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-2014
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20
FEATURES
70
1944 -20
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1 944 -20
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D-DA
IV
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IAL
FE
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Canadas D-Day Story
ERSAR
EC
SEVEN DAYS IN JUNE
D-DA
SP
TH
By Mark Zuehlke
SEE OUR EXCLUSIVE INFOGRAPHIC ON PAGE 9
28
EXTRA! EXTRA! HOW CANADIANS

LEARNED ABOUT THE D-DAY LANDINGS
News From Normandy Reaches The Home Front

By Brian Jeffrey Street
33
NE
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FACE TO FACE
AT
U
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THE WEARING OF A DECEASED

VETERANS MEDALS
Two historians face off on a controversial topic.

By Glenn Wright and John Boileau
36
THE CARIBBEAN COMMITMENT
42
The Royal Commonwealth

Ex-Services League Meets In Barbados
By Jennifer Morse
42
POINT BLANK WAR
Canadas Special Operations Forces

In Close Combat With The Enemy
By Adam Day
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By Sharon Adams
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MAY/JUNE 2014 LEGION MAGAZINE
Pg01,04_Contents.indd 1
2014-04-10 11:05 AM
EN ROUTE TO
NORMANDY,
June 1944
LEGION MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2014
Pg02-03_PhotoSpread.indd 2
2014-04-03 1:31 PM
70
1944 -20
D-DA
IV
TH
ERSAR
Dip gently your scythe, good reaper,

Oer the fields of the hallowed dead
For young men fought and young men died
4 -20
Near the sea1 9 4where
the earth is red.
1
4
70
TH
(From the poem Strange Harvest)
Honorary Captain
E. Higgs,
D - DStanley
A YInfantry Division
padre of 3rd Canadian
N
N
IV
ERSAR
Soldiers, on board a ship

bound for Normandy,
France, gather around a
piper. For our complete
retrospective on Canadas
role on D-Dayand the
crucial days that followed
see page 20.
PHOTO: DONALD I. GRANT, LIBRARY AND
ARCHIVES CANADAPA163778
Pg02-03_PhotoSpread.indd 3
2014-04-03 1:36 PM
ON THIS
JUNE
CANADIAN MILITARY HISTORY IN PERSPECTIVE
DATE
53
NAVY
Escort Group C.3:
Action And Reaction

By Marc Milner
PAGE 6
56
NEWS
16
14
HEALTH FILE
By Sharon Adams
AIR FORCE
Snakes, Lice And

Japanese Aircraft
JOURNAL
By Adam Day
By Hugh A. Halliday
65 Eligibility For Funeral And Burial Program

Extended To Modern-Day Veterans
62
66 Defence Speakers Look At Pulling Back
ARMY
Touring Beyond Normandy
68 DEC Discusses Making The Legion

More Welcoming
By Terry Copp
70 Extra End Decides Curling Championship

72 Legion Urges Approval Of Arctic Star
72 Serving You
73 Battle Of The Atlantic To Be Experienced
In Halifax
VOLUNTEERING IN THE COMMUNITY
83
AL
SNAPSHOTS
SO
ON
The Snapshots section is available online in

the Community Section of legionmagazine.com.
TH
EW
EB
74 Small Tribute To Second World War Sailors
76 Legion By The Numbers

77 Time For Action On New Veterans Charter,
Legion tells MPs
78 New Brunswick Resident Wins Subscription Prize
79 Family Liaison Officers Provide Help
80 Service Dogs Helping Veterans
82 War Brides And Their Children To Come Home
82 Legion Magazine Reissues Submission Guidelines
8 EDITORIAL
10 STORYLINES
12 LETTERS
18 EYE ON DEFENCE
100 CANADA AND THE
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99
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102 HUMOUR HUNT

104 TRAVELLING ABOUT
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POINT BLANK WAR: IN CLOSE COMBAT WITH THE ENEMY
THE PRE-DAWN
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Canadian reinforcements
head to shore, June 1944.
See Page 20
Photo: Dennis Sullivan, Department of
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CanadaPA190123
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2014-04-03 1:28 PM
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ON THIS
DATE
1 JUNE 2004
70
1944 -20
J U NE
The United Nations

Stabilization Mission
in Haiti assumes
responsibility for
supporting the transitional
government and reforming
the national police force.
Canadian police and
military personnel play
significant roles.
5 JUNE 1900
6 JUNE 1944
British troops take

Pretoria in the South
African War.
Canadian troops land on Juno Beach

and begin fighting their way inland.
Canada also contributes naval and
N
air forces to the five-division assault on
Y
IV
ERSAR
the enemy in Normandy. As well, Canadians
participate in the early morning airborne
landings in support of the seaborne assault. See page 20
D-DA
10 JUNE 1957
John Diefenbaker forms a
minority government.
11 JUNE 1999
TH
7 JUNE 1832
Asian cholera arrives
aboard a ship from
Ireland, starting an
epidemic that claims
6,000 lives in
Lower Canada.
12 - 13 JUNE 1944
4
18 JUNE 1940
Prime Minister Mackenzie King
introduces the National
Resources Mobilization Bill. It
proposes a national registration
of men between the ages of
21 and 45 for conscription for
home defence.
70
With his aircraft on fire, Pilot

1 944 -20
Officer
Andrew
Mynarski of
1
Winnipeg delays
TH his own
escape to help a fellow crew
member.
D - D AIronically, his
crewmate
Ysurvives the
N
Y
I V but RMynarski
crash,
dies of
ERSA
burns. He is posthumously
awarded the Victoria Cross.
A United Nations mission,

including 600 Canadians, is
established in East Timor; it
helps organize elections,
support the new government
and establish rule of law.
19 JUNE 1980
20 JUNE 1959
Three gunmen who

attacked the British
embassy in Baghdad are
shot dead by Iraqi
security forces.
A massive unexpected
storm hits Miramichi Bay in
New Brunswick, sinking 22
boats and claiming 35 lives.
23 JUNE 1985
THE FACTS: BORN SEPTEMBER

18, 1895; 13TH PRIME MINISTER
OF CANADA FROM 1957 TO 1963;
DIED AUGUST 16, 1979.
26 JUNE 1946
27 JUNE 1918
Canadian Air Cadets

become the Royal
Canadian Air Cadets.
Fourteen nursing sisters are among

the 234 who die when the Canadian
hospital ship Llandovery Castle is
torpedoed by a U-boat.
24 JUNE 1948
A terrorist bomb on an Air

India flight bound to London,
England, from Toronto (via
Montreal) kills 329 people,
most of them Canadian.
The Soviet Union blockades

Berlin in an effort to expand
territory. The RCAF is part of
an Allied effort that sees
200,000 flights in one year
provide food to West Berlin.
28 JUNE 1922
29 JUNE 1922
The National Defence

Act consolidates the
Department of Naval
Services, Department of
Militia and Defence and the
Air Board in the Department
of National Defence.
France grants Canada

100 hectares of land
surrounding Vimy Ridge
for a memorial park; the
Canadian National Vimy
Memorial would be
unveiled there in 1936.
PHOTOS & ILLUSTRATION: LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA; UN MULTIMEDIA; SHARIF TARABAY; LEGION MAGAZINE ARCHIVES.
Pg06-07_June-OnThisDate.indd 6
2014-04-03 1:40 PM
FIRST WORLD WAR
1914 1918
SECOND WORLD WAR
19391945
KOREAN WAR
JUNE
1950 1953
2 JUNE 1917
3 JUNE 1885
Canadian Billy Bishop conducts a solo aerial attack on a

German aerodrome in Cambrai, France. He is later
A Northwest Mounted Police

detachment led by Sam
Steele fights Big Bears
Cree warriors in the Battle
of Steele Narrows, west
of Loon Lake, Sask.
4 JUNE 1742
The 500-tonne Canada,
the first warship built in
New France, is launched.
She carries 40 cannons
and a crew of 120.
8 - 9 JUNE 1918
Corporal Joseph Kaeble of
St-Moise, Que., uses a Lewis
gun to repulse a German
advance on the Canadian line
near Arras, France. Mortally
wounded, he is posthumously
9 JUNE 1970
The first Canadian relief
parcels are dropped by
RCAF crews to survivors
of a devastating
earthquake in Peru.
14 JUNE 1917
Captain B.D. Hobbs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., downs a
Zeppelin off the Dutch coast.
15 JUNE 1915
The 1st Canadian Battalion, using new Lee Enfield rifles,
attacks two German strongpoints as the Battle of
Givenchy begins.
16 - 17 JUNE 1940
Attempts to help the French ward off the German invasion are
deemed fruitless. The 1st Canadian Division is among Allied
troops ordered back to England. In two days, thousands of
Allied military personnel are evacuated from St. Malo and
other locations.
22 JUNE 1813
21 JUNE 1940
Laura Secord begins

her 32-kilometre
trek from Queenston,
Ont., through fields
and woods to warn
the British of a
surprise attack by
the Americans.
In the aftermath of the fall of

France, HMCS Fraser evacuates
diplomats from the French-Spanish
border, including LieutenantColonel Georges Vanier, future
governor general of Canada.
25 JUNE 1950
A full-scale invasion of the Republic
of Korea by forces from North Korea
means war. Nearly 27,000
Canadians serve; 516 were
killed and 1,558 wounded
between 1950 and 1953.
30 JUNE 1912
A 400-metre wide
tornado with winds of
800 kilometres per hour
rips through Regina, killing
28 people and leaving
2,500 homeless.
THE FACTS: BORN JANUARY 5,

1848, PURBROOK, CANADA WEST;
DISTINGUISHED CANADIAN
SOLDIER AND POLICE OFFICIAL;
DIED JANUARY 30, 1919.
May On This Date Events

Visit our website legionmagazine.com
The items will appear May 1.
Heres a taste of what to expect.
3 MAY 1915
John McCrae of Guelph, Ont., writes
In Flanders Fields.
Pg06-07_June-OnThisDate.indd 7
2014-04-03 1:40 PM
VIEWS EDITORIAL
MAY | JUNE 2014
D-Day: 70 Years Later

If you were 20 years old in June 1944, you are
90years old today, and you probably dont need to
bereminded of that.
But thats how old many of Canadas younger D-Day
veterans are as commemorations begin for those who
participated in the largest seaborne invasion of all
timeD-Day.
Seventy years have passed since the Allied assault
onHitlers Fortress Europe and many of the men and
women who were part of that incredible era are now gone.
Many have left us with excellent books and memoirs
detailing what they and others endured on Juno Beach
and further inland at places like Buron, Carpiquet,
Verrires Ridge, Falaise and St.Lambert-sur-Dives. The
majority however returned to quieter lives by holding
down a job in an office or factory, raising families,
volunteering and spending time with grandchildren
whileperhaps trying to forget what they saw.
Anyone who has spent time with a war veteran,
especially from that era, knows it is easier to get them
totalk about the good times or the lighter moments
ofbeing a soldier, sailor or airman. Those of us who
were born after the war can experience something far
more profound when a veteran goes beyond the easier
memories. The experience can begin when you notice
thatthe veterans eyes are fixed on something so
incredibly deep that it doesnt feel right to ask about
it.You get the sense that theres a wall there, and that
youare not part ofthat group of men or women
(warveterans) who can gobeyond it; all you can

reallydo is wait for the story to emerge, if it does.
Those fortunate enough to have travelled to
Normandy with a veteran who landed on Juno Beach
orfought through the long campaign in Northwest
Europe, or the campaign through Sicily and Italy, know
how special it is to witness their pilgrimage. The image
of a man in his mid-90s walking or parked on the sand
by the surf at Courseulles-sur-Mer can take your breath
away, but alsoenergize a deeper commitment to learn
and remember what war brought and what the men and
women of that generation achieved.
In Normandyas in Italy and elsewhere during the
warCanadians took on some of the toughest assignments against a hardened and desperate enemy with
strong fanatical elements. On D-Day alone, 340 members of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division were killed
or died of wounds. Between then and the end of August
1944, more than 5,000 Canadians were killed in
Normandy.
Seventy years later we have not forgotten the importance of their sacrifices, regardless of whether they occurred in Northwest Europe, the Far East or Italy. And
while it seems certain that we will continue to document Canadas Second World War experience, sadly we
will soon be doing this without those who were there.
For their sake and for ours, we must never forget that
we have inherited their memories, and a responsibility
to learn and remember.
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Shaw Direct will donate $25 back to Legion programs
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And there is more. Every member who activates
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Other partners are offering everything from
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The other 11 partners are Corby Spirit and Wine
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LEgion MagazinE MAY/JUNE 2014
Pg08_Editorial.indd 8
2014-04-03 1:42 PM
d -day: as s ault ing juno be ach

Commemorations for the 70th anniversary
of the Normandy Campaign will soon be underway. Author/

historian Mark Zuehlke provides a detailed look at Canadas
contribution during the first week, PAGE 20. We start
with a few quotes and graphics.
Wed be on top of a wave...look down and

see an LCA (Landing Craft Assault) in a trough.
The next thing youd be down in the trough
looking up and there was water on either side
of you way up there high above.
Excerpts From Queens Own

Rifles War Diary, June 6, 1944
The First Five Hours
0305hrs
Breakfast served, all who wish it given

good shot of navy rum...
Lance Corporal Gerry Cleveland, June 6, 1944
06 06 44
Date of Allied Normandy LandingsAlso known as D-Day
0600hrs
Men file silently into respective boats,

before long quite a few are sick due to
waters roughness...
w i t h de a dly ob s ta cl e s in t heir way. . .

Even before they reached the concrete bunkers and other
strongpoints which formed part of Hitlers Atlantic Wall, the
Canadians who stormed Juno Beach under fire faced a
terrifying gauntlet of deadly obstacles.
High Tide
Rough seas, natural reefs and shoals
Low Tide
Man-made, submerged obstacles fitted with Teller mines (anti-tank

mines), artillery shells, and improvised explosive devices
Seaward-facing wooden or steel ramps (with an explosive attached)
to blow up or tip landing craft
Concrete, wooden or steel pyramidstetrahedralto slow down or
stop vehicle movement
Hedgehogs made out of three heavy intersecting steel girders with
metal platesburied or set in a concrete footingwith sharp gaps in
the upper portion of each girder to tear open the hull of a landing craft
A six-metre-high (20-foot) seawall
Barbed wire andjust past the beachesminefields. Some men were
wounded or killed by mines on the beach, some of which may have
been in the water.
0715hrs
All hell breaks loose as arty (artillery) and

various support weapons cut loose.
Shore can now be seen but it is fast
becoming obscured...
0805hrs
Assault companies go in. As yet no DDs

(Duplex Drive tanks) or AVREs (Assault
Vehicles, Royal Engineers) can be seen
which looks ominous...
0815hrs
A & B coys (companies) touch down. B

immediately catches a packet of trouble
as they are landed in front of a heavily
defended position. Several of the LCAs
of both companies are blown up by
mines, but only the front two or three
men are injured... A Company are a little
better off than B, able to get off the
beach. As soon as they hit the railway
they come under heavy mortar fire and
are pinned down. Casualties mount...
0830hrs
C and D coys...touch down. Casualties

among LCAs heavy. Almost one-half
blown up by underwater mines.
MAy/june 2014 LEgion MagazinE
Pg09_D-DayINFO.indd 9
2014-04-03 1:44 PM
Storylines
hen it comes to learning history, theres nothing like being in the place
where history was made.
This summer, Canadians of all ages
will visit Normandy, France, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the
June 6, 1944, D-Day invasion and the
long, bloody campaign that marked
the beginning of the end of the Second
World War in Northwest Europe.
There is a lot to be gained, but those
fortunate enough to tour Normandy
with a war veteran or spend time with
one while there will benefit most.
They will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the history and
geography of the place with the memories of someone who was there. That
can be a deeply personal experience,
resulting in a greater understanding
of what happened.
Our cover story, Seven Days In
June, is a D-Day primer that includes
a look at the first hard-fought days after Canadians stormed Juno Beach.
Renowned and prolific Canadian author Mark Zuehlke takes us from the
May/June 2014
early hourswhen members of 1st
Canadian Parachute Battalion jumped
into the cold darkness over Franceto
the vicious fighting that left Canadians
and Germans as exhausted and bloodied as punch-drunk boxers.
Meanwhile, Brian Jeffrey Streets
Extra! Extra! How Canadians
Learned About The D-Day
Landings describes the pride, the
joy and anxiety that followed headlines
and news flashes from Normandy.
Speaking of war, in the spring of 2011
Canadas secretive special operations
forces entered a mall in Kandahar City,
Afghanistan, wherethrough dust and
darknessthey fought a group of insurgents. In Point-Blank War: Canadas
Special Operations Forces In Close
Combat, award-winning Staff Writer
Adam Day describes the battle and the
Canadian valour that shone through.
Finally, we introduce you to a twopart series on access to long-term care.
Staff Writer Sharon Adams begins with
a look at the change taking place in
Canadas veterans homes. Enjoy.
Dan Black, Editor
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Vol. 89, No. 3 May/June 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
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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.
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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.
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Moore; Secretary Brad White; Directors Mike Cook, Dave
Flannigan, Tom Irvine, Ed Pigeau, Peter Piper and Pat Varga.
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Designers:
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Administration:
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Researcher/Administrative Assistant:
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com. Simply click on magazine, then subscription and follow the
prompts. Its quick and easy.
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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.,
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maintained at Adrienne and Associates, 866 Humboldt Pkwy.,
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address changes to Legion Magazine, c/o Simply Mail Inc.,
PO Box 1042, Niagara Falls, NY 14304.
We acknowledge the financial support of the Government

of Canada, through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for
our publishing activities.
2014-04-04 10:16 AM
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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
magazine@legion.ca
VETERANS BENEFITS GUIDE COMPREHENSIVE

I WISH TO COMMEND the entire
Legion Magazine sta for their

collaborative eorts in compiling the extremely comprehensive Veterans Benets Guide
(March/April). As a former
participant in the bureaucratic
evolution involved in acquiring
a disability pension from
Veterans Aairs Canada, and
all of the trials and tribulations
entailed in the process, I can
honestly say that my lengthy journey through those adverse mineelds would have been much simpler had I
been privileged to this type of detailed information prior to that expedition. I must also say that it was through
the diligence of Legion service ocers that my claim
was nally brought to fruition.
One can only hope that your in-depth, step-by-step guide
will have awakened the thousands of other veterans who
are suering daily from disabilities acquired during their
service to Canada. I refer to those individuals who have remained silent because they are either uncertain about how,
and/or too proud, to ask for the help they so justly deserve!
The historical content in these guidelines should in
themselves ensure all concerned that the Legion has
continuously been there to provide outstanding support
to our veterans community. Bravo Zulu to all those
involved in creating this excellent guide!
PAUL BAIDEN, ORLEANS, ONT.
HMCS SACKVILLES IMPORTANCE
YOUR FEATURE ON VETERANS BENEFITS was a masterpiece. I have seldom, if ever, read a more understandable explanation of the way to apply for benets, and
the whole feature is an excellent guide through the
quagmire of multiple VAC and Department of National
Defence programs. I especially commend Sta Writer
Sharon Adams for simplifying what can be a complicated procedure for many veterans.
LES PEATE, OTTAWA
I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DID NOT COMMENT on the March/

April 2014 edition of Legion Magazine and its sta for
the excellent Veterans Benets Guide. It has everything
in a nutshell for those who need to know and what to
know about qualifying for benets both for the military
and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Those who are Legion members automatically receive a copy of the Legion Magazine. For those who are
not, I would suggest you try to obtain one especially if
you dont have access to the Internet.
There are dierences between the benets for the
military and RCMP which is also covered in the
magazine as one (the military) is covered by the New
Veterans Charter and the other (RCMP) is not.
I suggest that this information be passed around to all
our veterans and members for their information. These
are extremely well written articles on the entire system
of obtaining our well deserved benets from the beginning of the process to its necessary end.
GERALD PUMPHREY, MIDDLE SACKVILLE, N.S.
NAVAL HISTORIAN MARC MILNERS compelling account of
FAVOURITE RECIPE
DIGGING IN FOR VICTORY by Graham Chandler in the

HMCS Sackville engaging three German U-boats in the
March/April issue of Legion Magazine brought back a lot
North Atlantic in early August 1942, A Night Of Furious
of things that I had forgotten about, especially the Victory
Action (March/April), is an important addition to helpGardens and the various collections that went to assist
ing Canadians understand the signicance of the Battle
the war eort. One of the items that I didnt forget about
of the Atlantic.
was the Canada War Cake which I continue to enjoy to
HMCS Sackvillecommissioned in 1941is the last
this day, thanks to my mother who passed her recipe to
of the Allies 269 corvettes that played a crucial role in
my wife. I dont know if the recipe is the original one or
winning the pivotal Battle of the Atlantic, the longest
not but will enclose it for those that may wish to try it.
battle of the Second World War. At her Halifax
It tastes really
berth, Sackville is living history, a testimonial
good
with a little
CANADA WAR CAKE 3 cups of flour salt
not only to the major role of the Royal
butter,
which was
1 tablespoon of
of
s
poon
Canadian Navy but also to the signicant
very
hard
to get
2 teas
1 cup of brown sugar
soda
ng
baki
g
tenin
contribution of Canadians across the country
during
the
war.
1/2 cup of shor
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
or lard
in winning the Battle of the Atlantic.
RALPH
cinnamon
BRUCE BELLIVEAU, CHAIR,
CANADIAN NAVAL MEMORIAL TRUST, HALIFAX
12
1 pound of raisins
2 cups of water
Bring to a boil and cool.
1 teaspoon of
1 teaspoon of ginger
o
Bake for one hour at 325 F.
CAMPBELL,
TRURO, N.S.
Pg12-13_Letters.indd 12
2014-04-03 4:22 PM
OUR READERS RESPOND

IN THE MARCH/APRIL ISSUE WE ASKED
OUR READERS IF THEY AGREED WITH
CHANGING THE NAME OF THE CANADIAN
MUSEUM OF CIVILIZATION TO THE
CANADIAN MUSEUM OF HISTORY.
I AGREE WITH THE CHANGE OF NAME to the Museum
of History. I think the old name was excellent years
ago but things change. I have noted that Museum
of History seems to be used in other countries
and the word history seems a bit more inclusive
than civilization which seems less inclusive.
At any rate, the law has been passed and it is my
feeling that few changes like this go back to the original
name. There is also some cost involved. Signs will
be changed to the new name, stationery will have to
reect the new name and so on. My concern is that
if the name eventually reverts to the old name, there
will have been much money wasted in the eort.
RON SPURGEON, LONDON, ONT.
A QUESTION
FOR OUR READERS
The Royal Canadian Legion has recently shown

its support for animal-assisted therapy for injured
veterans. Have you seen animals play a role in
assisting someones recovery?
COMMENTS CAN BE SENT TO:
Letters, Legion Magazine, 86 Aird Place,

Kanata, ON K2L 0A1 or e-mailed to
magazine@legion.ca
TALK TO US
You can now join the conversation on

Facebook, Twitter and our website.
legionmagazine.com
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Pg12-13_Letters.indd 13
13
2014-04-03 4:22 PM
VIEWS
health file
WATCHING FOR LYME DISEASE
TRAVEL HAS MADE THE WORLD seem

much smaller. Diseases that we once
thought plagued only distant countries can now be found in Canada,
brought here either by travelling insects whose range is expanding due
to global warming, or by Canadians

travelling to foreign countries.
Lyme disease, malaria, yellow
fever, dengue fever, West Nile virus
every year more and more Canadians
are contracting vector-borne diseasesviral, bacterial or parasitic
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14
BY SHARON ADAMS
infections transmitted to humans by

animals or insects. And while they
do not pose a huge health risk, taking precautions could bring down
the number who get sick and perhaps
prevent the problem from growing.
Canada needs a national strategy
for handling Lyme disease, says
the Canadian Lyme Disease
Foundation. Lyme disease is
curable if treated early. But when
undiagnosed, it can attack the
brain, heart, bones, muscles,
digestive system and skin.
Although most people recover with
antibiotics, Lyme disease is often
undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. The
risk of being bitten by an infected tick is low, so Lyme disease
does not usually come to mind when
a doctor is trying to diagnose persistent unexplained fever, headache
and fatigue, symptoms Lyme disease
shares with many other diseases.
The Public Health Agency
of Canada noted 315 reported
cases in 2012.
The U.S. Center for Disease
Control and Prevention said
that although about 30,000 cases
are reported in the U.S. every
year, there are perhaps 300,000
annual cases, many of them
close to the Canadian border.
This suggests Canada likewise
has a serious, under-recognized
problem, said a Lyme Disease
Foundation press release.
The G. Magnotta Foundation
for Vector-Borne Diseases
is raising money to establish a
facility for research, testing and
treatment at Humber River
Hospital in Toronto. The Lyme
Disease Foundation has donated
$304,000 to the charity to help
establish a human tissue research program at Humber.
Lyme disease is caused by bacteria
transmitted by ticks that feed on
infected deer, mice or migratory
birds. The Public Health Agency
says while not every tick carries
Pg14-15_Health.indd 14
2014-04-04 10:34 AM
the disease, Lyme-infected ticks

are found in most southern regions
of Canada. Areas of increased
risk are noted on the website
www.phac-aspc.gc.ca.
Prevention is easy, if not foolproof: cover up when you walk
through woods or elds where there
are ticks and check yourself, your
kids and your pets for ticks every
day. Wear hats and long sleeves,
tuck your trousers inside your socks
and wear closed-toed shoes. Use
insect repellents containing DEET
on clothing and exposed skin.
Ticks attach themselves to skin
for hours as they feed, and early
removal can prevent infection. If
you dont nd an insect but do nd
a bulls-eye-like rash around a bite
mark, see your doctor immediately.
CAUTION AROUND MOSQUITOES
Mosquitoes are the culprits in rising rates of two diseases in Canada,

West Nile virus from home-grown
pests, and malaria from insects
encountered on overseas travel.

Canadas rst case of West Nile
virus was conrmed in 2002; the
next year 1,400 people in eight
provinces and one territory were
infected. Most people never know
theyve been infected, others suer
u-like symptoms. The Public Health
Agency of Canada says there is as yet
no vaccine against West Nile virus.
The agencys website, www.phacaspc.gc.ca/wn-no/symptom-eng.
php, has information on the disease,
its treatment and prevention.
By 2007, there were 2,215 conrmed human infections and 12
deaths. Mosquitoes get the virus
from infected birds and pass it along
when they bite humans. Still, it is estimated that less than one per cent of
mosquitoes carry the West Nile virus.
Canada has launched vigorous
programs to watch for dead birds,
which signal a local outbreak, educate the public and health professionals and protect food and blood
supplies from infection. In areas
where mosquitoes are particularly

prolic, people are educated to remove standing water from pool covers, saucers under plants, pet bowls,
wading pools and eavestroughs, to
rob the pests of breeding places.
Such rigorous response eradicated
malaria in North America in the
1950s. The mosquito-borne disease
kills more than a million people
around the world each year, but only
about 400 Canadians a year contract
the disease, chiey while on vacation
or visiting family in Africa and Asia.
Travellers can protect themselves
by minimizing risk of getting bitten (covering up, using mosquito
nets, using insect repellent containing DEET) and may want
to take an anti-malaria medication if travelling somewhere the
disease is rampant. Information
on avoiding and treating malaria
is available on a Government
of Canada travel website travel.
gc.ca/travelling/healthsafety/diseases/malaria.
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Pg14-15_Health.indd 15
15
2014-04-03 4:25 PM
VIEWS
journal
CLAMPING DOWN
ON DRUG RUNNERS
WITH THE CANADIAN FLAG coming down in Afghanistan and that

mission coming to an end, some
of the Canadian Forces largest operations now involve the
navy. Specically, the longstanding
commitment to combatting illicit
tracking in the southern hemisphere has now been ramped up.
Operation Caribbe, as this effort is known, now comprises four
shipsHer Majestys Canadian ships
Kingston, Glace Bay, Nanaimo and
Whitehorseplus a CP-140 Aurora
long-range patrol aircraft detachment, all deployed concurrently.
A deployment of this size to
help in the ght against drugrunners represents a shift in
BY ADAM DAY
priorities away from foreign deployments and toward the immediate

defence of Canada that we are
likely to see much more of in the
near future as the Canada First
defence policy kicks into high gear.
While the overall impact of
Operation Caribbe on international
drug smuggling is certainly
debatable, according to reports
in 2013, the operation resulted in
the seizure or disruption of
more than 5,000 kilograms
of cocaine.
In other news far removed
from the drug smugglers but
seemingly of far more interest to
the average CAF member, budget
cuts continue to wreak havoc
on everything from postings to
procurement to morale. With the
United States military now cutting

its manpower by over 100,000
troops, the question to be faced is
whether the CAF can realistically
maintain its current level of about
94,000 regular and reserve
membersthe highest that
numbers been in a couple decades.
According to one analyst, the
recent budget cuts have chopped
about $30 billion from the
CAFs budget once its adjusted
for ination, so were spending
far less than we did a few years
ago but we have far more troops.
Something clearly has to give.
In the meantime, some highprole sacrices have already
been made. For example,
the Snowbirds aerobatic
team have had their budgets
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prices before shipping and applicable taxes. Prices and specifications valid in
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with volume or other discounts or other promotions.
Pg16-17_Journal.indd 16
2014-04-04 11:56 AM
slashed, reducing the number

of hours theyre able to y
and forcing the cancellation
of all their demonstrations
scheduled to take place in the
United States. The Canadian
shows will go on as planned.
SECOND WORLD WAR

COMMEMORATION
In other ying news, a true icon of

the Second World War is about to
make a very rare journey. Canadas
only remaining Lancaster bomber will be crossing the Atlantic this
August to take part in a ying tour of
the United Kingdom alongside a second Lancaster operated by the RAF.
These are reportedly the only two
airworthy Lancasters in existence.
The Canadian Lancaster belongs to Hamiltons Canadian
Warplane Heritage Museum.
It is an Avro Mk X model built
in 1945 and purchased by the
museum in 1977, long after its
retirement from service.
include dental records and bone

charts of buried soldiersthat
some answers started to emerge.
As it turned out, Pte. Gordon
had scavenged some clothing from
a German soldier in the days leading
up to his death. As a result, he was
buried in a German cemetery
in Normandy, France.
Last year, the soldiers nephew,
also named Lawrence Gordon,
convinced German ocials to
remove some bones from the
burial casket for testing. A French
lab then provided DNA proof that
Pte. Gordon had been found.
It shows that people who were
enemies and killing each other
70 years ago, can now co-operate;
work together; help each other to
try and correct some of the things
that werent right in the past,
Gordon told the CBC. I intend
to have him buried in his
hometown of Eastend, Sask.,
on Aug. 13 this year, which is the
70th anniversary of his death.
The bomber is dedicated to

the memory of Pilot Ocer
Andrew Charles Mynarski,
a Canadian yer awarded the
Victoria Cross for his actions during the Second World War.
It will be the rst time in more
than 30 years that a Lancaster has
crossed the Atlantic. The current
plan is that the Mynarski Memorial
Lancaster will leave Canada in early
August and make the trip to England
in short hops over a number of days.
In more news from the last
world war, Private Lawrence
Gordona Canadian from
Eastend, Sask., near the Cypress
Hillswas serving with the U.S.
Army in France in 1944 when his
vehicle was hit by a German shell.
His body was never located.
What followed was decades
and decades of questions with no
answers and a mystery that would
torment his family. It wasnt until the
U.S. government nally declassied
their so-called X-Fileswhich
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Pg16-17_Journal.indd 17
17
2014-04-04 11:57 AM
VIEWS
eye on defence
BY DAVID J. BERCUSON
The final departure of Canadian troops from Afghanistan and the end of the
Canadian training missionOperation Attentionhas been the occasion for reflection
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18
Canadians served in Afghanistan,

in some capacity, from late 2001
to the spring of this year. More
Canadian military personnel
served in Afghanistan than in
Korea. More than 160 Canadians
died on active service and several
thousand were wounded in body
and spirit. So the questions being asked these days are: what did
Canada get out of it? And just as
important, did we win or lose?
But really, these are the
wrong questions.
They are easy questions to ask in
these days of reality TV when someone gets voted o the island and
someone else gets to stay. The difference between winning and losing
in reality TV is stark. The need for a
wide audience demands it. But parallels to the real world are non-existent. After all, the lm crew and the
program producers will come back
year after year no matter the fate of
individual contestants. Its not reality no matter how many yucky creatures the contestants have to eat.
In reality, wars rarely produce
clear-cut results. Our perception
of war is understandably always
going to be shaped by the outcome
of the Second World War. In that
war Britain, the United States and
the Soviet Union decided at the
beginning of 1943 they would ght
the Axis until they achieved unconditional surrender. In other
words, there would be no negotiations, no settlement, no treaties.
The enemy would be crushed, the
war would end when the Allies
won completely, and not before.
Some historians claim that the
only prior war that ended in this way
was the Third Punic War between
Rome and Carthage in the years
2013EB Medipac ad Legion island.indd 1
Pg18-19_EyeOnDefence.indd 18
7/31/2013 03:24:05 PM
2014-04-04 1:33 PM
PHOTO: ADAM DAY
by academic observers, the press and politicians on what, if anything, Canada accomplished there.
Canadian infantry
in Panjwaii, 2010.
PHOTO: ADAM DAY
In reality, wars rarely produce clear-cut results. Our

perception of war is understandably always going to
be shaped by the outcome of the Second World War.
149-146 BC which ended with the
complete destruction of Carthage.
Whatever the case, most wars have
ended very dierently, with political
settlements, even a war as vast and
bloody as the First World War which
ocially ended with the Treaty of
Versailles in the summer of 1919.
There were many predictions
of victory over the Taliban and
al-Qaida in the period that Canada
was engaged in the war, many by
Canadian diplomats, soldiers and
pundits. But victory was never on
the table in a conict where one antagonist had the support of a neighbouring countryPakistanacross
an open border and where the government of the country we were trying to save was so deeply corrupt.
The North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (including Canada,
of course) and the U.S. obviously
didnt win in Afghanistan, but
it is simply too early to say that
we lost. Last summer marked the
60th anniversary of the end of the
Korean War. When we look at Korea
today, we can rightly claim that
the lives lost in defence of South
Korea were lost in a cause that
ultimately triumphed. The contrast

between North and South Korea
today is manifest. But could we
have said that in the rst 30 years
or so after the end of the Korean
War when South Korea was a corrupt military dictatorship? Any
pronouncement on whether our
sacrices in Afghanistan were
worth it are simply too premature.
Afghanistan was a war of choice
for Canada, but then virtually all
the wars Canada has fought have
been wars of choice. Senator Raoul
Dandurand, Canadas representative
at the League of Nations, declared
in the early 1920s that Canada lives
in a reproof house, far from ammable materials. Long derided as
the epitome of interwar Canadian
isolationism, Dandurand was not incorrect. Canada is as safe as safe can
be in such an interconnected world.
But Canadian governments from
that of Sir Wilfrid Laurier in 1899 to
now have long decided for better or
worse, that Canadian prosperity and
well-being is ultimately connected
to whatever larger international
system nourishes us. Once that was
the British Empire, which guarded
our coasts and partnered with us in

trade and investment; now it is the
loose but nonetheless real association of western liberal democraciesthe EU, the United States, the
Anglospherethat we are so much a
part of and that helps to keep us fed
and safe. We fought for the British
Empire in South Africa in 18991901. We fought for the U.S. and
NATO in Afghanistan in 2002-2011.
But we also fought for ourselves.
There are many lessons we need
to learn from Afghanistan, about
how we fought and how we did or
did not protect our own national
interests when we were there. But
we occupy a large chunk of the
worlds land mass, we have a high
standard of living and we have
friends, partners and nations of
interest that we are interconnected
with. As former deputy prime minister John Manley said after 9/11, we
cant always leave the table when the
waiter comes with the cheque.
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FEATURES
CANADAS TRIUMPH
SEVEN
DAYS
IN JUNE
BY MARK ZUEHLKE
As light increased more and more dark shapes began to take
distinctive forms, and what had appeared to be just a few ships in close
proximity, now became a whole panorama of sea
1944 -20
1
power stretching as far as the eye to seaward...
TH
70
Lieutenant J.P. Marston, captain of HMCS Blairmore, describing what he saw

while crossing the English Channel hours before the D-Day landings.
D-DA
20
IV
ERSAR
70
1 944 -20
Pg20-27_DDay-v3.indd 20
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2014-04-04 1:44 PM
erman anti-aircraft guns started ring the moment the bombers and transport planes carrying
543 paratroops of 1st Canadian Parachute
Battalion approached the coast.
Just minutes into June 6, 1944, red lights in the planes
switched green. Doors were yanked open and Corporal Dan
Hartigan was one of the rst men to land in Normandy.
This was D-Day; the colossal invasion that would propel the
Allies to victory over the Axis powers in 11 months. Tasked with
protecting the invasions left ank, the Canadians were part of 6th
British Airborne Division dropping to the southeast of the invasion
beaches. Two American airborne divisions landed simultaneously
on the invasions west ank at the base of the Cotentin Peninsula.
In total, the airborne force numbered 23,000 men.
When the anti-aircraft re started most aircraft took evasive
action resulting in the paratroops missing assigned drop zones.
Only a handful of Canadians landed close. Many oated down in a
large expanse of ooded farm elds and drowned. More fortunate,
Hartigan landed literally on a farmhouses front step. Far o
course and alone save one comrade, he reached the drop zone after
daylight. But a handful of men had earlier overcome local resistance and secured it in time for the dawn arrival of gliders bearing
more troops and essential cargo.
Opposite page, from top:

The MK II Parachute helmet
would become standard
issue to the Canadian
airborne during and after
the Second World War; the
Canadian-made No. 4 MK I*
.303 Lee Enfield rifle
replaced First World War
vintage rifles in 1943; High
Top assault boots first saw
service on Kiska Island in
1943. The footwear became
a trademark item of the
Canadian infantry who
stormed Juno Beach. Below:
War artist Lieutenant
Thomas Wood was present
as the 262nd Flotillas
10 infantry landing craft,
loaded with Canadians,
swept into Juno Beach.
PHOTOS AND ILLUSTRATION: METROPOLIS STUDIO, W.E. STOREY COLLECTION;

LIEUTENANT THOMAS WOOD, BEAVERBROOK COLLECTION OF WAR ART, CANADIAN
WAR MUSEUM19710261-4857
21
2014-04-10 11:08 AM
Hartigan was still on the move when the massive

pre-dawn aerial and naval bombardment of the beaches
erupted at 0500. Closing in were 7,016 ships110 being
Royal Canadian Navywith 133,000 soldiers on board, including 14,500 Canadians of 3rd Infantry Div. and 2nd Armoured
Brigade bound for Juno Beach.
The invasion was divided into two zonesone British, the
other American. Juno was in the middle of the British zone and
flanked by Sword and Gold beaches. Utah and Omaha beaches
west of Gold lay in the American zone.
As one of 16 Canadian minesweepers involved in the Allied
naval effort to clear sea lanes for the invasion forces, His
Majestys Canadian Ship Bayfield was roughly three kilometres
offshore when thousands of shells whooshed overhead. Seconds later Telegraphist Stan Richardson
scribbled in a diary: The French coastall aflame.
Impossible, he thought, for many Germans to survive such a torrent of bombs and shells.
he bombardment was one phase in a meticulously developed plan years in the making. No
sooner had their last troops been evacuated
from the European mainland at Dunkirk on June 4,
1940, than the British started planning to return.
When America joined the war after Pearl Harbor, U.S.
planners got involved. By 1942, Canada had 500,000
soldiers in Britaina remarkable achievement for a
nation of only 11.5 million. The original intention had
been to preserve this First Canadian Army exclusively
for the inevitable invasion, but political pressure at
home and from within the Armys upper ranks resulted in its splitting. I Canadian Corps was shipped
out in 1943 to fight in the Italian Campaign.
The loss of these troops little affected Canadas immediate
role in the invasion plan. There was room on the beach for
only a single division supported by a brigade of tanks. Despite
the invasions formidable size, Operation Overlord was a gamble
to be won or lost on the sand.
However, every possible measure had been taken to stack the
odds. Deception plans left the Germans guessing where the invasion would fall. They were betting on the Pas de Calais which was
only 32 kilometres from English coast. Extensive Allied bombing
in the days leading up to the invasion sought to seal off the coast
of Normandy from German reinforcements by either road or rail.
In the early planning it had been realized that capturing a port
to facilitate resupply of the invasion force would be impossible.
Not long before the Dieppe raid in 1942, Prime Minister Winston
Churchill had mused about creating an artificial harbour that
could be towed to the invasion beach. This yielded the
Mulberrieseach consisting of 146 concrete caissons 60 metres
long that could be sunk in place and linked together. In addition to
the caissons, 58 block ships would be sunk. Caissons and ships
together would create two artificial harbours providing 7,200
metres of breakwater sheltered from the effects of storms.
A large inventory of specialized equipment was also
22
PHOTOS: GEORGE METCALF ARCHivAL COLLECTiON, CANADiAN WAR

MUSEUM20020039-001; SGT. ELMER R. BONTER, LiBRARY AND
ARCHivES CANADAPA193085; FRANK L. DUBERviLL, LiBRARY AND
ARCHivES CANADAPA112641
LEgion MagazinE MAy/june 2014
2014-04-03 2:00 PM
More than 100 Canadian warships

and some 10,000 Canadian sailors
supported the D-Day landings. From
top: A view from a landing craft shows
the beach at Bernires-sur-Mer;
Canadian paratrooper Corporal
Dan Hartigan; Canadian forces
disembark from a landing craft at
Bernires-sur-Mer on June 6, 1944.
developedparticularly in the form of armoured vehicles. Hobarts Funnies, named after Major-General Percy
Hobart who oversaw their creation, were to play essential
roles in both the invasion and the war thereafter. These were
modified tanks, and chief among them was the Duplex-Drive
(DD)a Sherman tank rendered amphibious by means of an
inflatable screen and propellers hooked to the motor that yielded
a six-knot cruising speed.
The Crab was another Funny. It had long flailing chains attached to a rotating front cylinder to explode mines. A modified
MK VII Churchill tank provided the platform for the Assault
Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVRE). This versatile device could be
outfitted for various tasks. When used to breach walls or fortifications, it mounted a 12-inch demolition gun firing a 40-pound shell.
Others Funnies carried various types of bridging equipment,
such as the Armoured Ramp Carrier which bore two foldout
ramps that could deploy into an immediate bridge. Due to their
specialized natures, all but the DDs were operated by soldiers of
79th British Armoured Div.
Every type of these unusual armoured vehicles would land on
Juno Beach. Two of the three squadrons from the Fort Garry
Horse and 1st Hussars regiments would deploy in DDs78 in
allwhile the other squadron would go ashore from landing
craft in conventional Shermans.
ust over 1,000 Canadian infantrymen formed the first assault wave on the long stretch of sand running from the
village of Courseulles-sur-Mer, east past Bernires-surMer and on to St. Aubin-sur-Mer; a distance of some eight kilometres. Courseulles and its adjacent fishing harbour were to be
taken by 7th Brigades Canadian Scottish, Royal Winnipeg
Rifles, and Regina Rifles battalions.
Bernires and St. Aubin were tasked to 8th Bde. with the
Queens Own Rifles attacking the first village and the North
Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment the latter. According to plan,
the Fort Garry Horse would support 8th Bde. while the 1st
Hussars would back 7th Bde. The battalions of 9th Bde. would
land once the beach was taken. By days end the Canadians were
to have advanced 14.5 kilometres from the beach and control
Carpiquet Airfield, west of the city of Caen, which the Allies
hoped to use as a fighter base.
The seas were heaving when the small, boxy landing craft
Should the enemy nevertheless force a landing [along the French

coast] by concentrating his armed might, he must be hit by the full
fury of our counterattack. For this mission ample and speedy
reinforcements of men and materiel, as well as intensive training
must transform available larger units into first-rate, fully mobile
general reserves suitable for offensive operations. The
counterattack of these units will prevent the enlargement of the
beachhead, and throw the enemy back into the sea.
Adolf Hitler in Directive No. 51 issued Nov. 3, 1943.
23
2014-04-03 2:00 PM
known as Landing Craft, Assault (LCAs) cast off

from the ships that had carried them to within a
short distance of shore. As the LCAs and DDs struggled shoreward many men aboard were violently seasick. When Rifleman Andrew Mutch of Reeve, Man.,
leaned over the side of an LCA to throw up a wave plucked
him overboard. He was likely the first Canadian to die on the
way to Juno Beach. Wed be on top of a wave andlook down
and see an LCA in a trough. The next think youd be down in
the trough looking up and there was water on either side of
you way up there high above, Lance-Corporal Gerry
Cleveland remembered.
The DDs were to have launched from their mother ships
6,370 metres offshore. Instead the 1st Hussars launched 2,730
metres out and the Fort Garry Horse tanks were taken to
within a few hundred metres of the beach. The distant launch
of the 1st Hussars proved disastrous. Only seven of 38 DDs
reached the sand and many tankers drowned when their
flooded machines sank. Others were shot dead in the water
by intense German fire.
All along Juno Beach machine gun, mortar and artillery
positions had sprung to life the closer the landing craft came.
The great bombardment had failedonly 14 per cent of 106
targeted positions destroyed. In Clevelands LCA everyone
was gawking at the many burning buildings in St. Aubinsur-Mer when machine-gun rounds hammered the front
ramp. Heads ducked quickly behind the protection of the
steel hull. Suddenly the passage to shore seemed endless.
When the front ramp dropped, Cleveland joined his North
Shore platoon in piling out. It was 0810 when he splashed into
chest-deep water and blundered towards shore with tracers zipping overhead. In front of him were two- and three-storey build-
MK II PARACHUTE
HELMET WITH
SCRIM CAMOUFLAGE
Designed for
airborne forces.
CAMOUFLAGED
FACE VEIL
Frequently used
as a neck scarf.
I have full confidence in your

courage, devotion to duty and skill
in battle. We will accept nothing
less than full victory!
Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower,
June 6, 1944.
ings from which swarms of machine guns and snipers fired.

Shells and mortar rounds were exploding in the water and bursting in the air. Buildings burned and smoke rolled over the beach.
Bodies of Canadians hung in wire entanglements or floated in
the crimson water. Some men took cover behind large X-shaped
steel structures dug into the sand and beyond the tideline to obstruct landing craft and tanks. Then, noticing that a dense tangle
of barbed wire in front of the houses facing the beach had been
breached by shelling, Clevelands platoon dashed through.
Reaching the houses, the Canadians pressed close to the
walls for shelter. Germans in the upper storeys enjoyed excellent fields of fire down on the huddled troops. To return fire,
the Canadians quickly realized they would have to step out
into the open street to take their best shots. After dodging
bullets, a Bren gunner courageously got into the centre of the
24
WEB
ANKLETS
GENERAL
SERVICE
ANKLE
BOOTS
2014-04-03 2:00 PM
s.
LAGED
L
used
carf.
LETS
While the weight of a soldiers kit could varydepending on

the taskit was anything but light on D-Day.
These two figures illustrate, in general terms, the varied and specialized
uniform and equipment worn by the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion
airborne (left) and North Shore (N.B.) Regiment (right) amphibious
assault troops. The weight of an average soldiers kit could easily
exceed 36 kilograms or 80 pounds.
MK III HELMET WITH
SCRIM CAMOUFLAGE
DENISON SMOCK
For airborne forces.
MK I BREN GUN
GUN.303 light
machine gun fed by 30-round
curved magazine weighs 25 lbs
when fully loaded.
COTTON BANDOLIER
BANDOLIER
Disposable bandolier contains

50 rounds of .303 ammunition
in five-round chargers.
GAS BRASSARDImpregnated
disposable paper brassard warning
device that would change colour
when exposed to gas.
NO.4 MK I* LEE ENFIELD RIFLE
WITH MK II SPIKE BAYONET
1943 PATTERN
LIGHTWEIGHT ASSAULT
RESPIRATOR HAVERSACK
WITH RESPIRATOR
1937 PATTERN HAVERSACK

with folded Mark VII
Groundsheet/Cape.
PHOTOS: METROPOLIS STUDIO; UNIFORMS AND EQUIPMENT COURTESY OF W.E. STOREY COLLECTION
FLAGE
WHAT SOLDIERS
CARRIED INTO BATTLE
ROLLED
CAMOUFLAGED
GASCAPE
T HANDLE
SHOVEL
ENTRENCHING TOOL HEAD/
HELVE COMBINATION
6-FOOT TOGGLE ROPE
For improvised ladders
and bridges.
MARK VII FELT-COVERED

WATER BOTTLEIn
In 1937
Pattern Carrier.
MORE ONL INE

For a full description
of the soldiers kit, visit
legionmagazine.com.
HIGH TOP
ASSAULT
BOOTS*
PLUS 360 views

* Indicates reproduction of item shown.
25
2014-04-10 11:10 AM
street, aimed his weapon and fired bursts

into the overhead windows. This kept the
Germans ducking long enough for the other
men to break into the ground floor. Inside, grenades and rifle fire forced the Germans back from
the stairwell. Cleveland dashed with the rest up the
stairs. They cleared the rooms with grenades, rifle
fire and bayonets.
Pausing for a moment in the confusion of smoke,
gunfire and exploding grenades, Cleveland was peering
over the Bren gunners shoulder when a shell exploded
close by. Shrapnel tore into Clevelands left calf and ankle and two men fell dead beside him. The survivors
dived for cover as more shells rained down. When the
fire stopped Cleveland hobbled back to the beach and
slumped behind the cover of the long seawall.
His days fighting was over.
26
y late morning the Canadian reserves had

landed at Bernires and the inland advance
began. Le Rgiment de la Chaudire, 8th
Brigades French-Canadian battalion, led. Although
the fighting proved not as hard, it was tougher than
anticipated. As the Canadians pushed forward, the
advance broadened with other battalions on either
flank. Everywhere the Germans resisted. Progress
was slow. June 6, however, still ended with the
Canadians more than nine and a half kilometres
inlandthe deepest advance achieved on D-Day.
They did so against formidable odds. Only on
Omaha Beach was German opposition stiffer.
The cost in blood on D-Day was high with 340
Canadians dead and 574 wounded (of which 26 later
died). Another 243 British soldiers fell on Juno. But
by days end the 14,500 Canadians were ashore, part
of almost 133,000 Allied troops landed. In addition,
the three airborne divisions had put 23,000 men on
the ground.
As the Canadians on Juno Beach had attained
most of their objectives, so too had 1st Canadian
Parachute Bn. Most paratroop casualties resulted
from men captured trying to reach the drop zone
from wherever they had been scattered. Of the battalions 113 casualties, 84 were taken prisoner. Only
19 died and 10 suffered wounds on June 6. The losses
represented a casualty rate of over 20 per cent.
And worse came on June 7 when most of the
surviving paratroops finished digging in around
Le Mesnil crossroads, roughly five kilometres east
of the Orne River. Here five roads converged on the
PHOTO: GEORGE METCALF archival COLLECTION, CANADIAN WAR MUSEUM20020039-001
ll along Juno Beach similar firefights raged.

The German defences were not overcome by
coherent, rehearsed attacks. Instead, it was
a matter of individuals coming together and doing
whatever necessary to win. Sometimes officers led,
but just as oftenwith their officers killed or woundedmen acted on their own initiative.
When 1st Hussars Sergeant Lo Garipys tank
landed in front of Courseulles the crew immediately
engaged a pillbox with five rounds from the 75-millimetre gun. Then he ordered the tank to charge
and punched five more rounds through its firing
slit. Having silenced the pillbox, Garipy wrote, the
tank crew engaged machine-gun nests dotting
[the] beach which were playing merry hell along
the waterline.
The sacrifice of the Royal Winnipegs B Company
was typical. Their LCAs had been lashed by machine-gun, artillery, and mortar fire while still 640
metres off the beach. When the ramps dropped they
saw five large concrete blockhouses ahead. Rifleman
Jake Millers platoon went into chest-deep water 45
metres out. Bullets struck men down on either side.
Lieutenant Rod Beattie collapsed in calf-deep water
with a bullet in his spine. Miller flung himself in
front of his officer and shot at a pillbox. A German
inside fired back and grazed his left side. Then shrapnel from a mortar bomb sprayed him, a large chunk
piercing his right knee.
Rifleman Emil Saruk dashed across the beach and
got behind the pillbox. Seconds later, its gunfire ended. Miller found Saruks body lying before the pillboxs back entrance. It was surrounded by dead
Germans. Riflemen lay dead all along the beach.
B Company had only 26 of 127 men still fighting fit.
But these were out past the wire and first line of
fortifications, moving inland.
2014-04-03 2:00 PM
Canadian soldiers
head into the water
from a landing craft
at Bernires-sur-Mer,
June 6, 1944.
tactically important
low-rising Bavent
ridge. Corporal Dan
Hartigan was among
the defenders.
Determined to regain
control of the crossroads, the enemys 346th Infantry Div. put in a
determined attack only beaten back when the
paratroopers fixed bayonets and mounted a
counter charge.
Fighting raged until nightfall of June 8 with paratroop numbers slowly dwindling. By the morning of
June 9 it was a stalemate with neither side able to conduct offensive operations. That night Hartigan wearily
watched as flares coursed the sky, and sporadic artillery fire chilled [my] lonely, sleepless senses.
PHOTO: GEORGE METCALF archival COLLECTION, CANADIAN WAR MUSEUM20020039-001
ar to the right, 3rd Infantry Div. and 2nd

Armoured Bde. had started June 7 in anticipation of soon winning Carpiquet Airfield. At first
all went well. By afternoon, even though opposition
had steadily stiffened, 9th Brigades North Nova Scotia
Highlanders were digging in at Authie. They were
nearly 13 kilometres inland and within two kilometres
of the airfield. But the force was badly extended with
North Nova companies scattered into strongpoints
stretching back into Buron. Only a small number of
Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiments tanks provided support. The advance had carried the North Novas beyond range of the divisions artillery and poor wireless
equipment made it impossible to summon the longerranged guns of the battleships and heavy cruisers.
Some Sherbrookes even managed to reach a parallel
road where the village of Franqueville stood across
from Carpiquet. But the tankers walked into a 12th SS
(Hitlerjugend) Panzer Div. ambush at 1410. The 12th SS,
comprised of young and fanatic Nazis, were under orders to drive the Canadians into the sea. While German
armour struck the Sherbrookes, Panzer Grenadier infantrymen overran the North Novas at Authie.
A disorganized fighting withdrawal towards
Buron, less than a kilometre to the rear, resulted in
many killed or captured. Buron proved no haven.
Although the North Novas defended it with ferocity,
by evening a withdrawal was necessary. The regiment lost 84 dead, 128 captured, and 30 wounded.
But the days fighting thwarted the 12th SS drive to
the coast. It also gave time for the Stormont, Dundas
and Glengarry Highlanders to fortify their position
at nearby Les Buissons.
All across the Canadian front the massive attack on
June 7 by the 12th SS inflicted heavy casualties. But
only at Authie and Buron did it yield significant success. Although often surrounded and embattled, the
Regina Rifles held out at Bretteville-lOrgueilleuse

and Norrey-en-Bessin. While the Winnipeg Rifles
were thrown back from Putot-en-Bessin with heavy
losses, a Canadian Scottish Regt. counterattack late
the next day that required advancing across open
fields under intense fire regained the village.
By June 9 there was no longer any hope of the
12th SS winning through, but the battle continued
to seesaw back and forth until June 11. That day the
Queens Own Rifles and 1st Hussars tanks assaulted
Le Mesnil-Patry from Norrey. This attack was sharply repelled by well-concealed German tanks and
anti-tank guns. The 1st Hussars lost 37 tanks and
had 80 casualties of which 59 were fatal. The Queens
Own Rifles counted 55 killed, 33 wounded and
11 taken prisoner. June 11 is remembered by the 1st
Hussars as Black Sabbath, because it accounted for
the regiments heaviest losses suffered in a single day
and almost a third of its entire casualties in the war.
On June 12 the fighting sputtered out with the
Canadians and Germans as exhausted and bloodied
as punch-drunk boxers.
Tragically, 137 Canadians taken prisoner between
June 7 and 11 were murdered by SS troops. Their
commander, Colonel Kurt Meyer was found responsible and sentenced to be shot. But the sentence was
commuted to life imprisonment and Meyer was
released in 1954.
For the period of June 7-12, Canadian casualties
totalled 2,831of which 1,017 died. But the heroic
stand saved the Allied invasion. Had 12th SS pierced
through to Juno Beach, the Germans might well have
been able to roll up all the other beaches one by one.
Certainly that had been the intent. Instead, by the
night of June 11-12, 326,547 men, 54,185 vehicles
and 104,428 tons of supplies were ashore.
The beachhead was secure.
Breaking out of this beachhead would require a
massive campaign running from July 4 to Aug. 21
when the Falaise Gap was closed and the remaining
German forces in Normandy took flight. But June 6
and the following six days determined the inevitability of Allied victory.
COMING
SOON!
Canadas Ultimate
Story continues...
Liberating
Normandy
The Road To Victory
On Newsstands May 26!
See Ad on page 32.
27
2014-04-03 2:00 PM
FEATURES
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hortly after 12:30 a.m. EDT on June 6, 1944,

ash bells rang in the downtown newsroom
of the Ottawa Journal to indicate that a bulletin was coming through on the printers.
Working the night shift, Bill Westwick, the papers
sports editor, went to investigate.
Meanwhile, at historic Laurier House in the citys
Sandy Hill district, Prime Minister Mackenzie King
was enduring a tful nights sleep. According to a report in the Toronto Daily Star later that day, King was
the only person in Canada who knew what was unfolding overseas at that moment and likely causing bells to
ring in newsrooms across the country.
Back at the Journal, Westwick started reading what
was on the teletype machine. In his regular column the
next day, he shared what it related.
The German-controlled Transocean news agency had
announced that heavy shelling was underway between
Le Havre and Cherbourg on the coast of France, along
with news of Allied landings. There were reminders of the possible feints spoken of by Mr. Churchill,
Westwick explained. But within a half-hour, at 1:00
-2014
By BRIAN JEFFREY STREET
44
AN
NIVERS
a.m. local time, the ash bells were ringing again, this
time to report a broadcast by the Berlin-based news
agency DNB.
There were more warnings that the announcement might be regarded as a German ruse to force the
European underground into a false move. Always there
followed word that there had been no conrmation
from the Allied High Command.
Westwick continued: Then came ashes and bulletins telling of radio instructions beamed to occupied
Europe and the conviction was strong that this was
no feint, but this was it. Then the announcement and
conrmation from the Supreme Allied Command. And
later, while the city slept, news of the greatest military
undertaking in history was rolling in.
By then, the prime minister had already received
conrmationits not clear howthat Allied armies
were storming the beaches of Normandy.
Awake and dressed before dawn, King prepared a
LEGION MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE

MARCH/APRIL
20142014
Pg28-31_D-DayHeadlinesV2.indd 28
2014-04-04 10:38 AM
From left: Prime Minister Mackenzie King

addresses Canadian troops, 1941; journalist
Ross Munro at his typewriter; Colonel C.P. Stacey
became an official historian of the war.
brief statement. He then made his way to the local CBC

radio station in the Chateau Laurier hotel.
He arrived shortly before 8:00 a.m., and at the hour
he spoke to the nation.
In his 1948 ocial history, The Canadian Army 19391945, Colonel C.P. Stacey described the invasion of
Normandy as probably the best-advertised operation
in military history: only the really essential points
notably the actual time and placeremained secret.
Still, after years of war, news that Allied armies had
nally launched a full-on assault against Germanoccupied France was electrifying.
As word spread following Kings morning radio
broadcast and a follow-up bulletin read by the CBCs
Earl Cameron, some major city newspapers ran early
editions to satisfy the publics hunger for details.
Headlines were oversized and dramatic, and while
the accompanying news stories attempted to convey
the magnitude of what was happening in France (and
England), no information concerning specic ghting units involved in the landings could be released.
As a result, readers in cities that had sent regiments
overseas couldnt know for sure if their sons, relatives
or friends were among the tens of thousands of Allied

soldiers, sailors and airmen who were said to be involved in the ghting.
In fact, it would be weeks before Ross Munro of the
Canadian Press, on the scene as a war correspondent,
could reveal the names of regiments and others who
made history that day.
Four Canadian Battalionsthe Royal Winnipeg
Ries, the Regina Ries, the Queens Own Ries of
Canada from Toronto and the North Shore (N.B.)
Regimentwere the heroic assault infantry units that
stormed the fortied Norman beaches on the morning
of D-Day, Munro reported in a story that appeared
in newspapers across the country on June 22. Tanks
from the 1st Hussars of London, Ont., and the Fort
Garry Horse of Winnipeg were in the rst assault, too,
with daring assault sappers from the Royal Canadian
Engineers and machine-gunners of the Cameron
Highlanders of Ottawa. He added: On the western ank a company of the Canadian Scottish from
Victoria also was in the rst wave to hit the beaches.
Companies of artillery, signals and other regiments
also went ashore. In addition, Canadian paratroopers,
while attached to a British airborne brigade, dropped
behind enemy lines the night before the landings
and were to pay a steep price for their bravery in a
critical role.
PHOTOS: LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADAC005772; FRANK ROYAL, LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADAPA136201; LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADAPA501024
MARCH/APRIL
Pg28-31_D-DayHeadlinesV2.indd 29
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2014-04-04 10:39 AM
FEATURES
Staff at the Globe and Mail
in Toronto wait for D-Day news.
Opposite page: A special
prayer meeting is held
outside Torontos city hall,
June 6, 1944.
Yet in Canada on that unforgettable day, only the

broadest details could be revealed. Even with those,
people across the country embraced news of the longawaited invasion with feelings of worry and fear mixed
with hope.
In Victoria, where the Daily Times proclaimed
INVASION! on its front page, church bells rang to herald the news and call people to prayer. As many as 1,100
men and women thronged Christ Church Cathedral
alone, it was reported.
A story inside the newspaper captured the citys mood.
No Jubilation On D-Day; People Condent of Victory,
it proclaimed in the headline. From the subdued Well,
this is it! of the grey-haired man who stood at the post
oce at eight this morning to the declarations of ministers, men and women have accepted D-Day with that
serenity born of long waiting, the story revealed. The
tone of conversations overheard in stores and oces or
on busy street corners was Well, at last its come.
In Regina, the front page of The Leader-Post pronounced in large bold type: CANADIANS IN THICK
OF IT AS ALLIES SMASH INLAND.
On page three, under News Of Invasion Taken
Calmly, a story related what many readers already
knew because they were a part of it.
Meanwhile, the Winnipeg Tribune ran an extra edition headlined INVASION IS ON and CANADIAN
FORCES IN FIRST LANDINGS.
For its part, the rival Winnipeg Free Press reported,
Winnipeggers received the news of the invasion of western Europe calmly, feeling that the occupation, perhaps
the biggest in their lives, was serious beyond jubilation.
It added that one storekeepers comment seemed to be
typical. It had to come. Its best to get it over. Another
30
man, the father of a sailor, remarked, I feel condent it

will go through. Its been well planned.
There was a spurt of volunteering at the citys downtown army recruiting oce. The boys want to get into
this show before it is over, remarked Major C.E. Otton.
In Toronto, the Globe and Mail ran a page-wide
photo montage of troops storming a beach amidst
explosions and while under the protection of several
ghter aircraft, above the headline ALLIES LAND IN
FRANCE. Also on the front page was a story by the
Canadian war correspondent Ralph Allen, headlined
Amazing Embarkation Starts Men, Machines For
Date With Destiny, to give readers a sense of the enormity of the operation.
The Toronto Daily Star emblazoned its front page with
several headlines, one of which suggested that the Allies
were battling in the streets of Caen. It was not the only
newspaperor broadcaster, for that matterto mistakenly relay such a report. In fact, the Allies would not take
Caen until July.
More accurately, the paper noted that trac at
Torontos busiest intersection was brought to a standstill at noon that day as thousands of citizens crowded
city hall square and overowed across Queen and Bay
streets to attend a special prayer meeting.
Several Quebec regimentsthe French-speaking
Le Rgiment de la Chaudire from Lvis, on the south
shore of the St. Lawrence River across from the provincial capital, along with the 27th Armoured Regiment
(Sherbrooke Fusiliers) and Montreal-based 7th
LEGION MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE

MARCH/APRIL
20142014
Pg28-31_D-DayHeadlines.indd 30
2014-04-03 2:13 PM
Reconnaissance (17th Duke of Yorks Royal Canadian

Hussars)also landed in Normandy. In Montreal, the
Gazette reported that many factory workers were observed discussing the possible whereabouts of their
York Regiment. He fought in the Sicily campaign and
relatives in the armed forces and presumed to be taking
since landing in Italy had been in hospital ve times.
part in the invasion.
Sincere sympathy is extended the bereaved family in
There was pride and joy mixed with some anxiety at
the loss of a son and brother, the short article concluded.
rst, the paper continued.
Similar stories would follow. In the June 16 edition,
Red Cross officials described an outpouring of
multiple notices appeared as though to give credence to
support, including many spontaneous offers of
the headline Many Telegrams Received Announcing
blood donations.
Overseas Casualties. Among those were soldiers with
But perhaps most moving of all were reports from the
the North Shore Regiment. The parents of one young
weekly North Shore Leader out of Newcastle. The Leader
soldier were notied that their son
published on June 9 that
was severely wounded in action on
week, but that didnt stop
In Victoria, where the Daily Times proclaimed
June 7 and was in hospital. They
the paper from putting
out a 10-page edition that INVASION! on its front page, church bells rang must have surmised where he had
sustained his injuries, which would
looked as though it was
to herald the news and call people to prayer.
have brought the papers headlines
providing same-day covereven closer to home.
age of the landings. Large
It was also sadly announced that Major J. Archie
headlines announced: ALLIED INVASIONS FORCING
MacNaughton, an infantry ocer from Black River
AHEAD, EXPANDING FOOTHOLDS CANADIANS
Bridge, had been killed in action. It is thought possible
WIN BEACHHEAD IN LESS THAN THREE HOURS.
that this casualty occurred in France, the article noted.
The papers front page also featured prominently
Major MacNaughton was an ecient ocer and very
a story that captured how heartbreaking the reality
popular with his men, it was stated.
of war could be for families across the country. It reLater, it would be learned that the 47-year-old
lated how the parents of 22-year-old Corporal Joseph
veteran of the First World War, who had already sufNorman Ramsay learned that their son had paid the
fered a wound during the North Shores initial assault
supreme sacrice.
on the beach, had fallen in a hail of machine-gun re at
A telegram received by Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay on
close range, along with several of his men, while comMay 30th stated that their son had been wounded in
manding A Company as it advanced toward the village
action in Italy on May 23rd; a letter was received on
of Tailleville.
Saturday from Ottawa saying that his name was not
His was just one of many countless acts of courage
on the danger or serious list and that it was presumed
and sacrice by Canadians on that very long and fateful
his condition was normal. On Monday they received
day in June 1944one that for an anxious home front,
the telegram stating that he was killed in action on
even if it only got part of the story, was truly a day like
May 23rd.
no other in the war.
Ramsay had gone overseas with the Carleton and
PHOTOS: JOHN H. BOYD, CITY OF TORONTO ARCHIVES90983; JOHN H. BOYD, CITY OF TORONTO ARCHIVES90982
MARCH/APRIL
Pg28-31_D-DayHeadlines.indd 31
31
2014-04-03 2:13 PM
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2014-04-04 9:03 AM
FEATURES
During a pilgrimage to
Vimy in 1936, Charlotte
Wood wears the medals
of her sons who served.
FACETOFACE
FACETO
FACE
TOFACE
TOFACE
ON
THE WEARING OF A DECEASED
VETERANS MEDALS
Should family members of deceased
veterans be allowed to wear the military
medals of their deceased relative?
Author Glenn Wright of Ottawa

says NO. Author John Boileau of
Halifax says YES.
PHOTO: LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADAPA148875
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 Canadas wartime service. 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.
Do you think family members of deceased veterans should be allowed to wear the
military medals of their deceased relative? 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
Pg33-35_FaceToFace.indd 33
33
2014-04-03 2:18 PM
FEATURES
GLENN WRIGHT
ERVICE MEDALS as well

as honours and awards
are sometimes worn
by family members on
Remembrance Day to respect and
commemorate recipients of the
medal and their contributions to
military service. Yet, Canadian law
and custom are unequivocalmilitary medals are to be worn only
by those who were awarded them.
By all means, lets remember
what the medal represents, but
lets be wary of a practice that
could very quickly lead to misuse and misrepresentation.
Medals are not costume jewellery. They connect recipients to
a time in their lives when serving our nation took precedence
over all else. From the militiamen
in the War of 1812 to the young
men and women who served in
Afghanistan, it was a personal decision to defend our country, our
values, our way of life. Permitting
family to wear these medals diminishes the award itself. After
all, what right do we have to appropriate the experience, sacrice
and valour of the original recipient and for what purpose? Would
any protocol to allow the wearing
of medals on the right breast as
opposed to on the left breast be
obvious to all observers? That
would open the door to confusion
and be a serious disservice to all
veterans and disrespectful of those
who rst earned the medals.
34
NO.
died in the Second World War are

If the existing law were
available now without restriction.
amended, what would
There are other practical
the protocol be and how
alternatives to wearing an
would it be enforced?
ancestors medals. We already
What if wearing medals
remember fallen heroes in various
was abused and they were
ways, the most popular being the
worn on days other than
memorial ribbon currently used
Remembrance Day? Would that
by the Canadian Armed Forces,
lead to other demands, would
police services and so on. In place
family members want to wear
of wearing original and often
other honours and awards, such
valuable, irreplaceable medals,
as the Order of Canada? The
why not design a distinctive
true value and meaning of the
memorial ribbon family members
medal would be trivialized.
and even friends can wear on
Does wearing the medal of a
Remembrance Day to remember
serviceman or servicewoman
veterans, even long-ago ancestors,
who may have served in the
who served our country? This
Second World War truly evoke the
would be simple and practical.
memory of that veteran two or
Finally, for those of us who have
even three generations removed?
a family or ancestral connection
Should a 14-year-old wear greatto wartime or peacetime service,
grandfathers Distinguished Flying
our very presence at Nov. 11
Cross? Medals should be cherished
and treasured by
families because
they are a tangible
link to the recipient
BY ALL MEANS, LETS REMEMBER
and may be the only
WHAT THE MEDAL REPRESENTS,
reminder one has
BUT LETS BE WARY OF A PRACTICE
of a loved one. Why
risk loss, damage
THAT COULD VERY QUICKLY LEAD TO
or theft by wearing
MISUSE AND MISREPRESENTATION.
them in public?
There are other
ways to cherish
the memory of
ceremonies is recognition of our
veterans. With the centenary of
own emotional attachment not
the First World War and the 75th
only to a relative or relatives
anniversary of the beginning of
who served, but to all veterans
the Second World War upon us,
who fought and died for our
we can commemorate our veteran
country. Perhaps at some future
ancestors by studying what they
Remembrance Day, when many
did. For the First World War,
of us may have a memorial
entire service les will be online
ribbon to wear, we can honour
and accessible to all at Library and
the fallen without appropriating
Archives Canada in early 2015.
what they so bravely earned.
The service records of those who
2014-04-03 2:18 PM
YES.
C
HARLOTTE WOOD of
Winnipeg, Canadas rst
Silver Cross Mother,
attended the unveiling of the Canadian National
Vimy Memorial in 1936. She had
12 sons, several of whom served
in the Canadian or British forces.
Not all of them survived the war.
At ceremonies, Charlotte Wood
wore the medals of all her sons
that served.
If she had worn their medals in
Canada, she would have broken
the law.
Since 1920, Article 419 of the
Criminal Code of Canada has stated
in part: Everyone who without
lawful authority...wears a...military
medal...or any decoration or order
that is awarded for war services...
is guilty of an oence punishable
on summary conviction.
Perhaps because the incident
occurred outside Canada, no
one charged Charlotte Wood.
In fact, very few people who wear
the medals of others ever are. It is
normally up to police to investigate
and lay charges, Crown prosecutors
to approve sending those charges
to court and judges to hear and
rule on them. But apparently it is
generally deemed not in the public interest to proceed with such
charges, perhaps being considered
an inappropriate use of an already
overworked judicial system.
This law was ostensibly introduced to deter others from impersonating veterans returning from
the First World War who were entitled to certain benets. If it ever
was a compelling reason then (how
about simply showing a discharge
certicate?), it is certainly groundless in this day of digitized records.
JOHN BOILEAU
The wearing of deceased

veterans medals by relatives
has become a hot-button topic lately. Both sides of the argument have weighed in with
their opinions. Most who object believe relatives have not
earned the right to wear medals or see it as an attempt by the
wearers to boost their egos, which
could cheapen the medals. But veterans relatives do not claim to have
been awarded these medals. They
want to wear them for other reasons.
As the Criminal Code only prohibits the wearing of military med-
Although it is illegal to wear veterans medals in Britain and some

other Commonwealth countries,
these same countries do not have a
problem if the veteran is deceased.
As the Royal British Legion website notes, The medals awarded
to a deceased service/ex-service
person may be worn on the right
IT WOULD BE HARD TO IMAGINE CANADIANS TOLERATING

THE PROSECUTION OF ANYONE FOR WEARING THE MEDALS
OF LOVED ONES ON SPECIAL OCCASIONS.
als, decorations or orders awarded
for war service, it would appear
that there are several medals that
can be worn legally by others, such
as various commemorative medals.
It would also seem that military
medals not awarded for war service
can also be legally worn by others,
including the Special Service Medal
and Canadian Forces Decoration.
The federal order-in-council,
Canadian Orders, Decorations and
Medals Directive, 1998, states that
the insignia of orders, decorations
and medals shall not be worn by
anyone other than the recipient...
It is doubtful however, if charges
would ever be laid under this order.
In fact, it would be hard to imagine
Canadians tolerating the prosecution
of anyone for wearing the medals of
loved ones on special occasions, for
example a mother whose son was
killed in Afghanistan or the widow
of a Second World War veteran.
breast by a near relativeparent, spouse, sibling or childas

opposed to on the left side of the
chest, where most medals recognized in the Canadian Honours
System are traditionally worn.
What a sensible solutionone
that Canada should adopt.
With a few simple guidelines,
this could become a reality. For example, medals could only be worn
on the right side (as Legion medals
are now), the veteran would have to
be deceased, only one set of medals
could be worn at a time and only
close relatives (parents, spouses,
siblings and direct descendants
in perpetuity) could wear them
on limited appropriate occasions,
such as Remembrance Day.
What better way to show gratitude for our departed veterans
service, honour their memory,
reect pride in their achievements
and maintain their legacy?
35
2014-04-10 11:12 AM
FEATURES
THE ROYAL COMMONWEALTH EX-SERVICES

LEAGUE MEETS IN BARBADOS
Story and Illustrations
by JENNIFER MORSE
36
LEgion MagazinE may/june 2014
Pg36-40_RCEL.indd 36
2014-04-03 2:22 PM
Dis is where de blood run down de blade, the old

soldier grinned, pointing to a long groove in his
rusted sword. If youre going to de war, dey always
tell you got to go and charge...you want to kill
dem. Aaaaaarrrhhh! Bring it!
With that brief explanation, Second World War veteran
Leon Watts parried and lunged, dancing over his plywood
floor like an old musketeer.
Watts is one of many Caribbean veterans from the South
Caribbean Forces who answered the call when Britain was
in need during the First and Second World Wars. As their
nations gained independence, many of these veterans received little or no help from their governments and since
they were no longer British citizens they were left to fend
for themselves. The Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services
League (RCEL), created in 1921, has a clear goalto provide a meal a day for every veteran in needand a face-toface visit whenever possible.
Canada is one of the founding members of the RCEL,
along with Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and
South Africa. In 1966, The Royal Canadian Legion (RCL)
took over the care of veterans and widows in need in the
Caribbean. And Legionnaires right across this country
give generously and faithfully. Over the last
five years Legionnaires have donated
$1,276,283, reaching an annual
total of $315,856 in 2012.
Left: Delegates take a break

from sessions to watch
the changing of the
guard at the Main
Guard, Bridgetown,
Barbados. This
page, above: Second
World War veteran Leon
Watts points out the groove
designed to let the blood run
down the blade if you stab
your enemy.
Barbados is
the most eastern island in the
Caribbean and its total area is 430 square kilometres with 97 kilometres
of coastline. It is shaped like an
upside-down Africa, which is where most of the population descended from. There are nearly 290,000 people on
this beautiful little islandless than the membership of
the RCL.
On a bright morning on Jan. 17, 2014, RCL Dominion
President Gordon Moore joined delegates from seven
of the 15 Caribbean nations and representatives from
England at the Main Guard, Bridgetown, Barbados, a red
brick British Colonial Garrison built in 1789. Fresh from
their meet-and-greet event the night before, delegates got
down to business. This is the first ever regional meeting,
and the RCL came to discuss processes, and report back to
Legionnaires on the distribution and use of funds.
Moore welcomed the group and talked about the objectives of this meeting and the future of the RCEL. The core
businessdistribution of RCEL welfare will reduce as the
number of pre-independence ex-service men, women and
widows pass away. But the network the RCEL has built
up over more than 90 years is and will continue to be invaluable for distributing funds to those in need. Service
organizations, many of them military, who wish to donate
to specific veterans in hard-to-reach areas can use those
existing conduits. This is expected to become the majority
of the Leagues work over the next five years. The RCL also
acts as a central co-ordinating agency for the Caribbean.
On Sunday morning, Jan. 19, delegates took part in a remembrance ceremony at the Barbados Military Cemetery.
Seated under ancient gnarled and burled trees, among
bone-coloured gravestones and tombs, delegates bowed
may/june 2014 LEgion MagazinE
37
2014-04-03 2:22 PM
Dominion President Gordon Moore (left) and Dominion

Secretary Brad White prior to placing a wreath in the
Barbados Military Cemetery.
their heads to remember those who died and exactly why

the RCEL was created. The first to place a wreath was the
RCL followed by all the countries in attendance as well as
Captain Lance Gill, Controller Welfare, RCEL and Brian
Watkins, RCEL Honorary Legal Adviser.
In the afternoon, delegates resumed their business
sessions. By and large, the majority of countries meet
the expectations of accountability, but RCLs Dominion
Command is providing careful oversight. If the renewal
applications are not completed annually, the money will
not be sent. But not every island needs or accepts welfare
38
grants for their vets and Barbados is a good

example of that along with Jamaica, the
Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos.
Instead, the RCL provides poppy supplies to islands free of charge to help
these countries raise funds and awareness during the remembrance period.
The logistics of shipping and storing
poppy supplies was front and centre in
the lively discussions. Both Barbados
and Jamaica stepped up with offers to
store poppies for the other islands and
save the RCL the cost of shipping annually. Barbados has also offered
to approach the coast guard to see
if there is a possibility to have the
supplies delivered free of charge to
the other islands.
Delegates shared concerns about
shrinking membership, the cost of
caring for their veterans and lack of help
and commitment from some of their governments. They questioned the RCL closely,
looking for guidance on who can be a member of
Canadas Legion, and who is eligible to use poppy funds.
Moore offered to send information on the RCLs policies
and guidelines.
Gill brought news from England. It was a busy year for
the RCEL with many challenges in simply meeting the
core mandate of providing a meal-a-day to the thousands
and thousands of veterans and their widows worldwide.
A meal a day in India is 120 per annum ($219 CAD), in
The Gambia it is 80 ($146 CAD) and in Somaliland it is
100 (182 CAD)...and the ever increasing cost of living has
affected all of the countries that we support... To put this
in context, over a million dollars in grants were disbursed
in India, while in the Caribbean the RCL will support 119
veterans who receive a grant of $1,080 annually and 119
widows who will receive $540 annually. In 2014, the RCL
expects to spend $242,870 on individual, medical and
administrative grants, as well as support for the Curphey
Home in Jamaica and poppy material.
There was unanimous support to meet again in 2018,
between the 2016 conference scheduled for Malaysia and
the conference celebrating the RCELs 100th anniversary
which is planned for Cape Town, South Africa, in 2020.
The only sticking point was where in the Caribbean that
next meeting might take place. Although Barbados was
willing to host again, its delegates were keen to enjoy the
2014-04-10 11:13 AM
hospitality of another country. Antigua delegate Thomas assumed a body builders pose. His advice, well, it is all
according to how you live. It is better to give than to ask.
(Beresford) Bell, agreed to look at the 2018 timeframe.
In wrapping up, delegates joined Moore in thanking He asks very little and lives an independent life. Right,
Barbados for their generous hospitality. He wanted to wrong or na I dont keep no friends. De only friends I keep
underline how important communication is. We can are de dogs and de birds and de plants. Soon after, we
pass this information on to the membership of The Royal shook hands and said goodbye and the old veteran went
Canadian Legion in Canada because they are really con- back to his carpentry.
From there we drove out to see Joseph Nathaniel
cerned and theyre 110 per cent behind all of you, for your
veterans and your widows...the Legion is a family. God Bellamy in St. George Parish. He too was small, thin and
neatly dressed in a white polo shirt, patterned shorts and
bless you all.
After the business and delegates had returned home, a translucent black skull cap.
His side yard was shaded by a star fruit tree and the
Lawrence (Carl) Forde, Chairman of the Barbados Legion
Benevolent Committee, offered to drive out and visit two ripe fruit seemed lit with sunshineglowing like yellow
Second World War veterans. The narrow roads have been Chinese lanterns in the afternoon sun. Forde picked a
carved out of the porous grey coral sometimes rising near- dozen or so before we went in. The old veteran and I sat
ly two metres on either side and topped with waving fields on the corner of the single bed. It is about five years
ago that I lost my sight, he began.
of sugar cane that helps tie the few
I got glaucoma, I tried to get it
inches of soil together and fight the
On Sunday morning, Jan.
operated, but all the doctors tell
erosion on this small island.
me, I cant operate on your eyes. If
Leon Fitz Stanley Watts, a wiry
19, delegates took part in a
I could of I would have paid to have
91-year-old veteran met us at his
it done, doubly tragic because in
chain-link gate and then guided us
remembrance ceremony
the majority of glaucoma cases the
around debris, past cages of dogs,
vision loss can be halted if treatrabbits and birds before we enat the Barbados Military
ed. You got to wait for somebody
tered his small wooden house in St.
Cemetery. Seated under
come and move you here and move
Michaels Parish. I built everyting...
you there and take you under...
I cook in here, make me happy. I eat
ancient gnarled and burled
Last night I prayed... I would like
anyting at all. That is what caused
see again Father, promise me
me to live this length, Watts extrees, among bone-coloured to
that Lord...that I will see again, see
plained while sliding his carpentry
some peoples faces.
pencil behind his ear and gesturing
gravestones and tombs,
While the old man spoke, his
around the open living space he was
hands
fluttered over my fingers,
renovating.
delegates bowed their
hands, wrists and kneeslike butI joined de army at 17 years old...
terfly wings beating against my
heads to remember those
we tend to de trucks... We had maskineven running along my pen
chine guns, we had cannon guns.
who died and exactly why
and pad as I wrote and flipped pagWe had to go through gas before
es. He told me he could tell exactly
we leave here...a fella had on de gas
the RCEL was created.
what a woman weighed by feeling
mask and a very terrible ting it was...
her wrists and hands. You are 130
whatever you exhale you inhale...
Although they put him on a ship to war in 1943, they pounds, he announced triumphantly, entirely off mark.
There are not many of us now you know, he continued.
turned back part way through the voyage. He still regrets
that he didnt see action. We spent too long, we spent too I was born on de first of August in 1923... When I was
13-years-old I began to work in de plantation... I was a very
longHitler, we want to turn him back...
Soon Ill be 92, but that is only a number. Dont nobody handy boy...they gave me a job for 12 cents a day...
There was no radio on the plantation, so every night 12
never ever tell you that you should die at 92 or 100.
Watts unbuttoned his cotton shirt, tucked it behind his of the boys walked out to hear the news and by 1943 could
back into his black shorts and inhaled deeply. As the an- wait no more. We heard that de Germans fighting and
imals yipped and crowed, he slowly raised his arms and getting a chance for de English...we decided that we want
39
2014-04-03 2:22 PM
Second World War veteran

Joseph Nathaniel Bellamy remembers joining the army.
to go and join de army that we could fight for our King

and country... I was number six to get selected...
They were told on Friday that they would be leaving Barbados on Monday, his 20th birthday, and
were also advised to marry. If you are married
they are going to give you 21 shillings per week
and give your wife 21 shillings per week. But they
dont give your mother any money, nor your father,
nor your brotherthey belong to you... So you got
40
to get married if you want de government to look after

your family...
I like a girl, so... I give away some of my friends and
some give away me and every kind a tingI signed for
all them and they signed for all me. None of us sleep
with our wife that night. We had to go and join our
unit. De boat was coming in de nighttime to take us
to Trinidad...
My [regimental] number was JN3865, 1st Heavy
Anti-Aircraft troop, Pointe--Pierre, Trinidad. We
had to go and man de ack-ack guns at night...any
airplane coming nine miles away, we had a searchlight there and bang! That searchlight would burn
in and hit de airplane nine miles away and de
pilot would got to stop. De pilot would have to
give notice. That searchlight was so strong
that when that hit de airplane you cant see
where you are going...
Bellamy didnt get overseas. After three
years de British and de Allied troops had
everyting under control and our boys
went to Egypt to take over. I was ready to
go with de next batch, but before we could
leave they had cancelled that. They had
de war under control and de Germans
had surrendered.
Servicemen were given the first opportunity to immigrate, and Bellamy
needed work. I went to Florida....the
sun was that hot in Florida, oh dear,
I couldnt manage to stay in that hot
sun in Florida...so I try and get a
transfer and went to Pennsylvania...
picking apples and peaches and I
could make a bit of money there.
Veterans such as Watts and Bellamy
are the reason the RCEL exists and the
reason the RCL supports these islands.
The opportunity to visit old soldiers and hear
their stories is a rare chance to capture a past that is
slipping away. I am 91-years-old now and I can do a
lot of things too. I am still physically fit, said Bellamy.
Canada is one of the places I have never been... I would
rather have snow than too hot sunshine... Sometimes
when it is too warm, oh dear, you cant get your breath. I
always say, if there was snow.
As we shook hands to leave, Bellamy said he had
prayed for a visit the night before. My prayer came
true, he smiled with pleasure.
2014-04-03 2:23 PM
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FEATURES
POINT
BLANK
WAR
Canadian Special
Operations Regiment
during night operations
in Afghanistan.
By ADAM DAY
Canadas Special Operations Forces

in Close Combat With The Enemy
IT WAS EARLY SPRING IN K ANDAHAR CIT Y AND WHILE

CANADAS COMBAT MISSION IN AFGHANISTAN WAS
COMING TO AN END, THE FIGHTING WAS FAR FROM OVER.
What follows is the story of Canadas secretive special operations

forces in battle, as elements of the Canadian Special Operations
Regiment (CSOR) and elements of Joint Task Force 2 (JTF-2) joined
forces to combat determined insurgents in Kandahar City.
It would be a long, hard battle, fought largely at night, in the midst
of one of the most heavily populated areas in Afghanistan. While
no Canadians were killed, many were awarded for their valour.
Incredibly, no Afghan civilians were killed in the battle, either.
It is a remarkable Canadian war story.
42
Pg42-47_CSOR.indd 42
2014-04-03 2:36 PM
BRAVERY IN THE SHADOWS

The Canadian special operations community
is a small, fairly secretive group. And this story
is one of the first ever published accounts
of a battle fought by both the Canadian
Special Operations Regiment and Joint
Task Force 2. It is based on personal in-
But once the bullets started zinging into his quarters

he knew it was time to pay attention.
Captain Dave got up from his desk and wandered
outside. There seemed to be some kind of gunght right
outside the base. The ring was growing more intense.
A small crowd of special operators had gathered to
watch and discuss the battle.
Captain Dave strode across the gravel to check in at
the tactical operations centre.
terviews with Captain Dave and Sergeant

at CSORs home base at CFB Petawawa.
The interview took place inside the Devils Den,
which is the unit tuck shop and hangout,
so named because CSOR as a unit is the
descendent of the First Special Service
Force (FSSF), the famed Second World
War unit known as The Devils Brigade.
The walls of the Devils Den were covered
in FSSF memorabilia and unit insignia.
May 7, 2011
Forward Operating Base Graceland,
Kandahar City, Afghanistan.
It began like any other day of the war, just the normal
grindget up, eat some bad food, start chipping away
at the endless tasks that needed doing.
If the actual nuts-and-bolts reality of ghting a war
didnt always match the war movie hype, it wasnt
really anyones fault, really.
Outside the wire, the Afghans were up and moving
and across the dusty city things were happening. The
soldiers of Canadas special operations task force were
spooling up for another day at war.
Across Graceland, operators came and went. Burly
Americans with beards, wiry Brits, intelligence agents
and who knows who elseallies of every nationality
and secretive stripe. Graceland is a base with an almost
mythical presence in any story about the war in southern Afghanistan.
Captain Dave* was working away in his little oce
just after noon when the rst shots were red. He
didnt think much of it; there was ring on the bases
ranges all the time.
Down where the troops lived, Sergeant Sebastian*
didnt think too much of the rst shots either. The bullets may have been ying overhead, but that was really
nothing new.
*Last names are omitted for reasons of personal security.
The Afghans Are Called Out

The Taliban were striking hard. In at least three
locations across Kandahar City, insurgents had
taken up positions inside buildings, surrounded
themselves with bombs, and were ring away.
While technically the Afghan Provincial Response
Company (PRC) was part of the police force, its capabilities made it more like a counterterrorism unitthink
of a war zone SWAT team and youll have a pretty
good idea.
The Canadian Special Operations Regiment was here
to help the PRC rene their skills, particularly at closequarters battle.
And with one quick cellphone call, the PRC was told
to head out the gate into the mayhemand CSOR was
going with them.
It wasnt a Taliban attempt to take over Kandahar
City, nothing like thatthe city is too big, too many of
its inhabitants would rebel, the security forces are too
strong. The intent of the attack was closer to an act of
terrorism than anything elseit was a show of brutal
suicidal force, meant to provoke a huge response from
the security forces and scare Kandahars citizens into
fearing and respecting the Talibans capabilities.
Captain Dave and Sergeant Sebastian were at the
front of the Canadian column as they raced toward
their target building. There were about 30 CSOR
operators crammed into their Humvee jeeps and
up-armoured civilian-style SUVs.
As gunre and explosions echoed out from multiple
locations, the Afghan security forces went on extreme
alert. More than once the CSOR operators were held
up by twitchy Afghan guards who didnt want to let
them pass their roadblock. In one bad moment, some
Afghan allies at a roadblock pointed their weapons at
the Canadians, and the Canadians then pointed their
weapons at the Afghans. No one red; Sebastian just
took it in stride, no big deal.
They rounded the last corner before the target building and were met with a strange sight. An American
MRAPa huge blast-resistant patrol vehiclewas reversing hard up the street, right toward them, smoking.
Just seconds earlier the MRAP had been blasted by
an IED, its front end was crumpled, shattered.
As the Canadians manoeuvred around the stricken
PHOTO: DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE
Sebastian, the latter of which agreed to talk
43
2014-04-04 1:22 PM
44
CSOR operators and their American Humvee

patrol vehicle.
shopkeepers, they seemed unconcerned that they

were in the middle of a battle. They were taken
quickly into custody.
Captain Dave and Sergeant Sebastian swept into
the ground oor, unsure what was waiting for them.
Methodically, they searched through two oors, nding nothing. At every stairwell and tactical point they
left Canadian and Afghan sentries behind to secure
the area as best they could.
By the time they reached the third oor, the assault
teams numbers were dwindling. It was a huge building and they didnt have enough men to secure it entirely. Additionally, they kept nding Afghans hiding
in the building and controlling these menwho were
either shopkeepers or insurgents whod put down
their weaponswas yet another complication.
The Canadians knew that any insurgents in the
building would have been pushed up to the third oor
by their advancing force. If there was a ght, it was
going to happen in the next few moments.
Sergeant Sebastian rounded the corner from the
stairwell into the malls main area. There were two
Afghan PRC soldiers in front him. Every step they
took was marked by crunching noises from the broken
glass and concrete shards underfoot.
From the darkness ahead came a torrent of automatic weapons re. The noise was deafening inside
the enclosed concrete structure. The insurgents were
shooting from no more than 20 feet away. The bullets
tore into the walls around them, and into esh.
Captain Dave got on the radio. He wanted to know
what was happening but no one is answering. They
couldnttoo busy ghting for their lives.
Sergeant Sebastian and his Afghans scampered
back behind cover. Sebastian didnt see where the
bullets came from. He looked over and saw one of the
Afghans clutching his hand. Not moaning or crying
or saying anything, just clutching his hand. One of
his ngers had been shot clean o, another torn in
half. Blood was everywhere.
PHOTOS: DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE
vehicle, Sebastian saw American soldiers scatter and

literally start running for their livesthe Americans
knew there were more bombs ahead and they thought
the Canadians were about to trigger them.
The street ahead was a war zone; multiple IED explosions and a huge, ongoing reght had turned what was
a busy city street into debris-strewn chaos. Elements
of the American battalion responsible for security in
the area had pinned a group of insurgents down inside
a large building on the corner of the block ahead.
Captain Dave knew they had to nd another route
around the IEDs to make their link-up with the
American battalion commander who was on the
ground directing the ght.
The Americans were stretched thin. They had
enough forces to pin the insurgents inside the building,
but not enough to go in and rout them out. That job
would instead fall to the Afghan PRC and their
Canadian mentors.
The Americans reported there had been no insurgent re for the last 20 minutes or so. Captain Dave
considered his options. He was in charge of xing this
problem but he didnt know precisely what the problem
waswhile it was clear Kandahar City was under attack, there was no way to know what was waiting for
them inside that building. While a conventional commander may have been inclined to call in an airstrike
and Apache helicopter gunships did attack other
buildings during the battleCaptain Dave wanted
to take a dierent approach.
He picked Sergeant Sebastianone of his most experienced detachment commandersto lead the raid
on the building. The small team of Canadians and
Afghans would go in and take down the insurgents face
to face, minimizing
collateral damage.
They chose their
entry carefully, trying to avoid the possibility of being red
on before they even
got inside.
The building was
three storeys tall,
with lots of balconies and openings to
the outside. It was a
shopping centre, a
bazaar, full of stalls
selling kitchen items
A CSOR operator in Kandahar.
and carpets. Just
like in Canada, these
stalls had metal gates the proprietors would use to lock
up their shops at the end of the day. While all of the
shops inside were closed, they werent all empty.
It was getting near dusk. Before the CanadianAfghan force could get inside, a small group of
Afghans appeared on the balcony above them. Likely
2014-04-03 2:36 PM
No Option But To Fight

The tactical situation was bad for the attackers, good for
the defenders. The Taliban were in a shop in the malls
dark interior, Sergeant Sebastian knew that much, and
the Canadians were stuck on a walkway near the exterior wall, the only entrances being narrow corridors
like the one Sebastian had just tried to walk down.
They had to nd another way.
After evacuating the wounded Afghan, Sebastian
left a small group of Canadians and Afghans,
including Captain Dave, to keep pouring re on

the insurgents as he led an eort to ank them
by traversing across the mall to a new entry.
Again with two Afghans leading and his interpreter trailing, Sergeant Sebastian pushed
forward in the attack. He had already assessed
that approaching from this new angle should
limit the insurgents ability to see them.
Out into the open they went; the enemy fusillade was
even stronger this time. The lead Afghan got shot in the
chest, the bullet tearing through his chest-mounted
A HECTIC AND CONFUSING BATTLE:

A rough diagram of the top floor
of the shopping centre
The position of the initial attack toward the insurgents

in position 3. This is where
Sgt. Sebastian was lucky
enough to topple over his
interpreter to the ground
as bullets smacked into the
wall above. Captain Dave
spent much of the battle
here, directing the fight and
firing on the enemy position.
Deeming an attack from

position 1 suicidal, Sgt.
Sebastian led his team
around to attack this way,
down the shop fronts and
somewhat out of the insurgent line of fire. As the night
wore on multiple attacks
occurred down this route.
3
2
The insurgents were barricaded in this corner stall.

The X marks the spot
where the Afghan soldier
was shot in the neck and
where Sgt. Sebastian
crawled out to rescue him.
45
2014-04-04 1:23 PM
support in the position of the last attempted assault,

ammunition, embedding in his body armour and sendSergeant Sebastian was now going to lead an attack
ing shrapnel into his eyes. As bullets crashed around
from yet another position, trying to sneak up beside
him, Sebastian turned to run for cover and tripped
the insurgents.
over his prone interpreter, a bit of luck that probably
They crept down the walkway, the shuttered stores
saved his life. He crawled back behind cover as the
on their left and an open area on their right. Despite
Afghans scattered.
all the re being thrown their way, the insurgents
Behind cover, nobody could believe Sebastian hadnt
somehow spotted the attackers from within their
been shot. The medic checked him over, but found no
darkened shop holdout and opened re. Once again,
wounds. They listened to see if they could hear the two
the Afghans scattered, ring
Afghans, not knowing
back in the direction of
whether they were lying
Sebastian didnt see where the bullets came
the insurgentsand the
wounded or dead or if
Canadiansas they retreated.
theyd somehow escaped.
from. He looked over and saw one of the
After another attempted atIt was very dark now,
Afghans clutching his hand. Not moaning or
tack with the same result, a
night had fallen. The
radio call came from outside.
Canadians were using
crying or saying anything, just clutching his
One of the Canadian operators
their night vision goggles
hand. One of his fingers had been shot clean
on the perimeter thought he
but, with no natural light
at all inside the darkened
off, another torn in half. Blood was everywhere. could hit the insurgent position
from outside, shooting through
structure, they werent
a window with his mounted
very eective. Most of the
.50-calibre machine gun. Everyone pulled back while
Afghans either used ashlights or just went without.
this was attempted. However, the heavy machine guns
It turned out the two Afghans, including the wounded
tracers soon started a re in a nearby stall, so the atsoldier, had ed down an adjacent corridor. The wounded
tempt was called o.
man then went downstairs to seek treatment, while
Now, several hours into the assault, with black smoke
the unwounded Afghan managed to navigate back to
from the re adding to darkness, Sergeant Sebastian
Sergeant Sebastian and report in.
gathered up some of the remaining Afghans for another
Captain Dave and Sergeant Sebastian now had a
assault down the same corridor.
much clearer sense of where the insurgents were poThis time, they made it all the way down to the end
sitioned. They were in the centre block of stalls, but
of the row of stalls. They were right beside the stall
on the far corner, and they had a line of re on pretty
containing the insurgents, literally just a few feet away.
much every approach.
One of the Afghans coming up from behind unfortuIt was time to get serious. With CSOR snipers denately lost his situational awareness and walked right
ployed across the street, and a second base of re
46
PHOTOS: DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE
A CSOR operator conducts live-fire training with an Afghan counterpart.
2014-04-03 2:36 PM
past Sergeant Sebastian at the front of the attack and

into the line of re. An insurgent immediately shot him
in the neck at point-blank range.
Sebastian was watching. He didnt know if the PRC
soldier was alive or dead. The Afghan suddenly started
to move, tearing at his body armour, gurgling.
He was wounded, but aliveout in the open. The insurgents couldnt see him; he was down on the ground
below their line of sight. Sebastian and another Afghan
crawled out into the open to attempt a rescue. The insurgents heard them and started ring. Bullets tore
through Sebastians uniform but didnt hit him. They
made it to the wounded Afghan, grabbed him and
pulled him back to cover.
By this point, late at night, the Afghan PRC had become essentially exhausted. In Captain Daves words,
the unit had culminated. That left only Sebastian and
a couple of other CSOR operators to try one last time
to take out the insurgents. Back down the corridor they
went, knowing that this time one of them would have to
reach out into the enemys line of re in order to slide a
grenade through the metal bars and into the shop.
Textbook now, the re suppression got the Canadians
right beside the insurgents, right back to where the
Afghan was just wounded. The grenade went in, re
and smoke blasted out of the store. There were a few
calm moments and then the insurgents started ring
againhowever they had that defensive position congured, those guys were extremely hard to kill.
By this point, Captain Dave was running out of options. The Afghan PRC was largely combat ineective
and his own soldiers were running low on ammunition.
Battles were still going on across the city, they had to
get this wrapped upso he called in the Black Force,
the name given to the special operations unit largely
composed of Joint Task Force 2 operatives who focused
on covert, direct-action missions.
JTF-2 had been on standby, waiting for the call. The
rst order of business was to get some more repower
onto the insurgent holdout and attempt to destroy
them. They made a new plan: using the sniper position
across the street, theyd use heavy machine-gun re
to knock down part of a wall, allowing Canadian and
Afghan special forces to re M72 rockets and rocketpropelled grenades directly at the insurgents.
This proved eective. After the rockets were red,
there was no more shooting from inside the mall.
At rst light the next morning JTF-2 and CSOR did
a combined attack on the insurgent position and did
not encounter any resistance. When they nally got
inside the enemy defensive position, they found two
burnt bodies.
With that objective secure, the combined Canadian
special operations force mounted up and went back to
Graceland. Fighting was ongoing in other parts of the
city. When the operators got back on the base, the rst
thing they did was prepare to go out again. They started
loading magazines.
For their part in the battle that day,

CAPTAIN DAVE and SERGEANT SEBASTIAN
were awarded the Star of Military Valour,
which is second only to the Victoria Cross
in the order of Canadian bravery awards.
Other CSOR members also received awards
and commendations, including a Medal
of Military Valour, though they couldnt
be interviewed for the story. Dave and
Sebastians citations read as follows:
CAPTAIN DAVE: The Ocer Commanding
of the Embedded Partner Team responsible
for mentoring the Kandahar Provincial
Response Company was awarded the Star
of Military Valour. On May 7/8, 2011, this
member bravely led and mentored his team
through a close quarter clearance operation
of a multi-storied building. Under intense
re and at great personal risk, he valiantly
co-ordinated multiple assaults and successfully neutralized the insurgent threat. This
member was also awarded the Meritorious
Service Cross for dramatically improving the
operational eectiveness of the Kandahar
Provincial Response Company, thereby enhancing both the Afghan Rule of Law and the
overall legitimacy of the Afghan government.
SERGEANT SEBASTIAN: A Detachment

Commander within the Embedded Partner
Team responsible for mentoring the Kandahar
Provincial Response Company was awarded
the Star of Military Valour. Throughout the
night of May 7/8, 2011, this member repeatedly stepped into the line of re in order to
lead and motivate Afghan partners through
a series of intense and extremely dangerous
assaults against heavily armed insurgents.
During a particularly intense portion of the
reght, with bullets passing through the
fabric of his uniform, this member assisted in
pulling a critically wounded Afghan partner
from the line of re, ultimately saving his life.
47
2014-04-04 1:23 PM
FEATURES
Long-Term
Support
For Canadas Veterans

Part 1: The Duty To Care
ts unusual to catch Gib McElroy

in his room at the Perley and
Rideau Veterans Health Centre in
Ottawa. Hes out visiting his friend,
Charlie, at bingo or physiotherapy,
a veterans council meeting or taking in one of the centres many activities. Hes gone so much that his
wife and his friends have learned
to leave messages for him to call
them when hes got a minute.
On this day the 90-year-old
veteran does have time for a chat
in his cozy room. Memorabilia on
the walls and a comical statuette
of a clown provide a welcome splash of
colour on a grey winter day.
McElroy survived three crash landings during the Second World War; in 1943, at age 19, he
parachuted to safety when his Lancaster was shot down.
He was captured and taken to a prisoner of war camp,
endured starvation and a forced winter march to another
camp before escaping as the Russians moved in.
Back in Canada, McElroy settled down to family life.
He worked as a locomotive fireman, survived a train
wreck, was a master car salesman and eventually retired.
48
By Sharon Adams
Above:
Second World
War veteran
Gib McElroy.
Opposite page:
Jack and
Norma Watts.
In his 80s he started having falls, once

shattering an elbow. After a couple of
respite stays at the Perley, as it is fondly called, he applied for long-term care
and moved there in 2013.
People think you get in here because
youre on borrowed time, he said. I lose
no time in setting them straight. He is
among the last 2,500 so-called traditional veterans (Second World War and
Korean War veterans) supported today
by the federal government in long-term
care. Grateful to the hundreds of thousands who volunteered to serve during
the Second World War, the federal government committed to helping ex-service personnel resettle into civilian life,
a promise later extended to Korean War
veterans, but not to modern veterans
those who served after the Korean War.
As there was no public health care system
then, a network of 40 federal facilities
was established for veterans treatment
and rehabilitation. As veterans needs
evolved to be more chronic and domiciliary in nature, the nature of Veterans
Pg48-52_Access.indd 48
2014-04-03 2:46 PM
PHOTOS: SHARON ADAMs
Affairs Canadas program evolved to what it is today: longterm care, said Janice Summerby, media relations adviser.
With the dawn of public health care in the 1960s, provinces assumed responsibility for their residents health
care, including long-term care. Federal facilities were
gradually transferred to the provinces, though they have
retained their veterans culture and today are fondly referred to as veterans homes.
A funding agreement guarantees priority access in
provincial facilities for traditional veterans eligible for
long-term care support from Veterans Affairs Canada
(VAC). Provinces fund medical costs, and charge patients
for meals and accommodation. With some exceptions,
VAC pays for meals and accommodation for traditional
veterans who meet its eligibility criteria. The federal department also provides enriched services, such as extra
nursing hours, and art or music therapy programs.
Theres a fear that when the last of the traditional veterans passes away, so will the veterans homes, since priority access to long-term care has not been extended to
modern veterans. Some worry the veterans culture will
evaporate, as veterans become outnumbered in community facilities, special programs starve for funding and
staff, experienced in veterans health issues, disperse.
Once the infrastructure supporting these specialized
veterans homes is shut down, it will be next to impossible
to reconstruct, said veteran Duane Daly, a member of the
Perley Rideau Veterans Health Centre board of directors.
In B.C.,
hundreds of
thousands
of dollars of
funding has
evaporated,
threatening
enhanced
care and
programs
like art
and music
therapy,
which are
open to all
residents,
not just
veterans.
There are now thousands of

community facilities across the
country providing these services,
said Summerby. Many veterans are
choosing to stay in long-term care
facilities in their own communities
so they can remain close to loved
ones. Veterans Affairs pays the full
cost of care of modern veterans with
service-related disabilities in their
community near family and social
support services.
Centralized veterans long-term
care is a thing of the past. Former federal veterans homes across the country have been busy planning how to
ensure that the last traditional veterans continue to receive high quality
care as the federal program winds
down. Some facilities are planning
how to survive in provincial health
care systems already struggling with
strained long-term care budgets and
growing demand. Some are making
a concerted effort to maintain their
veterans culture.
In 2013, VAC estimated there were
91,400 Second World War veterans
and 9,900 Korean War veterans.
Most of these men and women are in
their 90s. Modern veterans number
594,300, average age 56. As local
populations of Second World War
veterans decline there are fewer veterans qualified for priority access
beds. In 2012, only 2,595 of 3,133
VAC-supported priority access beds
were occupied.
No one knows exactly when the
last priority access bed will close. The
last First World War veteran died at
age 109; all Second World War veterans will most likely be gone in about
20 years, the last of the Korean War
veterans in the 2040s.
MAY/JUNE 2014 LEgion MagazinE
49
2014-04-03 2:47 PM
Staff at Camp Hill Veterans Memorial Building in Halifax

expected a diminution in 2011, but it hadnt appeared by
fall of 2013, though the wait list had dwindled. But Veterans
Services Director Elsie Rolls, who has been at Camp Hill
for 12 years, notes other changes. Veterans are coming into
long-term care older and frailer. The average stay is about
four months, down from 22 in 2005. Its a cross-country
trend attributed to veterans desire to age at home, coupled
with the growth in the number of assistance programs, including VACs Veterans Independence Program.
Veterans will receive excellent care until the very
end of their lifeand duration of Veterans Services at
Camp Hill, a 2012 planning document promises. Camp
Hills 175 veterans are housed in seven wings with separate dining and activity rooms. Theres a garden, a pub
and a chapel. Care has been taken to ensure Camp Hill
feels like home, not a hospital.
Our plan is to make sure we have sufficient numbers
of specialists, nurses, therapists, staff and volunteers
to provide that level of enhanced care, explained Rolls.
Its still a home and the whole focus is around the veterans as we downsize.
The Legion is watching carefully, said Jean Marie
Deveaux, past president of Nova Scotia/Nunavut
Command of The Royal Canadian Legion. We have someone there every week to attend the veterans council meeting, and people there visiting every day. Deveaux worries
about veterans being stressed by moving rooms and closing of units. Some have lived in the same room on the
50
Above:
Second World
War veterans
Noel Gooding
and Betty Jevne.
Above right:
the George
Derby Centre,
Burnaby, B.C.
same floor for years; to them its home.

The veterans units will close one by
one as the veteran population declines.
As of last fall it had not been decided
what would fill the space, but the Camp
Hill Veterans Memorial Building is
part of the Queen Elizabeth II Health
Sciences Centre, which has hospital,
mental health, rehabilitation and research facilities.
The end will be emotional. Camp
Hill Hospital, named for a military
camp dating back to 1757, began serving First World War casualties in 1917;
long-term care began in 1924. Its many
volunteers and community partners
include Legion branches, the Chief
and Petty Officers Association, as well
as members of the serving military.
Veterans Affairs Canadas annual funding for veterans care, $23 million in
2012, partially funds many staff positions in the health region.
The community, the Legion and the
military have raised funds for such enhancements as the veterans garden,
and its a shame for these things not
to be enjoyed by veterans, especially
since there are modern-day veterans
who could go there, said Deveaux.
The George Derby Centre in
Burnaby, B.C., also has a long history.
It was named after a disabled First
World War veteran, an early Veterans
Affairs employee, who helped write the
first Veterans Charter and negotiated
land for the original centre in 1946.
2014-04-03 2:47 PM
Number of beds occupied by veterans and other

VAC clients by type and province (as of September 2012)
(Source: Veterans Affairs Canada)
PRIORITY

BEDS
ACCESS BEDS
Occupied BY Occupied BY Departmental TOTAL

MODERN TRADITIONAL BEDS
BEDS
Province VETERANS VETERANS Occupied Occupied
Newfoundland
and Labrador
29
70
99
Nova Scotia
261
301
562
PHOTOS: SHARON ADAMs; Fotografica Studio Ltd.
Prince Edward
Island 66 8
The heart of the new building, which opened in 1988, is a

glass-canopied town centre, its streets dotted with benches
and lined with gift shop, canteen, banking services, dental
office, library, hair salon, chapel, art studio and music
room. Every room in the four living areas and dementia
unit has a spectacular view of lush West Coast greenery.
The George Derby Centre has already begun its transition to a community facility. We have 300 residents;
about 225 are veterans, explained Mel Elliott, acting executive director. Priority access beds unclaimed by veterans go to civilians only when there are ongoing vacancies
and no wait list, states VAC.
On a rainy Tuesday, the town centre is busy with groups
playing billiards, cards and chess. Second World War
tunes are the sound track as Betty Jevne, who came to the
centre in 2012 after breaking a hip, chats in the art studio
with five-year resident Noel Gooding who landed on Juno
Beach on D-Day. We dont get to talk about our war experiences, said Gooding. Not very often, anyway.
This is the only place to be if youre a veteran, added
Jevne, 90, who signed up with the Womens Division of the
Royal Canadian Air Force on her 18th birthday in 1942.
She uses a motorized wheelchair to get around, but shes
still a party girl at heart. She and her husband travelled in
a motor home for 20 years. We met people and drank and
danced and had a good time. Her only complaint now is
that the streets roll up too early. I do like to be out late.
The programs offered at George Derby keep her hopping, Jevne added. But those programs may not survive
after the traditional veterans are gone and there is no more
VAC funding. Though Elliott was reluctant to discuss finances, John Scott, chairman of the Veterans Service and
Seniors Committee for the Legions British Columbia/
Yukon Command, said withdrawal of VAC funding is hurting all the provinces long-term care facilities that house
veterans. For some, its meant hundreds of thousands of
dollars of funding has evaporated, threatening enhanced
New Brunswick
168
209
Quebec
356 34
0 74
0
377
372* 762
Ontario 2,675 985
0 3,660
Manitoba 319 187
0 506
Saskatchewan 303
87
Alberta 562 241
390
0 803
British
Columbia 1,319 473 0 1,792
Yukon 0 0 0 0
Northwest
Territories 0 0
0 0
Nunavut 0 0 0 0
National Total: 6,058
2,595
372
9,025
*Beds occupied in the only remaining departmental facility,

Ste. Annes Hospital, Quebec
care and programs like art and music therapy, which are
open to all residents, not just veterans.
The George Derby is working hard to find alternate
funding, explained Elliott, and is working with Simon
Fraser Health Authority and VAC to ensure a smooth transition from veteran-based to community-based facility. To
ensure its long-term future, the centre plans to meet wider
needs of the growing seniors community and is investigating building assisted living seniors apartments.
In Ottawa, the Perley and Rideau Veterans Health
Centre is a little further along with both strategies. It is
about a third of the way through a 15-year plan to create
a Seniors Village. This plan will see it through dwindling
VAC financial support, help the province meet its challenge
to provide for an aging population and keep its commitment to honour veterans and maintain its veterans culture.
51
2014-04-04 1:26 PM
The Perley Rideau Seniors Village
PHOTO: SHARON ADAMs
LONG-TERM CARE RESIDENCES

- Ottawa Residence: 160 Beds
- Gatineau Residence: 160 Beds
- Rideau Residence: 130 Beds
- Guest home: 12 Beds
The Perley will provide a continuum of seniors care,

including a 450-bed long-term care facility (which now
has 250 priority access beds), an adult day program; respite, convalescent and dementia care; 139 independent
apartments; and assisted living services. Village amenities include a drug store, barber shop and salon, banking,
fitness centre, art studio, recreational activities, gardens
and green spaces. Now in planning is a primary health
clinic and wellness centre. Commercial, health and recreation facilities will be open to seniors and veterans in the
surrounding community.
We made a decision that our long-term future would
be tied to veterans, said Akos Hoffer, the centres chief
operating officer. Canadian Armed Forces members
anyone whos honourably served at any timehave priority access to up to 30 per cent of the apartments.
The centre has reached out to the Perley and Rideau
Veterans Health Centre Foundation to fund $5 million
of the $42.3 million building project; $1.5 million has
been raised so far, said Daniel Clapin, the foundations
executive director. Programs do not rely solely on VAC
funding and the centre is seeking additional donors to make up for waning
VAC financial support.
The creative arts and recreation program is vital to residents quality of
life, said Carolyn Vollicks, manager of
programming and support. There are
a lot of losses in the lives of people coming here. Art, music or gardening often
gives residents a new lease onlife.
The province will still control the longterm care waiting list, but the Perley is
creating an opportunity for what Hoffer
calls a warm transition. We will know
very early on when a tenant should get
on the long-term waiting list. The last
thing you want when youre 90 years old
is to relocate to a new environment.
The Perley village concept attracted
veterans Norma and Jack Watts, who
are among the first apartment residents, as they considered
options for their long-term future. If one or both of us begins to deteriorate, well, it can be handled, said Jack. We
can both be looked after and it can be in the same place.
They met and married in England in 1944, when Jack
was flying with Bomber Command and Norma was in airfield operations. Jack spent 34 years in the Royal Canadian
Air Force before they retired to Kemptville, Ont., where
eventually household and gardening became onerous.
With a little help, they can still look after themselves.
52
Seniors apartments
139 units in two buildings
The Perley Rideau Revenues

minister of health
residents
veterans affairs canada
Other
$24. 6
9. 8
8. 3
2. 8
TOTAL REVENUES
$45.5
(2012 in millions)
TheVeterans Independence Program takes care of housekeeping; they mostly make their own breakfast and lunch,
but go to the communal dining room for dinner. Should
they eventually need more help, they can
tap into other support services, including health and medication monitoring.
With assistive living services, the
Watts may never need long-term care.
But if they do, its a comfort to these
traditional veterans to know they will
have priority access.
Its a different story for veterans who
served after the Korean War. They now
make up about two-thirds of the 8,500
veterans supported by VAC in 1,700
long-term care facilities across Canada,
at a cost of $266 million in 2011-2012.
Even when they qualify for financial
support by VAC, modern veterans must
first meet criteria for long-term care
in their provincial health care system.
Then they queue up with civilians for
assignment to a facility, which may
The George Derby not be the one they prefer and may not
Centre is bathed
have other veterans as residents.
in light, even on
Should priority access to long-term
a cloudy day.
care beds be provided to modern veterans? Should more thought go into
grouping veterans together in longterm care facilities? These and other
questions will be tackled in the second
part of this story, which will appear in
the July/August issue.
2014-04-03 2:47 PM
NAVY
CANADIAN MILITARY HISTORY IN PERSPECTIVE / BY MARC MILNER
PART
FEATURES
63
ESCORT
GROUP C.3:
ACTION AND
REACTION
This undated photo shows depth charge
explosions astern of HMCS Saguenay
during convoy escort operations.
erman operations against convoy ON 115 ended in the

fog of the Grand Banks on Aug. 3, 1942 (A Night Of
Furious Action, March/April 2014).
Acting Commander D.C. Wallace, who was the captain
of His Majestys Canadian Ship Saguenay and the original
senior officer of the escort group, was certainly pleased
with the outcome. So was the Royal Canadian Navy staff
in St. Johns, Nfld.
The fast moving, westbound convoy had been dogged
by U-boats from early contact while still in the eastern
Atlantic on July 26 to the final battles with Wolf Pack
Group Pirat on the night of Aug. 2-3. Two ships from the
convoy were sunk and one damaged. In exchange, one
U-boat had been sunk in mid-ocean and the international
press had reported that HMCS Sackville had destroyed
U-552 and may have sunk another.
Wallace attributed the successful defence of ON 115 to
aggressive sweeps by his two destroyers. Since neither
the escort group C.3 nor the convoy carried a HF/DF

(High Frequency/Direction Finder) set, which would have
tracked U-boat HF reports as they made contact with ON
115, Wallace relied on MF (Medium Frequency) homing
beacons used by shadowing U-boats to draw other U-boats
to the battle.
Medium Frequency beacons were routinely used for basic navigation, and all Canadian escorts carried a MF/DF
receiver. Medium Frequency fixes were much less precise
than HF, but Wallace used them sensibly to get a general
idea of where the U-boats were, how many were in contact,
and when to alter ON 115s course away from them.
High-speed sweeps by his destroyers forced the shadowing U-boats to dive or face attack. But MF/DF was still
no substitute for HF/DF, as Wallace commented. The captain of HMCS Skeena, Lieutenant-Commander Ken Dyer,
agreed. The real need was for HF/DF sets.
Rear-Admiral Leonard Murray and his staff in St. Johns
May/JUne 2014 LEgion MagazinE
Pg53-55_Milner.indd 53
PHOTO: NATIONAL DEFENCE/LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADAPA116840
By conducting more offensive sweeps and trolling astern of a convoy to find

shadowing U-boats, Royal Canadian Navy escort vessels decided they could set
the tempo in the fight against enemy subs.
53
2014-04-03 2:57 PM
were focused almost entirely on the destruction of U-558 throughout the period it is entrusted to them.
Fortunately not all WAC staff officers were so ill-disand the possibility that Sackville had sunk U-552 and
damaged or sunk two more. Vice-Admiral R.M. Brainard, posed to the Canadians. The convoy officer suggested that
United States Navy, stationed at Argentia, Nfld., controlled rescue ships fitted with HF/DF ought to be specially asescort operations in the western Atlantic and he too was signed to RCN escorted convoys, and the signals officer
focused on the positives from ON 115. Brainard thought wanted to push for fitting the equipment to RCN destroyWallace made effective use of destroyer sweeps, and now ers as soon as possible. As the signals officer commented,
petitioned his own navy to replace the slow Coast Guard the passage of ON 115 revealed the value of HF/DF and
Cutters in group A.3 with USN destroyers so the token what a disadvantage an escort group who is not so fitted
finds herself.
American group in the mid-ocean could do the same.
Clearly they understood Wallaces dilemma. The recent
None of the Canadian or American staff appeared concerned about the comments from the commanding officer RCN official history of operations, which has thoroughly
of HMCS Sackville that Wallaces aggressive tactics early reviewed the evidence from both sides, refutes the claims
by both Ravenhill and Howard-Johnston
in the passage left the rump of C.3 withthat Wallaces aggressive use of destroyer
out its destroyers and its senior escort
The military loves its acronyms
sweeps and course alterations were reckofficer when Group Pirat came calling
and abbreviations. Many
less. In fact, it was quite the contrary.
on the night of Aug. 2-3. It would seem
readers will recognize or
In No Higher Purpose, Vol. , Part 1 of
to be most unfortunate, Lieutenantbe familiar with those that
the RCN official history W.A.B. Douglas
Commander Alan Easton wrote in his
identified convoys and escorts
points out that German records show
escorts Report of Proceedings, that the
during the longest continuous
Wallaces destroyer sweeps and large
senior officer was absent at the critical
battle of the Second World War,
evasive course alterations after dark had
time as far as members of his own group
the Battle of the Atlantic. For
in fact been effective in keeping [U-boat
were concerned. Eastons ship and what
those who are not so familiar
pack] Wolfat bay.
remained of C.3 were left rather on a
with the ONs, SCs and MOEFs,
The battle around ON 115 on Aug. 2-3
limb after the destroyers departed on
heres what they stand for:
in the fog also revealed the urgent need
the Grand Banks due to lack of fuel.
for modern Type 271, 10-cm search raAs a rule, the British staff at Western
A Group: American Escort Group
dar. Here, too, some WAC staff underApproaches Command (WAC) in
B Group: British Escort Group
stood the handicap C groups (escorts)
Liverpool needed no encouragement to
C Group: Canadian Escort
operated under. By the time WAC staff
see the RCN as a glass half empty, so
Group (Individual
assessed the reports of ON 115 it was
its not clear if Eastons comment about
Canadian escort
clear all three of Sackvilles U-boats had
Wallaces absence on the night of Aug.
groups identified as
escaped, although two of them were
2-3 was the prompt they needed to see
C.1, C.2, C.3, etc.)
heavily damaged. U-43, which Sackville
the battle for ON 115 in a sharply differEG: Escort Group
blew to the surface like a breaching
ent light.
HX: Fast Eastbound Convoy
whale, made port in France. U-552,
All that is clear is that by mid-SeptemMOEF: Mid-Ocean Escort Force
reported sunk by American newspaber, when copies of the escorts Reports
NEF: Newfoundland Escort Force
pers, slipped beneath the waves after
of Proceedings finally reached Liverpool,
Sackvilles four-inch shell struck her
the WAC staff saw the battle for ON 115
ON: Fast Westbound Convoy
conning tower.
as a shambles. The Deputy Chief of Staff
ONS: Slow Westbound Convoy
Easton never found her again, despite
(Operations), Captain R.W. Ravenhill,
SC: Slow Eastbound Convoy
help
from HMCS Agassiz. As it turned
Royal Navy, considered Wallaces use
WLEF: Western Local
out,
Sackvilles
shell blasted away the exof destroyer sweeps reckless and his
Escort Force
ternal hull, leaving the interior pressure
90-degree course alterations of the conhull intact. But the explosion severed the
voy left it zigzagging across the ocean.
It was agreed at WAC that the whole affair needed to be main engine air induction and exhaust pipes, and wrecked
referred to the highest levelsso they framed their com- the rear periscope. A great deal of water poured into U-552
before it could be stopped. Kapitainleutant Erik Topp
ments accordingly.
The harshest comments on C.3s performance with saved U-552 and ended the war as Germanys third highON 115 from WAC staff came from the staff officer, est scoring U-boat ace. But, as weve seen, it was a very
Anti-Submarine, Commander C.D. Howard-Johnston, close run thing.
As the WAC radar officer commented, Sackvilles two
RN. He described Wallaces destroyer sweeps as a
reckless expenditure of fuel and disregard for the ob- U-boats would have been a gift if she had been fitted with
RDF [Radio Direction Finding, the original British term
jective which must always include timely arrival.
Howard-Johnston stated: I find in this story the igno- for the American acronym radar] Type 271.
Clearly, modern radar was needed for C groups, too.
rance of inexperienced officers who think that they are beThe issue of drastic course alterations was pushed up
ing offensive by acting in a reckless manner and without
real consideration of the obligation to protect the convoy the line from WAC to the Admiralty and eventually to
54
LEgion MagazinE May/JUne 2014
2014-04-03 2:57 PM
PHOTOS: NATIONAL DEFENCE/LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADAPA104030; NATIONAL DEFENCE/LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADAPA104263
at WAC in mid-September to
Washington, D.C. The RNs
warrant the sharp criticisms
real gripe was with the convoy
Commander E.R. Mainguy, June 1940.
from Ravenhill and Howardrouting people in Washington,
Johnston. In fact, Canadian
and with their micro-managesuccess at sinking U-boats
ment of ON 113 which led to
and defending convoys conit turning a complete circle in
tinued through August and
the mid-Atlantic and running
early September.
into the U-boat Wolf Pack it
On Aug. 2, as C.3 fought
was trying to avoid. Wallaces
U-boats in the Grand Banks
course alterations of ON 115 to
fog around ON 115, escort
avoid suspected U-boats based
group C.1 took over the slow
on MF intercepts touched a
eastbound convoy SC 94
sore spot.
southeast of St. Johns for
The RCN official history
the long passage to Britain.
observes that the harsh comThe group had last fought
ments on the escort of ON 115
a battle in June around ON
by WAC senior staff in mid100, and its core remained
September betrayed doubts at
intact: the River-class deWestern Approaches about the
stroyer Assiniboine, with Lt.RCNs proficiency. To a large
extent, the sharp comments evident from senior WAC staff Cmdr. J.H. Stubbs, RCN, in command, and the corvettes
throughout 1941-43 arose from ignorance of the problems Battleford, HMS Dianthus and HMS Nasturtium. Three
confronting the RCN and the reasoned efforts (not always other corvettes had joined the group since June: HMCS
seen as such in Liverpool) of intelligent Canadian officers Chilliwack, HMCS Orillia and HMS Primrose. So C.1 was
quite strong, seven escorts, although only one was a deto solve them with what little they had.
The wave of U-boat attacks on fast, westbound convoys, stroyer. The senior officer was Lt.-Cmdr. A. Ayer, Royal
for example, was noted in St. Johns, not least because
most of them fell on RCN escorted convoys. Commander
James Chummy Prentice, perhaps the RCNs most ardent U-boat hunter and still in command of the corvette
Chambly, proposed to his Captain (Destroyers), E.R.
Mainguy, on Aug. 1 that C groups do more offensive sweeps
around a convoy in an effort to trap U-boats as they made
their approach. Prentice feared that when the great weight
of U-boats feasting off the U.S. and Caribbean coasts
shifted back to the mid-oceanwhen the real attack
[in the mid-ocean] comesthe RCN needed to be able
to respond.
Prentice clearly understood that without HF/DF and
Type 271 radar to provide timely tactical intelligence, RCN
escorts could not set the tempo of the battle, they could
only react. By pushing out sweeps and trolling astern of
the convoy to find shadowing U-boats that were creeping up for attack, the RCN might be able to set the tempo themselves. At the very least they might sink more
enemy subs.
Mainguy dismissed Prentices scheme rather summarily. I think Chambly credits the Hun with too much intel- Lieutenant-Commander J.H. Stubbs (right) as seen in
ligence, Mainguy noted on Prentices proposal, and the September 1940 on the bridge of HMCS Assiniboine with
average Corvette CO [commanding officer] with much too Commodore G.C. Jones. Note the ships MF/DF antenna
(two large circular tubes set at 90 degrees from each other)
much. The Germans, Mainguy claimed, had little idea of
in the background.
what was going on during a convoy battle, and even the
escorts themselves do not know if its Christmas or Easter.
As we shall see, Mainguys tendency to write flippant or Naval Reserve, in command of Primrose. For passage to
amusingly dismissive comments of Reports of Proceedings England, Assiniboine embarked the RCNs official historian, Gilbert Tucker, PhD. Shortly after C.1 joined SC 94,
did not serve the RCN well in Liverpool.
In any event, there was little in the action at sea be- Tucker would witness one of the most remarkable actions
tween ON 115 and the time when its reports were assessed in the history of the RCN.
May/JUne 2014 LEgion MagazinE
55
2014-04-03 2:57 PM
AIR FORCE
CANADIAN MILITARY HISTORY IN PERSPECTIVE / BY HUGH A. HALLIDAY
PART
FEATURES
63
Squadron Leader Robert Day behind the wheel

of a jeep, joined by other Far East personnel.
SNAKES, LICE AND

JAPANESE AIRCRAFT
B
y the monsoon season of 1942 the Japanese had taken

as much of Burma (now Myanmar) as they wanted.
They had achieved their primary goal of cutting o
the land route to China, and it would be many months before they attempted to advance on India itself, and then
primarily to forestall British eorts to recapture Burma.
In the meantime, Canadians continued to arrive in
the theatre of operationssome to No. 413 Squadron but
most to Royal Air Force units. A routine muster dated
Jan. 7, 1944, listed 48 Royal Canadian Air Force officers
reporting to the Indian theatre in the previous week. Only
four were headed for No. 413 Sqdn. Eight had not yet been
assigned to a unit and 14 were being sent to training units.
The balance was being sent to RAF flying boat, fighter reconnaissance and bombing squadrons. The Canadians
were well and truly mixed in with their British comrades. Flight Lieutenant Nathan Levitin, a navigator from
Ottawa, arrived in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in December
56
1943 as the only RCAF crewman of a Catalina.

The atmosphere was surreal.
The Indian Army was the largest volunteer army in the
world and still loyal to the Raj. Nevertheless, much of that
nation was sullen. There were occasional violent flare-ups
as the Congress Party waged a Quit India campaign directed at the British.
On Aug. 13, 1942, Pilot Officer Joseph H. Smith of
Kamloops, B.C., was murdered as a hostile mob attacked
a train at Futwak, northeastern India. Members of the
fighting forces were more or less quarantined from Indias
upheavals, but even walls of censorship and discipline
were porous. Canadians serving alongside Royal Indian
Air Force (RIAF) personnel were aware of tensions with
British officers and between Indian communities. On the
other hand, some RCAF officers and non-commissioned
officers spent time instructing RIAF personnel in technical trades.
Pg56-59_Halliday.indd 56
2014-04-03 3:01 PM
photo: LIBRARY AND ARChIVES CANADAE011086438
The Canadians were scattered

throughout the RAF, from offices
to radar posts to every imaginable type of operational squadron, sometimes in aircraft types
utterly foreign to RCAF units
elsewhere. Moreover, they encountered conditions that were
both exotic and uncomfortable.
Officers found themselves with
Indian servants who seemed
straight out of Kipling. They
were described as doing everything but take their masters to
the bathroom.
An RCAF report from Calcutta
oered the following: Duties
to wake the officer in the morning with tea, draw a bath, arrange
and put out his clothes for the
day, shine shoes and buttons,
etc. Clean up the rooms on departure of the officer to work. He
is on hand again at noon for any
odd jobs. Similarly after work
at 6 oclock, brings tea, puts out
clothes for the evening, draws
bath, etc. Arranges for laundry
to be sent out, arranges mosquito nets for the night. In between
times he pinches cigarettes, suggests things that an officer should
purchase on which he always receives a fair commission which
he judges and pockets for himself,
and lets you know how dishonest all the other bearers are. He
is usually quite a fellow, speaks
enough English for you both to
get along on and very helpful to
officers taking the trouble to try and learn Hindustani.
Such luxuries, however, vanished in the field. A report on No. 81 Sqdn., which flew Spitfires, in February
1944 noted that personnel drew their water from a single stream. Along the banks were signs which read, in
descending order, Men Drinking, Men Washing, Mules
Drinking, Mules Washing, and finally Socks Washing.
Local conditions aected even the smallest details.
Families back in Canada were advised not to send
parcels containing tea or soft chocolate. More advisable
were hard candies and fruit powders, packed in tin cans.
Tinned goods were also welcome (peanut butter, pickles,
sardineseven Spam). Soap and toothpaste was available
locally; razor blades were not. Reading material was always welcome, but what personnel particularly missed
were Canadian sports pages and the funny papers.
The climate also aected operational matters.
Electronic equipment, notably radar sets, was difficult to
The climate also affected

operational matters. Electronic
equipment, notably radar
sets, was difficult to maintain
in damp conditions. When
Mosquito aircraft appeared in
the theatre, their plywood and
bonding construction proved
susceptible to deterioration; this
resulted in delayed retirement
of Blenheims and Beaufighters.
maintain in damp conditions. When Mosquito aircraft
appeared in the theatre, their plywood and bonding construction proved susceptible to deterioration; this resulted in delayed retirement of Blenheims and Beaufighters.
Airfield construction was slow and tortuous because heat
and humidity had a debilitating eect on all.
Civilian culture also hindered progress. The caste system, for example, was baing; if an Indian civilian worker died he could only be touched by another civilian of
similar or lower caste.
Flora and fauna on the Burma front were fascinating.
A press report in June 1943 told of a fighter station that
had elephants as neighbours; bomber crews had tigers
nearby. The elephants, wandering about at night were
fairly harmless. Many had been abandoned by Burmese
teak loggers and had returned to the jungle. A tiger near a
bombing station was believed to be a stray. He has made
o with a few cows and a goat or two, but hasnt been seen
yet, wrote an RCAF press officer. Most feared was the
malaria-bearing mosquito; short sleeves and shorts were
acceptable dress in daytime but forbidden after dark.
Personnel encountered a zoological maze where it was
difficult to tell the good guys from the bad guysor to
be more specific, the lice that carried typhus from those
that did not, or which of the 300 varieties of snakes were
dangerous as opposed to those that were benign. Its a
good thing to examine your bed with a flashlight at night
before getting into it; you may find a snake has curled up
by your pillow.
One went to sleep to the screams of jackals, a call
somewhere between that of a coyote with a sore throat
and a lovesick banshee.
A man also had to check his boots in the morning for
scorpions. Then there were the ants, red, black, white or
57
2014-04-03 3:01 PM
brown, which generally prefer to feed on your clothing,

but some will bite humans. The most common scavengers were kite-hawks, somewhat larger than a crow,
which were bold and ravenous.
The main aerial enemy was the Japanese Army Air
Force (JAAF). The India/Burma theatre was considered
secondary to both sides, which explained the relatively
low aircraft priorities accorded the region. The principal
enemy fighter was the Ki.43 Oscar which compared favourably to the Hawker Hurricane. Eventually the RAF
introduced Spitfires to the area; the Japanese brought
in a few Ki.44 Tojo and Ki.84 Frank aircraft, but other
The Canadians were

scattered throughout
the RAF, from offices
to radar posts to every
imaginable type of
operational squadron,
sometimes in aircraft
types utterly foreign to
photoS: LIBRARY AND ARChIVES CANADAE011086437
RCAF units elsewhere.
Pilot Officer A.R. Corston with a couple

of feathered friends.
58
advanced types such as the Ki.61 Tony

were reserved for the East Indies,
Philippines and eventually for defence of
Japan itself.
From the autumn of 1942 onwards,
combat between air forces was sporadic.
Both sides operated over huge territories.
The Japanese had no radar; the allies had
little until late 1943 and even that was
hampered by the Burmese mountains
which screened low-level enemy fighter
sweeps. There were few great air battles
comparable to the European theatre.
A rare set-piece air battle occurred on
Dec. 5, 1943, when the JAAF and landbased elements of the Japanese Navy attacked the Calcutta docks in two waves
totalling 27 bombers with swarms of
escorting Ki.43s and naval A6M Zeros. The raid caught
the RAF by surprise; an attack on Chittagong, which was
an important base for Allied forces during the Burma
Campaign, had been expected. Japanese casualties were
minimal while some eight Hurricanes were lost. Among
the RCAF pilots that day was PO A.R. Corston of No. 67
Sqdn., who force-landed his damaged fighter in a paddy
field. Corston of Chapleau, Ont., was a Cree and known in
the squadron as Chief.
Given that the India-Burma theatre was not target
-rich, Canadian fighter pilots ran up relatively modest
scores. One successful RCAF pilot was Sergeant John
F. Barrick of Sweetwater, Texas, who had enlisted in
Windsor, Ont., in September 1940. Posted overseas in
June 1941, he ended up with No. 17 Sqdn., which flew
Hurricanes, at the beginning of the Burma Campaigna
time when the problem was one of too many rather
than too few Japanese aircraft.
Between Feb. 7 and April 10, 1942, he destroyed five
enemy fighters, was himself shot down, evaded capture, and returned to duty with No. 17 Sqdn. with which
2014-04-03 3:01 PM
he served until January

1944, primarily on ground
attack duties.
At the other end of the
campaign was Squadron
Leader Robert Day of
Victoria. Following a 1943
tour in Britain he went
to India, serving first
with No. 81 Sqdn. and
then with No. 67 Sqdn.
He commanded the latter from December 1944
to February 1945. These
units flew Spitfires which
dominated their nowobsolescent Japanese opponents. Between February 1944 and January 1945,
he shot down five Japanese fighters and shared in the
destruction of a high-flying Ki.100 reconnaissance aircraft. His greatest success was on Jan. 9, 1945, when he
led four Spitfires onto a formation of six to nine Ki.43s

over Akyab Island; five were shot down, two of them
by Day.
Another successful RCAF pilot was Flying Officer
Donald Rathwell of Brandon, Man. In the Mediterranean
theatre he had participated in the destruction of three
German aircraft. Between Feb. 13 and April 25, 1944, he
shot down three Ki.43s and damaged two while flying with
No. 81 Sqdn.
Nevertheless, Japanese pilots shot down their share
of Allied fighters. FO Alexander Sandy Morrison of
Montreal was one of them. He had gone overseas in
February 1941 and joined No. 135 Sqdn. that August. Soon
afterwards the unit moved to India. He logged some 160
combat hours in 1942, and was killed on March 14, 1943,
in a fierce action between Hurricanes escorting Blenheim
bombers and intercepting Ki.43s.
Letters of condolence were often awkward cliches, but
there can be little doubt that when Sqdn. Ldr. Ian Bayles
wrote, Sandy was one of the senior pilots in the squadron.
As a pilot and officer he was exceptional it was sincere.
photo: LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADAe010866203; LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADAe010866202
From top: Corporal Pat Kirby of Montrealwith chalk in handprovides

instruction to radio operators and mechanics somewhere in India, March 1944;
Flying Officer Donald Rathwell of Brandon, Man.
59
2014-04-03 3:01 PM
FEATURES
Part 39: Second World War

SICILYAGIR A
By John Boileau
Battle Honours: Agira
Dates: July 24-28
Location: East central Sicily
Units awarded: 12e Rgiment Blind du Canada,
Royal Canadian Regt., Princess Patricias Canadian
Light Infantry, Hastings & Prince Edward Regt.,
48th Highlanders of Canada, North Saskatchewan
Regt., Loyal Edmonton Regt. (4th Battalion Princess
Patricias Canadian Light Inf.), Seaforth Highlanders
of Canada.
While the Canadians were ghting for the Sicilian towns

of Assoro and Leonforte, General Bernard Montgomery
changed his original plans and decided not to attack the
heavily defended port of Catania directly. Instead, he
formed a defensive line on the right and ordered an advance on the left by 1st Canadian Division.
The 231st (Malta) Brigade had been temporarily
placed under Major-General Guy Simonds command
on July 20 and two days later Simonds issued orders for
the capture of Agira, 13 kilometres east of Leonforte.
A battalion from Brigadier Howard Grahams 1st Bde.
would mount the main attack from the east along Route
121, while the Malta Bde. threatened the town from
the south.
The initial moves did not go well. The 48th
Highlanders suered several casualties when they were
bombarded in their forming-up area as they prepared
to occupy a major road junction 1,600 metres east of
Leonforte. Then, when they approached the junction
they were driven back by machine-gun and mortar re.
At dawn the next day, the enemy withdrew and the
Highlanders established themselves just east of the
crossroads. Because of this and other delays, divisional headquarters announced a 24-hour postponement
to the attack on Agira. The next morning (July 24),
Simonds issued orders to capture Agira by nightfall
in an inexible set-piece attack with rigidly timed report lines. Kittyhawk ghter-bombers, as well as seven
60
artillery regiments, would provide massive air and

re support, including smoke.
At 3 p.m. the Royal Canadian Regt. (RCR), supported by A Squadron of the Three Rivers Regt., set
o towards Nissoria, a small village about halfway
to Agira. Although their forward movement was
slower than the advancing artillery barrage, the RCR
secured Nissoria by 4:15 against minor opposition.
The RCR advance continued eastwards, with two
companies leading. Unknown to them, soldiers of
the 104th Panzer Grenadier Regt. were hiding in
the hills ahead. Once the Canadians left the village,
the Germans opened up, including a mortar barrage
on the two rear companies. Three Rivers Shermans
rolled forward to assist the infantry, but quickly lost
10 tanks to enemy artillery.
One company was hit particularly hard, but the other
three managed to take cover in dead ground, work
their way through some gullies and occupy positions
overlooking the expected German withdrawal route.
Unfortunately, radio communications had failed and
the RCR commanding ocer set o to nd his scattered
companies, whom he erroneously assumed had successfully cleared the hills east of Nissoria.
He was quickly cut down by enemy bullets, leaving
the battalion without anyone to authorize its movement
past the report line it now occupied. Without radio contact, a non-commissioned ocer was dispatched to the
rear to report the RCR position and return with orders.
Divisional headquarters was equally out of touch, and
Simonds ordered Graham to commit another battalion
to keep pressure on the enemy during the night and
capture Agira.
The Hastings and Prince Edward Regt. moved forward in less than ideal conditions: without tank or artillery support, no prior reconnaissance and at night.
Graham had misgivings after viewing the German positions and thought a brigade attack might be necessary,
but was overruled.
Shortly after midnight the Hasty Ps passed through
Nissoria, deployed into formation and promptly ran into
a German machine-gun post. The night sky lit up as the
enemy reacted with ares and red machine guns and
mortars at the exposed Canadians.
Pg60-61_BattleHonours.indd 60
2014-04-03 3:05 PM
FEATURES
S I C I LY
At dawn on July 25, the order was given for the battalion to withdraw to Nissoria as best it could. By the
time they reached the safety of the village, the Hasty Ps
had suered 80 casualties, the most of any unit in a single day in Sicily. Meanwhile, the RCR had spent a quiet
night behind enemy lines and, still out of radio contact,
were preparing to continue the advance, despite the
order not to proceed beyond the report line. Then a messenger arrived with orders to withdraw immediately.
The three company commanders were stunned. They
had experienced an uneventful night and believed a
golden opportunity was being missed to attack Agira.
Disheartenedand with 45 fewer soldiersthe RCR
withdrew over a route that could just as easily have
carried Canadian reinforcements forward.
When Simonds learned what happened, he was
not happy, although the fault clearly lay with his rigid
plan that allowed little opportunity for exibilityor
initiative. He ordered Graham to commit the 48th
Highlanders to break through the German position.
The Highlanders spent July 25 preparing for their attack, which began at 6 p.m. Instead of using the known
ground to the right, the unit headed around to the left
and soon ran into diculty. Enemy resistance was
strong, but radio failures caused most problems, leading
to an inability to pass important information upwards
or call for artillery support.
Despite these diculties, the 48th almost succeeded,
especially at one point when the Germans withdrew.
Then, unexpectedly the Highlanders were withdrawn.
Their overnight action cost them 44 casualtiesand
1st Div. was back where it started two days earlier.
A large part of these failures can rightfully be blamed
on Simonds. He sacriced manoeuvre to repower, created too rigid a plan and reinforced failurenot once,
but twice. He still had a lot to learn as a divisional
commander.
Meanwhile, Simonds and his sta were preparing
a new oensive along Route 121, this time led by Brig.
Chris Vokess 2nd Bde. At 8 p.m. on July 26 a heavy artillery barrage fell on German positions immediately east
of Nissoria as the Princess Patricias Canadian Light Inf.
(PPCLI) advanced. Assisted by artillery, the two leading

PPCLI companies took part of the ridge and the two following companies passed through, heading for another
ridge 900 metres to the east.
Both companies lost their way and fell behind the advancing artillery barrage. Vokes, frustrated at the lack of
information, then committed the Seaforth Highlanders
without a clear picture of what was happening. After
ghting their way through parts of the rst ridge still
held by the Germans, they succeeded in reaching the
second ridge, but it took until 11 p.m. before the whole
position was cleared.
The way was now open to a third and nal ridgeline
another three kilometres to the east; the nal obstacle before Agira and only 800 metres from the town.
Unknown to the Canadians, the ridge was held by a
fresh panzer grenadier battalion.
But Vokes was not taking any chances and arranged
for additional machine guns, tanks, anti-tank guns,
artillery and air support to assist the Seaforths. Their
attack against the ridge south of the highway went in at
2 p.m. and met with such erce resistance that it took
until dawn on July 28 before the position was taken.
Meanwhile, Vokes had committed his reserve battalion, the Loyal Edmonton Regt., against German positions north of the highway. Due to delays caused by
rough terrain and then by darkness, the Loyal Eddies
did not attack until 3 a.m. on July 28. Against superior
numbers, the Albertans stormed the last enemy position and took it in a ferocious reght.
The occupation of Agira was almost anti-climatic.
That afternoon, the Patricias entered the town to a warm
welcome from the inhabitants (undoubtedly heartened
by the fall of Mussolini on July 25) and a not-so-warm
one from a small enemy rearguard. By 6 p.m. Agira was
in Canadian hands.
The ght for Agira was the biggest Canadian battle of
the Sicilian Campaign. Initially planned to last only a
day, it took ve days and more than 400 Canadian casualties before the town fell. For their role in this tough
ght, the units of 1st and 2nd Bdes, the Three Rivers
Regt. and the Saskatoon Light Inf. received the battle
honour Agira.
Pg60-61_BattleHonours.indd 61
ILLUSTRATION AND PHOTO: WILL OGILVIE, BEAVERBROOK COLLECTION OF WAR ART, CANADIAN WAR MUSEUM19710261-4644; LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADAPA206886
From left: A painting by Canadian war artist Will Ogilvie

depicts a mule train near Agira, Sicily, summer 1943; General
Bernard Montgomery (left) and Major-General Guy Simonds
examine maps near Valguarnera, Sicily, July 1943.
61
2014-04-03 3:05 PM
ARMY
CANADIAN MILITARY HISTORY IN PERSPECTIVE / BY TERRY COPP
PART
FEATURES
112
A colour party prepares for a memorial

service during a Legion Youth Leaders
Pilgrimage of Remembrance at Holten
Canadian War Cemetery near Deventer,
Netherlands, 2009.
TOURING
BEYOND NORMANDY
A
s 70th anniversary commemorations get underway for D-Day and the Battle of Normandy,
it is important to remember that the majority of
combat soldiers who fought in Northwest Europe
in 1944 and 1945 only joined their units in the last eight
months of the war.
By September 1944 the typical infantry battalion had
lost two-thirds of its strength and was rebuilt with replacements. The 6,806 burials at Calais, Adegem, Bergenop-Zoom, Groesbeek and Holten Canadian military
cemeteries are a testament to the cost of the post-Normandy struggle to liberate Northwest Europe.
When the victorious Allied armies crossed the Seine
River in late August 1944, many thought the German army
was beaten and the war likely to end before Christmas.
The optimists failed to consider the logistical nightmare
that confronted Eisenhowers forces dependent on supplies delivered to the Mulberry harbour and beaches
of Normandy.
The crucial strategic challenge in the fall of 1944 was
how to secure ports in France, Belgium and Holland
that would nourish the armies as they pursued the enemy across the Rhine. Montgomery, who became a field
marshal in early September, understood the dimensions
of the problem but argued for a single thrust advance
to Germany with all available resources to end the war
in 1944.
Eisenhower, for both military and political reasons, did
not agree but accepted Montgomerys proposal to use the
airborne army in what became Operation Market Garden,
62
the plan to lay an airborne carpet into Germany. After

the loss of the bridge too far at Arnhem, the Allies were
forced to defend the deep salient they had created, drawing yet more resources away from the vital strategic issueAntwerp and the Channel ports.
Hitler, determined to buy time, garrisoned the ports
and ordered the defence of what he called Scheldt
Fortress North, Walchern Island, and Scheldt Fortress
Souththe area known to Canadians as the Breskens
Pocket. The task of liberating the Channel ports and the
approaches to Antwerp along the Scheldt Estuary fell to
2nd Canadian Corps.
To understand the challenge confronting the Canadians
you may wish to begin your battlefields tour at Boulogne,
the first of the Channel ports liberated by the Canadians.
Operation Wellhit, the battle for the city, began on Sept.
17 after much of the civilian population had been evacuated. Prior to the battle, a spectators stand was built to
give certain visitors a chance to witness 20th century siege
warfare. However, naval, army and air force ocers as
well as press correspondents were told that 3rd Canadian
Division, remembering earlier examples of misdirected
bombing, accepts no responsibility for spectators.
Today a better view of the city and the battlefield can
be obtained at Mont Lambert which in 1944 was the most
heavily defended of the hills surrounding Boulogne. If you
are travelling by car and want to get a good view of the city,
exit A16/E402 onto the D341 east, turn right immediately
on the Bois de Mont Lambert road. Many of the bunkers
that protected the garrison attacked by the North Nova
Pg62-64_Copp.indd 62
2014-04-03 3:09 PM
Scotia Highlanders have survived on the grounds of a

building supply store, Rigail, a kilometre east on the D341.
The citadel and walled upper city are now major tourist
attractions. A plaque inside the citadel notes the position
was captured with the assistance of an unknown citizen
of Boulogne who led a company of the Stormont, Dundas
and Glengarry Highlanders through a secret tunnel.
Before heading north on the D940 towards Cap Gris
Nez, Canadian visitors often seek out John McCraes First
World War grave in the communal cemetery at Wimereux.
The cemetery also contains the graves of nearly 220 other
Canadian soldiers and one nurse who died in the nearby
base hospitals during the Great War. The view from the
point at Cap Gris Nez is worth the drive. On a clear day you
can see the White Cliffs of Dover on the other side of the
English Channel. One of the cross-Channel gun batteries
has been turned into a museum, Batterie Todt, which is
full of German weapons and equipment. Two additional
casements are located in the adjacent park.
The Calais Military Cemetery (exit 37 off the A16/
E402) is on the east side of the Calais-Boulogne road, 14
kilometres from Calais. From the coast take the D244 to
Saint Ingelvert and follow the signs. There are 674 identified soldiers and airmen buried here, most from the
battles of September 1944. This is one of the least visited
Canadian cemeteries. It is, of course, well-maintained by
the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, but there is
little local interest in or knowledge of the role Canadians
had in the liberation of the region.
I recommend that your next destination be Bruges,
Belgium, which you can use as a base for exploring the
battles aimed at clearing the approaches to the vital port
of Antwerp. Bruges is one of the most beautiful cities in
Europe and a pleasure to explore.
The city was spared destruction in both world wars,
though before the Germans withdrew behind the Leopold
Canal, patrols from the Lake Superior Regiment penetrated to the ring canal, suffering both fatal and non-fatal
casualties. Two days later, after the 10th Infantry Brigade
outflanked the city at Moerbrugge, the Germans withdrew and elements of the Manitoba Dragoons and Royal
Hamilton Light Inf. (RHLI) were greeted by cheering crowds.
There are two important Canadian

memorials in Bruges. The Canadabrug
or Canada Bridge features two magnificent Bisonsthe symbol of the Manitoba
Dragoons. It was erected in the memory of the Canadians who liberated the
city on Sept. 12. You will also want to
visit the Canadaplein, a small park on
Smedenstraat with a memorial To the
memory of the Canadian heroes who died for the liberty
and civilization. Little attention is paid to either memorial today. Most passersby have only a vague idea of
their meaning.
Using the ring road R30 around the inner town, take
the N9 to Adegem, where the Canadian war cemetery is located. There are 1,075 burials here, the majority from 3rd
Canadian Div. The Canada-Poland Liberation Museum,
a private venture created by Gilbert Van Landschoot, is
located in Adegem and is well worth a visit.
Nearby are two key battlefield sites. Moerkerke, where
the Algonquin Regt. attempted a hastily organized crossing
of a double canal line in September, and the Leopold Canal
battlefields just south of the border with the Netherlands.
The tree-lined canals at Moerkerke are hauntingly beautiful. The small memorial is barely noticeable, but walking the ground allows you to understand the nature of the
challenge confronting the infantry that day.
The Leopold Canal, near the

Belgian/Dutch border, was reached
by Canadian troops in October
1944 after the liberation of
Adegem, Belgium.
PHOTOS: SHARON ADAMS, LEGION MAGAZINE
A plaque at Wimereux Communal

Cemetery, near Boulogne, France,
tells the story of the poem In Flanders
Fields, and its author, Lt.-Col.John
McCrae, who is buried here.
63
2014-04-03 3:09 PM
Operation Switchback, Canadian Lieutenant-General

Guy Simonds innovative plan to clear the pocket of
German resistance on the southern shore of the Scheldt
estuary near the Belgian-Netherlands border, required
the 7th Canadian Inf. Bde. to assault the German defences
at their strongest point. This was a triangle of dry land
surrounded by saturated or flooded fields. The enemysix
full-strength battalions of the German 64th Div.were
determined to defend the canal line, the road north to the
town of Breskens and the gun batteries that prevented
access to Antwerp.
The enemy responded to the attack as Simonds hoped,
committing reserves to isolate the narrow bridgehead.
When the second phase of Operation Switchback, an amphibious landing on the northeast coast of the Breskens
pocket began two days later, the enemy was off balance, unable to prevent a rapid buildup which spelled
certain defeat.
If you walk east along the canals north bank you will
reach a large pillbox set into the bank. This is where machine guns, firing in enfilade along the canal, held up the
companies of the Regina Rifles and Royal Montreal Regt.
The position was finally overcome by a well-placed PIAT
bomb projected from the south bank.
The village of Hoofdplaat, near Amber and Green beaches where the Highland Light Infantry of Canada and the
North Nova Scotia Highlanders dismounted from their
tracked landing craft, is where the annual Canada liberation march begins. Every November hundreds of Dutch
and Belgian adults and children walk the 33-kilometre
route of liberation to Knocke on the North Sea coast.
To visit Walcheren and the 2nd Div. battlefields north
of Antwerp, use the N62 tunnel under the Scheldt. On our
tours we begin in Westkapelle, where the Royal Marine
Commandos landed in the large gap the Royal Air Force
had created by accurate bombing of the dike. Walcheren is
below sea level as is evident when you climb the dike to the
memorial. Be sure and enjoy the fresh fish served from a
stand at the foot of the dike.
Other major sites include the causeway memorial,
the Liberation museum at Nieudorp and the village of
64
Woensdrecht. The causeway or sloedam which joined

Walcheren Island to South Beveland is no longer evident
as the Dutch have transformed Walchern into an extension of the Beveland peninsula by reclaiming land. The
A58 highway and railway track are on the old causeway
and you can get a sense of the Calgary Highlanders battlefield from the memorial located on the road between
Arnemuiden and Lewedorp.
The Beurijdingsmuseum Zeeland presents a collection of artifacts related to the occupation and liberation
of this province of the Netherlands. The volunteer staff
is always thrilled to greet Canadians and the caf offers
a welcome break. The museum is well-signed once you
reach Nieudorp.
Woensdrecht was the scene of one of the most complex and costly battles of the operations to open the port
of Antwerp. The village is located on a sandy ridge which
in this flat polder country offered every advantage to the
defenders who included the elite 6 Parachute Regt. An attempt to bypass the ridge resulted in a second Black Friday
for the Black Watch which was ordered to attack a railway
embankment that gave the German paras an ideal defensive position.
After the failed attack of Oct. 13, the Royal Hamilton
Light Inf. captured part of the ridge but the enemy continued to hold the sector until 4th Canadian Armoured
Div. began to advance towards Bergen-op-Zoom, threatening to cut off the paratroops. There is a memorial to the
RHLI in the village. If you continue to the western edge of
Woensdrecht and take the underpass to the north side of
the A58 you will confront the same railway embankment
the Black Watch fought for and be able to study the reverse
slope of the Woensdrecht Ridge.
The Bergen-op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery and the
adjacent British cemetery are well marked off the A58 east
of the city. Bergen-op-Zoom was liberated by the Lincoln
and Welland and South Alberta regiments. The Hotel
De Draak on the main square served as the battle group
headquarters. Today it is an upscale hotel with an excellent restaurant.
When my wife and I first explored the area in the 1980s
we stayed there and found our dinner companions were
David Currie, VC and his wife. Currie earned his VC in
Normandy at St. Lambert-sur-Dives.
That was certainly a moment to remember.
PHOTOS: SHARON ADAMS, LEGION MAGAZINE
Canadian graves flank carefully tended flowers in

Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery near Nijmegen,
Netherlands.
2014-04-03 3:09 PM
NEWS
Eligibility For Funeral And

Burial Program Extended To
Modern-Day Veterans
by tom macgregor
Low-income modern-day veterans will now have access to

a dignified funeral and burial with new measures announced
by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty in the 2014 budget.
The budget allotted $108.2 million
over three years to expand eligibility under Veterans Affairs Canadas
Funeral and Burial Program beginning in the 2013-14 fiscal year.
I am very pleased that the issue
of dignified funerals for the most
vulnerable, low-income veterans
has finally been resolved, said
Dominion President Gordon Moore
of The Royal Canadian Legion. The
Legion was singled out in the 2013
budget in that the government
stated it would work with us and
they lived up to their commitment
in todays budget.
In 2013, the Legion, supported by
the Last Post Fund and the Funeral
Service Association of Canada, organized a letter-writing campaign
to have the government address
three main concerns about Veterans
Affairs Canadas Funeral and
Burial Program (Letter Campaign
Gets Action On Funeral Benefits,
May/June 2013). Thousands
of Legionnaires and ordinary
Canadians participated. As a result,
the maximum payment for a funeral
was raised in the 2013 budget. The

Legion still wants to see a reversal of the estate exemption which
was reduced to $12,015 in 1995.
The Last Post Fund is a not-forprofit organization formed in 1909
The Last Post Fund has been

pressing for this recognition for
more than a decade and now all
Canadian veterans are eligible
for this important program for
the estates of veterans who die
with limited financial resources,
said Last Post Fund National
President Daniel OConnor.
In recent years the Last Post
Fund has been using its own
The Last Post Fund has been pressing

for this recognition for more than a
decade and now all Canadian veterans
are eligible for this important program.
to ensure low-income veterans
receive a dignified burial. The
federal government introduced its
own funeral and burial program
for low-income veterans in 1922.
The Last Post Fund has been administrating the departments
program since 1998. However,
the regulations stipulated that
only Second World War veterans,
Korean War veterans and those in
receipt of disability compensation
were eligible for the program.
donated funds to cover the burials

of low-income modern veterans.
From fulfilling our mission in
recent years for ineligible veterans,
our donation funds had been virtually exhausted, said OConnor.
In a release the Last Post
Fund said, The Last Post Fund
is grateful for the support of all
Canadian veterans organizations
that have unanimously supported
this demand, particularly The
Royal Canadian Legion.
Royal Canadian Legion Command Offices

Provincial/Regional Commands: British Columbia/Yukon, 101-17618 58 Ave., Surrey, B.C. V3S 1L3, 604-575-8840, 604-5758820 (fax), info@legionbcyukon.ca; AlbertaNorthwest Territories, 202015th St. N.W., Calgary,AB T2M3N8, 403-284-1161, 403284-9899(fax), legionsecretary@shaw.ca; Saskatchewan, 30795th Ave., Regina,SK S4T0L6, 306-525-8739, 306-525-5023
(fax), sasklegion@sasktel.net; ManitobaNorthwestern Ontario, 563 St. Marys Rd., Winnipeg,MB R2M3L6, 204-233-3405, 204237-1775(fax), mblegion@mbnwo.ca; Ontario, 89 Industrial Parkway N., Aurora,ON L4G4C4, 905-841-7999, 905-841-9992 (fax),
rclontariocommand@on.aibn.com; Quebec, 4101000 St. Antoine St. W., Montreal,QC H3C3R7, 514-866-7491, 514-866-6303 (fax),
rclegionrc@videotron.ca; NewBrunswick, 490 Douglas Ave., Saint John,NB E2K1E7, 506-634-8850, 506-633-4836 (fax), legion@
nbnet.nb.ca; Nova Scotia/Nunavut, 61 Gloria McCluskey Ave., Dartmouth,NS B3B2Z3, 902-429-4090, 902-429-7481 (fax), info@
ns.legion.ca; Prince Edward Island, Unit27A, 161 St. Peters Rd., Charlottetown,PE C1A5P6, 902-892-2161, 902-368-8853 (fax),
royalcanadianlegionpei.aibn.com; Newfoundland and Labrador, Box 5745, St. Johns,NL A1C5X3, 709-753-6290, 709-753-5514
(fax); Dominion Command: 86 Aird Place, Kanata,ON K2L0A1, 613-591-3335, 613-591-9335 (fax), info@legion.ca.
May/june 2014 LEgion MagazinE
Pg65_Burials.indd 65
65
2014-04-04 1:25 PM
NEWS
Defence Speakers
Look At Pulling Back
by ADAM DAY
Late winter in Ottawa can mean only one thingthe annual

gathering of global defence and security movers and shakers
at the Conference of Defence Associations. Held Feb. 20-21
at the Chateau Laurier Hotel, the conference focused on the
emerging defence issues of austerity, cyber-security and,
in general, the question: what comes next?
For more than a decade now the
military establishment has been
fairly preoccupied by the wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan and the general threat presented by Islamic
militancy. Times have changed
however, the air has cleared and
it seems the Global War on Terror
has come to an end, or at least dissipated a little, and this years conference reflected the new reality.
In the days leading up to the
conference, the CDA Institute released a report entitled Strategic
Outlook For Canada: A Search For
Leadership. It is an excellent read,
highly recommended for any readers interested in the current defence
situation (see www.cdainstitute.ca).
To some degree, this years conference was conducted in the shadow
of this report, which was widely
cited by media and analysts in the
days following its publication.
Some of the reports key findings
were of a general disengagement by
leaders in the West from the difficult
international issues of our time, demonstrating a reluctance to go beyond
rhetoric towards discernable action.
The paper also argued that military
power has limitations in trying to
impose solutions: Libya post-Gadhafi
has become an ungoverned space,
al-Qaida has been prevented from
taking over Mali but they are still
there, Iraq is the greatest hotbed
of terrorism on earth and Syria is
a war zone with no end in sight.
The final main point, and a key
one, is domestically, fiscal pressures
are leading to cuts to defence, based
66
more on the balance sheet than on

what a nation wishes to do in the
world. For Canada, cuts to capability, delay or elimination of procurements, or reduction in readiness
are imposed without the benefit of
a foreign policy and defence review
to articulate our national interests.
The conference opened on these
themes, with CDA Institute vicepresident and report co-author
Ferry de Kerckhove arguing that the
dominant feature of the past two or
three years in the west is a pulling
back, a kind of generalized retreat
from Middle East conflict which
itself is a result of war weariness.
Unless theres some very vital concept at stake, de Kerckhove predicted,
there wont be any more humanitarian interventions or, one could
gather, attempts at nation building
directed toward solidifying the economic position while simultaneously

keeping an eye on the rising powers
in Asia. China is testing the resolve
of the West, said de Kerckhove,
and there is some great uncertainty
as to its long-term ambitions.
In Canada, meanwhile, problems
with budget are compounded by
lack of political direction. How do
you do more teeth and less tail if you
have no clear definition of what you
might need to do with the teeth?
The net result is stark, according to de Kerckhove, Canada is
going to matter much less in world
affairs and may possibly undermine its fundamental interests.
In the afternoon of the first
day, there was a fascinating panel
on Cyber-Security in the PostSnowden Era. Retired majorgeneral John Adams was the
moderator. He is the former director
of the Communications Security
Establishment Canada, which
is roughly our equivalent of the
National Security Agency (NSA)
in the United States, responsible
for, more or less, electronic spying.
Times have changed however, the air has cleared

and it seems the Global War on Terror has come
to an end, or at least dissipated a little, and this
years conference reflected the new reality.
like what was recently attempted
in Afghanistan. It will be, he said,
a period of quasi-isolationism.
The problems in the Middle East
are now being regarded as intractable, practically impossible to solve.
Instead, the effort will be on avoiding the problems, on short-term fixes
rather than long-term remedies.
Instead, national effort will be
Thequestion put before the panellists

was to determine what the impact is
of the massive leak, by NSA contractemployee Edward Snowden, which
showed the U.S. government has
been conducting extensive espionage
activities against its own citizens.
Adams led the panel off by noting
that, in his appraisal, it used to be
that Canadians had a fairly high level
Pg66-67_CDA.indd 66
2014-04-03 3:14 PM
of respect for intelligence agencies.

While even then there were those
who thought intelligence agencies
needed stringent oversight, that
their institutional tendency would
be to compromise privacy and other
values in order to gain a piece of
intelligence, on the whole people
thought the agencies were on the side
of good. Now though, in the period
after Snowdens leaks disclosed the
massive scope of NSA surveillance,
the issue of how to do intelligence
oversight and where to draw the
lines is a very hot topic. Trust is low.
The three panellistsU.S.
Cyber Task Force former director Melissa Hathaway, the SecDev
Groups Rafal Rohozinski and Dr.
David Mussington, former senior
adviser for cyber policy at the U.S.
Department of Defenseall expressed the opinion that Snowdens
leaks had strongly negative effects on
our security. Not only were large and
expensive surveillance operations
compromised, but the increased
scrutiny and oversight placed on
the various agencies involved would
hamper future efforts as well. The
general sense is that despite the
apparent illegality of many of the
surveillance programs Snowden disclosed, we would all have been better
off if he hadnt done it. Naturally,
there is room here for disagreement.
On Friday morning Defence
Minister Rob Nicholson gave a brief
speech defending the recent budget reductions, arguing they were

not cost-cutting but rather new
challenges requiring adaptation.
Directly after Nicholsons speech,
the man required to deal with
those challenges, Chief of Defence
Staff General Tom Lawson, took
to the stage to lay out the issues.
In the last decade in Afghanistan,
he said, the Canadian Armed Forces
have been highly employed, and the
conflict there in many ways defines
the Forces today. However, with that
mission ending, its time to re-adjust
to peacetime. The risks facing Canada
now, he said, arent existential like
they were in the past, but we nonetheless have to pay attention to them.
The main issue facing the
Department of National Defence
(DND) is how to deal with the budget cuts while keeping units and
equipment operationally ready.
Training is expensive. Lawson notes
that DND has had to re-examine
what we do in order to remain ready
and affordable. But we need to
ask ourselves upfront: ready and
affordable for what? he asked.
It is a key question, no doubt, and
one addressed in depth in the CDAs
report. Lawson complicated the
question by noting that the familiar
refrain of more tooth and less tail,
which argues the priority should
be on front line troops instead of
headquarters staff, is not quite so
simple. Its very tough to define

whats tooth and whats tail? he
notes, before laying out how crucial
support staff are for the functioning
of troops in the field. How far back
does the root of these teeth go?
While theres no clear answer to
that difficult question, by the end of
the two days of speeches and panels
it became apparent that the current
period could well be defined by difficult questions with no answers.
While many at the conference
were hopeful that a revised Canada
First Defence Strategydue out in
the near futurewould help provide
some leadership to the military,
others were far less hopeful.
Pg66-67_CDA.indd 67
PHOTOs: ADAM DAY
Above: Chief of Defence Staff General Tom Lawson addresses the audience.
Right: Minister of National Defence Rob Nicholson.
67
2014-04-03 3:14 PM
NEWS
Exploring ways to be more welcoming to the wider community

as well as serving members of
the military and RCMP, veterans
and their families was a recurring
theme during Dominion Executive
Councils meeting at Legion
House in Ottawa, Feb. 21- 23.
We have to open our arms completely, said Dominion President
Gordon Moore. Many discussions
explored ways the Legions 1,450
branches could provide space and
programs to meet emerging needs
of seniors and serving military
members and veterans.
The Home Away Initiative encourages branches to have a gathering
place for seniors, providing a change
of scenery for seniors living at home
and respite for seniors caregivers. It
is part of the larger Seniors Initiative
developed in response to such issues
as restricted availability of long-term
care, hard-to-come-by home-care
assistance and the increasing
incidence of dementia.
A workbook, including an interactive online tool, has been
developed for branches that want
to start or enhance their own
seniors program. Kanata, Ont.,
Branch has agreed to host a pilot
project. The workbook and results
of the pilot project will be presented at dominion convention.
The dominion president requested DEC members discuss with
branches a suggestion from retired
master corporal Paul Franklin, an
Afghanistan veteran and double
amputee, that they provide a
free room or office where serving members and veterans and
their families could meet.
The local Legion then becomes
the place for people to come when
they need help, says Franklins
proposal. The Legion gets the
great benefit of having new blood
come and see what the Legion is
and what it stands for. Having a
Dominion President Gordon Moore (left) accepts a donation for the Royal
Commonwealth Ex-Services League from Newfoundland and Labrador Command
President Ross Petten.
68
branch service officer on hand to

lend assistance would help familiarize these groups with Legion
services, as well as help them access
community services, added Moore.
Legion branches might also be
used for local meetings between veterans and Veterans Affairs Canada
counsellors or case managers in
areas affected by closure of VAC
district offices. Grand President
Larry Murray said this would give
the Legion an opportunity to see
that Veterans Affairs Canada delivers on its commitment that case
managers will continue to meet
with veterans after the closure of
district offices across the country.
Services to veterans were of chief
concern, as reflected in three dozen
resolutions carried by DEC for
consideration at dominion convention. Among them are resolutions
calling for priority access to health
care to veterans and their families;
providing tax credits to employers
that hire veterans; changes to the
New Veterans Charter to improve
financial support for all veterans,
including reservists; that VIP benefits be extended to all frail veterans
and granted to surviving spouses
according to need, rather than the
current complex eligibility criteria;
that veterans and their families
have the same access to a dental
services plan as civil servants.
Dominion Command service
officers have seen a significant increase in first applications for VAC
benefits, and expect the numbers to
remain high as outreach and interactive Internet tools are introduced,
said Moore in the Veterans, Service
and Seniors Committee report.
Serving members of the Canadian
Armed Forces accounted for 26
per cent of claims, while 71 per cent
came from veterans; of those, only
30 per cent were veterans of the
Second World War and Korean War.
PHOTO: Sharon adams
DEC Discusses Making

The Legion More Welcoming
LEgion MagazinE maY/JUNE 2014
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2014-04-03 3:18 PM
PHOTO: Sharon adams
Provincial command presidents

also reported that their service
officers are carrying a heavier load.
A large portion of debate was
also devoted to membership
issues. There is now a sense of
urgency, to building membership,
said Murray. A healthy membership of between 300,000 and
400,000 is needed if the Legion
is to remain vigorous, he said.
Demographics are the driving
forcein 2013, 28 per cent of the
Legions 320,193 members were
over the age of 75; just 41,000 were
below the age of 50. In the last decade more than 80,000 members
have passed away. Retention and
recruitment continue to be important. In 2013, 28,665 members
did not renew and 7,472 passed
away; 23,403 were recruited.
The renewal reminder program
resulted in 16,046 renewals in 2013
and new initiatives are beginning
to bring in members, reported
Membership Committee Chairman
Peter Piper. Direct-mail campaigns
brought in 2,148 members; online
ads, 144; the inaugural One-ByOne campaign, at least 1,990;
and online membership, 138.
The Membership Committee
through DEC will bring ideas to be
discussed at the dominion convention, based on feedback received
from provincial conventions.
Also approved was a resolution
allowing online application and
renewal of membership. During
discussion it was made clear
branches will retain the right to
accept or reject applicants and
that electronic applicants are
directed to local branches as quickly
as possible.
And finally, lapsed members
will be able to buy back years of
service if convention delegates
concur with a resolution passed
by DEC.
The decrease in membership
affects every aspect of Legion operations, from supply department
sales to participating in members
sports. Dominion Secretary Brad
White reported supply department

sales declined seven per cent to
$1,728,019 in 2013, but are trending
up due to new products incorporating the new poppy branding.
A deficit of $543,752 was
posted for 2013; it would have
been $783,752, but the blow was
blunted by receipt of an estate
bequest of $240,000, reported
Treasurer Mike Cook. As a result,
$418,000 less was drawn from the
Per Capita Reserve to fund 2013
operations, leaving $3,158,970
in the Reserve for future use.
Departments and committees
have tightened belts and have
mostly come in under budget,
Cook reported. An operating
deficit of $1,164,415 is projected
for 2014, which will further deplete
the Per Capita Reserve Fund.
Convention delegates will be
asked to consider a proposal for
a Per Capita Tax increase in
order to continue to fund our
programs at the level they are
now, Cook said. The last per
capita increase was in 2007.
In other business, DEC heard a
report from Colonel Scott McLeod,
the director of Mental Health for the
Canadian Armed Forces, discussing
mental health services and the cluster of suicides that have been in the
news lately (Editorial, March/April).
One in five Canadians will suffer
with a mental illness in their lifetime. Most of us will be affected in
some way, he said. The Canadian
Armed Forces are no different.
McLeod said the vast majority of
suicides are the result of a serious
health issue. The military carries
out a review of all suicides in the
Canadian Armed Forces and reports
within 30 days. In many ways, these
reviews are therapeutic for the families involved because they get to talk
about what was happening before
the individual committed suicide.
An internal review of recent
suicides found that mental health
care in the CAF was generally excellent but focus needs to be on access,
quality of care and education.
Also Heard At DEC

The following news was also
presented at the Feb. 21-23 meeting
of Dominion Executive Council.
D
EC will recommend to dominion
convention that the definition of
veteran be updated to include the
RCMP. The definition would then
read: A veteran is any person who
is serving or who has honourably
served in the Canadian Armed
Forces, the Commonwealth or its
wartime allies or as a regular
member of the Royal Canadian
Mounted Police; or who has served
in the merchant navy or Ferry
Command during wartime.
D
ominion convention delegates
will have the opportunity to attend
workshops on membership;
veterans service and seniors;
poppy; and outreach on Saturday,
June 14.
O
ntario, New Brunswick,
Saskatchewan, Quebec and Nova
Scotia/Nunavut commands have
submitted $10,000 grant requests
to Dominion Command to support
establishment of a homeless
veterans program.
A
motion was defeated that called
for review by the Dominion
Command Poppy and
Remembrance Committee of all
provincial command poppy fund
special use expenditures over
$50,000.
te-Thrse, Que., will host the
S
2015 and 2016 Legion National
Youth Track and Field
Championships.
C
orbys Distilleries has agreed to a
two-year sponsorship of $25,000
a year for the Dominion Command
Darts Championships.
ominion Command negotiated a
D
deal for surplus federal
government computers. Six
commands have taken advantage
of the offer of free computers
for branches.
In light of provincial commands
concerns about dwindling revenue
from supply department sales
profit, Dominion Command will
review the agreement.
ewfoundland and Labrador
N
Command donated $17,650
to the Royal Commonwealth
Ex-Services League.
maY/JUNE 2014 LEgion MagazinE
Pg68-69_DEC.indd 69
69
2014-04-10 11:16 AM
NEWS
Extra End Decides

Curling Championship
by Adam Day
It was an epic battleand an epically good timethis year at the

58th Dominion Command Curling
Championship, hosted March 15-19
by Dauphin Branch in Manitoba.
Deciding the winner took the
entire bonspiel and then some,
coming down to the last rocks of
an extra end, when the crown was
captured by the British Columbia/
Yukon team of Dave Belway, Barry
Meyer, Darin Gerow and Wayne
Shepherd from Salmon Arm
Branch. They defeated the hometown Dauphin Branch team of Ray
Baker, Dwight Bottrell, Jim Todoruk,
Greg Thompson and Bob Alm.
With only six provincial teams
present, the event took on a shortened format this year, starting on
Sunday and ending Tuesday.
It all began on Sunday afternoon after a short opening ceremony. At the ceremony, Manitoba/
Northwestern Ontario Command
Past President Rick Bennett joined

Dominion Command Sports
Committee Vice-Chairman Paul
Poirier in welcoming the curlers and
spectators to the championships.
Sports have always been an important aspect of life within the RCL
as there is something for everyone,
Poirier told the small crowd. All are
encouraged to join in for the joy of
the sport and the spirit of healthy
competition that results. If sports are
approached from this perspective, all
are winners. And keep in mind that
good sports makes sports good.
On Monday morning the leaders of
the pack were beginning to emerge.
The Saskatchewan team of Andrew
Hay, Rick Middleton, Darren Clancy
and Trevor Yousie from Nutana
Branch in Saskatoon was sitting at
2-0 after two convincing victories
on Sunday against B.C./Yukon and
the Prince Edward Island team of
Kevin Ellsworth, Blaine Hutt, Fred
Dominion representative Paul Poirier leads Manitoba-Northwestern Ontario

Command Past President Rick Bennett (second from right) and other guests
towards the stage.
70
Fraser and David Bell from Saint

Anthony Branch in Bloomfield.
Meanwhile, the Quebec team of
Yvon Labrecque, Alain Beauregard,
Jeffrey Bromby and Jean-Paul
Brillon from Cowansville Branch
was also unbeaten, having taken out
P.E.I. and the Nova Scotia/Nunavut
team of Ed Comeau, James Doucet,
Louise Doucet and Pete Comeau
from Weymouth Branch on Sunday.
It was these two teams of
Saskatchewan and Quebecthe only
two unbeaten teamsthat were facing off first thing Monday on sheet
six. The first four ends were as cautious as they were conservative,
with each side content to blank or,
at best, to use the hammer to mark
one point on the board. After four
ends they were tied at one apiece.
The fifth end was a scorcher, when
Quebec skip Labrecque was preparing to throw the last rock, he was
looking at no less than eight rocks
in the house. He had a chance to
take two or even three points but
he uncharacteristically clipped a
guard and allowed Saskatchewan
to steal a point. They went up 2-1.
In the next end, Quebec took two
points for a 3-2 lead. Saskatchewan
fired back and took a point in the
7th to tie the game at 3-3. Quebec
went up 4-3 in the eighth and stole
a point in the ninth to go up 5-3.
Though Saskatchewan skip Hay did
have a chance to win on his final
stone at the end of the tenth, it was
a true longshot which didnt pan
out. Quebec was now out in front
of the bonspiel with 3-0 record.
Joining Saskatchewan in second place with a 2-1 record
were B.C. and Manitoba.
On Monday afternoon the home
team had its chance to make a mark
when they faced off against the powerhouse Quebec. And they did not
LEgion MagazinE maY/JUNE 2014
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2014-04-10 11:17 AM
PHOTOs: ADAM DAY
disappoint, forcing the Quebecers

to offer a handshake after the
eighth end. Both teams were now
tied at three wins and one loss.
Meanwhile, Saskatchewan
ran into some trouble with Nova
Scotia and lost the match on the
last rock, knocking themselves out
of contention for the win. British
Columbia/Yukon closed it out
against P.E.I., setting up an interesting situation on Tuesday morningwith three teams tied at 3-1.
On the final day of regulation
play two matches were set to sort it
all out. At the end of the morning
play, at least one team would be at
4-1either B.C. or Quebecand they
were playing each other on sheet five.
However, if the Dauphin home team
could beat Saskatchewan they would
also end the morning at 4-1, forcing
an afternoon playoff for the win.
On sheet five B.C. held a 5-3 lead
halfway through the matchs 10 ends,
but Quebec wasnt going out so easily and by the end of the seventh
theyd tied it up 5-5. It would all
come down to the last three ends.
B.C. rose to the challenge, going
up 7-5 after the eighth and stole
another point to go up 8-5 after
nine. B.C.s skip Dave Belway took
no chances in the 10th, peeling
off every guard Quebec put up to
leave a clean house. With nothing
left to do, Quebec shook hands.
With that, attention shifted to
sheet six and the Saskatchewan
versus Manitoba game. If Manitoba
couldnt pull off a win, B.C.
would be the Dominion champs.
Going into the 10th and final end,
Saskatchewan held a thin 7-6 lead
but the Dauphin team had the hammer and skip Ray Baker played it
perfectly, taking the win with his
last stone and setting up an afternoon playoff for the championship.
The bonspiel-deciding match was
methodical and cautious. The first
end was a blank and in the second
B.C. used their hammer to take one
point. The third and fourth were
blank. Dauphin took two in the fifth.
B.C. squeaked one out in the sixth to
Top: Manitobas Greg Thompson lets go a rock during the final game. Below:
Poirier presents the trophy to the winning team from B.C./Yukon Command
of (from left) Dave Belway, Darin Gerow, Wayne Shepherd and Barry Meyer.
tie the game at 2-2. In the seventh a

series of mis-throws by Dauphin had
the partisan crowd in an uproar and
B.C. stole two to take a 4-2 lead. In
the eighth Dauphin came back for a
point to make it 4-3. B.C. used their
hammer to take a point in the ninth
and then it was down to the last end
with the hometown boys down 5-3.
The crowd was three-deep and
vociferous as the 10th end was coming to a close. Somewhat against
the odds, Manitoba managed to
score two with some intense lastminute shot-making which meant
the final was going to extra ends.
However, the local dreams did
not last much longer. B.C. was
in no mood for errors and they
played it tight all the way through,
using the hammer advantage to
close out the championship.
This was a phenomenal event,

right from beginning to end, said
B.C.s Barry Meyer. What was really neat was to win on the last rock,
extra end, with everybody up there in
the viewing area having a great time.
And it must be said: a great time
was had by all. Local Arrangements
Chair Greg Thompsonwho also
curled on the Dauphin team during the eventand his committee
left nothing to chance. The goal
here was simple, said Thompson,
to make sure the curlers had a
great time and good competition, to enjoy their stay here.
When they go home hopefully they can share how good a
time they had in Dauphin and
encourage more teams to participate in curling, he said. Lets
keep Legion curling strong.
Pg70-71_Curling.indd 71
71
2014-04-03 3:24 PM
NEWS
Legion Urges Approval

Of Arctic Star
The Royal Canadian Legion has
asked the government to allow
eligible Canadian veterans to receive and wear the Arctic Star
for service in the Arctic during
the Second World War (Approval
Not Given For Wearing Of The
Arctic Star, January/February).
Hundreds of Canadian veterans and their families can now
apply for the Arctic Star through
the British government for their
service in the Arctic during the
Second World War but they cannot legally wear it, said Dominion
President Gordon Moore. This is
shameful and The Royal Canadian
Legion is urging the government
to make it a matter of priority to
recognize the medal for those aging veterans who deserve to be
recognized for their bravery.
The Arctic Star, which was announced by the British Government
in 2012 and began production in
2013, is for veterans, including

Canadians, who served any length
of time north of the Arctic Circle
between Sept. 2, 1939, and May8,
1945. However, Canadian veterans should not wear the medal
since it is not officially recognized
within the Canadian order of
precedence. The matter is currently being reviewed by Canadas
Honours Policy Committee.
Braving treacherous seas and
temperatures as low as -60 C, veterans ran the gauntlet of German
planes and U-boats to supply the
Soviet ports of Murmansk and
Archangel between 1939 and 1945.
More than 3,000 men died, 85
merchant ships and 16 Royal Navy
vessels were lost, wrote Moore.
Only about 200 of these veterans
are alive today, they are of increasing age, and it would be a great
distinction for them to wear this
medal before they pass away.
The British government began issuing

the Arctic Star in 2013.
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
QUESTION:
I was injured in the Second World War and only found out in 2010 that I
could apply for a disability pension from Veterans Affairs Canada. My application was favorable but I am disappointed that my benefits were not
retroactive to the date of my injury.
ANSWER:
Insofar as retroactivity is concerned, the effective date of disability pension awards is governed by the Pension Act (subsection 39(1)) which provides that pensions shall be payable from the date an application is first
made to the department or to a maximum of three years prior to the date
on which a favorable ruling is made, whichever is the later date. The onus
is on the veteran to apply.
Such contact may be made by telephone, a personal visit or in writing.
In cases of written contact, the minister will accept the date on which the
notification was received.
72
The Pension Act reads as follows:

3 9(1) A pension awarded for disability shall be made payable from
the later of

(a) The day on which application therefore was first made; and

(b) A day three years prior to the day on which the pension was
awarded to the pensioner.
The reason for the limitation on retroactivity is that there is no time
limit in which a veteran can apply. Second World War and Korean War
veterans are applying for benefits for the very first time many years after
service. This is a very important part of the legislation.
Veterans who are applying for a disability award under the Canadian
Forces Members and Veterans Re-establishment and Compensation Act
(the New Veterans Charter) are not entitled to any retroactivity. The date of
payment of benefits is the date of the decision. However; as with the Pension
Act, there is no limitation on when a veteran can apply for benefits.
Pg72_ArcticStar-ServYou.indd 72
2014-04-04 1:44 PM
NEWS
BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC TO

BE EXPERIENCED IN HALIFAX
BY TOM MacGREGOR
ILLUSTRATION: BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC PLACE
A new structure that will showcase Canadas Naval

Memorial, HMCS Sackville, is to be constructed on Halifaxs
historic waterfront as a tribute to all who served in the
Battle of the Atlantic.
BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC PLACE
will be built on 4.5 acres of preConfederation waterfront allocated
to the project by the government
of Nova Scotia. It will be built out
over the water on pilings where
the wartime corvette is currently
docked during the summer months.
Organizers emphasize that
Battle of the Atlantic Place is
not a museum. It is a building
which will let the visitor experience the battle in many ways.
The Battle of the Atlantic was a
national achievement and this is a
national project, said Ted Kelly, a
retired Royal Canadian Navy captain. We want to tell the story of
all Canadians who were involved,
the people who built the ships, the
sailors from all across Canada and
the more than 400 communities
that gave their names to ships.
Visitors to the new centre will go
through a series of rooms which
tell the story of Canada in the
early 20th century with the First
World War, the roaring Twenties
and the Depression. Another area
will tell the story of the storm
clouds of war brewing in Europe
and nally Canada at war and the
legacy of peace which followed.
In the Atlantic Theatre guests
will be surrounded on three sides
by digital projection surfaces and
360-degree digital sound system. There will be corvette and
U-boat simulators to give visitors a sense of being on board the
boats when called to action.
Finally guests will arrive at
Convoy Hall where HMCS Sackville
will be on display along with a
Canso ying boat used by the Royal

Canadian Air Force. Guests will be
able to tour Sackville and the hall
will contain many artifacts associated with the convoys. Shipside
chats will take place in the hall.
The federal, provincial and municipal governments have all contributed money to the development of
the project which is expected to cost
between $180 and $205 million.
The idea of creating such a
place has really been around
since the 1980s when we rst began to preserve Sackville, said
Kelly. If Sackville is to be preserved in perpetuity, it needs to
be protected from the elements.
You need to get it under cover.
The Battle of the Atlantic was
the longest battle of the war, lasting from the beginning of the war
in 1939 until VE-Day in May, 1945.

More than 1,200 naval and merchant ships of dierent classes
were built in support of the Royal
Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy.
By 1945 the RCN had almost 500
ships and 110,000 men and women.
Roughly a quarter of all air squadrons committed to the Atlantic
were RCAF while a quarter of all
Royal Air Force Coastal Command
crews were Canadian. Canadas
merchant navy grew to 178 ships
and almost 15,000 personnel.
A design by the international rm
Stantec Architecture was chosen
from 10 consortia comprising companies across North America and
Europe. The structure will feature
glass facades, vaulted halls and
galleries and spectacular views of
Halifax Harbour. BRC Imagination
Arts has created the storyboard
design to provide an exciting experience for visitors of all ages.
More information can be
found on the website www.battleoftheatlanticplace.ca.
A computer-generated
image shows where
Battle of the Atlantic
Place (shown at right
with the green roof) will be built
along Halifaxs waterfront.
Pg73_Sackville.indd 73
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2014-04-03 3:30 PM
NEWS
SMALL TRIBUTE TO
SECOND WORLD WAR SAILORS
An artifact which was once the property of a treacherous
U-boat during the Second World War is the latest exhibit to
be added to a growing museum collection at Huntsville, Ont.,
Branch, 225 kilometres north of Toronto.
ACQUIRING THE ARTIFACT BEGAN one
day in 1979 when Captain Gregg
Romanow was a junior ocer
aboard Her Majestys Canadian Ship
Nipigon as the destroyer was tied
alongside in Toronto and open to
the public. As ocer of the day, he
recalled, I helped an older gentleman, a Second World War veteran,
up to the prow. As we stood on the
quarterdeck, he stood rigid and silent, holding onto the rails, a plastic
bag grasped tightly in one hand as
he kept peering across the harbour.
Though Romanow has forgotten
his guests name, he remembered
how the veteran took a deep breath
and began to tell of being on convoy duty on the North Atlantic
during the war. It was June 29
Romanow remembered him saying.
He told the story of the German
submarine U-651 which had
been stationed at Bergen, on the

west coast of Norway. On June
12, 1941, U-651 left the submarine pens code-named Bruno,
just outside the picturesque village, under the command of
Korvettenkapitan Peter Lohmeyer.
At 21:06 on the night of June 24,
the British steam merchant Brockly
Hill, part of convoy HX-133, was torpedoed and sunk by U-651, southeast of Cape Farewell, Greenland.
More than satised, Lohmeyer
continued on his patrol and changed
his course heading to due north.
Then on June 29, just south of
Iceland, U-651 red o two G7e
torpedoes at 00:30 hours, again
at convoy HX-133 striking S.S.
Grayburn, another British steam
merchant. Lohmeyer lowered
his submarines periscope and
started to make his escape.
A model of U-651 is part of the museum collection at Huntsville, Ont., Branch.
74
According to Romanow, the

older gentlemen continued telling
him of the horrors that unfolded
that cold, dark night in the waters
south of Iceland. He had been on
His Majestys Ship Malcolm, a
Royal Navy destroyer, as it and four
other ships began letting loose the
depth charges. After a number of
explosions erupted from the water,
the submarine was nally forced
to the surface, fully disabled.
Knowing that the Germans would
scuttle the vessel before surrendering, rather than let it fall into the
hands of the British, he had been one
of the boarding party sent across to
secure the prisoners and collect anything of an intelligence nature. As he
hurried the length of the U-boat as it
took on water through its open seacocks, he paused at the entrance to
the wardroom, where in a glass case
rested the hand-carved commissioning model of the sinking submarine.
Quickly, he grabbed the model from
its case and took it back to his ship.
It was at this point, says
Romanow, that the man handed
him the plastic bag. Inside was the
model he had taken o the oundering vessel, decades earlier. He
said he was in his 70s now, in failing
health, and that he wished to ensure that his war trophy was passed
on as a tribute, said Romanow.
Romanow was visiting Huntsville
Branch, where his brother John is
a member, on Remembrance Day
2011. He saw how the branch was
building up its museum and felt it
would be an appreciated addition.
Though years of neglect had
taken its toll, this hand-carved
model that once travelled within
the belly of U-651, now rests restored and on display at Huntsville
Branch as a tribute and symbol of
remembrance to the sailors who
served in the North Atlantic.
PHOTO: RICK THOMAS
BY RICK THOMAS
Pg74_UBoat.indd 74
2014-04-03 3:31 PM
NEWS
CARIBBEAN CRUISE HAS

SUCCESSFUL SECOND YEAR
PHOTO: CARLSON WAGONLIT TRAVEL
Eighty Legion members from

Newfoundland to British
Columbia joined the second
annual Caribbean Veterans
Cruise Jan. 30 to Feb. 10.
HOSTED BY DOMINION FIRST VICE
Tom Eagles and his wife, Cheryl,
the cruise left Fort Lauderdale,
Fla., for 10 nights on the
Celebrity Eclipse with stops in
St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Barbados,
Dominica and St. Maarten.
The cruise was organized by
Carlson Wagonlit Travel, one
of the partners in the Legions
Member Benets Package.
For every cabin sold, Carlson
Wagonlit donated $75 to help The
Royal Canadian Legions work
with the Royal Commonwealth
Ex-services League supporting

Commonwealth veterans and their
dependants in the Caribbean. The
trip raised $2,850 for the RCEL.
During a stop in Barbados, the
Legionnaires had a half-day tour
of the island followed by attending
the changing of the guard ceremony
at the garrison in Bridgetown.
In Dominica, the group walked
two blocks from the ship to the
cenotaph in the capital of Roseau.
Eagles placed a wreath on behalf
of The Royal Canadian Legion
and Canadian veterans. That was
followed by a half-day tour of the
island and dance performance
at a local elementary school.
The third annual Caribbean
Commonwealth Veterans Cruise
is planned for Feb. 1 to 13, 2015,
Legion members enjoy a stop at

St. Thomas during the Caribbean cruise.
with Dominion President Gordon

Moore acting as host. This time the
cruise will include stops in Belize
and Grand Cayman. Once again
Carlson Wagonlit will be donating
$75 for every cabin booked. More
than 40 people have already signed
up, including 16 Legionnaires who
were on this years cruise.
ILLUSTRATION: CANADA POST CORPORATION
ENVELOPE MARKS PPCLI CENTENNIAL

CANADA POST CORPORATION
UNVEILED a commemorative envelope at Ottawa City Hall March
17 marking the rst of a series
of events for the the 100th anniversary of the Princess Patricias
Canadian Light Infantry.
Canada Post Vice-President
Mary Traversy introduced the
envelope and presented the
rst one to former chief of defence sta and member of the
PPCLI, John de Chastelain.
The envelope features a unique
printed stamp and collection of
historical images of the regiment.
The black and white photograph on
the front shows Princess Patricia
placing a gilt silver wreath on the
Regimental Colour in February
1919. The stamp shows the PPCLI
band at the former Currie Barracks
in Calgary. The cancellation

shows a coronet and the letters VP for Victoria Patricia.
Shortly after the declaration
of war in 1914, wealthy Montreal
businessman Hamilton Gault
oered $100,000 to the federal
government to raise and equip a
battalion for immediate overseas
service. The regiment was named
after Princess Patricia, the daughter
of the Duke of Connaught, a son
of Queen Victoria and Canadas
governor general at the time.
Eight days after recruiting posters were issued, the regiment was
at full strength with 1,098 men.
Landsdowne Park in Ottawa was
allocated as the rst barracks
and, as a result, Ottawa is considered the regiments birthplace.
The PPCLI left Ottawa for Europe
A commemorative envelope features

a photo of Princess Patricia.
in August 1914 and was the rst

Canadian combat unit into battle.
The unit fought in every major
Canadian action during the war and
was retained in Canadas permanent
military force where it has served in
the Second World War, the Korean
War, on peacekeeping missions,
with NATO and in Afghanistan.
Pg75_Cruise-PPCLI.indd 75
75
2014-04-03 3:33 PM
NEWS
LEGION BY THE NUMBERS

MEMBERSHIP BY AGE AND GENDER
FINAL 2013 PICTURE
ALL CATEGORIES
Command
B.C./YUKON
ALTA./N.W.T.
SASK.
MAN./N.W.O.
ONT.
QUE.
N.B.
N.S./NUNAVUT
P.E.I.
NFLD./LAB.
DOMINION
U.S.
EUROPE
TOTAL
80 And
Over 75-79
Achieved Achieved
As Of
As Of
Jan. 31, Jan. 31,
2014
2013
Per
Cent
55,665
57,494
43,944
45,789
11,646
12,120
25,232
25,909
116,062 121,600
13,991
14,412
9,215
9,820
22,987
24,057
2,101
2,196
4,301
4,371
1,347
1,420
676
686
292
319
307,459 320,193
(96.82)
(95.97)
(96.09)
(97.39)
(95.45)
(97.08)
(93.84)
(95.55)
(95.67)
(98.40)
(94.86)
(98.54)
(91.54)
(96.02)
FEMALE 13,295
Per cent
of all
female
13.75
TOTAL
7,629
9,883
12,584
11,884
7.88
10.20
13.08
12.27
10,625 8,497
10.97
8.66
7,514
3,763
1,879
21
7.76
3.88
1.94
0.02
57,686 30,329 37,761 44,680 39,333 32,908 24,237 22,999 11,662
MEMBERSHIP PICTURE
FOR 2014
MEMBERSHIP
PICTURE
FOR 2014
Sask
9,162
PEI
1,646
Man/NWO
19,289
NS/NU
15,880
Ont
90,291
Nfld/Lab
3,303
OTHER
Dominion
US
Europe
5,795
TOTAL
219,876
87,574
60 307,450
500
400
300
231,329
200
MEMBERSHIP IN THOUSANDS
NB
6,844
86.5
88.4
90.3
91.3
89.7
87.9
88.5
88.7
89.5
90.9
39.3
85.7
80.5
88.7
19 And
40-49 30-39 20-29 Under
1.43
Alta/NWT
32,189
49,731 57,494
40,483 45,789
10,953
12,120
23,664 25,909
109,173 121,600
12,669
14,412
8,694
9,820
21,342 24,057
1,966
2,196
3,977
4,371
559
1,420
588
686
257
319
284,056 320,193
50-54
1.78
Command
B.C./YUKON
ALTA./N.W.T.
SASK.
MAN./N.W.O.
ONT.
QUE.
N.B.
N.S./NUNAVUT
P.E.I.
NFLD./LAB.
DOMINION
U.S.
EUROPE
TOTAL
55-59
39
Que
10,896
2012 Per cent
60-64
3,916
BC/Yukon
40,001
2013
65-69
MALE
44,391 22,700 27,878 32,096 27,449 22,283 15,740 15,485 7,900
Per cent
of all
male
16.17
8.27
10.15
11.69
10.00
8.12
5.73
2.88 3.59
RENEWAL PICTURE
ALL CATEGORIES
70-74
148,218
100
974
592
262
DEC13
AS OF THE END OF:
(EARLY BIRD)
FEB14
APR14
JUN14
AUG14
OCT14
Advertisement
COMMUNITY
Find-Share-Discuss
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that captures a moment, important or ordinary,

in Canadas military history?
Legion Magazine invites our readers to contribute
their old photos and stories. Selections will be
posted online in our Community Section.
Wed love to hear from you.
76
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photographs (no photocopies)
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Include your daytime phone
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Pg76_MemBoxes.indd 76
2014-04-03 4:01 PM
NEWS
Time For Action On New Veterans

Charter, Legion tells MPs
by Sharon Adams
Its time to stop talking and start doing. Thats the message
from veterans advocacy groups as they await parliamentary
committee recommendations for the second round of
changes to the New Veterans Charter.
More than 200 recommendations
have been made for improvements
to the charter since the time it came
into effect in 2006, said veterans
testifying at the statutory review
of the charter by the House of
Commons Standing Committee
on Veterans Affairs, whose recommendations will form the basis of
new amendments.
They suggested the federal government use recommendations
from earlier studies, particularly
a 2013 Veterans Ombudsmans
report, as a blueprint for action
now, rather than calling for further
study, which would result in further delay. (Charter Could Leave
Disabled Veterans in Poverty,
January/February).
It is time for the government to
have a heroic moment and do what
is right for our veterans and their
families, said Dominion President
Gordon Moore of The Royal
Canadian Legion while appearing
before the committee on March 6.
The New Veterans Charter was
meant to address gaps in support
for modern veterans. The pensions
and allowances of the Pension Act
were designed to meet needs of
veterans from the Second World
War and Korean War, many of
whom were civilian volunteers
who needed help re-establishing
themselves in civilian life. But after
the Korean War, Canadas military
became more professional. The New
Veterans Charter was designed for
modern veterans, many of whom
had long-term military careers.
Soon after the charters implementation, gaps began to appear,
many particularly affecting modern

veterans too disabled to embark on
new careers. In 2011, the charter
was amended to address some gaps,
but concerns remain.
Chief among veterans concerns
are improving the Earnings Loss
Benefit by increasing the ceiling to
100 per cent of pre-release income
and continuing for life; increasing
the maximum disability awards
to match that awarded by civilian
courts; and eradicating inequities
that see reserve force members
receiving less compensation than
identified by the 20 organizations

belonging to the Veterans Consultation Group. During appearances
before the standing committee,
Moore, Canadian Association
of Veterans in United Nations
Peacekeeping National President
Ron Griffis and NATO Veterans
Organization of Canada President
Gordon Jenkins, all expressed their
organizations support for action on
these three main issues.
However, there are other important issues. Griffis pointed out
although it takes two incomes to
support a family today, when the
spouse of a severely injured member of the Forces is the primary
caregiver, lack of financial support
consigns the family to a future under the poverty line.
It is time for the government

to have a heroic moment
and do what is right for our
veterans and their families.
Dominion President Gordon Moore
regular force members for the same
service-attributable injuries.
The Earnings Loss Benefit, which
supports veterans through rehabilitation and training for a new job or
career, is capped at 75 per cent of a
veterans pre-release salary, and it
ceases at age 65. The maximum disability award in 2013 was slightly
less than $300,000, while, according to the ombudsmans report, the
maximum awarded by Canadian
courts was about $342,000.
These are the urgent deficiencies
Our veterans and their families

need to know what programs are
available and how to access them,
said Moore. The government needs
to ensure there are resources and
programs in place, that they are accessible and that frontline staff are
available and knowledgeable to assist
veterans and their families. This
must not be a self-serve system,
he said.
Although the governments obligation to veterans injured in the
line of duty is stated clearly in the
Pg77-78_Charter-Contest-Ad.indd 77
77
2014-04-03 3:35 PM
news
Pension Act, the Veterans Review
and Appeal Board Act and the War
Veterans Allowance Act, it does
not appear in the New Veterans
Charter. That obligation should be
restated and reaffirmed in amendments to the charter, said Moore.
The review of the charter presents an excellent opportunity to
do so, stated a recent report by the
Senate Subcommittee on Veterans
Affairs. The parliamentary committee was charged by Veterans
Affairs Minister Julian Fantino
to determine how best to state
our commitment to Canadians
and their families and what is the
best format to do so in the New
Veterans Charter.
This should result in a common
understanding of the obligation
to veterans. The understanding
should also be endorsed by provincial and territorial governments,
since care of veterans and their

families is a whole of government obligation, said the Senate
subcommittee, currently chaired
by Senator Romo Dallaire. Given
that veterans and [CAF] members
have accepted unlimited liability in
the service of Canada, those who
die or are injured in the course of
duty deserve the best program of
compensation and benefits Canada
can provide.
In the absence of such a social
contract, or even any substantive
debate, disagreements and misunderstandings abound, said the
Senate subcommittee report.
Such a disagreement is reected in a class-action suit fi led
against the federal government by
Afghanistan war veterans, contending the standard of care is less
under the charter than the Pension
Act, breaking a covenant made in
1917 and reiterated in preambles

to veterans legislation up to, but
not including, the New Veterans
Charter. The federal government
contends it should not be bound by
pledges of previous governments
dating back to the First World War.
A Veterans Affairs Canada statement said their argument could
have a far broader impact than
perhaps intended The case is
expected to proceed this summer.
The ombudsmans report recommended increasing the Earnings
Loss Benefit, providing extra financial support after the age of 65
so permanently disabled veterans
receive no less than 70 per cent
of indexed, pre-release salary.
As well, the ombudsman recommended part-time reservists with
service-related injuries should receive the same benefits as members
of the regular forces.
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Pg77-78_Charter-Contest-Ad.indd 78
2014-04-03 3:35 PM
NEWS
Family Liaison Officers

Provide Help
by sharon adams
PHOTO: SHARON ADAMS
Ask Maryam Ebrahimpour, a busy mental health

professional, what her typical day is like and shes quick
to respond, There is no such thing.
Ebrahimpour, a family liaison
officer, spends some of each day
counselling and supporting ill and
injured military personnel and their
families assigned to the Integrated
Personnel Support Unit at Canadian
Forces Base Toronto, and part of
the day providing those same services, plus workshops and group
sessions, at the Toronto Military
Family Resource Centre (MFRC).
Im the one-stop shop, she
jokes, spending her days counselling and supporting families and
military members, helping them
negotiate the maze of military
services, recommending MFRC
services and connecting them
to services in the community.
The position of family liaison officer was created in 2009, and they
are now in nearly 30 MFRCs across
the country. They are professional
social workers and counsellors with
the capacity to support the family
whatever their need, including
short-term counselling and longterm bereavement support, says
Laurie Ogilvie, national manager
of the resilience and engagement
team for the Canadian Armed
Forces Military Family Services.
Aside from counselling for such
things as anxiety, depression and
difficulty in making the transition
from military to civilian life, a family liaison officer can help families
and members dealing with operational stress injuries keep on top
of appointments and paperwork.
I can keep the family on the same
page in terms of medical process,
forms, release and recovery, said
Ebrahimpour. Families often find
there are too many forms, and too
many acronyms in the military

health system. Theyll say I know
there was a form that needed to be
filled out, but I havent seen it at
home. Can you confirm its been
done? A military member cant
remember if the form was filled
out because it was months ago;
theyve filled out so many forms.
Families of the fallen make up
about half of Ebrahimpours cases.
There are quite a few challenges,
regardless of how much time has
passed. Through one-on-one
counselling and group workshops Ebrahimpour is able to

tailor help for families bereaved
by duty-related death or suicide.
Spouses, children, parents and
adult siblings learn how to take
care of themselves and other
family members as they grieve.
They often feel a lot of blame and
shameand feel quite isolated.
Unburdening themselves and talking to others going through the
same thing relieves the isolation.
A list of Military Family Resource
Centres across Canada is available
online at www.familyforce.ca or by
calling the Family Information
Line 1-613-995-5234 (collect) or
1-800-866-4546 (international).
Family Liaison Officer Maryam Ebrahimpour chats with

a soldier at Canadian Armed Forces Base Toronto.
Pg79_Family.indd 79
79
2014-04-03 3:38 PM
NEWS
Service Dogs Helping Veterans

by SHARON ADAMS
PHOTOS: SHARON ADAMS
Veteran Joshua Edel is up for an interview, thinking he can

push through his growing discomfort, but his dog Clover isnt
having it. She presses against his knee, and when he doesnt
stop talking, she starts making insistent noises.
Its not that shes naggingits
her job. Humans in the room cant
see it, but Edel is getting emotionally worked up, and Clover is demanding he take her for a walk to
calm himself down. Now, please.
The black Labrador retriever is a
medical service dog trained to interrupt Edel when symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder appear.
Edel, 37, a reservist from Langley,
B.C., was diagnosed with PTSD and
medically released in 2009 from the
Canadian Armed Forces. Despite
fine-tuning of treatments and medication, Edel is plagued by anxiety attacks, fits of temper and nightmares.
A year ago Edel and Clover
started training with Courageous
Companions. Clover eases his anxiety and calms him down. But waking him from nightmares, thats
the biggest thing. His dreams are
so vivid he has shouted and gotten
out of bed in his sleep. Hes disoriented and confused when he wakes,
and suffers a nightmare hangover
the next day. Its almost like the
souls been sucked out of me. Now
Clover wakes him up at the start of
a bad dream, before its terrifying.
I wake up and shes licking my face.
Immediately, I feel OK, says Edel.
Sometimes veterans who suffer
PTSD just cant leave their homes
due to their condition, said George
Leonard, a master trainer with
Courageous Companions, which has
trained more than 100 medical service dogs for veterans and serving
members of the Canadian Armed
Forces and RCMP with PTSD,
traumatic brain injury, physical
disability and seizures. Itsquite
a life-changing experience.
80
Animal-assisted therapy can

significantly reduce pain, anxiety,
depression and fatigue in people with
a range of health problems, including PTSD, says the Mayo Clinic.
Humans become emotionally attached to animals and it gives them
something to care for and look after.
Contact with animals reduces stress
hormones, and increases hormones
of well-being, bringing health benefits, like lowering of blood pressure.
The effect can be strong enough that
some PTSD veterans have been able
to lower dosages of medications.
But the animals have a more active
role to play, too. Their noses, perhaps
millions of times keener than the human nose, can smell trouble coming.
Dogs can sense chemical changes
in the body, such as those that precede a seizure or low blood sugar
levels, and can recognize physical or
behavioural changes that signal an
attack of fear, anxiety or angerand
be trained to intervene or alert their
human companion to take action.
Retired RCMP officer and dog
trainer Brian Fryia, of Victoria,
was able to train his own Chum,
an eight-year-old border collieStaffordshire terrier mix, to help
him with PTSD symptoms.
Fryia had witnessed how dogassisted therapy helps autistic children and realized it might help with
symptoms hes dealt with for 20
years. Chum was already a trained
search and rescue dog and had been
used for hospital pet therapy, so he
mastered Courageous Companions
training in about six weeks. I needed more training, to get out of the
dog what he can give, Fryia jokes.
What Chum gives Fryia is the
Veteran Joshua Edel relies on his

service dog Clover to help calm him
when PTSD symptoms arise.
ability to socialize in a group. He

will disrupt my behavior and stop
(an anxiety) attack, and if I need to
get away from people, he can guide
me out of a crowded room. Im hypervigilant, and if there are people
behind me, hell let me know so
that Im not startled. Hes a calming
influence. Now Fryia hopes to go
on to help other Vancouver Island
veterans train medical service dogs.
Courageous Companions medical service dog program evolved
out of Manitoba Search and Rescue
(MSAR) K-9 teams, said Leonard.
The medical service dogs, which
often come from shelters, are donated to veterans or service members
who work with a MSAR-certified
dog trainer for a year or so to train
the dog to their specific needs.
Public awareness of veterans
service dogs has been growing, especially as media followed the 1,065kilometre Paws Fur Thought walk
from Nova Scotia to Ottawa by retired
Royal Canadian Air Force captain
Medric Cousineau and his service
dog Thai in September 2013. The goal
Pg80-81_Dog-HarrisonObit.indd 80
2014-04-03 3:40 PM
was to raise awareness and funds to

provide service dogs to veterans.
Cousineau arrived in Ottawa
the day before the first Canadian
Military Assistance Dog Summit,
which explored the need for national standards for training,
eligibility and accessibility criteria and trainer certification.
Across the country many organizations have begun independently
to train and provide service dogs to
veterans. Animal-assisted therapy
is not funded by Veterans Affairs
Canada, which is working with
the Canadian Institute of Military
and Veterans Health Research to
determine the role of psychiatric
service dogs in treating PTSD.
The Royal Canadian Legion
understands the benefits of animal
assisted therapy, said Dominion
President Gordon Moore. It supports the Soldier On Saddle Up
program and is gathering information to help develop policies that
will enable it to continue to support
these programs that really help our
injured veterans and their families,
he said. Legion representatives also
attended the summit in September.
In 2012, Wounded Warriors provided $80,000fornational expansion of Courageous Companions
and has donated $100,000 this year
Retired RCMP officer Brian Fryia with his service dog Chum.
as well as $150,000 to Can Praxis

equine assisted therapy. Through
our own research with veterans, we
know it works, said Scott Maxwell of
WoundedWarriors.ca. We never said
this would take anyone off medications (and) people will have to continue with their clinicians, but this
gives them one more thing in their
toolbox to help them cope with life.
British Columbia/Yukon
Command has committed to providing 10 Courageous Companions
service dogs to veterans this year.
Itsincredible what a difference
these dogs can make in someones
life, said command President
Angus Stanfield. The cost of training a dog is at least $10,000, but
the benefits are priceless.
OBITUARY
LARRY HARRISON
1927-2014
in Vancouver and was hired. He became

command secretary in 1973. He retired in
1992 and moved to Maple Ridge, B.C., where
he was active with Maple RidgeBranch.
Harrison remained busy serving
with the Shaughnessy Hospital Board
and itsfoundation, University Hospital
Board, St.John Ambulance, George Derby
Long-TermCare Society and the board
of trusteesfor the B.C. Branch of the
LastPostFund.
He is survived by his wife Margaret Kury,
sons Leigh, Bill and Mark, daughters Lynn
andAdrienne, and stepsons Brett, Warren,
Todd and Glenn.
PHOTO: LEGION MAGAZINE ARCHIVES
Second World War veteran and longtime

secretary of Pacific Command Larry Harrison
died March 6 at the Ridge Meadows Hospital
in Maple Ridge, B.C. He was 86.
Harrison was born in Winnipeg to schoolteacher parents and grew up in various
Manitoba communities. The family farm was
sold during the Depression and Harrison
moved with his family to Stewart, B.C.
He joined the Canadian Army during the
SecondWorld War.
After the war he worked for several mining
companies and joined the Legion. In 1954 he
answered an advertisement for an executive
assistant at Pacific Command headquarters
Pg80-81_Dog-HarrisonObit.indd 81
81
2014-04-10 11:19 AM
NEWS
WAR BRIDES AND THEIR

CHILDREN TO COME HOME
THE ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION has put its
support behind new legislation that
would grant citizenship to more war
brides and children of war brides.
The introduction of Bill C-24, the
Strengthening Canadian Citizenship
Act, will allow war brides and children of war brides to nally come
home, said Dominion President
Gordon Moore. It is anticipated
that this new legislation will address
this great injustice and hopefully
grant these lost Canadians both
Canadian citizenship and all the
rights aorded them as Canadians.
The rst Canadian Citizenship
Act came into eect on Jan. 1, 1947.
Before that date, a person who was
born or naturalized in Canada was
considered a British subject. The
act established who was, and who
could become, a Canadian citizen.
However, it left many war brides and
their children out. Many of them were
unaware that they werent considered

Canadian, even though they may lived
in Canada most of their lives or even
served in the Canadian Armed Forces.
The vast majority of these people,
called lost Canadians, received citizenship through legislation which
came into eect in 2009 (Canadian
Citizenship To Be Restored For
Many, July/August 2009).
Still a small number, such as
those born before the rst Canadian
Citizenship Act took eect, as well as
to children born outside Canada in
the rst generation, were not included
in the changes. Others were excluded
because their Canadian fathers were
not married to their non-Canadian
mothers at the time of birth.
I am proud that our government is
now moving to reclaim our remaining lost Canadians, and with this and
other changes to the Strengthening
Canadian Citizenship Act, we are
protecting the value of citizenship

for the future, said Citizenship
and Immigration Minister Chris
Alexander, in making the announcement Feb. 21 at the Canadian Museum
of Immigration at Pier 21 in Halifax.
The act would grant citizenship retroactively to Jan. 1, 1947,
to April 1, 1949, for those residing in Newfoundland and
Labrador and to the date of birth
for those born after those dates.
It would apply to:
people born or naturalized in
Canada before 1947 who lost their
British subject status and did
not become Canadian citizens;
children born abroad to parents who were born, naturalized or British subjects residing
in Canada prior to 1947;
and to British subjects residing
in Canada prior to 1947 who did
not become citizens in 1947.
LEGION MAGAZINE REISSUES

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
LEGION MAGAZINE is releasing an updated version of its Guidelines For
Submitting Photos And News booklet.
Two copies of the booklet are being
sent to each branch. One should be
given to the branch public relations
ocer and the other kept at the
branch oce.
We arent changing any rules, but
we are organizing the information a
little dierently to make it easier to
understand, said News Editor Tom
MacGregor. The booklet will also
reect the magazines new look.
One of the big changes in the
booklet is the information on electronic photos. It wasnt that long ago
that Legion Magazine accepted only
glossy photos because the digital
82
technology wasnt of a high enough

quality. That has all changed now
and most photos submitted to the
magazine are electronic photos.
The magazine will now accept only
JPEGs which are photos with the le
extension of .jpg or .jpeg. JPEG les
can be opened and viewed in almost
all image-viewing applications. They
are also compatible with all printers
and most photo-editing software.
Often JPEG is set as the default
le format for digital cameras.
News and photos are to be sent to
the command correspondents. A list
of the command correspondents
and their addresses appears on the
rst page of the Snapshots section
in each issue of the magazine.
VOLUNTEERING IN
THE COMMUNITY
GUIDE LINES FOR SUBM ITTIN
G
BRAN CH NEWS TO
LEGIO N MAGA ZINE
Revised April 2014
Command correspondents sort

through the photos and news items
submitted and send those that qualify to the magazines sta writers.
In the past ve years Legion
Magazine has published 3,028
photos in the Snapshots section
showing the Legion at work
supporting the community.
The booklet is available, in
English and French, free of charge
from Legion Magazine, 86 Aird
Place, Kanata, ON K2L 0A1 or by
e-mailing magazine@legion.ca.
Pg82_WarBrides-Snaps.indd 82
2014-04-04 2:39 PM
AlbertaNorthwest Territories: Rhonda Risebrough,

2020-15th St. N.W., Calgary AB T2M 3N8, rrisebrough@gmail.com
Saskatchewan: Jennifer Buchanan,
30795th Ave., Regina, SK S4T 0L6, sasklegion@sasktel.net
Manitoba: Vanessa Burokas,
563 St. Marys Rd., Winnipeg, MB R2M 3L6, vburokas@hotmail.com
Northwestern Ontario: Roy Lamore,
155 Theresa St., Thunder Bay, ON P7A 5P6, gopher1926@tbaytel.net
Ontario: Mary Ann Goheen,
Box 308, Gravenhurst, ON P1P 1T7, magoheen@sympatico.ca
Quebec: Len Pelletier,
389 Malette, Gatineau, QC J8L 2Y7, hel.len@hotmail.ca
New Brunswick: Marianne Harris,
115 McGrath Cres., Miramichi, NB E1V 3Y1, jimfaye@nb.sympatico.ca
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ag
nm
azine.co
ts
o
h
s
p
a
Sn online!
are
Correspondents Addresses
Manitoba-Northwestern Ontario
Quebec
gazine.com
British Columbia/Yukon: Graham Fox,

4199 Steede Ave., Port Alberni, BC V9Y 8B6, gra.fox@icloud.com
The Snapshots section is available

online in the Community Section of
legionmagazine.com.
io
l eg
i
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
ma
on
snapshots
In this issue,
Legion branches
donate
Nova Scotia/Nunavut
Dominion Command
more than
Alberta-Northwest Territories
$205,000
to their
communities.
New Brunswick
Ontario
Newfoundland and Labrador
British Columbia/Yukon
Saskatchewan
United States
Honours and Awards
Nova Scotia/Nunavut: Jean Marie Deveaux,

651 Church St., Port Hawkesbury, NS B9A 2X6,
jeanmarie@ns.sympatico.ca
Prince Edward Island: Dianne Kennedy,
Box 81, Borden-Carleton, PE C0B 1X0, mdkennedy@eastlink.ca
Newfoundland and Labrador: Brenda Slaney,
Box 5745, St. Johns, NL A1C 5X3, bslaney@nfld.net
Dominion Command Zones: Eastern U.S. Zone, Gord Bennett,
12840 Seminole Blvd., Lot #7, Largo, FL 33778, Captglbcd@aol.com;
Western U.S. Zone, Douglas Lock, 1531 11th St., Manhattan Beach, CA
90266, doug.lock@verizon.net; Europe Zone, Reg Bonnar, Westend St.
1577933 Lahr, Germany, regbonnar@aol.com.
Editors NoteSubmissions 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
magazine@legion.ca.
Cartwright-Mather Branch in Mather, Man., congratulates local winners

of the literary and poster contests (front, from left) Tristin Smith,
Ronald Harder, Ryleigh Leece, Mackenzie Lamoureux, Sophia Lazarenko,
(rear) Sydney Marchant, Erika Strekel, Trina Langan, Sarah Kinley,
Casie Livingstone and Rolando Harder.
Technical Specs For Photo Submissions

(1) Glossy PhotosTo 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
thegrade, so, if you can, please submit digital photos electronically.
(2) Electronic PhotosPhotos 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.
Red Rock, Ont., Branch President Ron Sutton presents Red Rock
Golden Club president Harvey Dunville with a donation towards
the purchase of a new van.
Pg83-96_SNAPS.indd 83
83
2014-04-10 11:21 AM
snapshots
Carole Ravenda of Lakeshore Hospital

Foundation in Pointe Claire, Que., receives
$2,000 from Hudson, Que., Branch President
Peter Mansell (centre) and poppy fund
chairman Eric Connor.
Preparing to spread good cheer to 350

veterans are Quebec Commands St. Annes
Hospital Committee members (from left)
Cheryl Rochon, Norman Clarke, Quebec
Command President Norman Shelton as Santa,
committee chairwoman Veronica Bruton,
Larry Tremblay and Marie-Anne Girard.
Hans Gruenwald Jr. (left), president of Manoir

Cavagnal, receives $4,000 from Hudson, Que.,
Branch President Peter Mansell (centre)
and poppy fund chairman Eric Connor. Manoir
Cavagnal is a Legion-sponsored seniors
residence in Hudson.
70 YEARS SERVICE RECOGNIZED

Greeneld Park, Que., Branch recognized
Arthur Holden and George (Buck) Wells for
their 70 years of service.
At Bear River, N.S., Branch, President Glendean Parker presents a $500

Marshall and Gladys Wheelhouse Bursary to Nicole Ring.
President Donnie Kennedy (left) and First Vice Duncan Beaton of

Normandy Branch in New Glasgow, N.S., present local army cadet
MWO Jennifer Wilcox with $2,000.
The Nova Scotia/Nunavut Command curling champions from

Weymouth, N.S., Branch are (from left) Ed Comeau, James Doucet,
Louise Doucet and Pete Comeau.
84
Birches Nursing Home representative Elliott Sutow (left) accepts $1,500

from President Glen Leduc of Eastern Marine Branch in Gaetz Brook, N.S.
2014-04-04 1:27 PM
snapshots
Service officer Joe Pineau of Fairview

Branch in Halifax presents $3,000 to cadet
commanding officer Amy Sharpe as
Flt. Sgt. Brayden MacMaster looks on.
Executive member Ray Smithson (right)

of Hants County Branch in Windsor, N.S.,
presents a bursary to Erica Porter.
Members (from left) Marjorie King, Judy

Parsons and Linda Pye of Breton Branch in
Sydney Mines, N.S., prepare gifts to deliver to
the Every Womans Centre in Sydney for its
annual Christmas adopt-a-family campaign.
At A.H. Foster MM Memorial Branch in Kingston,

N.S., President Dave Geddes (left) and awards
chairperson Linda Desmond present Don
McCoy with his 50 Years Long Service Medal.
Bear River, N.S., Branch President Glendean
Parker presents a $500 Marshall and
Gladys Wheelhouse Bursary to Laine Foxton.
At the presentation of awards in the literary and poster contests

at Arras Branch in Antigonish, N.S., are (from left) Tom Hanway,
Ethan Gillies, Sam Gorman, Elizabeth MacDougall, Emma Hines,
Jasmine Dobson, Hana Marmura, Fred Mattie and Ron Fraser.
PHOTO: JENNIFER MORSE
Francis Lamont receives the Legionnaire of the

Year award at Colchester Branch in Truro, N.S.
In Barbados, Dominion President Gordon Moore (left) accepts a

cheque from Royal Commonwealth Ex-services League Honorary Legal
Adviser Brian Watkins. The money, raised from the proceeds of
the book Feathers On The Brain by Watkins, goes to the Dominion
Command Poppy Fund.
85
2014-04-04 2:11 PM
snapshots
At the presentation of $2,500 from Bawlf, Alta., Branch to the Daysland

Branch cemetery committee are (from left) District 3 Commander
John DeMerchant, Bawlf Branch President Bill Stern, Daysland Branch
cemetery committee members Dale Kroetsch and Lorne Hamilton
and Bawlf Branch treasurer Karen Durand. The funds will be used
to buy new lawn mowers.
Albert Ohlhauser (right) of Rosebud Health Foundation accepts a

donation from Carstairs, Alta., Branch First Vice Bob Disney.
Stony Plain, Alta., President John Cannon (centre) tests the new patient
lift purchased with poppy funds for the Light Up Your Life Campaign.
The lift will support comfort care and transfer of residents at West View
Health Centre Continuing Care. Looking on are (from left) Donna Saniga,
service officer Helen Cannon, nursing attendant Hilda Kravetsky and
campaign directors Linda McCreath and Sharon Cornelius.
At the presentation of $700 from Caraquet, N.B., Branch to the Caraquet

navy cadet league are (from left) Caraquet Branch Armel Lanteigne, navy
league Commandant Mario Plante, cadet Audrey-Marise Lanteigne, branch
treasurer Denise Dumaresq and navy league president Robert Lanteigne.
Carstairs, Alta., Branch First Vice Bob Disney (left) presents a donation
to David Kenney of the Didsbury army cadet corps.
Caraquet, N.B., Branch completes repairs to their cenotaph in Bertrand,
one of three that were inaugurated by the branch.
86
2014-04-03 3:48 PM
snapshots
Sackville, N.B., Branch presents students at the Dorchester

Consolidated School with certificates and prizes in the
literary and poster contests.
Santa Claus visits with local children at Chatham Branch in Miramichi,
N.B. Assisting Santa with treats are (rear, from left) Tilly ONeil Gordon,
Marianne Harris, First Vice Jim Harris, David Baxter and Robert Trevors.
At the presentation of bursaries at Dalhousie, N.B., Branch are

(from left) President Edward Poirier, Sgt.-at-Arms Robert Pelletier,
Sophie Roy, Austin Lavallee and First Vice Clarence Harquail.
Sackville, N.B., Branch President Doreen Richards prepares to drop

the season opening puck between Aiden ONeil (right) of the Sackville
Bantam AA Legionnaires and Brannan Walsh of Lewisville.
Fredericton Branch contest chair Anne McInnis (left) and President

Richmond Nixon present literary and poster contest awards to
(from left) Peter Yang, Vincent Belzile and Livia Ferland.
President Larry Lynch (right) of Lancaster Branch in Saint John, N.B.,

presents $590 to West Side Food Bank representative
Blake Lambert.
Dalhousie, N.B., Branch First Vice Clarence Harquail (left) presents

President Edward Poirier with his 50 Years Long Service Medal.
87
2014-04-10 11:23 AM
snapshots
BRANCH SUPPORTS SCHOOL

D-DAY TOUR
Lieut. Charles Rutherford VC Branch in Colborne,
Ont., donated $200 to East Northumberland
Secondary School students to participate in
the D-Day anniversary tour.
The branch also donated $200 to the March
of Dimes and $200 to Big Sisters/Big Brothers
Northumberland.
Port Elgin L.A. donated $500 to the branch and
$1,000 to the Cenotaph Park Maintenance Fund.
Harry Wray L.A. in Gravenhurst presented
$7,500 to the branch for renovations.
Hugh Allan Branch in Port Dover presented the
50 Years Long Service Medal to Bill Palmerston.
Renfrew Branch donated $500 to the Renfrew
and District food bank and presented a 50-year
pin to Forrest Fraser.
In Trenton, Ont., Zone F-2 Commander Don Ramsay (left) presents

cheques totalling $12,024 on behalf of District F Hospital Trust to
Trenton Memorial Hospital Foundation executive director Wendy Warner
(second from left). Trenton Branch President Everett MacLean and L.A.
President Glenda Trottman present an additional $7,100 on behalf of
Ontario Command, Branches and L.A. Charitable Foundation.
Renfrew L.A. donated $10,000 to the branch.

Trenton Branch donated $1,200 to the Air Force
City air cadet squadron.
Brighton Branch presented the 55-year pin
to Morley Baitley.
Hepworth-Shallow Lake Branch in Hepworth
donated $3,000 to the local food bank for
Christmas hampers.
In Cornwall, Ont., John McMartin Memorial Branch President Ken Heagle

(left) and First Vice Linda Fisher (right) present $2,000 to Childrens
Christmas Fund representative Marvin Plumadore.
Ontario Command Zone E-5 youth education chairman Jim Davidson

(left) and Zone Commander Pam Davidson (right) present certificates in
the zone-level literary and poster contests.
John McMartin Memorial Branch President Ken Heagle (left) and poppy
chairman Ron Racine present $5,000 to Meals on Wheels representative
Anna-Marie Breures in Cornwall, Ont.
88
2014-04-03 3:49 PM
snapshots
At Col. John McCrae Memorial Branch in

Guelph, Ont., President Doug Dolby (left) and
lottery chairman Glen Currie present $1,500
to Welcome In Drop-in Centre representative
Sister Christine.
First Vice Ian Holden (left) of Gen. Paul Manson

Branch in Deep River, Ont., presents four
Ottawa Senators tickets to MS Dave Manryk
(right) at CFB Petawawa.
At the presentation of $1,000 to the Lorne Scots army cadet corps from
Maj. W.D. Sharpe Branch in Brampton, Ont., are (from left) MWO Dylan
Walker, Capt. Venessa Medina, cadet liaison officer Dave Bawtinheimer,
Cpl. Michael Mazzacto and cadet liaison officer Robert Walsh.
Poppy chairman Aline Crabbe (left) and

President Diane Condon (centre) of A.C.
McCallum Branch in Niagara Falls, Ont.,
present $5,000 to Niagara Falls Community
Outreach Centre representative
Darlene Stoner.
Campbellford, Ont., Branch poppy chairman

Reg Gordon (rear, centre) presents a cheque
for $7,100 on behalf of the Ontario Command,
Branches and L.A. Charitable Foundation to
Campbellford Memorial Hospital Foundation for
equipment for the surgical department.
In Mississauga, Ont., members of Streetsville Overseas Veterans Branch

tour the nursing station at Trillium Hospital, which was funded with a
$100,000 donation from the branch.
Lieut. Adam Kidd (left) accepts $2,000 for

the Tiger air cadet squadron from (from
left) Trenton, Ont., Branch member Murray
McClafferty, cadet liaison Ted Roberts and
poppy chairman Lorne Bermel.
In St. Catharines, Ont., H.T. Church Branch

youth education chairman Neil OFarrell
congratulates public speaking winners
Christina Dembicki (left) and Daniel Cukierski.
89
2014-04-03 3:49 PM
snapshots
Burlington, Ont., Branch cadet liaison

chairman Shawn Fowler (left) presents $3,470
to Lieut. Adrian Taylor, commanding officer of
the Mohawk air cadet squadron.
Almonte, Ont., Branch President John Souter

(left) presents the Legionnaire of the Year
award to Bob Logan.
At the presentation of awards in the literary and poster contests at

Dr. Fred Starr Branch in Sudbury, Ont., are (from left) youth education
chairman Judy Robitaille, Letoya Esquimaux, Larry Gauthier, Logan
Hornak, Mathew Davis and Sgt.-at-Arms Ronald Robitaille.
PHOTO: Voice of Pelham newspaper
Charity chairman Doug Yates (right) of Kitley-Toledo Branch in Toledo,

Ont., presents $500 to Athens Food Bank representative Elaine Farley.
In Hepworth, Ont., Hepworth-Shallow

Lake Branch President Bill Vanstone (left),
secretary-treasurer Joyce Wettlaufer (second
from left) and First Vice Elmer Brown (right)
present $10,000 to Bruce Peninsula Health
Services Foundation representative
Helen Thomson.
Almonte, Ont., Branch First Vice Gerry Schroeder (second from left) and
treasurer Garry Pollock (right) present $7,100 on behalf of the Ontario
Command, Branches and L.A. Charitable Foundation to (from left)
Almonte General Hospital board member Josh Gamble,
Brooke Guthrie-Atchison and Dr. Edward Woods.
90
In Fonthill, Ont., Talbot Trail Branch youth education chairman

Cliff Driscoll (rear, left) and Ron Boyer (rear, right) pose
with winners of the literary and poster contests.
2014-04-03 3:50 PM
snapshots
Fort Wellington Branch in Prescott, Ont., collects Valentines for

Vets created by students from one of the local schools.
Lieut. (N) Walt Dermott, commanding officer

of the Iron Duke sea cadet corps, accepts
$3,470 from Burlington, Ont., Branch
vice-president Murray Sutherland.
Coe Hill, Ont., Branch youth education

chairman Robert Woodley congratulates
Alyssa Carol (left) and Madison Frost for
winning in the branch public speaking contest.
PHOTO: Voice of Pelham newspaper
At Col. Paul Poisson Branch in Tecumseh, Ont.,

Zone A-1 Deputy Commander Michael Glovasky
(left) presents Donald Barton with the
50 Years Long Service Medal.
Youth education chairman Candy Alexander (rear, centre) of Fort

Wellington Branch in Prescott, Ont., is surrounded by participants in
the branch public speaking competition.
At Centennial Branch in Scarborough, Ont., President Wayne Hayes and

L.A. President June Hayes (rear, centre) welcome in the Chinese New
Year with performers and members of the Chinese community.
At H.T. Church Branch in St. Catharines, Ont., First Vice Gary Clement
(left) and assistant membership chair Elsie Scott welcome new
members (from left) Paul Spence and Dale House.
91
2014-04-03 3:50 PM
snapshots
Arnprior, Ont., Branch presents $4,500 to

Arnprior-Braeside-McNab Seniors at Home
program for veterans and spouses. At the
presentation are (from left) service officer
Mel Porter, Second Vice Janet Clapham, seniors
home executive director Dennis Harrington
and First Vice Eleanor Closs-Murray.
Col. Paul Poisson Branch President Gloria

McKibbin (left) and Ontario Command First
Vice Brian Weaver (right) present the
50 Years Long Service Medal to Gerry Simard
in Tecumseh, Ont.
President Harold Nash (left) of Coe Hill, Ont.,

Branch presents $500 to Wollaston Home and
Cottage Association president Rick Clark for
a camp for local children.
Kemptville, Ont., Branch youth education

chairman Ruth Garrett congratulates
Sydney Brownlee (left) and Kate Dunne on
winning first place at zone level in the
public speaking contest.
Thessalon, Ont., Branch youth education

chairman Donna Latulippe congratulates
winners of the public speaking competition
(from left) Ethan Cooke, Shannon Goodmurphy
and Andrew Beggs.
Collingwood, Ont., Branch present awards

in the intermediate public speaking category
to (from left) Zuri Reynolds, Sarah Fisher
and Laren Bull.
Forest, Ont., Branch colour party headed by Sgt.-at-Arms Bruce Douglas

leads the towns fall fair parade.
North Bay, Ont., Branch youth education chairman Sharon Gyatt (rear,
left) and President George Milne (right) present awards to winners of the
branch-level Legion literary and poster contests.
92
In Pickering, Ont., Bay Ridges Branch membership chairman

Gerry Desbois (right) initiates 16 new members.
First Vice Elmer Brown (left) and youth education co-chairman

Joyce Wettlaufer (right) of Hepworth-Shallow Lake Branch in Hepworth,
Ont., present certificates in the public speaking competition.
2014-04-03 3:51 PM
snapshots
At East Toronto Branch in Toronto, Zone D-3 Commander Hetty Tyrrell

(left) presents the Legionnaire of the Year award to Jean Whynot.
Brigden, Ont., Branch President Louise Ogilvie (left) and Zone A-4
Commander Laura Nicholls present the 50 Years Long Service Medal
to Malcolm Campbell.
Simcoe, Ont., Branch youth education chairman Carrol Lambert (rear,

left) and First Vice Dan Reilly present awards to participants in the
branch-level public speaking competition.
Youth education chairman Chris Ingersoll

(rear, left) and committee members Sue
Ainsworth (rear, centre) and Libby Lund of
Lt.-Col. Harry Babcock Branch in Napanee,
Ont., present awards to students in the
public speaking competition (front, from left)
Adrianna MacLean, Josh Armstrong
and Elizabeth Casemore.
At Milton Wesley Branch in Newmarket, Ont., Sgt.-at-Arms Art Leonard

(left), membership chairman Linda Hautala (rear, centre) and First Vice
Ian Smith (right) welcome five new members (from left)
Kenneth Hautala, Karen Costoff, Livisstina Engel, Michael Mavche
and Kristine Toomey.
At Victory Branch in London, Ont., President

Caspar Koevoets (rear, left) and honours and
awards chairman Ross Seip (rear, centre)
present the Legionnaire of the Year awards
to Kendra Saunders and Tom Harrison.
Renfrew, Ont., Branch youth education

chairman Ella Box (left) and President
Ron Kilby congratulate Emily Helferty on her
winning submission to the poster contest.
93
2014-04-03 3:51 PM
snapshots
At the presentation of $12,000 from the Trillium Foundation to Massey,

Ont., Branch are (from left) L.A. President Doreen Ferguson, Zone H-4
Commander Tom Hywarren, treasurer Nicole Harel, President Ed Duncan,
Algoma-Manitoulin MPP Michael Mantha, Massey Deputy Mayor
Patricia Hnatuik and District H Commander Gerry Ferguson.
The money will be used to build a new roof.
Bowmanville, Ont., Branch poppy chairman

Don Cooper (left) and service officer
John Greenfield (right) present long-term care
resident Charles McGhee a gift of cookies
during a branch visit.
Port Perry, Ont., Branch presents turkey

vouchers with a total value of $1,000 to
the Scugog Food Bank. At the presentation
(from left) First Vice Murray Miller, food bank
representatives Chris Cook, Dave Convery,
Pat Convery and President Dave Durham.
At St. George, Ont., Branch, former president Steve Schmitt (left)

accompanied by First Vice Luke Peachey (second right) present $2,500
for the St. George Memorial Park project to South Dumfries Historical
Society representatives David Simpson (second left)
and John Wehrstein (right).
94
Leamington, Ont., L.A. celebrates its 60th anniversary. Marking the

occasion are (from left) Zone A-2 Commander Larry Moynahan, Zone A-2
L.A. Commander Anne Marie Chase, Lynne Gagnon, Karen Robertson,
branch L.A. President Denise Patton, Anne Spaunburg, Joyce Treanor,
Gail Johnson, Evelyn Young and Ontario Command L.A. Third Vice
Sharron Hanrahan.
At Apsley, Ont., Branch President Sue Smith

(left) presents the Legionnaire of the Year
award to Bob May while Zone F-5 Commander
Gary Keller extends congratulations.
Presenting awards in the literary and poster contests at Caistor,

Gainsborough & South Grimsby Branch in Smithville, Ont., are (rear,
from left) Zone B-5 Commander Jack Gemmell, President Helmut Wiebe
and youth education chairman Kathy Wetselaar.
2014-04-03 3:51 PM
snapshots
Clarenville, Nfld., Branch member Rita Rideout

presents a $500 scholarship to Hillary Pitcher.
Student Katie Power accepts a $500

scholarship from Rita Rideout of Clarenville,
Nfld., Branch.
Bay DEspoir L.A. First Vice Chrissie Willcott

presents scholarships in St. Albans, Nfld., to
(from left) Kendrea Willcott-Benoit,
Julie Young and Hayley Hoskins.
LONG SERVICE
RECOGNIZED
President Christine Farrell of Bay DEspoir
Branch in St. Albans, Nfld., presents
scholarships to students (from left) Ryan
Young, Kendra Caines and Melanie Colier.
Comox, B.C., Branch

presented Merle Riggins
with a 70-year pin.
At the initiation of new members at Vancouver

TVS Branch are (front from left) Lai Ping Chow,
Larry Chow, Julie Richardson, (rear)
Sgt.-at-Arms Peter Merola, Jennifer
Richardson, Janet MacDonald, Kenneth
MacDonald, Mary McKenna and David Jang.
Presenting $347 from Botwood, Nfld., Branch

to the Dr. Hugh Twomey Health Centre are
(from left) Wilfred Mercer, Beaton Yates,
President Terry Hancock, Murray Loveless and
District 4 Commander Silas Thompson.
West Coast General Hospital Foundation

chairwoman Claire Tucker (centre) presents a
print to Margaret Groeneveld and poppy fund
chairman Tim Murphy of Alberni Valley Branch
in Port Alberni, B.C. The branch donated
$1,500 to the foundation.
Slocan Valley, B.C., Branch President Pat

Ashton (left) presents $2,000 to Dick Kelly,
chairman of the Slocan Community Library
Society. Holding the cheque are branch and
library board member Peggy Ashton (left) and
library secretary Marcie Kelly. The donation
will be used for programs and equipment.
Poppy chairman Peter Crompton of Terrace,

B.C., Branch presents awards in the poetry
contest to (from left) Irene Stevens,
McKenzie Lyons and Anika Juergensen.
Cranbrook, B.C., Branch ways and means

committee chairwoman Joanne Hiebert (left)
and Carolyn Maclean (right) present $1,000
to Jackie Pringle of the Cranbrook Food Bank
Society. The donation was raised from tickets
sold on a giant Christmas stocking.
95
2014-04-03 3:52 PM
snapshots
Saskatchewan Command Sports

Representative Lorne Varga (right)
congratulates the winners of the regular
curling championships (from left) Andrew Hay,
Rick Middleton, Darren Clancy and
Trevor Yousie of Nutana Branch in Saskatoon.
Secretary Robyn Lang and President

Brian Morris of Robert Combe VC Branch
in Melville, Sask., prepare to send $500 to
Parkland Community College and $1,000 to the
Military Family Resource Centre in Dundurn.
At the presentation of $2,000 to STARS Air

Ambulance from Kelliher, Sask., Branch are
(from left) flight paramedic Jordon Edgerton,
vice-president Melanie Bashutski,
secretary-treasurer Edith Goddard and
flight nurse Darren Entner.
The winners of the Saskatchewan Command mixed curling

championships, (from left) Barry Zelinski, Diane Ganes, Ron Lyons and
Carol Pryznyk from Birch Hills Branch accept their trophy from Sports
Committee representative Lorne Varga.
Saskatchewan Command masters curling champions (from left) Briggy

Pagan, Verda Hoppe, Sharon Botterill and Jack Rieger are congratulated
by Saskatchewan Command sports representative Lorne Varga.
President Brian Morris of Robert Combe VC

Branch in Melville, Sask., presents $500 to
Melville Heritage Museum board member
Jackie Rathgeber.
96
Brian Morris (left), president of Robert Combe

VC Branch in Melville, Sask., presents $1,000
to Cindy Konechny and Lorne Warnes to be
used for the Kinsmen Spray Park project.
Commander Gordon Bennett (right) of The

Royal Canadian Legions Pinellas County Post
in St. Petersburg, Fla., presents a donation
to Commander Calvin Perry of the American
Legions Clearwater Florida Post. The money
will be used for the American Legions
Veterans Assistance Fund.
2014-04-10 11:24 AM
snapshots
HONOURS AND AWARDS
LONG SERVICE AWARDS
Harold Leard,
Apsley Br., Ont.
65 years
Maurice Cowen,
Maj. Andrew McKeever Br.,
Listowel, Ont.
65 years
Doug Bargholtz,
Harold Keeso,
Maj. Andrew McKeever Br., Summerland Br., B.C.
65 years
Listowel, Ont.
65 years
Jack Youden,
Westside Br., Sydney, N.S.
65 years
Roy Airth,
Ear Falls Br., Ont.
60 years
T.S. Taylor,
Cartwright-Mather Br.,
Mather, Man.
70 years
James Marshall,
Quill Lake Br., Sask.
60 years
MSM AND MSA (L.A.)
PALM LEAF
Ralph Diegel,
North Bay Br., Ont.
Howard Ross,
Herman Good VC Br.,
Bathurst, N.B.
William Jepps,
Carstairs Br., Alta.
LIFE MEMBERSHIP
MANITOBA/NWO
Marie Pemkowski,
Gimli Br.
Crystal Cook,
Milton Wesley Br.,
Newmarket
ONTARIO
QUEBEC
Brenda Graham,
Goderich Br.
Jack Gammon,
Greenfield Park Br.
Robert Kelsey,
Lt.-Col. W. Ivan Nurse Br.,
Chatham
Cheryl Moores,
Greenfield Park Br.
Sue Legue,
Chatham
Irene Williams,
Chatham
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
Robert Johnson,
Charlottetown Br.
Ken Welch,
Grenfell Br., Sask.
60 years
Zelda McPhail,
Westside L.A.,
Sydney, N.S.
60 years
Keith Graham,
Quill Lake Br., Sask.
65 years
Merle Riggins,
Comox Br., B.C.
70 years
James Burns,
Fredericton Br.
David Smith,
Fredericton Br.
CLASSIFIED
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Pg97-98_H&As.indd 97
97
2014-04-04 3:22 PM
snapshots
HONOURS AND AWARDS
DEPARTMENTS
LOST TRAILS
BOUGHNER, BerylRCAF, WW II.
From Tillsonburg, Ont. Died Jan. 28,
1984, aged 64. Buried Courtland, Ont.
Brother of Ada. Info or comrades sought by
nephew. Terry Axford, 6307 Trafalgar St.,
Dorchester, ON N0L 1G4.
CDN. LAW STUDENTSKilled in
WW I. BIGGAR, Lieut. Roy W., 116th
Bn. From Hamilton, died March 2/3,
1918. BREWSTER, Flt. Lt. Harold S.,
RCR and RFC, from Brantford, Ont.,
died Dec. 6, 1916. BROWN, Pte. Walter
E., 75th Bn., from Toronto, died Sept.
4, 1918. DAVIDSON, Lieut. Bryce T., 20
Sqdn., RFC, born Toronto, died July 2,
1918. GEGGIE, 2nd Lieut. William M.,
CMGC, from Truro, N.S., died Oct. 4, 1917.
HANNA, Lieut. William N., RFA, 34 Sqdn.,
RFC, killed in Italy, 1918. Info sought.
Patrick Shea, Gowling Laeur Henderson
LLP, Suite 1600, 1 First Canadian Pl.,
Toronto, ON M5X 1G5, 416-369-7399,
patrick.shea@gowlings.com.
HNATIW, Cpl. SteveA&S Highlanders,
killed Normandy, 1944. From Manitoba,
father Bill. Info and comrades sought by
cousin. Michael Matiowsky, 1804-17 St.
SE, Medicine Hat, AB T1A 2B2.
LAHR, GERMANY1972-75. Those who
served in B Pn., S&T Co. sought. Marcel
Chasse, 170 Perron Blvd., Ste. Felicite, QC
G0J 2K0, marcel_1949@hotmail.com.
LSHJanuary 1964 to February 1967,
Canada and Germany. Comrades BOYD,
Dave, Windsor, N.S.; MORRISON,
Donnie (Jappo), Kelowna, B.C.; CARRIER,
Sammy; BRECKENREED, Rick, Toronto;
DOUCETTE, Peter, Yarmouth, N.S.;
WINTERS, Brad, Fortune Bridge, P.E.I.
Sought or info. Arnold MacKay, Box 2,
Truro, NS B2N 5B6, 902-897-4104,
bethgiles2009@hotmail.com.
LUCAS, FO Leslie T.J22154, 419
Sqdn., RCAF, WW II. PoW. From Calgary.
Family or info sought. Harold Pretty, 1974
Michigan Ave., Ottawa, ON K1H 6Y2,
613-733-9258, hapretty@sympatico.ca.
MILFORD BAYMuskoka, Ont., 194245.Info re those who stayed in RCAF
convalescent cottage hospital or worked
there sought. Naomi Busk, 33 Cuthbert
Cres., Toronto, ON M4S 2G9, 416-4761142, naomibuck@yahoo.com.
PAQUET, DaveRCAF, CFB Bagotville,
1959-60, from Summerside, P.E.I. Family
98
REQUESTS
from Souris area, PE Sought by comrade.
LeRoy Gamble, 31 Valley St., Summerside,
PE C1N 4B4, churchill.gamble@route2.net.
PRECOOR, Cpl. Arnold E.47415,
RCAF, stationed 3(F) Wing, Zweibrucken,
Germany, early 1960s. Born March 2,
1925. Wife Violet. From Tillsonburg, Ont.
Sought or family to return personal papers.
Clarence Schneider, 148 McGill Rd.,
Kamloops, BC V2C 1L7, 250-374-9524,
ccclarence@shaw.ca.
RODWELL, Peggy Cdn. Army, London,
England, 1946-48. Last known Vancouver.
Sought or family by son of his friend
in Dutch army. Frederic Michon, Park
Wissel 2 8162 NM, Epe, The Netherlands,
f.michon@planet.nl.
ROSS, Sgt. Sydney (A.J.)C Pro C,
Amsterdam, 1945. Born 1922. Photo of
him and his bride in Holland available.
Hans Vles, Van Kleenslaan 67 4334
HB, Middelburg, Netherlands, bugattix@
planet.nl.
Ashtead, Surrey, England: Cdn. Forces

stationed and billeted there, WW II. Totem
pole was erected in front yard of one house.
Your memories sought for book. (Rev.)
Colin Clay, 812 Colony St., Saskatoon, SK
S7N 0S1, 306-664-4628, cclay@shaw.ca.
Diefenbunker, Carp, Ont.: Info,
documents, photos and experiences in
innovative areas wanted for non-prot
research and writing project. Dave Noble,
37 Horner Dr., Ottawa, ON K2H 5E8,
613-829-5516, bunkerfacts@gmail.com.
HMCS Arrowhead: Anyone associated
with ship sought, espec. info re Corvette
being watched by U-boat o coast of
Labrador, 1944. Barb Ishler, Box 283,
Holden, AB T0B 2C0, 780-688-3440,
bljay1@mcsnet.ca, www.labradoruboat.ca.
Info, photos and nominal rolls
of Prince Albert Volunteers and
16/22nd SLI units, WW II, wanted. T.J.
Popp, Box 563, Battleford, SK S0M 0E0,
scully01@sasktelnet.
THOMPSON, LS SteveRCN. Pay

ocer clerk, HMCS Provider, mid-1970s.
Also served in Germany and worked
at radio station on the Prairies. Sister
in Victoria. Sought by comrade. Allen
Stewart, 10040 Cotoneaster Pl., Sidney, BC
V8L 3N8, 250-656-2595, trawets@shaw.ca.
Juno Beach: Those who served from

June 6 to July 31, 1944, espec. Cdn. 7th
Bde., 22 Beach Recovery Sec. and 54 Light
Aid Detachment sought for research.
John Timmins, 2 Bryans Cres., N. Crawley,
Newport Pagnell, Milton Keynes MK16
9LR, U.K., john.dtimmins@btinternet.com.
WESTERBORK, HOLLANDPrison
camp liberated April 12, 1945. Cdn. Soldier
S.R., possibly with 230 Detachment, Civil
Aairs, stayed in area for approx. two
weeks. Sought or info by then 12-year-old
Jewish prisoner, Virry de Vries Robles,
whose family he befriended. Sarah Hol,
s Gravelandseweg 80 1217 EW, Hilversum,
The Netherlands, sarah.hol@kro-ncrv.nl,
www.kro-ncrv.nl.
Shoulder patches for 1st Survey Regt.,

RCA, and 1st Cdn. Corps wanted. Alex
Rezanowich, 62 Westridge Rd., London,
ON N6K 3R7, alexusrez@rogers.com.
2 SSM (TRG.) BTY.RCA, Camp Shilo,

1963-64. ALLEN, Sigmn. Pat, RTG Op.,
RCCS, last known Saskatchewan. ROGERS,
Sigmn., radio tech. Sought. Ross Campbell,
428-1865 Gateway Rd., Winnipeg, MB
R2G 4J2, 204-669-2114, elfross@shaw.ca.
8TH CDN. HUSSARsSurviving
WW II veterans sought. Frank Smith,
25 Albert St., Petawawa, ON K8H 2N5,
613-687-5990, fd.smith@sympatico.ca.
Wanted: RCN life jacket/vest circa

WW II. Also other RCN and WW II
memorabilia for HMCS Alberni Museum.
Lewis Bartholomew, The Alberni Project,
34-190 Port Augusta St., Comox, BC
V9M 3N1, 250-339-4322, mrbarth@
alberniproject.org. www.alberniproject.org.
UNIT REUNIONS
BLACK WATCHSept. 19-21, Montreal.
Rick Cartmel, 125 Claude Ave., Dorval, QC
H9S 3A6, Doug McAdam, 450-653-4949,
Gord Ritchie, mtlritchie@sympatico.ca.
CF FIRE FIGHTERSSept. 12-14,
Edmonton. Dennis Galaugher, 608 Cricket
Court, Edmonton, AB T5T 2B2, 780-9750024, DennisGalaugher@gmail.com;
Dana Hawley, 780-903-4717.
2014-04-03 4:03 PM
MARKETPLACE
Military Medalsplated & mounted
Full Size & Miniatures, Replacements,
Shadow Boxes, Plastic Medal Holders ($12.95)
Buying & Selling military memorabilia
HMCS/CFB CORNWALLISAug.
22-25, Cornwallis, N.S. Annapolis Basic
Conference Centre, P.O. Box 279, 761
Broadway Ave., Cornwallis Park, NS B0S
1H0, 1-888-830-4466, frontdesk@abcc.ca,
www.abcc.ca.
HMCS UGANDA/QUEBECSept. 11-14,
Kamloops, B.C. Doug Walters, 2620
Greeneld Ave., Kamloops, BC V2B 4P8,
250-554-0201, walters.omelchuk@telus.net.
NORTH SHORE (NB) REGT.June
6-8, Bathurst, N.B. Graham Wiseman,
1820 King Ave., Bathurst, NB E2A 4Z7;
Luc Bouchard, 506-549-6014.
RC SIGNALS (ATLANTIC)Aug.
15-16, Sydney, N.S. Frances Arbuckle, 28
Arbuckle Lane, Port Caledonia, NS B1A
6W8, 902-737-2806, a@seaside.ns.ca.
RCR RESERVEOct. 2-4, London, Ont.
Barry Graham, 32-60 Fiddlers Green
Rd., London, ON N6H 4S7, 519-474-3836,
barrygraham533@hotmail.com.
ROYAL REGINA RIFLESMay 30June 1, Regina. Don Breher, 4029 Degeer
St., Saskatoon, SK S7H 4K2, 306-373-
3202, d.breher@sasktel.net.
SD&G HIGHLANDERSJune 6-7,
Cornwall, Ont. Tim Gault, 91 Algonquin
Ave., Long Sault, ON K0C 1P0, 613-5342519, timgault@sympatico.ca.
1 RCR (CFB LONDON)Aug. 2,
London, Ont. Clair Whyte, 769 Ross
Ave., Sarnia, ON N7T 1K4, 519-491-7031,
clairwhyte5000@gmail.com.
1 WINGSept. 17-22, Marville, France.
Phillippe and Pierre Baar, Rue de la
station 22, B-6762 Saint-Mard (Virton)
Belgium, pierre.baar@ec.europa.eu;
Aline McRory, 18 O8B, Portland, ON
K0G 1V0, amcrory@magma.ca.
1ST HUSSARS (6th ARMD. REGT.)
May 31-June 1, London, Ont. Mike Steele,
4 Golfview Cres., London, ON N6C 5M9,
519-668-3460, steelemr@rogers.com.
8th CDN. HUSSARS (RADLEYWALTERS)May 23-25, Petawawa, Ont.
Frank Smith, 25 Albert St., Petawawa,
ON K8H 2N5, 613-687-5990, FD.Smith@
sympatico.ca; Bob Lescombe, 613-6871512, r.lescombe@sympatico.ca.
Call today 1-800-263-3896
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99
2014-04-03 4:03 PM
VIEWS
Canada
and the
cold war
Sex and spying had always seemed a highly implausible pairing to

Canadians until the name of an attractive German immigrant to Montreal,
one Gerda Munsinger, popped up in an interjection into a House of
Commons wrangle on March 4, 1966.
Liberal Justice Minister Lucien
Cardin had blurted out a reference to
the Monsignor case in an attempt
to stop John Diefenbaker and his
Progressive Conservative caucus
relentless attacks on scandals
in Lester Pearsons cabinet.
No oneexcept a few of the front
benchers of both the Government
and Oppositionhad any inkling of
what was involved until Cardin held
a news conference on March 10.
He had not seen the RCMP file
on the case, Cardin said, but it was
worse than the 1963 British scandal
involving Prime Minister Harold
Macmillans war minister John
Profumo and showgirl Christine
Keeler who had connections
to a Soviet naval attach.
Gerda Munsinger, he claimed,
had engaged in espionage for the
Soviet Union before coming to
Canada in 1955 where she worked as
a high-class prostitute in Montreal.
He noted that the woman had
since died. Without naming any of
Munsingers clients, Cardin declared
that both Diefenbaker and his Justice
minister, Davie Fulton, had known
of the affair and had not referred it
to the law officers of the Crown.
The Canadian news media
went wild. An intrepid Toronto
Star reporter, Robert Reguly,
discovered Munsinger, alive and
well and living in Munich, West
Germany, where her telephone
number was listed in the directory.
Born in Konigsberg in 1929,
Munsinger had apparently lived with
a KGB officer in East Germany. She
then married an American soldier,
but divorced him when she was
refused entry to the United States
because of security concerns. Sloppy
100
BY j.l. granatstein
the Cold War, and Canada had access

to much American information,
to NATOs secrets, and Canadian
intelligence was connected closely
with American and British agencies.
The Soviets would be very interested
in acquiring as much data as
possible. What was disquieting
in the Munsinger affair, however,
was less its intelligence aspects
than its impact on public life.
Canadian politics was descending
rapidly into the gutter. Since losing
power in 1963, Diefenbaker, as
Opposition leader, had focused his
attacks on the Liberals Quebec
ministers, pointing out scandal
after scandal until the ministers
were outraged, seeking to use
anything to shut him up.
immigration officials let her into

Canada where her good looks, blonde
hair, sex appeal and need for money
soon led her into prostitution.
It wasnt long before lurid
stories began to appear in Canada
and Germany, featuring Gerdas
confessions: I will not be quiet about
it. I will tell you how it was. How it
really was in my fast-living restless
lifewhere I met the men of society
who wanted to have my love.
But who?
Munsinger claimed
she had an affair
with Pierre Sevigny,
It wasnt long before lurid stories
Diefenbakers associate
began to appear in Canada and
minister of National
Germany, featuring Gerdas
Defence, and had a
relationship with George
confessions: I will not be quiet about
Hees, the Trade and
it. I will tell you how it was. How it
Commerce minister.
really was in my fast-living restless
Sevigny had access
to defence secrets,
lifewhere I met the men of society
Hees to economic
who wanted to have my love.
policy matters, and if
Munsinger was a spy,
It soon became apparent that
there was room for genuine concern.
Guy Favreau, earlier Pearsons
Hees, who later said he had merely
Justice minister, had warned
dined with Munsinger, generally kept
Davie Fulton that the Munsinger
silent as the media circus continued,
case might be raised if the
but Sevigny vehemently denied
Tory attacks did not cease.
passing any secrets. Both men had
Even more striking, in late
served overseas during the war and
1964 Pearson had been advised
had distinguished records. Sevigny
by Jack Pickersgill, his Transport
in fact had been attached to the 1st
minister and one of the most clever
Polish Armoured Division serving
members of his cabinet, to fight fire
under First Canadian Army during
with fire. Ask the RCMP for details
the struggle to close the Falaise Gap
on all investigations of Members
in Normandy, and he had lost a leg
of Parliament over the last decade,
in the Poles gallant, costly struggles
Pickersgill suggested, and Pearson
to keep the pocket sealed shut.
had done so. He and Diefenbaker
But fine war records were no
then met on Dec. 10, 1964, after
guarantee of good sense during the
Pearson had seen the RCMP file
ongoing struggle against the U.S.S.R.
on Munsinger.
Security was properly important in
Pg100-101_ColdWar.indd 100
2014-04-03 4:13 PM
PHOTO: THE CANADIAN PRESS
Gerda Munsinger during the 1960s.
The prime ministers account,

written that day, had noted that
Diefenbaker seemed nervous when
he said he had interviewed Sevigny
and had satisfied himself that
no security had been violated.
The message, Pearson wrote,
was, Stay and sin no more, and
Pearson was right when he noted
that Diefenbaker would have been
relentless in attacking a Liberal
prime minister if he had acted the
same way. Nonetheless, Pearson
had tried to use the threat of
the Munsinger case as a way of
shutting down the Conservative
attacks, a shameful tactic.
Diefenbaker readily rose to the
challenge, however. As Pearson
wrote in a telling phrase, the
Conservative leader indulged in
his own form of blackmail by telling
me that when he took office [in
1957], there was a very important
security filefrom Washington

in which I was involved.
The file contained accusations
made before a Congressional
committee that Pearson had
Communist connections. Pearson
told Diefenbaker that he knew
of the file, had no worries if it
ever became public, and had told
just that to the United States
Department of State. That ended
the subject, Pearson wrote.
The scandalous behavior of the
prime minister and leader of the
Opposition was unprecedented in
Canadian politics. So bitter had
the political struggles in and out
of Parliament become that each
had tried to blackmail the other,
using security files as weapons.
Each had besmirched politics and
the political system; each had
completely demeaned himself.
The protection of national security
had had nothing to do with this

meeting, nothing whatsoever.
But Cardins charges in his
press conference had been raised.
The result was the creation of a
royal commission under Supreme
Court Justice Wishart Spence,
widely reputed to be a Liberal
sympathizer. The commissions task
was to investigate the Diefenbaker
governments handling of the
Munsinger case, but Diefenbaker
and Fulton both withdrew quickly
from the inquiry to protest
Spences conduct of the hearings.
The Commissioner continued
nonetheless and reported in
September 1966 that Pierre Sevigny
had become a security risk because
of the affair, even though there
was no suggestion of disloyalty
on his part. That was likely a fair
commentSevigny could have been
susceptible to blackmail because of
his relationship with Munsinger; no
such attempts had resulted, however.
John Diefenbaker received the
Commissioners censure for failing
to dismiss Sevigny from his Defence
post, likely a correct reprimand, and
for failing to consult his cabinet,
which was not. Davie Fulton got
Spences black mark for accepting
the RCMPs word that there was
no security breach without further
investigation. That was simply silly.
George Hees remarkably escaped
serious criticism though his lack of
discretion was deemed regrettable.
The Royal Commission report on
the face of it seemed to be largely a
partisan document, a symbol of the
shabby state of Canadian politics.
As for Gerda Munsinger, the
Spence Commission found no
evidence that she had sought or
received intelligence information
from the ministers with whom
she was friendly. Gerda was no
innocent, but she had apparently
done nothing in Canada that
smacked of espionage. She died
in Germany in 1998.
Pg100-101_ColdWar.indd 101
101
2014-04-03 4:13 PM
VIEWS
by CARLCHRISTIE
Last March, when getting ready to

return home from a Florida vacation, Ken Kennedy of Debert, N.S.,
realized he had forgotten to include a
warm coat for the return trip. So he
nipped over to the nearest thrift store
near Orlando. He picked up a military style jacket for $6.00 and rushed
back to the hotel to finished packing.
The next morning airport and
security personnel, airline staff and
flight crew seemed unusually helpful.
This left he and his wife bemused,
at least until they changed planes
in Pennsylvania. His wife noticed
a U.S. Army tag above the left
breast pocket of his new jacket.
Continuing our occasional series
on colourful characters encountered
during military careers, Gerald
Alkerton, a retired master warrant
officer (or MWO), wrote from
Lethbridge, Alta., about one of his
favourites from 31 years service
in the Royal Canadian Air Force/
Canadian Armed Forces, the
Station Warrant Officer (SWO)
at Lac St-Denis, Que., Flight
Sergeant Hoppe. He had landed
102
at Lac St-Denis from Nova Scotia

after transferring from the
British forces, along with his
wife and black lab, Bullet.
Comrade Alkertons first
encounter with the new
SWO came as one of a
group of airmen
waiting for the
station bus to
transport them up
the tower hill to the radar
site for work. With Bullet beside
him, Flt. Sgt. Hoppe approached
the group and introduced himself.
Recognizing him, one of the men
remarked on the excellent looking
lab. He grabbed a stick and gave
it a good toss, to show the retrieving ability of the breed. Bullet
scampered after it, tucked his tail
between his legs, and headed for
home, his master hollering after
him: Come back you SOB.
Gales of laughter followed
that episode.
Flt. Sgt. Hoppe was big on weapons
drill and had all the available male
troops parading on the officers parking lot. One individual, Buck, would
drop his weapon on purpose, only
to receive a nose-to-nose verbal
blast from Flt. Sgt. Hoppe.
When paraded, due to rain,
to the base theatre for lectures
on dress and deportment, etc.,
someone would question the
Flights Second World War
service as a commando in
the British forces. Off Hoppe
would go into war stories about
how he crept up on the enemy
in the dark, armed with only
piano wire, and destroyed them.
In his hand he held the daily routine orders (DROs), rolled up ever
tighter and tighter. As the yarn built,
his twisting broke them in half.
Flt. Sgt. Hoppe purchased the
first sectional bamboo fishing rod
our correspondent had ever seen.
Noticing airmen parking their vehicles in the administration lot near his
office, he went out to demonstrate his
new rod. A lad in a Studebaker Silver
Hawk, window down, grabbed the
rods end and drove off, the flight sergeant running and cursing after him.
The extra duties he received were
worth it, the miscreant later claimed.
Hoppe kept a pair of highly polished, black air force work boots
beside his office desk. Anyone in his
black book had to ensure his boots
matched that pristine pair, otherwise they were sent to barracks until
they polished them to his liking.
One day, those boots were
nailed to his desk by spikes. That
culminated in the base being
confined in the attempt to find
the culprit. Gerald Alkerton only
Pg102-103_HumourHunt.indd 102
2014-04-03 4:16 PM
recently confessed: I never divulged this until after his death,

otherwise Id still be doing time.
Our correspondent recalls Hoppe
as a colourful character who purchased a spiffy 1957 Chevrolet
two-door hardtop and made his
wife ride in the back while Bullet
entertained from the front passenger seat, with Flight, of course,
the driver. He left Lac St-Denis with
more stories than shared here.
ILLUSTRATIONS: MALCOLM JONES
Bill Medland of Port Perry, Ont.,

recalls a change of command
parade during his enlistment
in The Queens York Rangers in
Toronto in the 1960s and 70s.
Marching in Fort York Armouries,
with no time for rehearsing the
drill, they formed up at the west
end and marched past the reviewing stand four across. They then
did a counter-march at the east
end and somehow came back with
three across. They carried on, repeated the drill, did another countermarch and came back in fours.
This astounded the colonel and
the regimental sergeant major (or
RSM), who bought all the soldiers a
round in the mess. They thought the
parade showed magnificent planning, never realizing the blunder!
One of our readers fears he may
have inadvertently had some influence on the results of a municipal
election held in the city of Regina.
It happened during the last days
of the Second World War, when
British Commonwealth Air Training
Plan airfields across the prairies
were being closed and the aircraft
dispersed to new locations.
A pilot with the Ferry Squadron
based in Winnipeg, tasked with
flying no-longer-needed training
planes to their new homes for longterm storage, reported the story.
Once they left home, the ferry pilots
were considered on temporary duty,
entitling them to $7.50 per day for
expenses, added to their regular
pay. Most of the pilots, like our
confidante, were tour expired, having returned from overseas after
completing tours of operations.

When there was a number
of planes to be moved, the procedure was to fly the number
of pilots required in a multipassenger plane, usually an
Anson, to the pickup point where
each pilot would then take control
of his individual aircraft and continue on to the final destination.
Often these flights stopped at
Regina, where Ferry Squadron kept
a small detachment of mechanics
and refueling personnel. After
delivering their planes, the pilots
usually returned to spend the night
at the Drake Hotel, a favourite.
The owner, Mr. Black, somehow
always managed to have a supply
of alcohol on hand to liven up the
usual card games and parties.
The camaraderie led to an involvement in Mr. Blacks bid for
civic office in an upcoming election.
With liquor rationing in place, he
was hard pressed to run a liquidfuelled campaign. He wondered
if his pilot friends could help.
Tex Charles (all Americans were
called Tex) came up with the idea of
flying into the United States, where
liquor was in great supply. Mr. Black
contributed $800 and, by using their
temporary duty entitlement, three
pilots raised a further $500.
Boarding the Anson that had
brought them to Regina, three
of them took off on a cold, windy
April day for about an hour flight to
Crosby, a small town just across the
Saskatchewan-North Dakota border.
Landing in a farmers field adjacent to the town, the erstwhile
liquor smugglers were met by two
members of the U.S. Border Patrol,
who asked the purpose of the visit.
Their uniforms identified the surprise visitors as members of the air
force, so when they said they were on
a mission to purchase booze for the
officers mess, the U.S. Border Patrol
willingly drove them into town.
There they encountered a raging
fire, fanned by a strong north wind,
sweeping down the main street.
Firefighters desperately fighting the

blaze, occasionally dropped into the
liquor store for instant rejuvenation.
With the fire fast approaching and
disaster staring him in the face, the
store manager welcomed the airmen ecstatically when they suddenly
showed up with a bundle of cash. He
even donated several extra bottles.
Purchases made, the Border
Patrol kindly delivered the shoppers back to their parked aircraft.
Shortly after takeoff, one intrepid
flyer accidentally dropped a lighted
cigarette between the floorboards,
creating a possible disaster. The fire
extinguisher proved useless, having
been emptied by a common practice
often used by ferry pilots to cool soft
drinks on long hot flights. With no
water available and reluctant to pour
the valuable booze down to prevent
a possible fire, the intrepid flyers resorted to Mother Natures resources
by urinating through the floorboards.
It is not known how Mr. Black made
out with his election campaign but
we do know that all the friends in
Regina enjoyed a tremendous party
at the Drake Hotel, compliments
of three ferry pilots. Our man does
not know the pilot who next flew the
Anson; however, he apologizes for
the less than pleasant aroma emanating from the bowels of the fuselage.
Respectfully offered for your
reading pleasure, by your humble
scribe, Carl Christie, always ready
to welcome new contributions
from our readers, at
carl.christie@gmail.com
Pg102-103_HumourHunt.indd 103
103
2014-04-03 4:16 PM
Travelling ABOUT
Go To Juno Beach!
If youve never been to Juno Beach, its worth the time

and money to buy a ticket for the 70th anniversary.
The Juno Beach Centre is right on the D-Day Beach
where Canadians landed on June 6, 1944. This year there will be special
events at the centre andmost importantlyveterans present.
70th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings
June 6
Juno Beach Centre, Normandy, France
http://www.junobeach.org/centre/english/anniv70/index.html
See Canadian Art

Of The Great War
This special exhibition by the

Canadian War Museum will feature
everything from massive canvases
completed in studios in England and
Canada during and immediately after
the war, to intimate sketches and
drawings made in trenches and
prisoner-of-war camps, including
many never before exhibited works.
Canadian Art of the First World War
May-Sept. 21
Canadian War Museum, Ottawa
http://wwwwarmuseumca/
event/witness-canadian-artof-the-first-world-war/
Photos: Sharon Adams
Five things to do and see

in MAY/JUNE
Visit Hamilton For

The International Military Tattoo
The Canadian International Military Tattoo is an annual event

celebrating Canadas military traditions. The Tattoo performances, based
on an ancient military tradition are each 2-1/2 hours long and feature a
vast array of international military and civilian acts.
International Military Tattoo
June 7-8
Copps Coliseum, Hamilton
http://www.canadianmilitarytattoo.ca/
Commemorate The Great War At Fort Henry
Kingston, Ont., is a beautiful place to visit in the summer, and for fans of
military history there are few more intriguing spots than the citys old Fort
Henry. Catch the Forts tribute to the Great War with its focus on several
aspects of the Canadian involvement in World War I.
Learn More About

The First World War
Canadians made great sacrices during the First World War and played a
signicant role in its outcome. To learn more about this dark period and
commemorate the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the war, the
World Heritage Tourism Research Network is organizing three days of
seminars, lectures, exhibits and receptions in Halifax.
Illustration: Frederick Varley, Beaverbrook Collection
of War Art, Canadian War Museum19710261-0771
104
Pg104_TravellingAbout.indd 104
A Symposium On The First World War: Remembrance,

Commemoration and Perspectives in the 21st Century
May 15-17
Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax
www.whtrn.ca/SymposiumFirstWorldWar.aspx
Photo: World Heritage Tourism Research Network
Tribute to the Great War

June 28
Fort Henry, Kingston, Ont.
http://www.forthenry.com/index.cfm/en/special-events/tribute-to-the-great-war/
2014-04-03 4:18 PM
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The future of your Legion is as bright as the sun when you join the One By One
membership campaign. Sign up one new member and you could win a fabulous
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our Legion ranks. Because you care. Because you can!
See legion.ca/onebyone for full contest details or call 1-855-330-3344
NEXT ISSUE
JULY/AUGUST 2014
To ensure you receive this issue, subscribe at

legionmagazine.com by June 1, 2014
The First World War pushed the world into a savage abyss that still shocks us when we think
about it a century later. It reminds us of how quickly disagreements between people and nations
can spiral out of control, destroying millions of lives. Renowned historian Donald E. Graves
explores how the world fell over the edge in 1914 and how Canada joined the fight.
Face To Face:
Two top historians face

off on the question:
Was the Battle of the
Somme worth it?
NextIssue_Ad-Halfpg-MayJune14.indd 1
History Makers Contest:
Well share the amazing results

of Legion Magazines nationwide
History Makers Contest.
Submissions were received from
readers coast-to-coast.
Access To Long-Term Care,

Part 2: A detailed look at
the current state and future
availability of long-term care
beds for veterans.
PHOTO: LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADAPA001086
How The World Fell

Over The Edge
2014-04-04 10:14 AM
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MAY/JUNE 2014 LEGION MAGAZINE

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POINT BLANK WAR: IN CLOSE COMBAT WITH THE ENEMY

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