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the accompanying photos, it was a classy evening and fine way to celebrate The Regiment’s 135 years! Ottawa Branch 135th Regimental Birthday Gala Dinner PRO PATRIA 2018  101

Ottawa Branch 135th Regimental Birthday Gala Dinner 102  PRO PATRIA 2018

Ortona Toast with the Chief of the Defence Staff. On 21 December, some 50 Royal Canadians, serving and retired of all ranks, came together in the Cartier Square Drill Hall Sergeants’ Mess to conduct the Ortona Toast. Among them were our senior serving Royal Canadian, Gen Jon Vance, Chief of the Defence Staff. Gen Jon used the occasion to express personal pride in the professional qualities that mark The Royal Canadian Regiment, while stressing the importance of maintaining regimental traditions such as the Ortona Toast. Past Colonel of The Regiment, MGen Ivan Fenton, then spoke movingly about the service rendered to Canada by The RCR. Capt Chris Blencowe recited the story of the original Ortona Toast of 21 Dec 1943, as told in Col Strome Galloway’s book Some Died at Ortona. Gen Vance then called on everyone to raise their china cups and drink to the health of The Royal Canadian Regiment! And so it was done – Pro Patria! Departed Comrades Claude McKenney, Don Currell, Eric Devlin. In 2018, Ottawa and District Branch paid final farewells to three members who passed away. The first was Captain Claude McKenny, a veteran of WW II and Korea, including the Battle of Hill 355. Claude was also a former President of Ottawa Branch and known for his great enthusiasm and love for The Regiment. He passed away on 29 July at the age of 95. Our second loss was that of Don Currell, whose service in The RCR dated back to the early 1970s and included several peace support operations including Cyprus and former Yugoslavia. Don died suddenly in November at the age of 63. Then on Christmas Day, Eric Devlin, past President of the one-time thriving Perth Branch, and a frequent participant in Ottawa Branch activities passed away at the grand old age of 99 years. Indeed, Eric at the time of his passing, was the oldest member of The Regiment with three CDs, having served in WW II and Korea, plus on numerous Peace Support operations. All three men were true Royal Canadians and fine gentlemen who gave much to The Regiment and to Canada. We will miss them. Pro Patria. 72 73 Clockwise from left: 72. Ottawa RCR Ortona Toast with Gen Jon Vance, flanked by MGens Omer Lavoie & Ivan Fenton 73. O ttawa RCR Association Executive at the Ortona Toast were Rick Reid, Dave Johnston, Bob Near, and Drew Halpenny. 74. Ottawa Branch Ortona Toast - MGen Omer 74 Lavoie and other Regular Force Royals. PRO PATRIA 2018  103

75 76 77 78 79 80 81 75. O ttawa Branch retired Royals Doug 78. CDS Gen Jon Vance enjoying the company Palmer, Al Fowler, Lew Evans. of Ottawa Branch Royal Canadians. 76. We were delighted to have Karen Leleikas & 79. C apt Chris Blencowe recited the story of Raquel Castro join us for the Ortona Toast. the first Ortona Toast in 1943. 77. A mini reunion of 3 RCR Germany vets at the 80. C DS Gen Jon Vance speaks eloquently about Ortona Toast: Lew Evans, Bob Near, Drew Halpenny, The Royal Canadian Regiment. Jerry Thompson, Terry Seaver, and Phil Bury. 81. CDS Gen Jon Vance makes the Ortona Toast. 104  PRO PATRIA 2018

82 83 84 85 82. Three serving RCR Generals partook in our 86 Ortona Toast -- MGen Omer Lavoie, Gen Jon Vance & BGen Conrad Mialkowski. 83. G en Vance flanked by Ottawa Branch members Bob Near & Bill Molnar. 84. R oyal Canadians celebrating the Ortona Toast under the GGFG Buffalo. 85. Lew Evans, Rick Dick, Bill Molnar, and Rick Reid enjoying our Ortona Toast afternoon. 86. R obbie MacGregor, Ray Corby, Jon McLean and Rich Gallant, celebrating the RCR’s 135th Birthday and Ortona Toast. PRO PATRIA 2018  105

Windsor-Essex County Branch Submitted by Hardy Wheeler The good news from the Windsor-Essex County Branch is that we continue to meet twice a year and truly enjoy the fellowship of our local regimental family. There are not many Royal Canadians in Essex and Kent counties of Ontario. This year we met on 28 May and 18 December again at Lilly Kazzilly’s Crabshack & Grill in Windsor and in December celebrated on our Regimental Birthday - of course - with Ortona Port in china mugs. Typically, we have about 20 at our dinner meetings which includes Association members, a few veterans who are not Royal Canadians and, of course, friends, wives and grown children. We are blessed that family of deceased members of our Regiment grace our meetings. The attendance of Association member 97-year old Sherry Atkinson (RCR veteran of World War II) further enriched our gatherings. We are encouraged that our 21 non-active members, who wish not or physically are unable to attend our gatherings, have asked to remain on our email list to be updated on regimental affairs. Once a Royal always a Royal! Our Branch has embraced the new direction and by-laws of the Association with several new paid members. We held our first-ever Annual General Meeting on December 18 and elected Hardy Wheeler as President, Bob Papak as Secretary and Zane Handysides as Treasurer for the ensuing year. The Regimental Family of the Windsor-Essex County Branch enjoyed dinner together on 28 May 2018. L to R, FRONT – Lil Lappan, Sue Atkinson, Sherry Atkinson, Joe Johnston; MIDDLE – Anita Denny, Jack Goddard, Pauline Zimmer, Jean Johnston, Jane Wheeler, Cynthia Chesler; BACK – Hardy Wheeler, Jen Mimnagh, Dave Mimnagh, Lynn Girard, Bruce Tribute, Bob Papak, Jeanne Papak, Maureen Jack, Rosie Denny. Missing Association Members – Zane Handysides, Pete Remdenok, Ray Silvius. Photo credit Hardy Wheeler. 106  PRO PATRIA 2018

Windsor-Essex County has long been a strong supporter of veterans and the military. While not a specific RCR event, a national celebration of Canada’s veterans called Veterans Voices of Canada/Flags of Remembrance deserves mention in Pro Patria. Several of our branch members participated but not representing The RCR. Flags of Remembrance took place at 6 communities in 5 provinces from 7 October to 12 November 2018 with up to 128 Canadian flags and red maple leaf Honour Plaques purchased for a minimum of $200 to support Veterans Voices of Canada, so that they can continue to interview, document, transcribe and produce veteran interviews. A portion of the proceeds are donated to a local veteran-related charity. Plaques can pay tribute to those serving and current veterans, or in remembrance to a deceased military or RCMP veteran. To date founder, Allan Cameron has recorded over 1,400 stories of military and RCMP veterans and distributed them to libraries and schools. One hundred and twenty-eight flags represent the 128,000 Canadian war dead or missing in action since the Boer War to present. Windsor is the only Canadian site that had all 128 Honour Plaques sponsored in 2018, so congratulations are in order to the Windsor Coordinator/Representative, Terri Davis-Fitzpatrick, daughter of a still very active Canadian D-Day army veteran, Charles Davis. VVOC FLAGS BRIDGE BACKDROP - Some of the 128 Flags of Remembrance along the Detroit River in Assumption Park on the Windsor waterfront from 7 October to 12 November. The Ambassador Bridge connecting Windsor and Detroit since 1929 is in the background. Photo credit Terri Davis-Fitzpatrick. PRO PATRIA 2018  107

RCR CANOE EXPEDITION “PURSUIT TO MONS” 1-9 JULY 2018 Article by Rick Reid and Rick Hatton Inspired by events in 2018 to celebrate the 135th Anniversary of ? the Royal Canadian Regiment, members of Kingston and Ottawa Branches of The RCR Association decided to conduct a nine-day Almost ready for departure canoe expedition along the extent of the historic Rideau Waterway. from Mooney’s Bay on Rick Hatton (Kingston) and Rick Reid (Ottawa) volunteered to plan, Canada Day 2018. Left to coordinate and lead the expedition. Right – Laird Coghill, Dan Bell, Bill Peters, Walter A number of decisions were taken early in the planning: the expedition Holmes, Bob Near, Dave would be undertaken in July to precede the 135th Anniversary RCR Johnston, Alex Lileikis, Rusty Reunion event to be held in Kingston in August; all aspects of the Bassarab, Rick Hatton, Phil planning, conduct and support of the expedition should be the joint Bury, Steve Christensen, Mike responsibility of members of Kingston and Ottawa Branches; the O’Brien, Tom Tarrant, Rick project would be entirely supported and funded by the paddling Peters, Sandy McQuarrie, participants; the expedition should depart from our Nation’s Capital Rick Reid. Missing – Paddlers Ottawa on Canada Day 1st July and finish in Kingston; and we should Drew Halpenny and Rick especially acknowledge in 2018 the 100th Anniversary of the end of Dick, Admin Support Joe WW I. To honour the special importance of the 100th Anniversary McNulty and Doug Palmer. of the “Last 100 Days” campaign of WW I it was decided to name the expedition after the “Pursuit to Mons” – our Regiment’s last 108  PRO PATRIA 2018

battle honour won in that conflict. Soldiers of The Royal Canadian Regiment were the first members of the British Empire’s armies to enter Mons on November 10th 1918 -- more than four years after the members of the British Expeditionary Force were defeated and routed there. Justifiably, all Canadians know about the iconic Canadian victory at Vimy, but too many do not appreciate that the Pursuit to Mons was arguably the Canadian Army’s greatest achievement in WW I. Once the general trip concept was agreed, volunteer members of Kingston and Ottawa Branches rolled up their sleeves and undertook to plan and prepare for the expedition. Two canoeing skills and safety sessions were conducted for paddlers – one in Ottawa and one in Kingston. Campsites were reserved, meals planned and equipment was obtained. The Parks Canada Rideau office approved our request for a complimentary lockage permit for our expedition, saving considerable expense and for which we are very grateful. The paddling group comprised eighteen intrepid paddlers in nine canoes and the logistics support team included two incredibly hard-working members with a rented cargo van to carry heavy equipment and stores. Invitations had been extended to 1, 2, 3 and 4 RCR to participate but due to other commitments they were unable to do so. Due to work commitments, two of our paddlers could not join us until part way through the trip. On the morning of 1 July, Canada Day, the members of the Pursuit to Mons expedition gathered at Mooney’s Bay in Ottawa for our departure. Jim MacInnis, then-Chairman of the Board of Directors of The RCR Association, was present to deliver an inspiring and informative presentation to all of us on the significance of the Pursuit to Mons campaign. After bidding farewell to family members and friends on hand to see us off, the flotilla departed to stirring pipe tunes played by Ottawa’s Pipe Major Hugh Macpherson, Regimental banners flying proudly from the stern of the lead and trail canoes. The weather was very hot and humid most days and the prevailing winds blowing from the south-west were against us much of the time. Although the average age of our paddlers was well into the 60s and four were in their 70s, the challenging conditions were endured, camaraderie was reinforced and the experience was enjoyed as one would expect from a group of fit, determined and “well-seasoned” Royal Canadians. The expedition was not all hard work. We enjoyed outstanding support from our Logistics Support Team comprised of Joe McNulty and Doug Palmer (Ottawa Branch), reinforced when needed by Norris Pettis and Mike Houghton (Kingston Branch). This team transported much of our heavy camping and cooking equipment and stores in a cargo van and we benefitted from some truly amazing camp meals (supplemented by a few local restaurant meals where possible). We camped comfortably at eight different campsites along the Rideau. On the second evening we were joined at our campsite at Rideau River Provincial Park by the then Colonel of the Regiment Ivan Fenton and again by Jim MacInnis for a traditional (albeit early) Pachino Day spaghetti feast with red wine. On the morning of 5 July we took a few moments to assemble and thank the staff of the Parks Canada Rideau Canal Office in Smiths Falls (approximately the trip half-way point) for the outstanding support and assistance of both their HQ staff and the Parks employees at the various canal locks during the expedition. We presented an engraved RCR plaque that is now displayed in the Rideau Canal National Historic Site Visitor Centre. PRO PATRIA 2018  109

? Locking Through at Kilmarnock Lock. Canoes Left to Right – Tom Tarrant and Bill Peters, Walter Holmes and Rick Peters, Bob Near and Steve Christensen, Laird Coghill and Dave Johnston, Sandy McQuarrie and Rick Reid, Alex Lileikis and Dan Bell, Phil Bury and Mike O’Brien, Rusty Bassarab and Rick Hatton. Missing - Drew Halpenny and Rick Dick. On the afternoon of 7 July we were joined at our campsite at the Jones Falls Locks by Ken Watson, a local expert on the Rideau Waterway. At our request Ken conducted an excellent and highly informative walking tour of the fascinating Jones Falls site and presented a brief history recounting the construction of the Rideau Canal. In the opinion of the trip leaders, for anyone planning an extensive canoe or kayak trip on the Rideau, Ken Watson has produced much of the best material and advice available and he has generously posted it accessible to all on-line. At dinner that evening we presented Ken with an engraved RCR plaque and thanked him for his site tour and for his many years devoted to the enhancing public appreciation and support for the historic Rideau waterway. The plan to construct a navigable waterway between Lake Ontario and the Ottawa River was conceived after the War of 1812. It was designed to provide a secure supply route from Montreal to Kingston, avoiding the vulnerable St. Lawrence River route. Lieutenant Colonel John By of the Royal Engineers was assigned to design the canal and to supervise its construction, which commenced in 1826. Colonel By faced a stiff challenge to create a navigable waterway between the Ottawa River and Kingston, through what was at the time a wilderness of rough bush, swamps and rock terrain, funded by an awkward system of British parliamentary grants. By November 1831, construction had essentially been completed with 47 masonry locks and 52 dams creating a 202 km (125 mile) waterway, one of the greatest engineering feats of the 19th century. (from http://www.rideau-info.com/ canal/history/hist-canal.html Rideau Canal World Heritage Site – History of the Rideau Canal) On the morning of 9 July, the last planned day of the trip, it was evident to the Trip Leaders that the winds that day were predicted (correctly as it happens) to be dangerously high and gusting on the open water. Consequently, the decision was made jointly to finish safely at Upper Brewers Locks just north of Kingston. Safety first and always! The “Pursuit to Mons” canoe expedition was a big success for participants and a fitting tribute in 2018 both to the 135th anniversary of The RCR and the 100th anniversary of the end of WW I. It was an experience that the participants will not soon forget and a few are even hinting at another expedition – perhaps next time from Kingston to Ottawa to take better advantage of the prevailing winds? Photographs by Alexis Near and Doug Palmer 110  PRO PATRIA 2018

The Royal Canadian Regiment Museum By Dr. Georgiana Stanciu, Curator/Director Introduction In 2018, The Royal Canadian Regiment marked its 135th anniversary and The Royal Canadian Regiment Museum the 35th anniversary since HRH Prince Philip cut the ribbon to open an expanded facility with new exhibits featuring the centennial history of the Regiment. Other milestones were celebrated this past year, starting with the Centennial of the First World War Armistice (11 Nov 2018) and ending with the 75th anniversary from Operation Husky and Italian campaign during the Second World War (July 1943 to February 1945). Altogether, 2018 was a year filled with events involving not only the regimental family across the country, but also London community and surroundings. A renewed strategic plan for the next 5-year cycle, refurbished exhibits, enriched collections, public programming and events, all contributed to a successful year for The Royal Canadian Regiment Museum. Governance and Financial The Board of Directors has developed and approved a new strategic plan for the period 2018 to 2023. In this document a need for responsible action that will ensure sustainability in the future is recognized. The museum’s strong commitment to the community can contribute to the overall vision by supporting creative collaboration, and developing innovative ways to accomplish the new Strategic Plan. Five main objectives were identified for the period 2018 – 2023: to continue serving our loyal public, to support a strong and collaborative staff, to ensure that our exhibitions and public programming are accessible to all, to maximize the collection potential, to remain financially sustainable and continue growing. As the Directors mandate came to term, the Board of Directors saw some changes, with several new members representing the community, but also the ex-officio positions. With these changes, the Collections Committee has been revitalized. PRO PATRIA 2018  111

It is expected that the financial audit for 2018 will demonstrate that the museum continues to be financially sustainable. It is the Board’s intention to maintain this path and conversation has begun with respect to options for new membership development and innovative ways to engage with the community. Staff and Volunteers Museum volunteers and staff, 10 Nov 2018 In 2017, the museum was operating with four permanent positions, one full time (Curator/ Executive Director) and three part-time (Public Programmer, Collections Registrar and Retail Clerk). In 2018, as the budget allowed for more operational expenses, the Public Programmer was converted into the second full–time position. In addition, due to more funding available through Canada Summer Jobs program, four summer student positions were available. The continued partnership with the Department of History at UWO brought two interns during the winter term 2018/19. The volunteer contribution to the museum operations continues to be significant with 26 volunteers, an increased number in 2018 from 21 in 2017. Their total in-kind contribution counts as many as 6,500 hours through the course of the year. Their generous support did not go unnoticed and RHQ-The RCR organized a recognition luncheon, offering every volunteer a token of appreciation. Collections In 2018, the collection storage project continued to progress with refurbishment of the main storage area. We wish to take the opportunity to acknowledge the Directorate of History and Heritage, Museums and Historical Collections – Section 5, Department of National Defence for funding this project. Significant progress was made in cataloguing artefacts, with 491 records created throughout the year for a total 29 artefact donations. Over 300 records created in 2018 were for backlog from previous years. A notable addition to the museum collection is the memorabilia belonging to Lieutenant- Colonel Kenneth Laidlaw Campbell, OBE, CD (1910 – 1990). Purchased with funds from the museum budget, this was lot #360 available in Sale No. 127, Jeffrey Hoare Auctions Inc., London, Ontario, 16 Sept 2018. Campbell was commissioned in 1940 and went overseas as part of the 48th Highlanders of Canada. He served in Italy and North West Europe during the Second World War. In 1950, he took command of the 3 RCR and led the unit through the Korean War, thereafter assuming 112  PRO PATRIA 2018

34 3. Top left: Medal set awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel K. L. 4. Souvenir, 3RCR. This item was most likely Campbell including Most offered to LCol Campbell upon his appointment as Excellent Order of the British commanding officer of the 3rd Battalion, The RCR Empire Breast Badge, 1939-45 Star, Italy Star, Defence Medal, 5 CVSM with bar, 1939-45 War Medal, Canadian Korea Medal, UN Korea Medal, Coronation Medal 1953, and CD 5. L AV III Monument, on permanent loan from the City of London to The Royal Canadian Regiment Museum at Wolseley Barracks, London, Ontario. command of the 1st Battalion, The Canadian Guards. By 1955, he was appointed the Canadian Military Attaché to Moscow, then joined the National Defence College in Kingston. The lot purchased at auction includes numerous badges in mint condition, personal souvenirs, and archives during his service in the Italian Campaign, but most significantly, his medal set, both full size and miniature, in good condition. Another noteworthy addition to our collection is the demilitarized LAV III, installed in the outdoors display area. In 2014, Canada Company launched the LAV III Monument Program to recognize the service and sacrifice of the Canadian Armed Forces in Afghanistan by providing a full-size demilitarized vehicle to communities throughout the country. The City of London acquired the item in 2015 and has now given it on permanent loan to The Royal Canadian Regiment Museum at Wolseley Barracks. Exhibitions In 2018, The RCR marked the 75th anniversary of Operation HUSKY, the landing in Sicily at the beginning of the Italian Campaign during the Second World War. The section dedicated to this event in the museum’s permanent gallery was revised, with new graphics, additional artefacts, archives and audio-visual material. The storyline was enhanced with an overview of the general context of the Second World War including the impact of the conflict within the local community as the research for the project unveiled unique photographic material held by the UWO Archives and Research Collections Centre. In addition, forgotten aspects of Canadian participation in this conflict, related to The RCR and to local units, were also incorporated. For example: the ill-fated defence of Hong Kong in December 1941 or the contribution to the Aleutian Islands Campaign (Operation COTTAGE). A notable presence in this exhibit is the temporary loan of Lieutenant Colonel Crowe’s Medal Set, on temporary loan to the museum from O’Leary Collection. Another unique item in this exhibit is the audio kiosk featuring a description of the landing on Pachino beach on 10 July 1943; this is an excerpt of an interview conducted with Second World War veteran, Captain (Ret’d) Sheridan Atkinson, who was a lieutenant in The RCR at the time, wounded on 24 July 1943. PRO PATRIA 2018  113

6 6. Second World 7 War section in the 8 permanent gallery, general information 9 10 and fragment of the street fight diorama 11 (before and after). 11. AVGP Grizzly, one of 7. Second World the military equipment War section in the in static display in the permanent gallery, Axis outdoors display area. display case (before) was converted highlighting Army Training and The RCR in England (after). 8. S econd World War section in the permanent gallery, view of the Italian Campaign display case (before and after) 9. Second World War section in the permanent gallery, Operation HUSKY, and Operation COTTAGE. 10. S econd World War section in the permanent gallery; Op GOLD FLAKE. 114  PRO PATRIA 2018

An important addition to our exhibits is the interpretive material for the large size equipment. Research was undertaken and new signage produced to identify all of the six items in the outdoors display area. The signage is bilingual and offers useful information to all aficionados. Both exhibition projects were completed with funding from the Directorate of History and Heritage, Museums and Historical Collections Section 5, Department of National Defence. Public Programming In 2018, the museum was opened over 1,800 12 hours for 8,928 visitors on site; an additional 1,584 were counted at off-site events, which brings the total numbers for the year to 10,512 visitors. A decrease compared to the previous year that was dominated by the sesquicentennial and the Centennial of Vimy, the numbers for 2018 include 751 children and 1,103 students of all ages, 3,146 adults and children attending events on-site or being part of group bookings. Our visitor profile continues to be dominated by Adults, which represent 67% split between general public and group bookings. Under 13 18, accounting for 18% of our visitors; it is to be noted that 11% of them visited as part of school program booking and 7% accompanied by parents as general public. A closer look at the 65 group bookings throughout 2018 has revealed that 51% are from elementary or secondary school sector, followed by adult category. The youth and military groups also included students (or Under 18 category) enrolled in extra-curricular 12. C ollections Registrar Erik Rayment checking activities, such as cadet organizations, Scouts, the LAV 6.0 with members of 1 RCR. Beavers, Girl Guides, etc. 13. 4 RCR Change of Command Parade on The museum digital presence continues to 5 May 2018 at Wolseley Barracks. bring many followers: 562,894 number of digital interactions, including website sessions and social media engagements; 3,088 separate sessions were recorded for the museum digital exhibition on VMC server, English and French combined. Our museum popularity has been confirmed as one of the 3-Best Places to visit in London, museums category. The museum Public Programming brought novelties in 2018, with a new museum tour package in order to rectify the lack of family-oriented programs. As such, families with children under PRO PATRIA 2018  115

14 15 12 have an opportunity to tour the museum accompanied by “Private Ronnie”, our own kids-friendly character. For the first time, the museum hosted a drama production 14 .R AF Flight Lieutenant (Ret’d) at Wolseley Barracks, “Left Behind” by local author Trina Tom Hennessy, Gordon Joice and Brooks. Featuring a local hero from the Second World RCR Captain (Ret’d) Sheridan War, the play brings forward the disturbance suffered by Atkinson at OP HUSKY 75 event. servicemen and women as a consequence of deployment in areas of conflict throughout the world. The show was 15. C olonel of The Regiment, Major- scheduled for 3 performances, with the last one sold out. General (Ret’d) Ivan Fenton, guest speaker for Op HUSKY 75 event. Several special events were scheduled during 2018: The Duke’s Company, 1RCR visit, Op HUSKY 75, LAV III Monument dedication ceremony, and The RCR Roll of Honour dedication ceremony on Mons Day 100. On 5 May 2018, The Duke’s Company, 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment visited Wolseley Barracks as part of Exercise LACPLESIS PURSUIT (road move from Petawawa to London in LAV 6.0 to prepare for deployment to Latvia as part of Operation REASSURANCE). An open house at the museum that day yielded a wonderful presentation of military ceremonial with the Change of Command parade for 4th Battalion, The RCR. A special event was organized on 27 June to mark the 75th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943, at the beginning of the Italian Campaign in the Second World War. Two veterans of this operation honoured us with their presence: Captain (Ret’d) Sheridan Atkinson and RAF Flight Lieutenant (Ret’d) Tom Hennessy; they were joined by Gordon Joice, son of the late Lieutenant James E. Joice, who lost his life during the Italian Campaign. This was a unique opportunity to interact with the veterans and hear first-hand their account of the landing on Pachino beach, in Sicily, on 10 July 1943. The guest speaker for the event was the Colonel of The Regiment, Major-General (Ret’d) Ivan Fenton. Our museum was a popular attraction during the city-wide event Doors Open London. The museum was open extended hours and invited re-enactment groups to present their programs to Londoners. A display of military equipment presented by members of 4 RCR offered our visitors an unforgettable experience. 116  PRO PATRIA 2018

16 17 19 18 20 21 Our tribute to men and women who served or serve in the Canadian Military was paid with special programming including a Wall of Remembrance starting 29 October and several events held during the weekend 9 to 11 November: the dedication ceremony for the LAV III Monument: a tribute for service and sacrifices of Canadian military during the conflict in Afghanistan, the unveiling of The RCR Roll of Honour: a project spearheaded by The RCR Association, and Remembrance Day with a commemorative service by 4 RCR. During 2018, the museum conducted outreach activities at various events held in London, or elsewhere. The nurses’ veil was a very popular activity at London’s Heritage Fair in February. Yet again the museum was present at Canada Day festivities held in Harris Park. A noteworthy outreach activity in 2018 was the museum display at The RCR Association reunion on the occasion of the 135th anniversary of The RCR. 16 .LAVIII dedication ceremony, 9 Nov 2018 at Wolseley Barracks. 19. C rowds around the parade square at Wolseley Barracks during the Remembrance Ceremony 17. The RCR Roll of Honour/Mons DAY 100 event, 10 Nov 2018, The Royal Canadian Regiment Museum at Wolseley Barracks 20. Remembrance Ceremony parade, with Veterans and 4RCR, 11 November 2018. 18. Museum staff and volunteers during the unveiling of South African National Historic Site 21. P ublic Programmer Sarah Coates facilitated our plaque, 10 Nov 2018 at Wolseley Barracks. booth at London Heritage Fair, in the Hudson Passage at the Public Library, 16 February 2018. PRO PATRIA 2018  117

The Story behind The Royal Canadian Regiment Museum A “Museum Room” at the Infantry School Corps Building in London, Ontario By Dr. Georgiana Stanciu Introduction T his year, The Royal Canadian Regiment Museum marked the 35th anniversary since HRH Prince Philip attended the opening of the first expansion, in the north end of the west wing at Wolseley Barracks. The museum tells the story of the first infantry regiment established with the regular army in Canada, but the museum itself has an interesting story. The relation between the Barracks’ history and the Museum’s history is also singular for Canadian heritage, yielding remarkable findings. It seems fitting to review this story that begins with a unique example of Canadian military architecture during Victorian era with what was known at the time as the Infantry School Building. The museum is located in the west wing of Wolseley HRH The Prince Philip at the Ribbon-cutting Ceremony, Barracks, in London, Ontario. Owned by Canada’s 30 June 1983, The Royal Canadian Regiment Department of National Defence, the barracks Museum at Wolseley Barracks, London, Ontario are part of the 31 Canadian Brigade Group. The «U» shaped structure lodges not only a museum, but also the 4th Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, the 1st Hussars, an armoured regiment with the primary reserve in Canada, and other support agencies such as the regional office for Cadets. The ensemble is today registered with the Canadian Register for Historic Places. The Infantry School Building It is to be noted that a museum room existed in the blueprints designed by the Department of Militia and Defence for the Infantry School Corps building, or as it is known today, Wolseley Barracks. This was the second military architecture erected by Canadians in their efforts to build an Active Force. The first such building was destined to host the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario, built between 1876 and 1878. Unlike the drawings for the Infantry School, the blueprints for the Royal Military College have not been found as of yet and the reports about this building do not mention a “museum room.” The Minister of Militia and Defence, Sir Adolphe Caron visited London, Ontario, on the 1st of July 1886, when Canadians were celebrating the 9th anniversary since their Confederation. Sir Adolphe took the time to inspect the troops in training at Carling Heights, but most 118  PRO PATRIA 2018

importantly, to attend the corner stone ceremony for the new Infantry School Corps building, which was to be erected on these grounds. The construction had been approved by the Canadian Parliament that spring, for a budget of $30,000.00, the equivalent of little over $500,000.00 today. The Engineer Branch of the Department of Militia and Defence, a satellite agency for Public Works, had prepared the plans for the “new Infantry School.” The Chief Architect, Henry James –whose initials can be seen on the drawings –, was reporting at the end of 1886 that there were three buildings, arranged to form “three sides of a square connecting at angles.” All three buildings had a basement and two stories above ground. Lodgings for officers were planned for the south wing, and the east wing was intended for barrack rooms, kitchen, cellars and dining room. The west wing facing Elizabeth Street, included a central “arched entrance and tower”. Alongside quarters for non-commissioned officers, kitchens, canteen, prisoners’ rooms and hospital, there were four more amenities: reading room, recreation room, lecture hall and museum. These amenities can be seen on the drawings prepared by the Engineer Branch, on the second floor of the west wing, above the arched entrance, just under the tower. The Branch hired a local architect to supervise the construction, F. Durand. Despite some delays, construction was completed in early 1888 and the building open for use sometime before the 2nd of April 1888. On this date, a local reporter was giving a detailed account of his visit to the “new military school”. Accompanied by Colonel Smith, the Commanding Officer of “D” Company, the reporter viewed the men’s rooms, with their kitchen, the officers’ accommodations with their Mess and the museum! From the description we understand that this was one of the two rooms “furnished” within the west wing. In the museum room, the visitors enjoyed some piano music played by the “Musical Director of the Corps”, Private George Shields. In 1888, the Infantry School building in London was one of a kind judging only by the existence of the four rooms intended for educational purposes. Standard plans for drill sheds would only be issued ten years later, although none included reading, recreation, lecture or museum rooms. At the time, Public Works was one of the emergent departments of the Federal Government, preoccupied to building a few post offices, but mostly to defining the architect roles and responsibilities before taking over constructions across the country. Museums had been established in some of the Canadian provinces before 1886, plans to form collections had been made, but physical buildings to preserve and present these collections were not yet on the government agenda. In 1894, the Infantry School building in London, Ontario, was re-designated Wolseley Barracks to honour Field Marshal Garnet Joseph Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley, Commander-in-Chief of British Forces between 1894 and 1901, also first Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Canadian Regiment. The Beginnings of a Regimental Museum Early sources make little mention of the museum, or any of the other three rooms, moreover, there is no document informing us on the stated goals of the institution, nor any other indication of how the “museum room” functioned between 1888 and the 1970s. But it is unlikely that PRO PATRIA 2018  119

the Department of Militia and Defence had a well- Top: West and South Façades at the Infantry School defined goal when planning for such a space, Building, drawing. 1886, Archives and Research probably no more than to satisfy a general belief Collection Centre, Western University, London, Ontario that museums support teaching and instructing. After all, the new building had been destined to Left: Second Floor Plan at the Infantry School Building, host a training unit for the Canadian Militia. drawing. 1886, Archives and Research Collection Centre, Western University, London, Ontario. Yet the regimental museum will always be associated with the building known today as Right: The Infantry School Building, unknown Wolseley Barracks, called “home station” by all photographer, sepia photograph. Circa 1888, The those who served in the RCR and it is in the ulterior Royal Canadian Regiment Museum at Wolseley evolvement of the Regiment that a museum will Barracks, London, Ontario (RCRM2018.001.308) 120  PRO PATRIA 2018

Clockwise from top left: The take shape, independent of the space intended in 1886 to such a Royal Canadian Regiment purpose. Museum at Wolseley Barracks, London, Ontario. 2018, In the years following demobilization after the First World War photography by the author. (1919 to 1924), companions-in-arms who had survived the European trenches, came together as a network of support and ROIC 2017, Outdoors formed the “Old Comrades Association.” This organization aimed Tour at Wolseley Barracks, at maintaining the relationships and camaraderie established at London, Ontario. 2017, the front, but more importantly, recognized the importance of photography by the author. “assembling the regimental history.” By 1933, when The RCR was celebrating its 50th anniversary, a Montreal historian was Drawing illustrating the design commissioned to write the history of the unit, an endeavour for regimental cap badge by spanning over 4-5 years of intense research, and gathering of the Goldsmith and Silversmith documentation, including material historically significant to the Company Limited. 1919, The Royal Regiment’s past. The idea of a regimental museum clearly sprung Canadian Regiment Museum from the circumstances created by the searches for the regimental at Wolseley Barracks, London, history. Yet again, the museum would continue to be just an idea Ontario (RCRM2018.001.310). for many years to come, as found in the regimental journal “The Connecting File”, later known as “Pro Patria.” Medal Set Belonging to Captain C. L. Wood, MC. 1914 In 1937 the museum was “yet but an infant” and a call for “offerings” – 1918, The Royal Canadian was made to Royal Canadians, who were encouraged to bring Regiment Museum at Wolseley forward “articles of regimental interest.” Starting in January 1938, Barracks, London, Ontario the journal regularly informed the readers about such “offerings”, (RCRM2018.001.309). such as the medal set belonging to the late Captain Claude Llewelyn Wood. The medals were presented by his father, Major PRO PATRIA 2018  121

Wood. Captain Wood was a veteran of the First World War, debilitated by rubella in 1916, wounded twice after, and deceased on October 30, 1929. He was awarded the Military Cross and bar, alongside the campaign medals for those who fought overseas between 1915 and 1918. Although other items may have preceded this medal set in the regimental collection, it stands as the first documented artefact to be donated to our museum. It can be viewed in the Ivey Medal Gallery, alongside other prestigious medal groups belonging to former members of the Regiment. Another episode from December 1938 reveals that the much desired “regimental museum” wasn’t moving anywhere beyond the work-in-progress status. A certain Dr. McCormick offered his “uniform and equipment, which he wore while no. 7730 in South Africa [South African war]”, but only upon completion of the museum. Although the offer was accepted by the commanding officer, the material never seems to have made it to the museum. There is no record of Dr. McCormick in the donation files and the only South African war era uniform in the museum collection is in provenance of a different source. The efforts of organizing a regimental museum at Wolseley Barracks came to a full stop at the outbreak of the Second World War. Once the conflict was over, more exactly in fall 1947, the museum was coming to an “opening stage” with many items accepted so far, amongst which “three large paintings”, presented by Colonel M. P. Bogart. These are actually three prints published in the “Canadian Pictorial and Illustrated War News” in 1885 as a visual chronicle of the North-West Rebellion. Two of the prints presented by Col Bogart continue to be displayed in the dedicated section in the permanent gallery. By 1953 the museum was receiving a permanent location, on the 2nd floor of the Barracks’ west wing, above the archway entrance. This location had been assigned to Sergeants’ Mess before the Second World War, but it actually coincides with the “museum room” from the 1886 floor plans. However, it will not be until the early 1970s that the museum takes shape, with more exhibit space spread over the 2nd floor and receiving about 2,000 visitors yearly. Most of these visitors were connected to The RCR, coming from out of town, rarely accompanied by non-military companions. It seems that artefact collecting via individual donations remained the only way to ensure the museum welfare at this time. The expansion brought up a new topic though: the expertise required to collect, care, research and present the collected items. The solution to this concern was to assign curatorial responsibilities to the regimental adjutant as recorded in the latter’s job description dating back to 1973. The regimental adjutant, amongst other responsibilities, is henceforth entrusted with curatorial duties. This is also the time when the museum receives its first professional accreditation from the Directorate of History and Heritage, a specialized section within the Department of National Defence Canada. This accreditation, maintained to this day, came with compliance pre- requisites for the proper operation of a museum, including specific requirements as to the governance structure, professional standards as to proper preservation and exhibition of artefacts, their research and documentation. Hence all subsequent museum operations would be conducted following proper practices. The next important moment in the evolution of our institution from the “museum room” to The Royal Canadian Regiment Museum reveals how an old building is adapted to modern museum’s needs. 122  PRO PATRIA 2018

Clockwise from top: Lee Enfield Rifle, The Expansion in 1983 South African War. 1899 – 1900, The Royal Canadian Regiment Museum In 1983, on the occasion of the centennial of the Regiment, the at Wolseley Barracks, London, museum expanded from its 1960s-1970s layout to half of the Ontario (RCRM2007.001.0016). entire west wing at Wolseley Barracks, approximately 6,800 sq. ft. exhibit space, plus another 2,000 sq. ft. collections Full Dress Tunic, Staff Sergeant Rank. storage, in the basement. This expansion was carried out in 1902 – 1911, The Royal Canadian two phases. Phase 1, before 1983, included a new entrance, Regiment Museum at Wolseley Barracks, construction of an elevator, ramp and washrooms, but more London, Ontario (RCRM2018.001.311). importantly, the entire facility was “made ready “to receive environmental control system and an external contractor, Infantry School Corps Helmet Plate. Sears and Russell Consultants, was brought in from Toronto 1883 – 1894, The Royal Canadian to work on the exhibits on the first floor. On the 30th of June Regiment Museum at Wolseley Barracks, 1983, the newly expanded and renovated museum was London, Ontario (RCRM2018.001.309). opened by His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Colonel-in-Chief of The Regiment. PRO PATRIA 2018  123

Phase 2 followed and was completed by 28 June 1985. It included the installation of all “environmental protection material and controls”, completion of collections storage in the basement and of second floor exhibits. The Royal Canadian Regiment Museum continued to be managed by the Regimental Headquarters, with visiting hours for the general public, a fundraiser program to support operations, and an active system for artefact donations that resulted in doubling the size of the collection. A document dated January 1986, titled “The Royal Canadian Regiment Museum Status”, outlines the museum mandate: “[…] It is the intention of The Regiment to ensure that Clockwise from far left: View the sacrifice and service of the past is displayed in the of the First World War Exhibit. present and preserved for the future. The principal Circa 1978, The Royal Canadian philosophy is to recognize the concept by which a Regiment Museum at Wolseley regiment functions – the participation of its members Barracks, London, Ontario. in a hierarchical, yet benevolent military structure which places strong emphasis on the well-being of its men.” View of the First World War Exhibit. Ca. 1985, The Royal Canadian Beside the “philosophy”, according to the same document, the Regiment Museum at Wolseley museum has five objectives, out of which the most important Barracks, London, Ontario. are “to serve as a training medium to teach Regimental History” and to preserve this history by collecting relevant artefacts. View of the current First World War Exhibit, The Royal Canadian At the end of 1990s, a new challenge lay ahead: the Regimental Regiment Museum at Wolseley Headquarters transfer to Petawawa, a military base situated some Barracks, London, Ontario. 2017, 600 km northeast, became imminent. In 1992, the 1st Battalion, photography by the author. 124  PRO PATRIA 2018

The RCR, was relocated to the above-mentioned base and the Regimental Headquarters are traditionally placed with this battalion, mostly for military administration purposes. The Headquarters relocation did not take place until 2009, but the process brought changes to the museum operations and current configuration. In 2001, the curatorial duties, once the responsibility of the Regimental Adjutant, were now transferred to a professional curator, hired as an independent contractor by the Regiment. When offices were vacated with the gradual move of the Headquarters, space became available in the west wing at Wolseley Barracks. Freed space was assigned to the museum which resulted in expanding to a foot print of over 12000 sq. ft. exhibitions and services on 1st and 2nd floors, alongside an extra 400 sq. ft. in collections storage in the basement. In addition, a small outdoors set up was allocated to the museum for the display of larger pieces of military equipment. Since 2013, The Royal Canadian Regiment Museum at Wolseley Barracks has become an important landmark not only for the Regiment, but also for the military across the country, and the local community. The entire west wing of the old Infantry School Building is now home to a vast collection including uniforms, medals, original art, weapons, military equipment, archives, musical instruments, regimental memorials, silverware, etc. It is also home to exhibits illustrating The RCR storyline, which matches Canadian post-Confederation history, and the internal and external conflicts that our military was a part of. Public programming is in place to actively engage with the local community, but also the larger regimental family across the country. Conclusion The “museum room” in London’s Infantry Building thusly evolved from the conceptual stage of one single small space on a floor plan to a small size modern museum, with a mandate “to promote and enhance the pride that Canadians have in their military and its achievements through ensuring they know the story of one of their nation’s great Regiments.” Resulting from a set of circumstances, more than from structured planning, the stated intent to preserve regimental heritage has prevailed and opened the path to a sequence of renovations and expansions since the 1950s. These projects have led to the museum taking over one third of the Barracks. Initially destined to lodge soldiers and officers or provide them with a training venue, the museum and the building have become a heritage landmark in the City of London, Ontario, with potential to develop even further toward an all-encompassing heritage site dedicated to the evolution of the infantry in Canada post Confederation. PRO PATRIA 2018  125

2642 3 RCR RCACC Petawawa Submitted by: Michelle Charest, Public Relations Officer, Sponsorship Support Committee Members of 2642 3 RCR RCACC on parade at building Y-101 Drill Hall. 2642 3 RCR Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps (RCACC) will commemorate its 60th year in operation at the Annual Ceremonial Review in June 2019. The Army Cadet Corps currently operates out of Korea Hall and utilizes the space to train weekly while also accessing all the amenities Garrison Petawawa has to offer. As an affiliate of 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, its members demonstrate strong leadership qualities while wearing the maroon beret with pride. Cadets who join are between 12 and 18 years of age and seek dynamic, challenging, well- organized activities with a passion for the outdoors. More so, the aim of the Canadian Cadet Program is to develop in youth the attributes of good citizenship and leadership, promote physical fitness, and stimulate interest in activities of the Canadian Armed Forces. Members of 2642 3 RCR RCACC take part in an array of activities and courses such as leadership, citizenship training, adventure training, survival, navigation, precision marksmanship and physical fitness. In particular, Cadets brave the elements of the outdoors and attend weekend field exercises in the fall, winter, and spring. They are tested on their skills and knowledge and must complete tasks pertaining to their star levels. Cadets can also try out for competitive air rifle marksmanship, biathlon, orienteering, and precision drill. 2642 3 RCR RCACC offers these competitive training programs with additional physical training and challenges Cadets to compete at the elite level regionally, provincially, and nationally. Cadets from 2642 3 RCR RCACC are also active within the community. Most notably, 126  PRO PATRIA 2018

each year prior to Remembrance Day, Cadets are invited to volunteer their time to serve Veterans dinner at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 517. This spring, Cadets will once again volunteer to help with the Canadian Cancer Society’s Git’ Er Done Mud Run before completing the obstacle course themselves. 2642 3 RCR Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps meets weekly, every Tuesday evenings from 6 to 9 p.m. at Building O-9 (Korea Hall), Garrison Petawawa. The Army Cadet Training Program is free of charge and is the program of choice for youth between 12 and 18 from the Petawawa region. 2647 Oromocto Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps Submitted by Captain David Tree, Administration Officer 2647 RCACC Below: A group of our cadets at our Fall Last fall, our initial learning and discovery session was FTX…we camp on private land. based around our field training exercise (FTX) on the Thanksgiving weekend. The cadets love the fall FTX as Right: An improvised shelter made during our they get to build and sleep in improvised shelters using Fall 2018 FTX. We are allowed to cut down trees branches and tree boughs (after instruction in the safe and have bonfires as we are on private land. use of knives and saws!) along with one ground sheet Our winter and spring FTXs are held on base. per cadet. New cadets quickly learn to identify and avoid fir trees laden with sticky sap and pitch! We also have a Left: Two of our first year cadets setting up their winter and spring FTX. ground sheets for camping at the Fall FTX. The cadet program encourages a healthy lifestyle and PRO PATRIA 2018  127

physical activity. Lucky for us, we have free access Clockwise from top left: SCUBA session in the to the 5 CDSB Gagetown gym allowing for several base Gagetown pool. One-on-one supervision indoor sports sessions each training year. Each with a qualified SCUBA instructor session typically has a theme like wall climbing, team sports, martial arts, swimming, and SCUBA. In One of our cadets on the climbing wall. I am a qualified addition to FTXs, we participate in outdoor sports climbing wall supervisor, so our cadets visit every year like biathlon and orienteering (our teams did very well in provincial competition last fall). We utilize Our cadets volunteering to make soup local professionals to promote healthy lifestyle at the Oromocto food bank education including a registered dietician and yoga instructor. Our cadets undergo two fitness tests Two of our cadets at the provincial legislature each year with those results being used to place after being presented their Duke of Edinburgh select cadets on advanced training. award by the Lieutenant Governor The Duke of Edinburgh program fits in very well A yoga class for our cadets held at the base gym 128  PRO PATRIA 20168

Above: One of our cadets in historic military uniform during detailed with the cadet program. Once again, explanation by a curator at the NB Military Museum on base. we had cadets receiving a Bronze and Silver D of E award from the Lieutenant Top: Cadet WO Robicheau was asked to address the attendees at the Sunset Governor in the provincial legislature, ceremony last September at Government House (official residence of the followed by a lovely reception for the Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick). The cadet program provides many recipients and family at Government opportunities to develop leadership skills, including public speaking. House. Giving back to your community is an important outcome of the D of E Program, so every year, our cadets help the local Legion with poppy sales. In addition, we volunteer for other projects like a neighbourhood clean up , working at the Oromocto food bank and volunteering at water stops for a local running race. It was very interesting to participate in a Sunset Ceremony at Government House in September. There was a good turnout of elected officials, aboriginal leaders and musicians, reg force soldiers and cadets from all three elements. We are fortunate to have two major military museums on base: the NB Military museum and the Canadian Military Engineers Museum. Both museums are staffed by very knowledgeable and helpful guides who set up visits in the evening to suit our schedule. Learning about our past military history can be fun, especially when the museum staff let the cadets handle many items and encourage guesses from cadets on the use of certain items. We had two guest presentations prior to Remembrance Day: the first presenter lived in Denmark as a boy when German soldiers invaded during WW II and he shared his vivid recollections of the hardships. The second guest brought in part of his collection of WW II weapons. Even dedicated cadets want to have fun, so in addition to our mandatory PRO PATRIA 2018  129

and elective learning lessons, we have pizza parties, movies, Clockwise from top left: One of our access to the C7s on the SAT range (shooting at Star Wars cadets as a sentry at a Cenotaph in figures!) and a remote control tank club where the cadets set a small community near Oromocto. up obstacle courses and then challenge each other with scale Several of our cadets are excused from models that have operating tracks, realistic sounds and guns parading as a group, in Oromocto, to that shoot infrared beams. help smaller communities with their Remembrance Day ceremonies. Three cadets will head to Labrador for Winter Survival training in March. The names of all the cadets have been submitted Our cadets on parade near the Cenotaph for summer training. Summer training complements and in Oromocto on Remembrance Day. builds on the training received at the LHQ. We hope to have a cadet going to England for an exchange, as well as one Three of our cadets who won their taking the Reg Force Basic Jump course in Trenton. Other age groups at the provincial cadet options for summer training include music, marksmanship, orienteering championships. sports and fitness, expedition, as well as drill and ceremonial. Some cadets have had positions confirmed already! The zone cadet biathlon championship (snow and ice arrived early in Our success is due, in no small measure, to the support of November 2018!). Four of our cadets DND, the base gym staff, a dedicated parents’ committee, went on to represent our Corps at Branch #93 Royal Canadian Legion and to the volunteer the provincial championship. support of numerous members of 2RCR, 5 CDSB Gagetown. 130  PRO PATRIA 2018

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Fallen Comrades of The RCR - 2018 Robert James “Bob” Hoffman (Ret’d) Windsor, ON 1 Jan 2018 Trevor Paquin (Ret’d) Geary, NB 9 Jan 2018 20 Jan 2018 Phillip Leon “Phil” Ash (Ret’d) Brampton, ON 24 Jan 2018 Wes Tremblay (Ret’d) Ottawa, ON 1 Feb 2018 Regina, SK 3 Feb 2018 David Elliot Blondeau (Ret’d) Brockville, ON 15 Feb 2018 Leonard Henry “Len” Delaney (Ret’d) 6 Mar 2018 Reserve Mines, NS 7 Mar 2018 Francis Xavier “FX” Marsh (Ret’d) North Bay, ON 16 Mar 2018 Derek “Dickie” Stafford (Ret’d) Halifax, NS 4 April 2018 Donald Robert Allen (Ret’d) Miramichi, NB 8 Apr 2018 William “Bill” Allard (Ret’d) Petawawa, ON 11 Apr 2018 Scott MacDougall 1 RCR London, ON 16 April 2018 Russ Cormier (Ret’d) London, ON 27 Apr 2018 14 May 2018 George Martin Hemsworth (Ret’d) Pointe-Claire, QC 27 May 2018 Allan Calderwood (Ret’d) Oromocto, NB 1 June 2018 7 June 2018 James R “Bud” Clark (Ret’d) Charlottetown, PE 17 June 2018 Jeffrey Lyle Snow RCAF Lower Sackville, NS 18 July 2018 Ken Greenham (Ret’d) 23 July 2018 Ken Hillier (Ret’d) Fredericton, NB 27 July 2018 Moncton, NB 29 July 2018 Gerald E. “Gerry” Coward (Ret’d) Lincoln, NB 30 July 2018 Peter Lorne Anderson (Ret’d) Petawawa, ON 31 July 2018 Ian Sutton 1 RCR 21 Aug 2018 Brian Boyd Bridges (Ret’d) Penobsquis, NB 30 Aug 2018 Russell Eric Smith (Ret’d) London, ON 2 Sep 2018 Claude McKenney (Ret’d) Ottawa, ON 8 Sep 2018 David Weir (Ret’d) 20 Sep 2018 Jean H Raymond (Ret’d) Oromocto, NB 21 Sep 2018 Peter Harrison (Ret’d) Plantagenet, ON Lawson Roy Hillier (Ret’d) Steve Gobuty (Ret’d) Magog, Stan Pilkie (Ret’d) Ottawa, ON H.V. “Harvey” Burgess (Ret’d) Mississauga, ON London, ON John Thomas “Tom” McIntyre (Ret’d) Gagetown, NB Fredericton, NB 132  PRO PATRIA 2018

Larry Bowen (Ret’d) Oakville, ON 27 Sep 2018 Dave Doucette (Ret’d) Moncton, NB 3 Oct 2018 Maurice “Moe” Lacelle (Ret’d) London, ON 9 Oct 2018 Oromocto, NB 14 Oct 2018 Steve Jeans (Ret’d) Waterloo, ON 19 Oct 2018 Edwin William Wellstood (Ret’d) Covehead, PEI 23 Oct 2018 Kingston, ON 30 Oct 2018 Everett J. “Ev” Burt (Ret’d) Ottawa, ON 31 Oct 2018 Edward F. “Ted” Zuber (Ret’d) Fredericton, NB 2 Nov 2018 Belleville, ON 10 Nov 2018 Kurt Trebels (Ret’d) Aylmer, ON 11 Nov 2018 Eric Charles Adams (Ret’d) 21 Nov 2018 Robert Horace “Bob” Smith (Ret’d) Centreville, NS 27 Nov 2018 Burton, NB 3 Dec 2018 Don Carrell (Ret’d) 11 Dec 2018 Malcolm Robert “Mickey” McLean (Ret’d) St. Thomas, ON Glace Bay/ 25 Dec 2018 Robert “Smokey” McKay (Ret’d) Brock Millman (Ret’d) Colchester, NS Perth, ON Harold R. “Duke” Dearing (Ret’d) Eric Devlin (Ret’d) PRO PATRIA 2018  133

INDIVIDUAL SUBMISSIONS Regimental Afghanistan Memorial As the readership of Pro Patria would be aware, The RCR possesses several memorials that commemorate significant events in the regiment’s history. These memorials are largely related to service in the conflicts which the regiment has participated in since 1883. A description and background of each of the memorials is captured in Chapter 6 of Regimental Standing Orders, which is easily found on The RCR website. When one casts an eye over Chapter 6, it becomes immediately obvious that we are in arrears when it comes to marking the Regiment’s distinguished achievements and sacrifices during the war in Afghanistan (2002-2012). On 10 January 2019, under the Chairmanship Korean War Memorial of MGen Omer Lavoie, the Senate approved a motion to “…design and procure a Regimental Afghanistan Memorial, not later than the Regimental Reunion scheduled for 2023.” The Senate has directed that this very worthwhile project will be undertaken by a committee formed from across all components of the Regiment. The committee will be chaired by MGen (Ret’d) Denis Thompson and include at least one serving Afghanistan veteran Officer, one serving Afghanistan veteran Senior NCO, and one representative from each of the RCR Association, the RCR Museum and RHQ. While the committee is just beginning to form, there is little time to be lost in soliciting ideas about the design that the memorial should take. While the committee toils away to determine the precise process (including request for design and selection, funding, contractor solicitation, delivery, presentation ceremony and permanent display), it is time for the artistic amongst our talented regiment to begin thinking of designs. In keeping with past practice, the piece should be suitable as a table centrepiece, be mounted on an appropriate base and be of museum quality equivalent to the existing memorials. In due course a call will go out requesting design ideas that will be considered by the committee before final adjudication by The RCR Senate. Keep an eye on the regimental website for further details. Pro Patria 134  PRO PATRIA 2018

INDIVIDUAL SUBMISSION The Regimental S SRoll of Honour The following speakers’ notes were prepared by Capt Michael O’Leary, The RCR, for the dedication of the new digital Roll of Honour at The RCR Museum on 10 November 2018. Dedication of the Updated RCR Roll of Honour Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, we are here this morning to dedicate the new digital kiosk presenting the Roll of Honour of The Royal Canadian Regiment. As a regimental project, this new Roll of Honour has been a four-year journey through project definition, coordination with our contractor, Steve Karpik and his team at Blue Rhino Design, coordination with Veterans Affairs Canada for access to the data they hold in the Canadian Virtual War Memorial, and the dedication of the Roll of Honour kiosk today. For me, this dedication is also the culmination of over a decade of personal work on the rolls of honour of The Royal Canadian Regiment. Although I have long had an interest in our Regiment’s history, the Regiment’s Roll of Honour came under my own closer examination while I was the Regimental Adjutant between 2005 and 2008. At that time I was fielding questions on regimental history from within and outside the Regiment, and I was also researching individual soldiers of the Regiment. These endeavours brought me to the realization that some of our commonly held impressions of our lists of wartime casualties were lacking. For example, while I could easily imagine the cemeteries in Europe, those rows of white stones marking the final resting places of our fallen, I was also finding official casualties who had returned home before their deaths who had been buried in Canada. As I dug deeper, I started to understand that the rolls we published in 1936 and 1967 were incomplete, and that we had never revisited those lists to seek out and add missing names. The timely availability of online databases such as the Canadian Virtual War Memorial and the accessibility of the Books of Remembrance made the review of our rolls possible in a way unknown to my predecessors. As I worked on these rolls, adding names to the published lists for the World Wars and for Korea, I was also working on regenerating our understanding of the Regiment’s perpetuation of Canadian Expeditionary Force units of the First World War through the 1950s amalgamations with The Oxford Rifles and The Canadian Fusiliers (City of London Regiment). The convergence of these two research initiatives, regimental Rolls of Honour and the perpetuation of CEF units, highlighted to me that we, as a Regiment, had also never compiled the Rolls of Honour of these units. These were units whose Battle Honours we carry proudly and for which we held, in the words of a 2012 DND Backgrounder, “the inheritance and preservation of the identity, fighting traditions, and honours of [these] disbanded units.” PRO PATRIA 2018  135

These units, and the service and sacrifice of the soldiers who served in them, were surely our responsibility to remember and commemorate as much as those who had worn our eight- pointed-star badge under the name of The Royal Canadian Regiment. And so, even as I worked on the rolls of honour for The RCR, I began the work of compiling the rolls of the fallen of the amalgamated and perpetuated units that form parts of our regimental lineage. Developing these new unit rolls of honour took two approaches. For those which were battlefield units, the 1st Canadian Infantry Battalion and the 2nd Battalion, Canadian Machine Gun Corps, searches of the databases for those who died with those units provided the first major step. For those units that were raised, and absorbed by the reinforcement system in England, it became necessary to confirm every name on their sailing lists against the CEF Roll of Honour, and to identify the many units they had gone to serve with at the time of their deaths. This task I completed for four units, the 33rd and 142nd Battalions raised in London, and the 71st and 168th battalions raised in Woodstock and Oxford County. As I filled in these lists I also sought names of wartime casualties belonging to our amalgamated regiment that might not have been on active service overseas, but were serving when they died and were counted as official casualties. Our Roll of Honour today provides a much better representation of our regimental lineage, touching as it does on every unit in our family tree, and our regimental responsibility to those units as part of our history. The names on the exhibited roll have grown from about 1400 to over 4000. But it is still not complete. As access to data continues to improve we will need to revisit these lists, and to continually re-examine how we assess eligibility for inclusion on them. No fallen soldier should go without recognition. No fallen Royal Canadian, however their service connects to our Regiment, should go without recognition on our Roll of Honour. Today, we are one step closer to that ideal. 136  PRO PATRIA 2018

INDIVIDUAL SUBMISSION The Regimental Enrollment Ledgers By Captain Michael M. O’Leary, The RCR In the archive room of The Royal Canadian Regiment Museum is a priceless resource on soldiers of the regiment in the late 1800s and the early decades of the 1900s. Eight enrollment ledgers that were in various company stations and at Regimental Headquarters record enlistments, details of service, and discharges of thousands of Royal Canadians. I first learned of these ledgers while serving as Regimental Adjutant (2005-08). In my research into soldiers of the Regiment, I have consulted them countless times in the intervening years as to answer inquiries made to the Museum and researching my own collection of regimental medals. The ledgers reside in seven different archive boxes in the Museum and, as the majority are weighty tomes, unboxing them one by one to look up a name can be a hot and tiring exercise. In digging deeper into the contents of these ledgers, I have also found that I made the tactical error of assuming that a man was listed in only one ledger, of which I will say more later. The information in the ledgers is valuable and interesting on many levels, and I decided to pursue the challenge of turning them into a single searchable set of data. Having previously set myself the tasks of transcribing the Regiment’s War Diary for the First World War, and also the Part II Daily Orders, I knew that turning the ledgers into a useful table or database would likely be months of labour. In early 2018, I decided to take the first step and photograph the ledgers, providing at least a less labour-intensive method of looking up individual records. The large size of the ledgers provided their own challenge, with individual records spanning both pages of the open volumes. In an attempt to ensure consistent images, I constructed a photography rig based on a folding metal sawhorse (the whole project was an economical plan, at least until I needed a wider lens to achieve the shots I needed). Mounting a Canon DSLR camera on the top rail and automating both the firing of the camera and the saving of images to a tethered laptop, I was able to capture the ledger pages in a consistent manner by positioning the volumes and turning pages for each photo to be taken. Lighting the pages evenly was a challenge, as was maintaining consistent focus when pages might be mostly empty and have no good focus contact under the camera’s focus points. In the end, I had to reshoot about 10% of the pages to achieve a workable, if not perfect, set of images totaling about 1800 double page spreads. The photographing of ledger pages was revisited in late 2018 after realizing that there was one ledger in the archive which I had missed. After spending the summer transcribing, I looked up a soldier that I had researched before, and found him to be missing. A brief search of the Museum’s electronic catalogue of the Archive led me to the missing volume and another 170 pages of images. PRO PATRIA 2018  137

Estimating the average density of records and multiplying by page count, the whole set approximated to 12-13,000 individual records. Some of these I eliminated when I realized that two of the ledgers had many duplicate entries and I was able to complete the second volume by updating transcribed entries from the first one. As the project progressed over months of transcribing from ledger page images to spreadsheet, I combined results at stages to identify, combine, and eliminate duplicate entries. Overall, the transcription, even with combining the entries from two ledgers during transcription, resulted in over 10,400 individual records. From this point, I was now ready to sort the table on names and regimental numbers to eliminate the remaining duplicate entries. There were many duplicates. Some were re-enlistments in different regimental stations. Some entries showed the transfer of a man from one station and his joining his new place of duty. Others were the recording of details for all the men currently at that station into the new ledger. Double entries between the ledgers was common, and one man had five entries in total. I first sorted the data table based on regimental number and the first letters of each man’s surname. Using service numbers alone, although we tend to see this as a unique identifier, was insufficient. Some numbers were re-used, and some number blocks might appear in use more than once in the Regiment’s history. Reviewing my initial mass table reduced the records from 10,549 to 7108 – a reduction of 3441 lines. In many instances, data needed to be combined between the duplicate records to keep all the details on a soldier together. Adding the eighth ledger data added 729 records, with subsequent review combining nearly every one of them with an existing entry. Following that and a subsequent review for duplicate entries: The final result: 6913 records. Not every detail is recorded for each soldier’s records(s) in the ledger, we are left with enough details to introduce us to the stories of individual soldiers, and also to look at the broader trends in collective story of the Regiment’s soldiers. While the ledgers don’t comprehensively cover the Regiment’s earliest recruits, the attestation dates recorded in the ledgers show us the period for which the greatest data is available. The range of dates for enlistments range from 1 Jan 1884 to 9 Aug 1939. Dates of attestation are recorded for 7009 records, with the following distribution by decades. 1880s 30 1890s 146 1900s 2088 1910s 3003 1920s 1168 1930s 466 138  PRO PATRIA 2018

Throughout the ledgers I happened upon familiar names. Recognizing these from earlier work in the ledgers, from other regimental research, or from the nominal role of my own medal collection. Each spark of familiarity reminded me of our regimental connections in how each entry described, albeit briefly, the passing of a serving soldier through the Regiment’s ranks. When I sort the table by date of enlistment, within the first few dozen rows I find familiar names: Sergeants Major Alexander Fowlie and David Borland, George Offen (composer of the Regimental March), and Bernard Dunlevy (injured in the Wolseley Barracks boiler explosion in December 1903). Each of the soldiers in the ledgers has a story, some can be found in other regimental records and published sources. For many, the only evidence of their regimental service is in the few details recorded in these ledgers. Height, Weight and Age – The Average Recruit We tend to view enlisting for military service as a young person’s pursuit. The enrollment ledgers give statistics on age, and also height and weight for many enrollees. So, how old, tall, and heavy was the average recruit? Based on the available statistics: Age - 24 years, 5 months of age (6903 records) Height - 5 feet, 7 inches (169 cm) tall (2353 records) (2339 records) Weight – 139.4 lbs (63.4 Kg) Country of Birth The country of birth is recorded for 5619 enrollment records, with many also providing province/ county and city/town. (For the purpose of these statistics, I have included Newfoundland with the Canadian provinces. Yes, I know that Newfoundland wasn’t a Canadian province until 1949.) British Isles 2783 (49.53%) England 2066 (36.77%) Scotland 350 (6.23%) Ireland 298 Wales (5.3%) 53 (0.94%) Channel Islands 14 (0.25%) Isle of Wight 1 (0.02%) Isle of Man 1 (0.02%) PRO PATRIA 2018  139

Canada (incl Nfld) 2626 (46.73%) Ontario 733 (13.05%) 613 (10.91%) Nova Scotia 518 (9.22%) Canada (no prov) 329 (5.86%) 233 (4.15%) Quebec 63 (1.12%) NB 50 (0.89%) 42 (0.75%) Newfoundland 23 (0.41%) PEI 13 (0.23%) BC (0.16%) 9 Manitoba Alberta Sask USA 80 (1.42%) Australia 12 (0.21%) Denmark 12 (0.21%) Another 26 countries of origin provided ten or fewer each to the Regiment’s rolls. Trade 6952 records have an entry for trade, with 771 different entries recorded. The total number of trades would be reduced if similar entries, e.g. brass finisher and brass polisher, were combined. Of the noted entries, the most common, with 100 or more, are: Labourer 1704 Machinist 139 Clerk 417 Teamster 139 Farmer 405 Painter 139 Miner 245 Carpenter 135 Soldier 185 116 148 Cook 114 Musician 164 Fireman Student To “Student” might be added “School Boy” (18) and “Scholar” (5), increasing the total to 187. “Farmer” could be increased by the addition of “Farm Labourer” (37) and “Farm Hand” (11), increasing that total to 456. “Clerk,” on the other hand, could be increased by the variety of entries for specific types of clerks, which would bulk that number up to 505. 140  PRO PATRIA 2018

“Makers” of all sorts of goods are reflected by 195 entries that include that word. The range of trades represented spans the society of the day, with tailors (74), butchers (73), bakers (63), blacksmiths (41), grocers (16), telegraphists (14), valets (11), druggists (9), cheese-makers (8), commercial travelers (7), and upholsterers (6) all represented. Family Matters During much of the period covered by the ledgers, the Army tightly controlled how many married men were in the ranks. It was therefore necessary to record marriages, and the births of children, and lying about these on enlistment could itself be a reason for discharge. Of the 6913 enrollment records, 670 of them have an entry showing that the man was married on enlistment or married during his regimental service. In some cases, the demise of a wife and remarriage are recorded. In a few others the note “Widower” has been entered, or the death of a wife is noted. The entries of wives names include full (maiden) names, with date and place of marriage. There would be no other source offering such a comprehensive overview of the wives of regimental soldiers. In addition to the 670 married soldiers recorded, 135 of these include details of one or more children. Medals and Decorations Many soldiers either held medals from previous service on enlisting with The RCR, or were awarded medals or decorations while with the Regiment. Appearing in a wide variety of combinations in 879 records. The medals listed below can be found in the ledger data singly and in groups awarded to soldiers of the Regiment: Victoria Cross 1 Military Cross 2 Distinguished Conduct Medal 17 Military Medal 22 South Africa medals 143 India (service) 16 Victory Medal (First World War service) 547 Meritorious Service Medal 14 Long Service & Good Conduct medals 118 Coronation medals 42 Jubilee medals 8 Private Joseph Toombs, V.C., who served briefly with the regiment from 25 May until 20 Aug 1920 (Discharge by Purchase). PRO PATRIA 2018  141

Private William Joseph White, M.C., and Private Edward Howe Collinson, M.C., were ex- British Army officers who had received the Military Cross serving in the First World War. Causes of Discharge One of the items which was recorded most carefully was the reason by which a soldier left the Regiment. The cause of discharge was often recorded simply by the paragraph number and sub-paragraph letter from the relevant King’s Regulations and Orders (KR&O). Sorting this data added the challenge of deciphering entries which referred to KR&Os for 1904, 1910, 1912 (Imperial edition), 1917, 1926, and 1939. Of 5598 entries for cause of discharge, the following shows the frequency of the items: deserter 1577 refuse revised pay 27 time expired 777 civil conviction 20 668 special case 15 purchase 608 return civil life 14 unfit 341 under age 12 294 not approved 11 demob 218 9 misconduct irregular enlistment 8 transferred 203 between 17 and 18 at date of 8 services no longer reqr 170 application for discharge 8 127 6 unsuitable commissioned kia 100 under 17 4 deceased misstatement re marriage 3 on attestation 1 pension 85 1 misstatement regarding 1 reduction of p.f. 75 age at enlistment incorrigible 66 over age own request 56 compassionate ignominy 51 died, pow dow 34 false answer on attestation Many men deserted and later rejoined, accepted their punishment, and continued serving with the Regiment. Of those, 234 deserters returned and served to finally release under other terms, while many others turned out to be serial deserters, returning only to desert at least once again. 142  PRO PATRIA 2018

Character on Discharge In addition to recording the cause by which a man left the service, the ledgers also dedicated space to record his character. The various editions of KR&O allowed for specific terms to be used for this purpose with detailed descriptions of how each was to be applied. Character on discharge is recorded in 3385 instances, including the following occurrences: Exemplary 347 Very Good 1120 921 Good Latterly Good 29 315 Fair 177 Indifferent 413 59 Bad Very Bad 4 Incorrigible PRO PATRIA 2018  143

INDIVIDUAL SUBMISSION Stable Belts K The Royal Canadian Regiment By Capt Richard J.S. Law A lthough the first mention of Regimental stable belts only appears in the Regimental Standing Orders of 1960, photographic evidence supports that they were worn as early as the inter-war period. Believed to have originated from British The stable belt described in the 1960 Regimental cavalry units, the stable belts are rumored Standing Orders. Author’s collection. to have started as modified horse surcingle which unit tailors would customize for cavalrymen. The design, consisting of a wide canvas or soft leather belt completed with two buckles, was somewhat common in the 1910’s and many soldiers throughout the Commonwealth purchased these belts to wear with trousers. It is believed that the adoption of Regimentally coloured belts also began around this time. The Regimental stable belt was part of a proposed No.1 dress uniform in 1946. Thankfully the design of the uniform was never adopted, as it exuded the same amount of Regimental flair as a walking kit shop. Anecdotal commentary suggests that the Regimental stable belt was worn in Fort York, Germany, it was sometimes worn with the bush pants in the 1950’s and 1960’s as well as with the wool sweater as garrison dress by 1 RCR. As previously mentioned, the Regimental stable belts only appear in the 1960 Regimental Standing Orders which state “The Regimental belt may be worn for Physical Training and sports events. The belt will be made of canvas material with tan leather buckles and straps. It will be secured with two short leather tabs through two silver buckles. The belt will be 2 ½ inches in width, coloured as follows: One 1” band of black on the bottom of the belt Left: The RCR sailing to Korea. Left to right (front row), Stanley (Buddy) Ward, Robert (Bob) Turner and Harold Mitton. (© C. MacKinnon collection) 144  PRO PATRIA 2018

A group picture, believed to date from the 1930’s, depicting a Regimental stable belt worn by the fourth man in the rear row. Image courtesy Michael O’Leary One of the proposals for new MGen Spry (right) visiting the No.1 Dress in 1946, it could Sgt’s Mess in Jamaica, circa 1971. also be worn with the collar The Connecting File 1971. open exhibiting a regimental tie. Courtesy MilArt archives with a ½” band of amber and a 1” band of royal blue. The belt will have a silver D to shorten or lengthen the belt. The inside of the belt will be white.” Although the Regimental Standing Orders describe the belt as 2.5” wide, all examples encountered measured 2.25”, additionally, the webbing is elastic rather than canvas. Sources: Regimental Standing Orders of The Royal Canadian Regiment, 1960, para 201.03 Belts (2). PRO PATRIA 2018  145

INDIVIDUAL SUBMISSION IODP 1.2 Badging Ceremony By Captain Jason Cress On 29 November 2018 – The Colonel of the Regiment (CoTR) The Right Honourable (RH) David Johnston attended the badging ceremony of the IODP 1.2 Royal Canadian Regiment graduates at the Carleton Barracks Officers Mess (CBOM) at the 5th CDSB Gagetown. The ceremony was also honoured to have officers from the 2nd Battalion in attendance including the CO – LCol French and DCO - Maj Andrews. The Regiment welcomed 16 new officers during the ceremony. The 1st and 2nd Battalions each badged five new officers while the 3rd Battalion badged six officers. During the ceremony, the CoTR promoted the following newly badged officers to the rank of Lieutenant (Lt): Lt Chapman, Lt Lepore, Lt Peel, Lt Simpson, Lt Williams, Lt Asner, Lt Bailey, Lt Druggett, Lt Scully, Lt Kelley, Lt Milner, and Lt Prior. There were two top candidates from the course – one from each platoon. Lt Druggett (2 RCR) received the Top Candidate award for 1801. Requirements for top candidate were not solely based on performance but also instructor feedback and peer assessments. During the ceremony, the CoTR spoke on leadership and the way forward that the new officers can expect to encounter and more importantly, how to navigate the challenging task of leadership. Upon completion of the badging, the CoTR lead all Royals in attendance in a Regimental toast with a shot of Drambuie. The Colonel of The Regiment (centre front) poses with the newly badged officers of The RCR on 29 November 2018 at the Carleton Barracks Officer’s Mess. 146  PRO PATRIA 2018

Lt M.N. Druggett (2 RCR) received the Top Candidate award for 1801. Pictured L-R: LCol D.S. MacGregor (Cmdt Inf Sch), Lt M.N. Druggett, and CWO J.M.S. Isabelle (RSM Inf Sch). PRO PATRIA 2018  147

INDIVIDUAL SUBMISSION Mount Uniacke Community Memorial Park Dedication Honouring the memory of Private John Curwin By Major Dave Johnston, 36 CBG HQ On Saturday, 9 June 2018 a contingent of serving RCR members converged on Mount Uniacke, Nova Scotia to attend the dedication of the Mount Uniacke Memorial Community Park, remembering East Hants Councillor Cyril MacDonald, local businessman Reg Dalrymple, and the dedication of a cenotaph in memory of Private John Curwin. Private John Michael Roy Curwin (2 RCR), a member of the Force Protection Company - Kandahar Reconstruction Team, was Killed-in-Action on 13 December 2008. Pte John Michael Roy Curwin The RCR contingent led by LCol Joe Hartson. Also in attendance were BGen LCol Hartson addresses the crowd. (Ret’d) Jim Bruce, LCol Eleanor Taylor and Cpl Jonathan Curwin. Pte Curwin’s children; Makayla, Jenna and Michael The crowd salutes unveiling their father’s memorial. 148  PRO PATRIA 2018

INDIVIDUAL SUBMISSION Wegner Point Tragedy 50 Years Remembered May 8, 2018 marked 50 years since the tragic loss of seven parachutists by drowning; three from 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment and four from 2nd Signals Squadron, when wind shear caused them to land in the Ottawa River. Those lost were: MWO R.G. Riddell (1 RCR); WO M.P. McDonnell (1 RCR); Cpl B.N. Chiswell (1 RCR); Cpl D.W. Clements (2 Sig Sqn); Cpl D.H. Fields (2 Sig Sqn); Cpl R.J.G. Knight (2 Sig Sqn); and Cpl P.J. Misener (2 Sig Sqn). The following letter was sent by Col (Ret’d) Joe Aitchison, former COTR, to Mrs. Lynette Riddell (wife of the late MWO Reg Riddell. Col (Ret’d) Aitchison requested that it be included in Pro Patria 2018. I have just seen the London Free Press Wegner Point Cairn article about your late husband and the parachuting accident in Petawawa so many years ago, and decided that I should write to you. I was one of the parachutists on that day – 8 May 1968. I was not among those who dropped into the Ottawa River on that fateful descent, rather was to jump on the second pass over the Mattawa Plain Drop Zone. I was a young Captain – the Adjutant of 1st Battalion and, by virtue of that appointment, the Supervising Officer of the Sergeants’ Mess. I had also been a Parachute Instructor at the Airborne School in Rivers, Manitoba. The combination of experience as a para instructor and the appointment of Supervising Officer gave me a unique opportunity to interact with the Senior NCOs and Warrant Officers in the unit – no other officer had the same opportunities at the time. Shared experience also led me closer to those of the airborne family than to others. I came to know your late husband reasonably well, and admired him for his experience, his attitude towards soldiers and soldiering, his exceptional level of fitness and above all for the respect that he held within the unit. PRO PATRIA 2018  149

I recollect that the purpose of the parachuting exercise was to transition us from the CC130 Hercules aircraft to the recently-acquired CC115 Buffalo aircraft. I also remember that the tasking to 1 RCR required that the parachutists selected for the training be experienced jumpers and preferably qualified as para instructors. We completed one descent early in the day of 8 May – my logbook shows that I was in the number 1 Port (left side of the aircraft and first to exit) position and my comment in my logbook entry was “Mattawa Plain – Windy”. In fact, the winds became too high to continue parachuting, so further drops were delayed to later in the day. We took off from Bonnechere Airfield late in the afternoon for our second jump of the day. I don’t recall if I was in the same aircraft as Reg, but I remember that I was seated on the Port side of the aircraft once again and was to jump on the second of two passes over the drop zone. The first pass seemed to go normally, but I perceived that our flight path was very close to or even over the Ottawa River when the first stick received the green light and “Go” command. I later testified to that when I appeared before the Board of Inquiry into the accident. Whatever the actual course of the aircraft was, many of the jumpers in the first pass landed in or very close to the Ottawa River. When this became known, the second pass was cancelled and the aircraft returned to Bonnechere, where we were loaded onto buses and driven back to Petawawa. When I arrived back on the Mattawa Plain, probably two hours or so after the drop, the situation could only be described as chaotic. Night had fallen and visibility was understandably poor, although portable floodlights and vehicle headlights were being used to illuminate the area of the River bank. Soldiers in the hundreds, including engineers in assault boats and troops who had been engaged in other training at Petawawa had been mobilized to assist in the search for the parachutists who had been on the first pass. The search went on throughout the night. As it happened, Lieutenant-Colonel John Barrett, the Commanding Officer of 1 RCR, was present in Petawawa with the unit rifle team, which was competing in the 2 Brigade Small Arms Competition at the time. He had assembled a makeshift command post from which I worked through the night. By the time we determined that we had likely lost members of the unit, it was almost daylight, and I was tasked to inform the unit Rear Party Commander of the events that had occurred. At that time, we were not in a position to release the names of those we suspected had been lost. LCol Barrett directed me to rest about dawn on the 9th of May, but I was awakened shortly after going to bed and transported to Pembroke Hospital, where I identified the remains of WO Mike MacDonnell, who I also knew quite well. It was one of the most difficult moments of my military service. I returned to London on 9 May to begin preparing for the series of funerals for Reg, Mike and Bruce Chiswell. At the time, neither Reg’s nor Bruce’s remains had been recovered. I too heard the story that Reg had talked down jumpers who were near him and ensured that they were properly prepared for a water landing – something we 150  PRO PATRIA 2018