase. The response has been met with disappointment by several veterans’ advocates, including The Royal Canadian Legion. “While we appreciate that these issues are complex and require considerable time, effort and financial resources to implement, it is the belief of the Legion that the government has had more than enough time, and certainly enough input from experts, to be able to take solid action on improving the NVC,” said Dominion President Tom Eagles. The committee tabled its report in June after hearing from 54 witnesses since November 2013 (Parliamentary Committee Recommends Changes To New Veterans Charter, September/October). “While allocations for benefits for Canadian injured veterans has increased by $4.7 billion since 2006, the government agrees that more can and must be done to enhance service delivery to ensure that injured veterans and their families are supported,” said the response released Oct. 1. However, the four recommendations that would require significant
budgetary changes have been left to the second phase, including: • that the Earnings Loss (EL) benefit be non-taxable and set at 85 per cent of net income up to a threshold of $70,000 and that it be adjusted annually according to the consumer price index; • that all veterans with servicerelated disabilities and their families be entitled to the same benefits and support whether they were regular force or reserve force; • that improvements be made to the administration of the Permanent Impairment Allowance (PIA); and • that the services of Military Family Resource Centres be available to veterans and their families. Changes to the EL benefit and eliminating the difference in disability benefits and service between regular and reserve force members were two of the Legion’s highest priorities. The Legion’s third priority was that disability awards be adjusted to fall more in line with awards granted by the courts for personal injury. VAC has agreed in principle and will explore options for addressing the recommendation. In the first phase of the response the government agrees to amend the NVC to include a clause similar to that in the Pension Act which will ensure that the act be liberally interpreted, recognizing the solemn obligation of the people and government of Canada to provide compensation to those members of the forces who have been disabled or have died as a result of military service, and to their dependants. In response to another recommendation the government
says DND is already ensuring injured members are not released from the military until after they are medically stabilized and their files have been sent to VAC for followup. The government agrees with the committee that psychological counselling be extended to veterans’ families and “will introduce new measures in this regard in due course.” The government will consider extending vocational rehabilitation programs to family members but not at the expense of the veterans’ rehabilitation program. VAC has agreed to explore options on a recommendation that only those who are medically released for non-service-related injuries or illness receive benefits under the Service Income Security Insurance Plan (SISIP) while all others receive benefits from VAC and DND. In response to a recommendation that vocational rehabilitation training programs be allowed greater flexibility, VAC said that it made improvements to the program in 2013, expanding the list of eligible training expenses up to a maximum total value of $75,800 per person. A recommendation that VAC move towards a payment system that results in one comprehensive monthly payment that clearly identifies the source of funding was welcomed by VAC, saying immediate steps will be undertaken to combine payments to reduce confusion and red tape. No timetable for the two phases was provided. “We remain committed to the [committee’s] recommendations and will not cease our efforts to push this government to come up with some tangible activities,” said Eagles. November/December 2014 LEgion MagazinE
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Grenade Accident Remembered 40 Years Later by Sharon adams
When Paul Wheeler and Gerry Fostaty met at a reunion in July, they threw their arms around each other and cried. They last saw each other in July of 1974, Wheeler a 17-year-old cadet instructor, Fostaty an 18-yearold platoon sergeant at Canadian Forces Base Valcartier, the summer a grenade exploded in a room full of cadets during a safety demonstration. Their tears were for their dead and wounded companions; for the pain of the survivors, borne mostly alone over the decades; and for their own lost youth. It was a wet day, so an ammunition safety lecture was moved indoors. Dummy ammunition, painted blue to distinguish it from green-coloured live ammo, was handed around for about 140 cadets aged 14 and 15 to examine. There was one green grenade in the box, but everyone assumed it was safe. No one knew that blue demonstration grenades had been transported with some live grenades, that a live grenade had been placed in the demo box. It ended up in the hands of
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14-year-old Eric Lloyd, who pulled the pin. He and five other cadets were killed and more than 50 others wounded. In seconds—pandemonium. Wheeler and Mark Slater were sitting on bunks at the back. Dozens of seriously injured boys were bleeding on the floor. “People dived out the windows and through the glass and rushed...to get out. The only ones left in the room were the wounded and the dead and the two of us.” Fostaty and Sergeant Charles Gutta rushed in to help. “It was very hard,” said Gutta. “There was flesh all over the walls, cadets lying down.” Soon ambulances began rotating in, bearing stretchers away to nearby hospitals. After pitching in with first aid, Fostaty and Wheeler were asked to identify bodies. “We certainly got older that day,” said Fostaty. All that was brought up again this summer as the cadets met for a reunion at the base, 25 kilometres north of Quebec City. It was the 40th anniversary and one of greater significance
Wreaths are placed near a memorial rock where a plaque names the cadets who died in the 1974 explosion.
now that National Defence and Canadian Forces Ombudsman Gary Walbourne is looking into the nearly forgotten incident. But the trauma was not yet over. Wheeler said cadets who stayed at camp were segregated and strictly warned not to talk to anybody— even their parents—about the incident. They were later brought individually into a room for questioning by regular forces officers conducting an inquiry. “It was intimidating. They would take turns firing questions at us. They were really hoping to find the blame for this lay with the cadets,” said Wheeler. “They blamed the cadets,” said Fostaty. “They blamed me. It was more of an interrogation.” Gutta found himself defending cadets, describing kit checks, contraband searches. “They were trying to blame the cadets, that they had brought the grenade onto the base at the cadet camp.”
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PHOTO: Sharon Adams
About 10 days after the explosion, a memorial parade was held and cadets learned names of the dead: Yves Langlois and Mario Provencher, both 15, and 14-year-olds Pierre Leroux, Eric Lloyd, Othon Mangos and Michael Voisard. A few days later, summer camp ended and the boys were sent home to their different cities, different units and to parents they were forbidden to tell. A coroner’s inquiry in 1974 blamed the forces for a “climate of negligence and carelessness.” It said Captain Jean-Claude Giroux, who was in charge of explosives at CFB Valcartier, who conducted the cadet lecture and himself was wounded, should face charges. Giroux was found not guilty in a civilian court trial in 1977. A handful of cadet instructors and officers who were part of the Reserves at the time have received some compensation and benefits for their injuries. But the vast majority of those boys have not received so much as an apology. As they were not serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces or part of the public service at the time, cadets were not covered by Canadian Armed Forces or Veterans Affairs Canada medical, pension and benefit programs. Parents had several years to request compensation under rules and regulations of the time, but few likely even knew of them, or made the connection between their sons’ mounting troubles and PTSD, which only began to be diagnosed by the military itself in the 1980s. “Everyone just assumed somebody else would take care of it,” said Fostaty. “But there was nobody else. There was no counselling, no debriefing. They just let it go.” After the coroner’s inquest and civil trial, “everyone was exonerated and it just went away.” The world moved on. More attention was paid to cadet safety. The explosives safety course was taken out of the cadet program in 1975. Many who subsequently heard of
the incident dismissed it as a myth. But it was grim reality for Wheeler and Fostaty whose dreams of military careers were over. “I went from being a good student at everything to failing courses,” said Wheeler. “I dropped out. I couldn’t sleep, kept having nightmares about what happened, and withdrew from
strength and in May, the ombudsman was given the go-ahead to investigate, focusing on how the cadets and their families were affected and treated by the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces. Three investigators spent hours interviewing the cadets at the an-
Everyone just assumed somebody else would take care of it. my family. I just thought I had become a loser.” Wheeler drifted from one thing to another, eventually becoming a culinary arts instructor in Saskatchewan. Fostaty gave up military ambition and began an acting career. Both lived for decades with undiagnosed PTSD. Then Fostaty posted a comment about the incident on a website and someone brought it to Gutta’s attention. “The post was torturous,” said Gutta. He began tracking down the cadets. “That’s when I really got wind of the bigger tragedy, the scope, how big it was. These cadets [got] no help. No help whatsoever.” By 2008 Gutta had found enough cadets to begin holding annual commemorations at the Valcartier Summer Cadet Camp. He now regularly corresponds with 87 of the cadets, most of whom, he believes, have PTSD. He himself struggled with symptoms for years before being diagnosed and getting help. He urged many of his former charges to be assessed for PTSD. Once the former cadets began talking, some thought about an investigation, compensation for medical expenses and an apology. A few started talking about a class action suit. By 2013, opposition politicians picked up on the situation. The New Democratic Party began pressing Defence Minister Rob Nicholson to authorize a military ombudsman’s investigation, and launched a petition in support. The NDP petition gathered
niversary weekend. The report had not been made public by press time. Gutta would like to see compensation for the injured cadets. “Some of the people, their lives were destroyed by this. They’re coming up to retirement and they have nothing.” He would like to see an exception made so Veterans Affairs Canada can take over care of those with physical and mental injuries. Compensation claims today would be reviewed by the Canadian Forces Claims and Civil Litigation Section, and subject to federal Treasury Board review of current policies on claims and voluntary payments. Unless, of course, the ombudsman recommends special compensation and the federal government agrees to proceed. Four years ago Wheeler was diagnosed with PTSD due to the explosion. He had always blamed himself for one cadet’s death. “He had quite a bit of shrapnel damage to his face and throat. I was trying to keep his airway open and he lost consciousness. To me it looked like he had passed on. I spent the next 35 years thinking that he had died because I wasn’t able to help him.” What Wheeler did not know was the boy died in hospital, not in his arms. What a difference that piece of information would have made in his life. “It would be nice,” said Wheeler, “if someone in the government said, ‘Hey, we’re sorry this happened.’ And that would mean a lot.” november/december 2014 LEgion MagazinE
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NEWS
MOUNTING MEDALS PROPERLY ONCE A PERSON HAS RECEIVED MORE THAN ONE MEDAL from the military or the government of Canada, there is a need to have them properly mounted for wearing. There are two ways of mounting medals—swing mounting or court mounting. “After the First World War, almost all mounting was swing mounting,” said Andrew Greenham of the Ivan Greenham Medals Department of Forest City Coins and Stamps Ltd. in London, Ont. “You saw some court mounting after the Second World War, but it was after the Korea War when the government thought that court mounting was the way to do it.” Swing mounting is when a medal is suspended by its ribbon from a brooch pin. Several medals can be attached to a long brooch pin. The medals tend to swing when the person wearing the medals is walking. Damage can sometimes be done to the medals as they contact each other while they are swinging. Court mounting is when the ribbon is stretched over a stiff
mounting board with a medal bar brooch at the top. The medals are tied down and do not move when the person walks. For military and government medals, no more than five medals should be worn side by side without overlapping. Where six or more medals are worn, the medal at the left of the bar should be placed first and the remainder of the ribbons placed so that they overlap equally the medal on the right. The senior medal remains in full view. The order of precedence can be found on the Governor General’s website at www.gg.ca/document. aspx?id=14979&lan=eng. The length of the ribbon varies because of the difference in the height of the individual stars, medals and decorations. The overall length measured from the top of the ribbon to the bottom edge of the medals should be four inches. The bottom edge of all medals should form a straight line. Clasps on campaign star ribbons are to be worn one half inch
above the right for the star. The Dieppe Bar for the Hong Kong bar should be worn on the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal above the overseas clasp on the ribbon. Another decision the bearer has to make is whether or not to have the medals plated. The gold medals are plated with bronze and silver medals are plated with nickel since silver will tarnish. “If the owner has any intention in selling the medal, we tell them that having the medal plated will lower the price. However, most say they will never sell their medals,” said Greenham. “Most of the medals we get are from the veterans themselves,” said Greenham. “Of course, there are no more First World War veterans and the Second World War veterans are fewer and fewer.” Forest City Coins was started by Andrew’s father Keith Greenham. Andrew’s grandfather, Ivan Greenham, established the medals department after his career with the Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. Advertisement
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NEWS
PHOTO: TOM MacGregor
Quebec Armoury Being Rebuilt Work is underway for the reconstruction of the Voltigeurs de Québec Armoury in Quebec City allowing it to rise from the ashes in 2016 after being nearly destroyed in a 2008 fire. The historic armoury in Place Georges V, also known as the Grande Allée Armoury or the Grande Allée Drill Hall, was first planned by architect Eugéne-Étienne Taché who designed the nearby National Assembly. The armoury was constructed in 1887 and expanded in 1913. It used a French chateau style with turrets, dormer windows and old stone. Inside it had no columns and featured a carved wooden ceiling and gallery. The grand building was home for the oldest French Canadian rifle regiment, the VoItigeurs de Québec which were established in 1862 but with roots dating back to the War of 1812 and the Battle of Châteauguay.
The 2,226-squaremetre facility was also home to the Royal Work will be completed on the Voltigeurs de Québec Rifles of Canada and Armoury in 2017. a museum featuring In 2009 and 2010 Public Works Quebec military history. Over the and Government Services Canada years it was used as a public space carried out public consultations, a for provincial and horticultural exnumber of environmental and arhibits, book fairs and popular balls. chaeological studies and post-disasIts name was officially changed to ter structural evaluations. In 2012, the Voltigeurs de Québec Armoury the federal government announced a in 1998 and had been recognized successful design for reconstruction. as a National Historic Site in 1986. Tache’s original plans are still On April 4, 2008, an explosion available and the reconstrucwas heard and then flames burst tion will respect the architecout inside. By the time firefighters tural history of the building. arrived, the flames had reached The new space, planned for the ceiling. Fortunately most of completion in time for Canada’s the artifacts, flags and documents 150th anniversary in 2017, will host held by the museum were saved cultural and community events, and no one was injured, but the have government offices and comold wood burned quickly and soon memorate the Voltigeurs. nothing but the façade remained.
serving you
Serving You is written by Legion command service officers. To reach a service officer call toll-free 1-877-534-4666, or consult a command website. For years of archives, visit www.legionmagazine.com
Allied veterans from the United Kingdom, their families and widows who are in financial need can approach Legion branches or provincial commands to obtain assistance from poppy funds and are encouraged to do so. They can also obtain assistance from benevolent funds back in the U.K. These funds can help veterans and their families (defined as a current spouse and dependant children) with food, clothing, prescription medications, prescribed medical devices, emergency repairs, etc. Allied veterans or their widows who are having significant trouble making ends meet on a month-to-month basis may also be eligible for a Regular Charitable Payment (RCP) or Regular Financial Assistance (RFA) award. These awards are given out by the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League (RCEL) and/or the Royal Air Force (RAF) and are distributed on their behalf by the Dominion Command Service Bureau on a quarterly basis. If there has been no change to the veteran’s or the widow’s financial situation, these awards can also be renewed on an annual basis. Also be aware that as of 2010, changes were made to
the War Veterans Allowance Act. Low-income Allied veterans now living in Canada may qualify for War Veterans Allowance (WVA) and its related services and benefits which include the following: the Assistance Fund; Funeral and Burial Program; treatment benefits, Veterans Independence Program and long-term care. To qualify, you must: • Have served with one of the Allied forces during the Second World War or the Korean War; and • Have lived in Canada for at least 10 years or lived in Canada prior to enlisting. To find out if you qualify for any of the “Allied Veterans Services & Benefits” please contact VAC toll-free at 1-866-522-2122. If you have any questions regarding the RCEL or RAF benevolent funds in the U.K. and/or the RCP and RFA awards that you may qualify for, please contact the North American representative for Allied veterans, Gary Foster, at Dominion Command toll-free (1-877-534-4666) or at
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NEWS
PHOTO: TOM MacGREGOR
JOINING THE PILGRIMAGE THERE ARE STILL SEATS available for those wishing to join Legionnaires on the 2015 Royal Canadian Legion Pilgrimage of Remembrance, July 11-25, to France, Belgium and the Netherlands. The 15-day tour, co-ordinated by the Dominion Command Poppy and Remembrance Committee, visits the cemeteries, memorials and battlefields where Canadians and Newfoundlanders fought during the First and Second world wars. The guided tour takes place every two years. Each provincial command selects one pilgrim for the trip while other seats are available on the coach for paying pilgrims. Legion ceremonies are conducted at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, BeaumontHamel and at several Canadian war cemeteries. All pilgrims are invited to participate in these ceremonies. Pilgrims will first stay in Caen, France, where they will visit the Juno Beach landing sites, the Juno Beach Centre at Courseullessur-Mer and the Bény-sur-Mer
Canadian War Cemetery. They will then go on to Dieppe where Canadians participated in the disastrous raid in August 1942. After Dieppe, the group will move to Ypres, in Belgium, and visit the Passchendaele sites, St. Julien and participate in the Menin Gate ceremony where every night at 8 p.m. all traffic comes to halt in the centre of Ypres while the Last Post is played in honour of the war dead. The tour also visits the site of the Battle of the Scheldt Estuary and Bergen-op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery in the Netherlands. Finally the group stays at Arras in France and visits Vimy, which includes a tour of the tunnels, and then to Beaumont-Hamel where the Newfoundland Regiment suffered such heavy losses on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. “It is a unique and once in a lifetime experience,” said Poppy and Remembrance Committee Secretary Bill Maxwell. “It is a pilgrimage of remembrance,
Pilgrims walk along Juno Beach where Canadian troops landed on D-Day in 1944.
respect and commemoration.” The package price includes all hotels, transportation plus breakfast and dinner each day. It does not include lunches, add-on airfare to the departure point in Toronto or medical insurance. The cost of the 2013 pilgrimage was approximatly $4,300 per person, based on double occupancy. The cost of the 2015 trip will be established shortly and posted on the Legion’s website, www.legion.ca. For more information contact the secretary, Dominion Command Poppy and Remembrance Committee, 86 Aird Place, Ottawa, ON K2L 0A1, 613-591-3335, ext. 224 or
[email protected].
CANADIAN FORCES BOUTIQUE OFFERS LEGION ITEMS CANEX, THE CANADIAN FORCES EXCHANGE SYSTEM, has developed a new boutique brand and is stocking items from the Dominion Command Supply Department. The new line is called Tactix and opened its first store in at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, Ont., northwest of Ottawa. “Many of the Legion items are available to the public through our [online] poppy store,” said Dominion Command Director of Supply Peter Underhill. Items being offered in Tactix include scarves with a poppy decoration, ladies handbags, baseball caps,
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T-shirts and golf shirts. “They are also handling our commemorative pins,” said Underhill. New boutiques are expected soon in Borden and Kingston in Ontario and St-Jean, Que. “Eventually the Tactix boutiques will operate our stores across the country,” said Jeff Dunsmore, senior category manager for Canex. “It’s a store within a store,” said Dunsmore. “We want to be known to the Canadian Armed Forces Community as their military store.” Canex was established in 1968, and operates retail stores, grocery stores, gas stations, coffee shops,
vending operations and sports bars on or near Canadian Forces bases. The stores can be used by members, former members and the families of the Canadian Armed Forces, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Department of National Defence and the Military Family Resource Centres. Proceeds are distributed to base, wing and unit funds to support social and recreational programs such as libraries, skating, curling as well as base boy scouts and girl guides.
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Alberta–Northwest Territories: Rhonda Risebrough, 2020-15th St. N.W., Calgary AB T2M 3N8,
[email protected] Saskatchewan: Stephanie Anhorn, 3079–5th Ave., Regina, SK S4T 0L6,
[email protected] Manitoba: Vanessa Burokas, 563 St. Mary’s Rd., Winnipeg, MB R2M 3L6,
[email protected] Northwestern Ontario: Roy Lamore, 155 Theresa St., Thunder Bay, ON P7A 5P6,
[email protected] Ontario: Mary Ann Goheen, Box 308, Gravenhurst, ON P1P 1T7,
[email protected]
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Manitoba-Northwestern Ontario
Newfoundland and Labrador British Columbia/Yukon United States Alberta-Northwest Territories Quebec
azine.co
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ts o h s p a Sn online! are
Correspondents’ Addresses
Nova Scotia/Nunavut
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gazine.com
British Columbia/Yukon: Graham Fox, 4199 Steede Ave., Port Alberni, BC V9Y 8B6,
[email protected]
The Snapshots section is available online in the Community Section of legionmagazine.com.
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Send your photos and news of The Royal Canadian Legion in action in your community to your Command Correspondent. Each branch and ladies auxiliary is entitled to two photos in an issue. Any additional items will be published as news only. Material should be sent as soon as possible after an event. We do not accept material that will be more than a year old when published, or photos that are out of focus or lack contrast. The Command Correspondents are:
l eg
VOLUNTEERING IN THE COMMUNITY
ma on
snapshots
“In this issue, Legion branches
donate more than
$197,000 to their communities.”
Ontario New Brunswick Honours and Awards
Quebec: Len Pelletier, 389 Malette, Gatineau, QC J8L 2Y7,
[email protected] New Brunswick: Marianne Harris, 115 McGrath Cres., Miramichi, NB E1V 3Y1,
[email protected] Nova Scotia/Nunavut: Jean Marie Deveaux, 651 Church St., Port Hawkesbury, NS B9A 2X6,
[email protected] Prince Edward Island: Dianne Kennedy, Box 81, Borden-Carleton, PE C0B 1X0,
[email protected] Newfoundland and Labrador: Darlene Smith-Hopkins, Box 5745, St. John’s, NL A1C 5X3,
[email protected] Dominion Command Zones: Eastern U.S. Zone, Gord Bennett, 12840 Seminole Blvd., Lot #7, Largo, FL 33778,
[email protected]; Western U.S. Zone, Douglas Lock, 1531 11th St., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266,
[email protected]. Editor’s Note—Submissions for the Honours and Awards page (Palm Leaf, MSM, MSA and Life Membership) should be sent directly to Doris Williams, Legion Magazine, 86 Aird Place, Kanata, ON K2L 0A1 or
[email protected].
At the presentation of $2,100 from Carman, Man., Branch and L.A. to the Carman Hospital are (from left) Shannon Bergsma, Deb Penner, L.A. poppy chair Mary McGill and President Don Lemon. The money will be used to buy a patient lift for the palliative care room.
Technical Specs For Photo Submissions (1) Glossy Photos—To get good magazine-quality reproduction we need photos that scan well. Glossy photos from a photofinishing lab are the best answer because they do not contain a dot pattern. We will do our best with prints coming from a digital camera but some will not make the grade, so, if you can, please submit digital photos electronically. (2) Electronic Photos—Photos submitted to Command Correspondents electronically must have a minimum width of 1,350 pixels, or 4.5 inches. Final resolution must be 300 dots per inch or greater. As a rough guideline, black-and-white JPEGs would have a file size of 200 kilobytes (KB) or more, while colour JPEGs would be between 0.5 megabytes (MB) and 1 MB.
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Morden, Man., Branch presents $4,000 to to the Morden air cadet squadron. With the cheque are (from left) Morden Branch President Bob Frost, squadron commander Raylean Vandamme, retiring commander Chris Flook and poppy chairman Lyle Meeks.
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In Kingston, N.S., A.H. Foster MM Memorial Branch President Dave Geddes presents Brianne Saunders with the Jack Moore Memorial Bursary.
Ted Gogan (centre) of Arras Branch in Antigonish, N.S., receives his 50 Years Long Service Medal from Mary MacDonald with assistance from President Fred Mattie.
At the presentation of bursaries at Sydney, N.S., Branch are (front, from left) President Alfie Giorno, recipients John Oliver MacLellan, Hilary Swayne and Jocelyn Brown, Al Aucoin, Stan MacPhail, (rear) Gordon Gillespie, Mike Flemming and Joe Gillis.
At Arras Branch in Antigonish, N.S., President Fred Mattie (left) presents Robert Archibald with his 50 Years Long Service Medal.
At Centennial Branch in Dartmouth, N.S., (from left) President Richard Malin presents $150 to Victoria Jackson for her second-place finish in the Legion’s poster contest as Principal Robert Picot and member Mary Boutin look on.
At Uniacke Branch in Mount Uniacke, N.S., (from left) bursary co-chairman Dave King and President Mabel McCarthy present $1,000 bursaries to students Alexander Piercy and Mallory Kroll as poppy chairman Lorraine Wagner and bursary co-chairman Jim Kennickell look on.
In Lower Sackville, N.S., Calais Branch member Carol MacDonald (right) presents a donation to Bedford/Sackville Special Olympics representative Dee MacNeil.
At Uniacke Branch in Mount Uniacke, N.S., (from left) President Mabel McCarthy and bingo chairperson Joan Hayden present $1,300 to principal Darlene Walker for the school breakfast program.
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NEW CORRESPONDENT FOR NEWFOUNDLAND • Darlene Smith-Hopkins has been named the new command correspondent for Newfoundland and Labrador Command. She replaces Brenda Slaney who has been named command secretary. Photos and news for the Snapshots Section can be sent to her at Box 5745, St. John’s, NL A1C 5X3 or
[email protected].
Clarenville, Nfld., Branch members Denice Harris (left) and Joanne Freeman present Gavin Greening with a certificate for his win in the poster contest.
At Grant Crerar Branch in Wabush, Nfld., RNC Inspector Paula Walsh (centre, right) and retired captain James Stanton (centre, left) present display banners to President Brian Corcoran (left) and Labrador City Mayor Karen Oldford.
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of White Bay, Nfld., Branch are (from left) secretary Elizabeth O’Rielly, Second Vice Dennis Reid, Sgt.-at-Arms Lorne Hynes, treasurer Joe Gillis and President Sidney Newbury.
Barbara Dean-Simmons of The Packet accepts the Legion Media Award from Bill Meadus of Clarenville, Nfld., Branch.
Carbonear, Nfld., Branch member Sarah Lawrence presents an award in the poster and literary contests to Cassandra Hogan.
Twillingate, Nfld., Branch turns out to dedicate a new memorial stone to those who served in the First World War and Second World War.
At Labrador City, Nfld., Branch, RNC Inspector Paula Walsh (right) and retired captain James Stanton (centre, right) present an honour roll commemorating the 11 Newfoundland and Labradorians killed in Afghanistan to (from left) Dominion First Vice Dave Flannigan, President Ron Earl and vice-president Gerard Hoskins.
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Anna Marie Fillier (left) and Gerry Kelly of Conception Bay Branch in Kelligrews, Nfld., present $500 to Lieut. (N) Jennifer Power (centre) of HMCS St. John’s who is raising money on behalf of the Children’s Wish Foundation. Also present are (from left) wish recipient Stephen Flynn, Mayor Ken McDonald and wish recipient Theresa Rich.
Eastport, Nfld., Branch donates $5,000 to the Central Northeast Health Foundation James Paton Memorial Regional Health Centre in Gander. With the cheque are (from left) Dr. Bryan Woolridge, Eastport town manager Cynthia Bull, Eastport Mayor Genevieve Squire, Central Health’s Sherry Freak, President William Duffitt and Second Vice John Crosby.
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B.C./Yukon Vice-President Val MacGregor brings greetings to Charlie Stocking of Trail, B.C., Branch on his 100th birthday.
VOLUNTEERING IN THE COMMUNITY
RCMP Constable Peter Koutougos and veteran Jim Bailey of Gold River, B.C., Branch unveil commemorative plaques at the town cenotaph honouring Canada’s Afghanistan and peacekeeping missions. The plaques are gifts from a local museum society.
Thomas Roedl of California Branch in Vista, Calif., presents $1,000 to Child Life Services director Melissa Hebron at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. The money will be used for the comfort, education and entertainment of pediatrics patients.
President Ken Ward (right) of Diamond Head Branch in Squamish, B.C., presents $500 to Ralph Chelswick of the Squamish Yacht Club youth sailing program.
Poppy chairman Ed Robertson of Diamond Head Branch in Squamish, B.C., congratulates Kia Thompson for her first-place entry in the primary black and white poster contest.
At Pinellas Country Post in St. Petersburg, Fla., Commander Gordon Bennett (left) and Col. Paul Keddy present the 50 Years Long Service pin to Pat Carson.
Delta, B.C., Branch treasurer Tom Easton (left) and branch secretary Olwen Demidoff present $2,500 to Ricky Kwan, executive director of George Derby Centre.
B.C./Yukon Command President Angus Stanfield (right) accepts a donation of $4,400 to the Legion Foundation for the British Columbia Institute of Technology’s military skills transition program and the PTSD service dog program from Delta, B.C., Branch treasurer Glen Hodge (left) and branch secretary Olwen Demidoff.
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SENATOR RECEIVES FRIENDSHIP AWARD • Alberta/Northwest Territories Command President Wayne Donner presented a Friendship Award to Senator Yonah Martin during the 11th Annual Korean Day Festival in Calgary. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the AlbertaGangwon, South Korea, sister province relationship.
Centennial Branch in Calgary presents certificates to winners of the poster and literary contests.
HUDSON PRESENTS BURSARIES At the presentation of awards in the poster and literary contests at St. Mary Catholic School from Beaverlodge, Alta., Branch are (from left) service officer Jim Frissell, Nevada Alda, former president Andy Meggit, poppy chairman Pat Garrison, President Cordelia Gault, Cassidy Rheaume, Finn McIntyre and Payton Isley.
Ma-Me-O Beach, Alta., Branch President Dave Noack (left) presents a cheque to Lakedale and Area Community Library Society chairwoman Bonny Mieske, for the summer reading program. Also present, are (from left) society treasurer Jean Glasier, branch treasurer Patrick Miller, branch members Alec Dreichel and John Herman, vice-president Ken Adai, and Stu Raven.
Claresholm, Alta., Branch health and wellness officer Wally Best raises the flag on Canada Day to kick off festivities while RCMP Constable Rob Olive (left) and communications/media chairman Ed Hood salute. Mayor Rob Steel, accompanied by Ed Hood (left) and Claresholm, Alta., Branch President Kevin Linn, cuts the cake at the branch open house, Remembering 100 Years Ago—WW I.
• Hudson, Que., Branch presented two $500 bursaries to the Black Watch cadets of Montreal and three $1,000 bursaries to graduating students of Westwood Senior High School.
Susan Bednarski (left) of the Vaudreuil Soulanges Palliative Care Residence in Hudson, Que., accepts $1,500 from Hudson Branch First Vice Eric Connor and poppy treasurer Donna Atwood.
Quebec Command and Pointe-Gatineau Branch in Gatineau, Que., each donated $3,000 to the Perley and Rideau Veterans’ Health Centre capital campaign. At the presentation are (from left) the centre’s chief executive officer Akos Hoffer, executive director Daniel Clapin, foundation chairman Charles Lemieux, branch representatives Paul Gendron and Guy Lachance, and Michael Jeffery, chairman of the centre’s board of directors.
Olaf Hegland and President Cordelia Gault of Beaverlodge, Alta., Branch present a bursary to Grade 12 student Makayla Obst.
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CADET CORPS RECEIVE FINANCIAL SUPPORT • Battlefield Branch in Stoney Creek, Ont., donated $4,000 to the Stoney Creek air cadet squadron, the Triumph sea cadet corps and the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders army cadet corps. • Bowmanville L.A. presented $8,000 to the branch. • Port Perry Branch presented the Cadet Medal of Excellence to MWO Caleb Shevel from the Port Perry army cadets.
In Newmarket, Ont., Milton Wesley Branch President Wayne Hooey and poppy chairman Beverlee Taylor (right) present $10,000 to South Lake Regional Hospital foundation. Accepting the cheque are hospital representatives Corrina Jones (left) and Neila Poscente.
Port Colbourne, Ont., Branch commemorates the 70th anniversary of D-Day with the planting of a red maple leaf tree by (from left) committee chairman Bob Saracino, First Vice Carol Madden, Second Vice Joyce Abbott, Tom Lannan, President Irene Leslie and youth education chairman Doug Brown.
• Milton Wesley Branch in Newmarket donated $15,812 to the South Lake Regional hospital foundation. • Brig.-Gen. G.H. Ralston Branch in Port Hope presented the Legionnaire of the Year award to Peter Hills. • H.T. Church Branch in St. Catharines presented a 50-year service pin to Harry Mason, and 55-year pins to Robert Bell, William Randle and Donald Walters.
Capt. Fred Campbell VC Branch in Mount Forest, Ont., presents cheques from the branch and on behalf of the Ontario Command, Branches and L.A. Charitable Foundation totalling $9,100 to the Louise Marshall Hospital. At the presentation are (from left) District C Commander Derek Moore, branch poppy chairman Val Glen, hospital foundation director Lynn Lamont, North Wellington Health Care CEO Jerome Quenneville and hospital foundation director Craig Jenzen.
At Dr. W.C Little Branch in Barrie, Ont., First Vice Phil George (left) and President Gary D’Ambrosio (right) present $1,500 for the upkeep and expansion of the Peacekeepers Memorial in Angus to Canadian Association of Veterans in U.N. Peacekeeping President Fern Taillerfer.
• Sault Ste. Marie Branch presented the Legionnaire of the Year award to Elane Turner. • Orleans L.A. presented the branch with $6,000. • Riverside Branch in Windsor presented the Cadet Medal of Excellence to CWO Brandon Brador of the Riverside Legion army cadet corps. The L.A. presented $4,000 to the branch. • Galt Branch in Cambridge presented Milton Clarke with the 55-year pin.
Hanover, Ont., Branch member Robin Paige (right) and committee member Janice Hagan present $2,500 to Capt. John Critchfield of the Hanover air cadet squadron.
Little Current, Ont., Branch poppy chairman Sue Morin (centre) presents $4,269 on behalf of the Ontario Command, Branches and L.A. Charitable Foundation to Manitoulin Centennial Manor administrator Michelle Bond (left) and resident Bud McConnell.
• Burlington L.A. presented $3,000 to the branch.
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Maj. Andrew McKeever Branch poppy chairman Brad Matheson (left) and President Linda Hoffele (right) present $11,000 to Listowel Memorial Hospital representative Mitch Matheson in Listowel, Ont.
VOLUNTEERING IN THE COMMUNITY
Orleans, Ont., Branch poppy chairman Susan Lerfino (left) and President Jim Ferguson (right) present $8,000 to Ottawa Hospital’s Louise Hague.
Coboconk, Ont., Branch poppy chairman Al Cummings presents $1,000 to navy league president Morgan Dollack for the Hood sea cadet corps. Looking on are (from left) President Leanne Reid, commanding officer Bill Neville and MS Garrnet Mountain.
Port Elgin, Ont., L.A. executive member Marg Esplen (left), public relations chairman Robert Harrison and poppy chairman Blair Eby (right) present $6,500 to Saugeen Memorial Hospital Foundation chairman Erin Zorzi.
At the presentation of $200 from John McMartin Memorial Branch in Cornwall, Ont., to Care for Hospice Cornwall are (from left) seniors club treasurer Bernadette Heagle, hospice fundraising co-ordinator Sandy Collette, hospice manager Jason Samson, seniors secretary Myrna Murray and event co-ordinator Lois Seguin.
Poppy chairman Jim Byron of Valley City Branch in Dundas, Ont., presents $15,000 to St. Joseph’s Villa long-term care facility representative Don Davidson.
Goderich, Ont., Branch President Paul Thorne (left) presents $7,100 on behalf of Ontario Command, Branches and L.A. Charitable Foundation to Alexandra Marine and General Hospital chairman Myles Murdoch. Valley City Branch President Dawn Lewis presents the Legionnaire of the Year award to Dave Howlett in Dundas, Ont.
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Flanking eight new members at Pte. Joe Waters Branch in Milton, Ont., are (from left) branch membership chairman Lynne Bousfield, Ontario Command Vice-President Sharon McKeown, President Patricia Thompson and Sgt.-at-Arms Urban Faria.
Fergus, Ont., Branch Nevada chairman Ray Pearse (left), L.A. representative Linda Semanyk (second from right) and President Greg Manion present $1,000 and an additional $500 from the L.A. to the Cancer Society Relay for Life team.
At the presentation of $10,000 from Arnprior, Ont., Branch to Arnprior and District Memorial Hospital are (from left) bingo chairman Larry Caruthers, hospital representative Wendy Knetchel, poppy chairman Janet Clapham and President Harry Hereford.
President Cliff Weir of Col. R.H. Britton Branch in Gananoque, Ont., accepts $1,500 for the poppy fund from playwright and actress Julia Mackey who donated the money from the sale of pins during the run of her play, Jake’s Gift.
In Cambridge, Ont., Galt L.A. honours and awards chairman Vanda Noseworthy (centre) presents the 50 Years Long Service Medal to Doreen Daly (left) and Joyce Hancock.
Orleans, Ont., Branch honours and awards chairman Frank Stacey (left) and President Jim Ferguson (centre) present the Legionnaire of the Year award to Marty Keates. Goderich, Ont., Branch celebrates the 70th anniversary of D-Day. Surrounded by participants from the Dutch community is speaker Bill Anderson and President Paul Thorne.
White River, Ont., Branch President Ann Belanger (left) and youth education chairman Shirley Ranger congratulate Kala Landry on her provincial first place in the junior essay contest.
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At the presentation of $68,000 from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Branch to Sault Area Hospital are (from left) Elane Turner, Hillie Valaiquette, poppy chairman Rob Gardner, Infantcare manager Gisele Anderson, President Wayne Paulencu, Anne Robichaud and Gwen Dinsale.
At Elmvale, Ont., Branch (from left) District E Commander Mike Giovanetti presents an 80th anniversary certificate to President Frank Beasley with support from District E Deputy Commander Bob Ladouceur and Zone E-4 Commander Debbie Knott. Kemptville, Ont., Branch President Ralph Pulfer (left) presents the Legionnaire of the Year award to Kevin Leblanc.
Poppy chairman Murray Salter (centre) of Col. R.H. Britton Branch in Gananoque, Ont., presents $1,500 to St. Lawrence District Medical Centre board of directors president Heather Cross (left) and fundraising co-chairman Gail Holtved.
In Niagara Falls, Ont., A.C. McCallum Branch President Diane Condon (centre) presents $500 to Lincoln and Welland Foundation representative Doug Reece. Looking on are (from left) Derek Virgo, Drew Heufeld, Doug Hargreaves and John Harris.
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At Trenton, Ont., Branch, Zone F-2 L.A. Commander Joan Locke (right) presents the Legionnaire of the Year award to Sharon Astle-Manuel.
At Bertie Township Branch in Ridgeway, Ont., President Jack Etheridge (left) presents a $500 award for excellence in history to Sam Conhiser. Looking on is Councillor John Hill.
Elmvale, Ont., L.A. President Jean Whitton (centre, left) receives a plaque commemorating the L.A.’s 60th anniversary from (from left) Ontario Command L.A. First Vice Debra Stanton, Zone E-4 L.A. Commander Shirley Duguay and branch President Frank Beasley.
Col. Fitzgerald Branch, in Orangeville, Ont., presents local students with bursaries of $750 each. Joining the students (back row, from left) are President Chris Skalozub, Nevada co-chairs Joyce and Jack Catcher and poppy chairman Darrick Landry.
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H.T. Church Branch President Tom Townsley (left) and membership chairman Mila Townsley (right) flank new members (from left) Angus McCoy, David Braniff, Brent Perrault Jr. and Ed Birmingham in St. Catharines, Ont.
At Cardiff, Ont., Branch Second Vice Henry Dickson (left) and branch member Barney Horan present a tri-folding ramp to Scott Rodgers to assist him with his mobility.
In Welland, Ont., Rose City Branch former president Bob Cummings (left) and President Gerald Noel (centre) present Welland Mayor Barry Sharpe with the Victoria Cross awarded to Lieut. Graham Lyall and a plaque describing his war service.
In St. Catharines, Ont., H.T. Church Branch commemorates the anniversary of the beginning of the First World War with a church service. Presenting the colours are Sgt.-atArms Ron Chasse and colour bearers John Rigby and Chris Csordas.
Fergus, Ont., Branch conducts a memorial service honouring the Merchant Navy. Placing the wreath at the cenotaph are President Tom Semanyk (left) and poppy chairman Raymond Pearce.
Burlington, Ont., Branch President Matt MacPherson (left) thanks Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring for the installation of new directional signs pointing to the branch location.
BRANCH PRESENTS BURSARIES • St. Croix Branch in St. Stephen, N.B., presented bursaries to Alesha Baxter, Kaitlin Eastman, Courtney White and Matthew McLaughlin.
Moncton, N.B., Branch presents bursaries to local students. Presenting the awards are Diane Hicks (left) and President Bob Dupuis (right). NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 LEGION MAGAZINE
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Lindsey Gallant (centre) accepts the Most Congenial Female award from New Brunswick Command Youth Leadership Camp counsellor Judy Voutour (left) and New Brunswick Command Past President Clayton Saunders.
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In Saint John, N.B., Lancaster Branch President Larry Lynch (right) presents $300 to Carleton Kirk Lodge chairperson Don Scott as Jerry Hudson (left) looks on.
Attending the annual veterans’ dinner at N.W. Miramichi Branch in Sunny Corner, N.B., are (from left) Cecil Curtis, Blair Matchett, Herschel Norton, Dorothy Matchett, Cecil Mullin, Ben MacTavish and Tim Whitney.
First Vice Don Downey of St. Croix Branch in St. Stephen, N.B., presents St. Stephen Minor Hockey president Terry Stewart with a donation.
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Lancaster Branch in Saint John, N.B., presents $300 to the Simmonds Lions Caledonian Pipe Band. At the presentation are (from left) treasurer Donna Nason, secretary David Galbraith, President Larry Lynch, Pipe-Maj. Liam Freill and Lions President Tom McGrath.
Sackville, N.B., Branch President Doreen Richards (centre) presents bursaries to Michaela Hunter (left) and Taylor Estabrooks.
At the presentation of scholarships from St. Croix L.A. in St. Stephen, N.B., are (from left) President Linda Bartlett, Joanna Mosher, Jeremy Peters, Abby Babcock and scholarship chair Linda Thomas.
Sackville, N.B., Branch dedicates a memorial to past and serving members of the RCAF. Member and WW II RCAF veteran Doug Hamm poses alongside Deputy Mayor Joyce O’Neil.
Service officer Russell Whitney of N.W. Miramichi Branch in Sunny Corner, N.B., presents $500 to Capt. Jackie White for the Miramichi army cadet corps.
Dr. R.J. Collins TVS Branch in Saint John, N.B., awards a 50 Years Long Service Medal to Norman Nice (second from left). Also present are (from left) Sgt.-at-Arms Al Wickens, President Allan Miller and Cpl. Sean Miller.
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snapshots
HONOURS AND AWARDS
Fredericton Branch presents bursaries to local students. At the ceremony are (front, from left) Heather MacDonald, Chesley Brown, Emily Seely, Bridget Pyke, Dana MacDonald, Cameron Smith, (rear) committee chair Millie Lewis, Jim Burns, President Richmond Nixon, Jodi Connors, Jordan Brown, Robert Ogilvie, Alysha Rae Weekes, Jordan Shannon and Don Mighton.
At the presentation of bursaries by Herman Good VC Branch in Bathurst, N.B., are (front, from left) Hannah Daley, Nora Bertin, Mathew Jean, Adam Kenny, (rear) honours and awards chairman Wilmond Turbide, President Graham Wiseman, First Vice Eugene Godin and committee member Michael White.
palm leaf
Long Service Awards
Sylvio Paulin, Dr. R.J. Collins TVS Br., Saint John, N.B. 65 years
Wilbur Elhatton, Herman Good VC Br., Bathurst, N.B. 70 years
Armin Konn, John Griffiths, Centennial Br., Vancouver TVS Br. Scarborough, Ont. 70 years 60 years
R.W. Wills, Galt Br., Cambridge, Ont. 65 years
Anthony Beke, Galt Br., Cambridge, Ont. 60 years
Eric MacLean, Armstrong Memorial Br., North Sydney, N.S.
Jackie Walter, Fenelon Falls Br., Ont.
Lawrence Negus, Lancaster Br., Saint John, N.B. 65 years
Lloyd Henderson, Herschel Br., Sask. 70 years
Jack Coveyduc, Col. Alex Thomson Memorial Br., Mississauga, Ont.
Rod Verchere, Comox Br., B.C.
Stu McKinnon, Comox Br., B.C.
Victoria Coffey, Comox Br., B.C.
MSM AND MSA (L.A.)
Moira Green, Kanata Br., Ont.
Don McCoy, A.H. Foster MM Memorial Br., Kingston, N.S.
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snapshots
HONOURS AND AWARDS
Life MeMBerSHiP B.c./YUKon
new BrUnSwicK
ernie Mills, Comox Br.
victor Sears, Sackville Br.
onTArio
Prince edwArd iSLAnd
Kathy Johnston, Barrhaven Br., Ottawa
richard fleming, Tignish Br.
donald Bickerton, Callander Br. Paul Larocque, Callander Br. donald Macdonald, Callander Br. clay couture, Cpl. Harry Miner VC Br., Blenheim Bill Therrien, Cpl. Harry Miner VC Br., Blenheim charles rose, Galt Br., Cambridge dan Knighton, Kanata Br. eric chambers, North York Br. Betty Pazder, North York Br. nicholas varmazis, North York Br. Harold woodey, North York Br. wilburn cowan, Osgoode Br. donald Shaver, Osgoode Br. Peter valdstyn, Osgoode Br. Joan valdstyn, Osgoode Br. ruth Poupard, Riverside Br., Windsor
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NICOLAT (NICOLETTE), Dale— CF, flew CF-18s, Cold Lake. Last known Winnipeg, 1986. Mother Pauline, last known B.C. Sought or info by childhood friend from Regina, 1960s. Sheetal (Verma) Woods, 8 Conifer Cres., London, ON N6K 2V2,
[email protected]. PEARSON, Mary (Dorothy)— Home child with MacPherson homes. Born England Nov. 20, 1894. Siblings Charlotte, John and Henry. All arrived on SS Corsican, Quebec, May 13, 1912. Mother Charlotte. Info or family sought by relative. Sydney Jenkins, 4 Falcon Cl., Haverhill, Suffolk CB9 0JJ, U.K.,
[email protected].
dePArTMenTS
LOST TRAILS BROWN, Charles H.—106th Bn., WW I. Born Leeds, England, immigrated to Canada approx. 1908. Married at St. Thomas Church, Winnipeg, 1912. Daughter born April 26, 1916. Son, Ferben, born April 6, 1925, served in WW II. Second daughter, Violet Gibson Brown, CWAC, WW II, born Nov. 22, 1926 and died 1993. Comrades, info or relatives sought by granddaughter. Valerie Lemko, 1125 Iroquois St. W., Moose Jaw, SK S6H 5C1, 306-693-6127,
[email protected]. CHAPPLE, J.W.—SA972, Korea. Sought, family or info. Gary Campbell, Medals Advisor, Service Bureau, Dominion Command, RCL, 86 Aird Pl., Ottawa, ON K2L 0A1, servicebureau@ legion.ca. FOTHERINGHAM, Sgt. Douglas— RCA, Europe, WW II. Born Aug. 4, 1915, Grenfell, Sask. Last known Cloverdale, B.C. Died 1971. Info sought espec. re middle name for grave marker. Gordon Brow, 2920-152A Street, Surrey, BC V4P 3K4,
[email protected]. KEIR, James A.—RWR, WW II. Info sought re how he died by RWR Museum. Linda Wakefield, RCL Brandon, RR 4, Box 46, Brandon, MB R7A 5Y4,
[email protected]. MUNRO, J.H.—Served WW I and in Russia, early 1919. Lived in Penticton, B.C. Past president of Revelstoke, B.C., Branch, RCL. Wife Ethel. Relatives sought to return copy of his 1960 autobiography, found at our Legion branch. Clarence Schneider, RCL Kamloops, 148 McGill Rd., Kamloops, BC V2C 1L7, 250-3749524,
[email protected].
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING MiSCELLanEoUS Drug-Free Pain Relief. Veterans suffering from pain/PTSD? Home device relieves 60-80%. Guaranteed results or money back. Covered by DVA. 800-567-7246, www.DolphinNeurostim.com. Diabetic Neuropathy Pain? Amazing video! YouTube Acumed, Diabetic Neuropathy. Covered by DVA. 800-567-7246, www.DolphinNeurostim.com. Located in Seaforth, Ontario we are looking for part-time/full time electronics technician (MOC 221,222,223,224,225,226,227) with background in repairing PCB, computer and network experience a must. Please send resume to
[email protected]. Are you managing incontinence? Shop Canada’s largest selection of underwear, adult diapers, pads and guards with convenient and discreet delivery by mail. Depend, TENA, Poise and much more. FREE samples at www.healthwick.ca or call toll free 877-775-6656. PremiumNearBeer.com. Canada’s best selection of non-alcoholic beer. Delivered right to your door. Over 20 premium brands. 888-416-7125. THINKING OF WRITING DOWN YOUR MEMORIES? Contact me. I can help. Experienced journalist, published author, and ghostwriter. Ann Chandler. 604-939-2767,
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RISK, Pte. Richard H.—375, Cdn. Militia, WW I. Died Sept. 28, 1916. Buried in Renfrew (Thompsonville) Cemetery. Relatives, info sought for memorial project. Raymond Risk, 7 Winnats Cl., Loundsley Green, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S40 4HZ, U.K.,
[email protected]. SHUTER, E.—Past pres. Legion Br. 19, Christie Street Hospital, Toronto, 193738. Family or info sought. Gary Campbell, Medals Advisor, Service Bureau, RCL, Dominion Command, 86 Aird Pl., Ottawa, ON K2L 0A1,
[email protected]. STEWART, John R.—H1175, died after being strafed by USAAF P51 Mustangs as PoWs marched south of Caen, Normandy, June 1944. Info wanted to verify how and where he died. Linda Wakefield, RCL Brandon, RR 4, Box 46, Brandon, MB R7A 5Y4,
[email protected]. WATTS, Capt. C.C.—RWR. A Dutch museum has a grip with his military info on it. Family sought. Linda Wakefield, RR 4, Box 46, Brandon, MB R7A 5Y4,
[email protected]. WW II—Veteran who trained as cook, from Manitoba and born in Ireland,
1911, sought. Debby Balaban, 31 Armada House, Dove St., Bristol BS2 8JY, U.K.,
[email protected]. 8TH CDN. HUSSARS—Those who served sought. Frank Smith, 25 Albert St., Petawawa, ON K8H 2N5, 613-687-5990,
[email protected].
MARKETPLACE Military Medals—plated & mounted Full Size & Miniatures, Replacements, Shadow Boxes, Plastic Medal Holders ($12.95) Buying & Selling military memorabilia
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REQUESTS
Ivan Greenham Medal Dept., 354 Richmond St., London, ON, N6A 3C3
Descendants of Cdn. WW I veterans, espec. those who fought at Vimy Ridge, sought for documentary film. Loic Van Russel, 4 rue de Noyelles, 62 218 LoisonsSous-Lens, France,
[email protected].
Battlefields of the Great Wars
Normandy • Somme • Vimy • Passchendaele
May 3, 2015 • 13 Days
RCAF Police Sentry Dog Handlers, 1 Air Div. at 3 or 4 Fighter Wings, 1963-72, sought for history. Wayne Kendall, Box 27, Toledo, ON K0E 1Y0, 613-791-7146,
[email protected]. 8th Cdn. Hussars, Radley-Walters Chapter, seeking new members for reunions, lasting memories and renewed friendships. Frank Smith, 25 Albert St., Petawawa, ON K8H 2N5, 613-687-5990,
[email protected].
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coMMUniTY
Find-Share-Discuss Do you have an old photograph that captures a moment, important or ordinary, in Canada’s military history? Legion Magazine invites our readers to contribute their old photos and stories. Selections will be posted online in our Community Section. We’d love to hear from you.
Mail your high quality photographs (no photocopies) to: Find-Share-Discuss c/o Legion Magazine, 86 Aird Place, Kanata, Ontario, Canada K2L 0A1 (photographs will not be returned). Or e-mail (large file JPEG) to
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VIEWS
Canada
and the
cold war
Historically the Canadian military has had difficulty recruiting and keeping French-speaking soldiers. In the First World War, at most 50,000 francophones, including conscripts, served or about eight per cent of total enlistments. Matters were somewhat better in the Second World War when roughly 150,000 French-speaking Canadians served out of a total enlistment of 1.1 million or almost 15 per cent. In Korea, there were problems with numbers again, and English-speaking junior officers had to be posted to the Royal 22nd Regiment because of a shortage. There were many reasons for these historical difficulties, including deep resentment at the enforcement of conscription for overseas service in both world wars, but the major one was that the army, navy and air force operated in English only. French Canadians often believed correctly that they were not wanted in the military and treated as second-class citizens unless they were fluently bilingual. Their perception was the reality, and when the Quiet Revolution erupted in Quebec in the 1960s and when separatism became a topical subject in Quebec, change had to begin. Begin it did. In 1966 General Jean Victor Allard became Chief of the Defence Staff, the first French Canadian to hold the highest position in the Canadian military. The next year, Leo Cadieux became the minister of National Defence in Lester Pearson’s Liberal government, again the first francophone in the 20th century to hold that position. The two men changed the Canadian military. Within 10 weeks of taking office as Defence minister in September 1967, Cadieux proposed to the prime minister that the army create French-speaking units and base them at Valcartier, Que. This was an idea that Allard had been pushing for years. The proposal was that the Van Doos, a regiment of artillery,
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General Jean Victor Allard, March 1952.
an armoured regiment, and all the associated combat and support units of a brigade group would be at the base, their “cadres…filled with French-speaking personnel.” Cadieux also recommended that a Royal Canadian Air Force squadron of CF-5 aircraft be housed at Bagotville, Que. The political atmosphere in late 1967 was particularly tense. Charles de Gaulle had been in Quebec a few months earlier and his “Vive le Québec libre” cry from the balcony at Montreal’s Hôtel de Ville still resonated. Separatism was gaining ground in the Quebec Liberal and Union Nationale parties and in the media. As a result, Pearson’s closest advisers were not happy with the Cadieux-Allard ideas.
BY j.l. granatstein
Marc Lalonde was the key francophone adviser in the Prime Minister’s Office and his advice was blunt: “We should avoid very carefully the concentration of these French-speaking Forces inside Quebec…We have to think here of the problems that such a concentration would cause in the event of a serious political uprising in Quebec.” Lalonde added that “I don’t want to sound unduly pessimistic, but we should avoid providing the Government of Quebec with a ready-made Army at its disposal.” In the Privy Council Office, Michael Pitfield viewed the proposal from Cadieux very darkly, seeing it as “one of the most potentially dangerous decisions that the Federal government could ever take.” He argued that “unilingual FrenchCanadian units concentrated in Quebec could—in the circumstances of our times, and with the trends that are likely to become even more powerful in the future—irrevocably lay the groundwork for an exceedingly dangerous situation.” Surprisingly, perhaps, given the dire advice he had received, Pearson did not order Cadieux to stop, and the Defence minister soon got what he wanted. His request went to the cabinet in January 1968, was agreed to in March, and announced on April 2, a few days before Pierre Elliott Trudeau won the Liberal leadership and became prime minister. The result was that French Language Units (FLUs) were to come into existence, units in which a francophone could work in his or her own language. The first FLU surprisingly was HMCS Ottawa, a destroyer operating out of Halifax. The CF-5 squadron (No. 433) to be formed at Bagotville was also to be a FLU, and 30 per cent of the Canadian Airborne Regiment was to be French-speaking. The Defence minister also announced
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that a French language trades training school was to be established at Saint-Jean, Que., along with the centralization there of all French language recruit training. As Cadieux said proudly, “Now we’re going to have a 22e of the sea and a 22e of the air.” The “22e of the army,” the brigade group at Valcartier, was also in formation, and by 1969 the 5e Groupement de Combat was in the field, an achievement hailed by the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism in its report on the Department of National Defence as the military’s “most important development.” The Bi-Bi Commission, however, criticized the Canadian Armed Forces for its long-held and continuing assumption “that the English language must be used in all military activities unless there is a specific provision to the contrary.” This attitude had to go, the commission said, and the equality of French and English had to be recognized. This was easier said than done. One Van Doos’ battalion commander moved his unit from northern Germany to Lahr after Canada’s NATO brigade was cut in half in Trudeau’s first year. The base commander at Lahr was from the RCAF, and the RCAF in Germany, including the commanding officer, was unilingual. When the general inspected the battalion in 1969, he was astonished to
discover that the troops spoke no English. “The joke’s gone on long enough,” he told the Van Doos’ CO, “tell your men to speak English.” But it was no joke when the regiment’s officers were instructed not to speak French in the mess, an edict that took time to change. Trudeau’s government passed the Official Languages Act in 1969, putting bilingualism into law. National Defence moved quickly to prepare its policy, including a plan to increase French-speaking representation in the Canadian Armed Forces from its present level of around 15 per cent to 28 per cent over the next few years, a number close to the francophone percentage of the Canadian population. The military, however, was adamant that the merit principle had to remain and had to take precedence over the need for linguistic balance. “To ignore it would be disastrous to both groups and perhaps even more to the francophone element…” As far as the CF was concerned, “the demands made on any individual of any one particular language group must be exactly the same as that of the other language group.” The difficulty for the forces was that some officers and non-commissioned officers did not understand, too many francophones believing that they could get ahead primarily because they were bilingual and too many anglophones thinking
that promotions sometimes went to the unqualified simply because they were bilingual francophones. There may have been some truth in these charges. By 1970, the language policy was in effect, and the armed forces began to deal with the 28 per cent stipulation and Trudeau’s insistence that unilingual French Canadians should have the same opportunities in the CAF as unilingual anglophones. This demanded that at least half of the CAF’s francophones could serve in FLUs. What that meant was that in a CAF with a strength of 83,000 there should be 59,760 Englishspeaking personnel and 23,240 francophones, with 33,347 personnel in English-speaking units “manned at the national ratio of 72 per cent anglophones, 28 per cent francophones” with precisely 11,620 francophones serving in FLUs that, with their English-speaking component, were to number 14,525. Sometimes the arithmetical precision verged on the farcical, but bilingualism in Canada’s military had caught hold. The FLUs were to be spread across the nation, including ships based at Victoria, a radar squadron in Manitoba, an RCAF transport squadron at Trenton, Ont., and a search and rescue squadron on Prince Edward Island. This topic will be explored further in the January/February issue. november/december 2014 LEgion MagazinE
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PHOTOS: GORDON JOLLEY, DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE, LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA—PA162048; HARRY RICHARDS, DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE, LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA—PA022751
French Canadian officers pose during the First World War.
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VIEWS
BY CARL CHRISTIE
Conspicuous in his hand was the ever-present cigarette. While written by Barry Needham, this little tale came to us from his daughter, Denise Needham of Regina Beach, Sask.
BARRY NEEDHAM knows not who was more surprised, he or King George VI when they suddenly came face to face. It was Nov. 13, 1941, when the King visited our confidant’s Canadian Spitfire squadron at Wellingore, Lincolnshire, England. It was the only time Comrade Needham can remember the full squadron being on parade. He and Hart Massey played hooky that day and skipped the parade. Needham did not remember his friend’s excuse. For his own part, he did not have a gas mask, mandatory equipment on parade. While the rest of the squadron lined up in full dress on the parade square, he and Massey escaped to the warmth of the dispersal hut. There they curled up on cots snuggly covered with sheepskin-lined Irvin flying jackets. On the parade square a keen-eyed photographer caught the remarkable sight of a gaggle of white geese marching pompously past the assembled parade. The photo, captioned “Democratic Goosestep,” appeared on the front page of a London newspaper the next day. His Majesty was said to be much amused by the unexpected appearance of the squadron’s Christmas dinner. He was probably a lot more
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amused and startled when, followed by his aids and squadron officers, he entered the dispersal hut where the parade dodgers were holed up. Needham quickly jumped to his feet and, as inconspicuously as possible, slunk off into the background. Massey stepped forward. He did not suffer the same kind of embarrassment as his friend Needham. In fact, he was well known to the King, the two having met on several other occasions. Diminutive Massey (a mere 4 feet, 6 inches) was the son of Vincent Massey, Canada’s High Commissioner to Great Britain during the Second World War. Despite his size, Hart Massey managed to enlist in the Royal Canadian Air Force where he became 412 squadron’s first intelligence officer, holding the rank of flight lieutenant. On his return to Canada, he pursued a distinguished career in architecture. Years after the King’s visit, Needham obtained a photo taken in the dispersal hut. It showed George VI chatting with squadron officers and enjoying a cup of tea.
ACCORDING TO LES ALLISON of Roland, Man., Cecil King, who hailed from Saskatchewan, but was stationed with the Royal Canadian Navy in Vancouver, received orders to proceed to the Atlantic Ocean via the Panama Canal. Long wanting to play the saxophone, King saw the cruise as an excellent opportunity to learn the instrument. He looked for a place on the ship where he could practice so as not to annoy any of the crew. The first day was very cloudy and foggy as he pulled out his instruction book. Long sustained notes, it directed. So this is how he began. Suddenly there was noise everywhere. People were yelling, and the engines stopped. “All hands on deck!” ordered the voice over the tannoy. Radar could not locate the nearby ship that had sounded the foghorn, and no one ever found out, except King. However, that was his last practice in the navy.
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ILLUSTRATIONS: MALCOLM JONES
FINALLY, NEIL KNOWLTON of Agassiz, B.C., shared the following account of a personal experience (“like all my stories…it can be verified”). Back in 1959-60, while training at Canadian Forces Base Borden, Ont., he made a phone call to a pretty girl in Likely, B.C. (This village had about two phones and both were on a party line; to get this lady to the phone was a feat in itself as she lived approximately three miles from town.) After getting her on the phone and telling her that he would like to visit her, “She” asked him to marry her—“or else”! On completion of his training, Knowlton was sent back to CFB Calgary. Knowing she had two big brothers, he quickly applied for leave and started off for Likely. His truck broke down several times on the way, but he did eventually reach his destination. With the blessing of her parents and her two brothers, the two young lovebirds planned their wedding, heading into Williams Lake to ask a priest to conduct the service on the Friday afternoon of the approaching long weekend. This would get the deed done before the Tuesday that our young soldier had to be back at his unit. Come Friday, with her family in tow, they presented themselves to the priest. Only then did he decline to marry them, because the wouldbe groom did not belong to his church. Knowlton explained to him that if he belonged to any church, it would be the military chapel at his base. It did not matter what was said to him, the priest refused to perform the ceremony. Off went the entire wedding party, along with the family of the bride, to find a justice of the peace, or a magistrate, or a government agent, whomever, anyone who could and would marry them. They found a magistrate. This all happened during the month of August, a very hot month in the Cariboo. The gaggle of people
crowded into the magistrate’s chambers to start the “procedure” (the groom’s word) hardly looked like a normal wedding party. Virginia, the bride, wore blue jeans, as did the others, along with one of her soonto-be-husband’s shirts, with her hair up in pin curls. As the solemn ceremony started, the mother of the bride was trying to take the pins from her daughter’s hair. “No daughter of mine is getting married with her hair up,” she said to the magistrate. Knowlton, the groom, was about ready to leave. “Thank God her brothers were there,” he later confessed. During the ceremony, as we all know, the groom had to put a ring on his bride’s finger. Our groom had forgotten the ring in the glove box of his truck. He requested a recess to get the ring, but one of her brothers went instead. Apparently he was afraid that if left to Knowlton, he might not return. In the glove box with the ring sat a mickey of Lemon Hart rum that the groom and the father of the bride had been sampling. The bottle had broken and spilled all over the ring box which, like a sponge, soaked up the rum. Future brother-in-law, in his wisdom, brought the ring, box and all, up to the chamber. It was a hot day, probably enhancing the distinctive odour. Even so no one said anything about the strong smell.
Considering what he had to go through, Comrade Knowlton thinks he deserved a medal. Once finally hitched and on the road to Calgary, the truck broke down. Knowlton sold it for bus fare. Back in Calgary, he got an advance on his pay, and rented a furnished apartment. Five months later, he was off to the Middle East for longer than a year. He sent Virginia back to Likely, expecting never to see her again. But on his return to Canada, guess who was at the airport waiting for him? “God bless her,” our old soldier opined decades later. “That was over 50 years and some ago and she’s still with me.” Over the years, like most soldiers, Knowlton shipped out many times. He was home for the birth of only one of their three kids. “Thank God for good military neighbours who all help one another,” he wrote. “Over the years in the military, I think I can count on one hand the number of Christmases I’ve spent with my family and I think of those who never left Canada or take the military for granted...and there are others who can tell worse stories than I.” With that we will wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas, preceded by some serious reflection and remembrance during the previous month. None of this may be humorous. It does remind us of why we can share humorous stories about experiences from a far-from humorous time. Remember, this is your column, dear readers. It requires your contributions to maintain a high standard. True stories from your years in uniform are always welcomed. Scribble them out, address the envelopes to Legion Magazine, and drop them in a Canada Post mailbox (as long as the red boxes survive), or fire them off via e-mail to the magazine, or directly to your humble scribe: carl.christie@ gmail.com.
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2
This fall the Canadian War Museum is opening an exhibition of photographs depicting the internment of “enemy aliens” in Canada during the period 1914–1920. During this time, Canada interned 8,579 people, mainly Ukrainian and German immigrants, across a network of 24 camps. One hundred years later, this exhibit explores the experiences of the internees.
Nov. 1–Onward Halifax Citadel, Halifax www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/ns/halifax/index.aspx
Photo: Cathedral Church of St. James
Learn About Military Chaplains In Toronto
In
To mark the centenary of the First World War, St. James Cathedral in Toronto is presenting a multi-faith exhibit exploring the history of Canada’s military chaplains. Called To Serve: An Exhibit Honouring Canada’s Military Chaplains Of All Faiths will pay tribute to the padres who donned battle dress and joined members of the armed forces on the front lines of past wars and who still walk with them today. Nov. 6–16 St. James Cathedral, Toronto www.stjamescathedral.on.ca/
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Nov. 1–March 29, 2015 Canadian War Museum, Ottawa www.warmuseum.ca/event/ enemy-aliens-internment-in-canada-1914-1920
Visit Halifax War Exhibit
The Halifax Citadel’s Army Museum has opened a new exhibit on Canada’s participation in the First World War entitled The Road To Vimy And Beyond. This exhibit commemorates the service and sacrifice of the soldiers in the First World War, and in particular, highlights the stories of the soldiers from Nova Scotia. It also features what is reportedly a near-exact replica of the iconic Vimy Memorial, which stands at Vimy Ridge in France.
4
See The Story Of Enemy Aliens In Canada
3
Get Out And Participate In Veterans Week
Across the country each year from Nov. 5 to 11, hundreds of commemorative ceremonies and events take place to commemorate Canada’s veterans and the contribution they’ve made to Canadian society. Pin on your poppy and go pay your respects. Check with your local Legion branch for details. Nov. 5–11 Across Canada http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/ get-involved/veterans-week
5
Photo: City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1244, Hem 867A, image courtesy of Canadian War Museum
1
Photo: Veterans Affairs Canada
Travelling ABOUT
Five things to do and see in NOVEMBER/DECEMBER
Campaign For An End To Violence Against Women
Across the country in early December every year there are marches, candlelight vigils and events of all kinds to mark the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada. Established in 1991 by the Parliament of Canada, this day marks the anniversary of the murders in 1989 of 14 young women at l’École Polytechnique de Montréal. Find out what’s happening in your community and take part. Dec. 6 Across Canada www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/commemoration/vaw-vff/index-eng.html
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Brothers
Goaded by their family’s connection to the United Kingdom and by the lack of work in Winnipeg, twins Don and Tommy Mainland went off to fight for Canada in the First World War. One of them made it
• Should The Canadian Government Have Sent Troops To Hong Kong?
That’s the big question we ask in our popular Face-To-Face series. The series, which explores controversial issues related to Canadian military history, also invites readers to weigh in on the debate.
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home. The other one did not—struck down and fatally wounded by an enemy bullet on the very day the Armistice came into effect. Award-winning writer Don Gillmor shares his family’s wartime story.
• Operation Keepsake
We look at how a group of volunteers is preserving artifacts from Canada’s time in Afghanistan.
• Canadian Military History In Perspective:
We serve up more stories from noted Canadian military historians, including Terry Copp, Marc Milner, Hugh A. Halliday and J.L. Granatstein.
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in ARMS
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Thank you Your sacrifice will never be forgotten
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Every day Canadians have so much to be thankful for. Our lives are shaped by the peace and freedoms our Veterans have provided for us. Yet every day we lose more of these heroes that provided all of this for us. Our pledge to these men and women who gave so much and never asked for anything in return, is to never forget and to always remember. It is the least we can do. To all those who have served and continue to serve and protect us, thank you. You are our Heroes.
Journey s
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