Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Legion 2017-05-06
Legion 2017-05-06
Legion 2017-05-06
BOERWAR
MAY/JUNE 2017
THE
P LU S
CANADAS FIRST FOREIGN WAR D-DAY IMMORT
IN PHOATLIZED
OS
PAGE 40
R09389
LEGIONMAGAZINE.COM
Gulf
of Mexico
CWM/19820205-003
32
A QUIET VICTORY IN THE GULF 46 HUSH-HUSH HEROES (PART 2)
How Canada shut down the U-boat Canadas Second World War agents in Asia
assault in the Gulf of St. Lawrence By Sharon Adams
By Marc Milner
14 FRONT LINES
THIS PHOTO Suspended vice-admirals surprising views
Squadrons in Lord Strathconas Horse and Foot By Stephen J. Thorne
were made up of troops recruited in their own
districts. No. 3 Troop, photographed in March 1900, 18 EYE ON DEFENCE
was comprised mainly of men from Moosomin, Sask. Hard spending decisions needed
By David J. Bercuson
ON THE COVER
For these well-armed fighterslike all 30 FACE TO FACE
Boer-republic males aged 16 to 60service Was it right for Canada to send troops
in commando groups was mandatory. to the South African War?
By J.L. Granatstein and Tim Cook
Canada Patent and Copyright Office/LAC/PA-028894;
Public domain 88 CANADA AND THE COLD WAR
Struggling to stay shipshape
By J.L. Granatstein
90 HUMOUR HUNT
Discovering Bartholomew Bandy
By Terry Fallis
94 ARTIFACTS
GNATs versus CATs
By Sharon Adams
96 O CANADA
John McCraes baptism of fire
By Don Gillmor
DEPARTMENTS
4 EDITORIAL
7 LETTERS
10 ON THIS DATE
53 IN THE NEWS
64 SNAPSHOTS
86 UNIT REUNIONS
87 LOST TRAILS
87 REQUESTS
87 MARKETPLACE
87 CLASSIFIED
The arbitrary
age of 65 veterans advocacy groups, have lobbied
for improvements since the NVC came
into force. By 2011, the government could
no longer ignore their pleas. It passed Bill
I
C-55, which enacted the charters first
significant refinements. Others followed.
ll and injured veterans are still In a review of the NVC in 2014, the all-
waiting for clarity from the federal party Standing Committee on Veterans
government on how it intends to pro- Affairs recommended that eligibility
vide them with lifelong financial security. for lifelong benefits be clarified, and
The federal budget tabled on March 22 that the earnings loss benefit (ELB) for
included some new spending for veter- veterans in rehabilitation be increased.
ans and their families, but it left a big The Legion itself has long advocated for
onelifetime paymentsunresolved. lifelong financial security for the most
The budget promised $624 million seriously ill and injured veterans, which
in new funds over five years, including it says is the group that suffers most
expanded benefits for education and from the charters shortcomings.
career transition and increased financial The ELB is a case in point. It is a taxable
support for caregivers. And it repeated monthly payment provided to qualifying
the governments commitment to offer veterans taking part in rehab services.
qualifying veterans the option of disability The ELB tops up their total income to at
award payments for life, but deferred to later least 90 per cent of their gross pre-release
this year the details on how this would work. military salary (this had been 75 per cent
Prior to 2006, a lifetime monthly before October 2016). It is paid until their
pension was available to ill and injured rehabilitation plan has been completed, or to
veterans. Then the age 65. The Legion is advocating to increase
Canadian Forces the ELB to 100 per cent of pre-release
Members and Veterans income and to continue this benefit for life.
THE LEGION IS Re-establishment and Which makes complete sense.
Compensation Act, Its true that, like most Canadians,
ADVOCATING TO also known as the seriously ill and injured veterans will start
CONTINUE THE New Veterans Charter to receive Canada Pension Plan payments
EARNINGS LOSS (NVC), replaced that starting at (or around) age 65. And most
BENEFIT FOR LIFE. lifetime pension do have a CAF pension (indexed to length
with a disability of service, which is often pretty short
award that provides for young soldiers who become severely
Canadian Armed wounded, injured or ill as a result of their
Forces members or veterans with a lump- duty). But these are people whose medical
sum tax-free payment for long-term injury condition has rendered them unable to
or illness resulting from military service. work for long periods, which has a drastic
The NVC also introduced other new impact on their ability to lead a financially
financial and disability benefits, health secure life. They have missed out onthey
and rehabilitation services, and education have lostuntold earning opportunities.
and job-placement assistance. The This is but one more of the many sacrifices
legislation was designed to be a living they have made in service to the country.
charter, open to periodic refinements Injured and ill veterans deserve a better
as shortcomings became apparent. deal. The government has a sacred obligation
And there were shortcomings. to care for those who signed up despite the
Disgruntled veterans, supported by risk of injury or death. And that care should
The Royal Canadian Legion and other not be cut back at the arbitrary age of 65. L
ON S
N ALE
NOW AVAILABLE
OW!
Royals
SETTING SAIL ENEMIES MONARCHIES
for the NEW WORLD and EMPIRES SHAPED by WAR
THE
Did you
The fight
to rule
know?
Canada
PLUS{ TO
{ EASYOW
FOLL
7
INES
ROYATLHLRONE
to the
THE ROYALS
May 25 is a public holiday? Its to
honour the birth of Queen Victoria, the
Mother of Confederation, of course.
canvetpub.com
16
AVA I L A B L E AT T H E S E F I N E R E TA I L E R S :
ONLY
$ 95
A N D O T H E R F I N E R E TA I L E R S O F M A G A Z I N E S
+ applicable taxes For more information, call toll free 1-844-602-5737
WINNER
ROSS MUNRO
MEDIA AWARD
WINNER
Canadas leader in personal response and support service LEGION MAGAZINES
ADAM
LEGION MAGAZINES
ADAM
TOLL FREE: 1-800-LIFELINE (1-800-543-3546) DAY DAY
Medipac
Protecting experienced travellers since 1982 Advertising Sales
TOLL FREE: 1-888-939-0001 CANIK MARKETING SERVICES
Revera Inc. TORONTO 416-317-9173 | advertising@legionmagazine.com
Retirement living EASTERN CANADA 514-288-8988 | dgriffins@griffaction.ca
TOLL FREE: 1-855-929-9777
www.reveraliving.com DOVETAIL COMMUNICATIONS INC.
905-886-6640 ext. 306 | bkukkonen@dvtail.com
SimplyConnect
Mobile wireless service WESTERN CANADA 604-992-0783 | johnross@westcommarketing.com
TOLL FREE: 1-844-483-2285
www.simplyconnect.ca/legion Published six times per year, January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October and
November/December. Copyright Canvet Publications Ltd. 2017. ISSN 1209-4331
Starkey Hearing Technologies Canada
Receive up to 25% off our hearing aids Subscription Rates
TOLL FREE: 1-800-387-9353 Legion Magazine is $9.96 per year ($19.93 for two years and $29.89 for three years); prices include GST.
www.StarkeyCanada.ca FOR ADDRESSES IN NS, NB, NL, PE a subscription is $10.91 for one year ($21.83 for two years and $32.74 for three years).
FOR ADDRESSES IN ON a subscription is $10.72 for one year ($21.45 for two years and $32.17 for three years).
E XC LU S I V E PA RT N E R S H I P S
TO PURCHASE A MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION visit www.legionmagazine.com or contact
MBNA Canada Bank Legion Magazine Subscription Dept., 86 Aird Place, Kanata, ON K2L 0A1 or phone 613-591-0116.
MBNA Legion MasterCard The single copy price is $5.95 plus applicable taxes, shipping and handling.
TOLL FREE: 1-800-416-6345
Change of Address
Send new address and current address label. Or, new address and old address, plus all letters and
numbers from top line of address label. If label unavailable, enclose member or subscription number.
No change can be made without this number. Send to: Legion Magazine Subscription Department,
86 Aird Place, Kanata, ON K2L 0A1. Or visit www.legionmagazine.com. Allow eight weeks.
For more information visit legion.ca. Editorial and Advertising Policy
Opinions expressed are those of the writers. Unless otherwise explicitly stated, articles do not imply
endorsement of any product or service. The advertisement of any product or service does not indicate
KEEP
approval by the publisher unless so stated. 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.
Subscribe now at
changes to Legion Magazine, PO Box 55, Niagara Falls, NY 14304.
Member of CCAB, a division of BPA International. Printed in Canada.
legionmagazine.com/subscribe
or call 613-591-0116
We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada, through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF), for our publishing activities.
On occasion, we make our direct subscriber list available to carefully screened companies whose product or services we feel would be of
interest to our subscribers. If you would rather not receive such offers, please state this request, along with your full name and address,
and e-mail magazine@legion.ca or write to Legion Magazine, 86 Aird Place, Kanata ON K2L 0A1 or phone 613-591-0116.
Eager to enlist
K2L 0A1
or e-mailed to:
magazine@
I
legion.ca
Advertisement
Correction
A photo on page 40 of the March/April issue should have
identified the woman operating a switchboard as a member
of the Canadian Womens Army Corps (CWAC). L
Follow Legion Magazine on social media to keep up-to-date with the latest
Advertisement
Courtesy of Canadian Forces Museum of Aerospace Defence; DND/Legion Magazine archives legionmagazine.com > MAY/JUNE 2017 9
1 May 1945
Cape Breton Highlanders attack German
strongholds in Delfzijl, Netherlands.
3 May 1917
Lieut. Robert Combe
captures 80 prisoners near
Acheville, France, and is
posthumously awarded the
Victoria Cross.
4 May 1945
HMCS Uganda sails to
join the campaign
to shell Japanese
airfields in Okinawa.
5 May 1950
Eight dikes fail in Winnipeg; 100,000
evacuate the Red River valley.
6 May 1814
The British capture Fort Oswego,
New York.
10 MAY/JUNE 2017 > legionmagazine.com Courtesy of Franklyn Roy; Sharif Tarabay; DND; LAC; Legion Magazine archives
Halting
blood loss from combat wounds.
Those tools need to work fast.
Most battlefield deaths occur within
10 minutes of injury. An adult can
the blood
die in minutes from massive blood
loss such as that which accompanies
wounds from improvised explosive
devices. Significant and sudden
blood loss can send the body into
loss
shock; when blood volume drops
too low, the heart stops pumping
and organs shut down. Nerve cells
in the brain can survive only min-
C
utes without adequate blood flow.
About two thirds of blood-loss
ombat soldiers who deaths in the U.S. study were from
have suffered battlefield wounds to the trunk and underly-
wounds have never had a ing organs, where pressure could
better chance of survival not be applied to stop bleeding. Two
than they have today. new types of tourniquet address the
Due to improvements in battlefield problem. Both can be applied in less
medicine and evacuation, 92 per cent than a minute on the battlefield.
of U.S. soldiers wounded in Iraq The Combat Ready Clamp can
and Afghanistan made it home alive, be used on areas of the body that
Advertisement compared to about 75 per cent in the standard tourniquets cant reach.
Vietnam War. Former Canadian It roughly resembles the C clamp
Armed Forces surgeon-general Hans found in household tool boxes and is
Jung said in 2010 that if wounded screwed tight in a similar wayvery
troops could make it back to NATOs useful to stop bleeding from high
Role 3 hospital at Kandahar Airfield leg amputations and pelvic injuries.
in Afghanistan, they have a The Abdominal Aortic Junction
97 per cent chance of making it Tourniquet is an inflatable wedge-
all the way back to Canada alive. shaped bladder that squeezes
Experience on 21st-century closed blood vessels, thus stopping
battlefields quickly resulted in bleeding from wounds. Its large
advances that improved surviv- surface area is useful for pelvic inju-
ability, such as pressure dressings ries and severe wounds in places
made with substances that cause where limbs attach to the torso.
blood to clot within seconds, a tour- The U.S. military has sup-
niquet that could be applied with ported research into injectable
one hand, and ways to ensure the and spray-on gels and foams
supply of blood and blood products that could plug wounds, stop
for transfusion despite disrup- bleeding and induce clotting.
tions of distance and climate. Researchers at Johns Hopkins
A study by the U.S. Army University in Baltimore, Maryland,
Institute of Surgical Research have developed a prototype device
found that nearly a quarter of the to stop up wounds. About the size
4,596 U.S. combat-wound deaths of a highlighter pen, it contains
in Iraq and Afghanistan between two chemicals that mix when
2001 and 2011 were, as the report injected into a wound, creating
puts it, potentially survivable. a foam that hardens and applies
About 90 per cent of those pressure to stop bleeding while
survivable deaths were due to soldiers are transported from
uncontrolled blood loss. Those the battlefield to hospital care.
2017
Meanwhile, the XStat Rapid
Homeostasis System was battle-
tested a year ago, stopping severe
bleeding from a gunshot wound
to the thigh of a U.S. soldier. The Advertisement
device looks like a large test tube
with a plunger at the top. The tube is
filled with nearly 100 tablet-shaped
sponges that are injected into the
wound and rapidly absorb blood For Canadians who KNOW
and expand, plugging the wound
and allowing clotting to begin.
A material that can be used to
they are heading south
form an artificial blood clot has been
developed by a research team from
four high-powered U.S. research
universities, supported in part by
Were Going!
the U.S. Army Research Office.
Called shear-thinning biomate-
rial, it is a gel that can be injected
by needle or catheter into blood
vessels, where it solidifies to form
a tight barrier, or can be applied
to larger wound surfaces to halt
bleeding. It is made up of gelatin
and silicate nanoplatelets which
mimic the function of platelets, the
cells in human blood that promote
blood clotting. Research is progress-
ing from animal to human trials,
so it will be some time before its
available for battlefield medicine.
The U.S. military has also funded
research at the Australian Institute
of Health and Tropical Medicine
at James Cook University on a
drug touted as a pharmacological
tourniquet that reduces internal
blood loss by up to 60 per cent.
Administered intravenously, a
stabilizing fluid made of substances
that regularize heart rhythm and
blood pressure, among other things,
resuscitates the body from hemor-
rhagic shock, said Dr. Geoffrey
Dobson. Itprotects the body
and stops the blood from thin-
ning, allowing it to rapidly form a
viable clot and reduce bleeding. It
provides medics a new way to buy
1-888-MEDIPAC
1-888-633-4722 www.medipac.com
time on the battlefield, he said. L
Underwritten by Old Republic Insurance Company of Canada and Reliable Life Insurance Company
Suspended
vice-admirals
surprising views
Advertisement
Im newly retired and have five
grandkids to enjoy, and I want to
be around when they grow up!
JEFF HUTCHESON Former Host, Canada AM
Advertisement
The Last Post Fund proudly delivers the Funeral and Burial Program on
KEEP AN EYE OUT
behalf of Veterans Affairs Canada. You do not have to be a client of VAC
FOR OUR MAIL-OUTS!
to be eligible for benefits. For assistance, please call or visit our website.
1-800-465-7113 WWW.LASTPOSTFUND.CA
/LASTPOSTFUND
Advertisement
ARTHRITIS Frequent bathroom trips? Overactive bladder problem gone "Have my full
confidence back"; "No more frequent bathroom trips". ''The tea
Joint Relief hundreds of testimonials with women stating that they had relief.
Bell Bladder Control Tea for Women (Product #4b) or Bladder
One for Women (Product #90) below can help quickly. All of our
Helps to relieve joint pain Men can lead a normal products come with a
associated with arthritis. A life again. Stops dribb-
ling, burning and rushing Money Back Guarantee.
good source of calcium. Thousands of women all
frequently to the bath-
Contains active, bioavail- room. Get up once a night over the world have had
able nutrition for the joints. or not at all.* Helps relief. Hundreds of
Pain free in two reduce urologic symptoms women wrote: This
weeks. This is what associated with mild to tea works! My overactive
moderate BPH (enlarged
happened to me personally. I bladder problem is gone.
prostate gland). Helps
tried drugs, acupuncture, prevent recurrent urinary No more frequent bath-
magnets, physio and others. tract infections (UTIs). room trips. I now get a
Finally, a specially processed Provides antioxidants. good night's sleep.* Suzie
shark cartilage supplement Best product on Brown, 67, Corning, CA.
helped me. Since then, I have the market. I had I was skeptical to
helped hundreds of 100% relief. I don't have believe a tea would help
Product #4A NPN 80051642 Product #4B NPN 80048480
thousands of people world- to get up anymore during after all the medicines and
wide.* Nick A. Jerch, the night. My sex life has changed completely. I'm a new surgery. The testimonials made me try it and I found they were
man today. Thanks a million for this incredible tea.* Oleg TRUE! It does work!* Angela Romualdi, 46, Maple, ON. The
Founder of Bell Lifestyle
Product #1 NPN 80042283 Kerler, Thornhill, ON. Prostate Ezee Flow Tea Bladder Control Tea has been a real improvement of
Products Inc. I tried
worked quickly for a non-tea drinker! My wife bought my life. I am happy I have my full confidence back for my
another brand and the pain came back. Two weeks taking Bell your Prostate Ezee Flow Tea and made me drink it. Within a
outings and daily, worry-free activities.* Annette Thibault, 72,
Joint Relief and the pain is gone again.* Gert Dupuis, Hanmer, week, my urine flow was back to normal and no more
Montreal, QC.I am really amazed and thrilled that I
ON. On our website people wrote: Can walk again for burning. Also, I do not get up as often during the night. Im
tried this Bladder Control Tea. Within five days, I have seen
hours*; Can climb stairs without hanging on to railing*; now a tea drinker. I am very happy with the results. Great
a big improvement and within ten days all symptoms were
First time in fifteen years I can sleep at night*. Hundreds of product!* John Hurlbut, 56, London, ON. Within one
gone.* Iona F. Stites, 80, Saskatoon, SK. The tea
testimonials on our website with full names and towns. The week I had relief. In two weeks I was back to normal. I changed my life. I have been suffering with UTIs for years. A
shark cartilage used in this product is a responsibly sourced continue to use the tea for maintenance. It tastes good too.* friend recommended the Bell Bladder Control Tea for Women. I
by-product of the food industry. I have used Bell Joint Colin Jewall, 64, Kelowna, BC. A real life saver. This have regained control and feel that as long as I have this tea I can
Relief daily for over five years It has been the only is my fourth year of drinking your Prostate Ezee Flow Tea. I live a normal life.* Thank you. Marija Biotic, 30, Toronto, ON.
product to keep me mobile without constant knee pain. Both highly recommend this tea.* Roman Leyzerovich, 79, Bell Bladder Control Tea is very effective. You can
knees ached with osteoarthritis after years of playing soccer in Pittsburgh, PA. witness the effects after a few days of taking it. Fascinating
my younger days. Now I am pain free and on a maintenance results.* Anna Toulina, 54, Pickering, ON.
100% Truthful testimonials
New!
dosage.* Ken Hutcheson, 70, Bridgenorth, ON.When I
started Bell Joint Relief I noticed not having as much pain
with full names and towns.
in my joints, my knees were stronger and nerve pain down my
legs. Sharon Posnikoff, 61, Regina, SK. In just two Those who have provided their testimonial Bladder One
weeks I could feel the difference. Pain steadily decreasing.* received one free Bell product of their choice.
Robert K. Welsh, 67, Flint, MI. *Results may vary from one person to another.
for Women. TM
The above Bladder Control Tea for Women (Product #4b) has
helped thousands of women with incontinence, bladder
products in the same stores. Ask for: (Product #90) with potent herbal
extracts. Either product may work for
you and both are available in many
Product #6 Eroxil for Men. Many men reported that they had better performance Read G health food stores and pharmacies in
ua
and energy. Product #7 Erosyn for Women. Many women wrote that this increased on all b rantee Canada, the U.S. and overseas
oxes
their libido and ability to climax. Product #14 Cholesterol Control Product countries. When I used
#15 MIGRAID, relieves headaches and reduces frquency. Product #17 Cardio Health, to help cleanse the Bladder One for Women, I was
impressed. With only one capsule
arteries. Product #23 Sound Sleep Product #24 Allergy Relief, indoors and outdoors. Product #26
I took at night, I got eight hours of
Blood Pressure Formulation Combo Product #28 Constipation Relief Product #30 Carpal Tunnel sleep with no discomfort and I got
Syndrome for Wrist Relief Product #31 Bladder & Yeast Infection Product #34 PMS Combo my control back. Great product.
Product #35 Stop Smoking Help Product #36 Brain Function, for cognitive function. Product #39 Lori Malone, 59, Saskatoon, SK.
Acidic Stomach Alkaline Balance Product #40 Blood Sugar Metabolism Product #51 Shark Liver #90 NPN 80065597
Oil, to maintain immune function. Product #52 Supreme Immune Booster Product #60 Clear Skin, for
eczema and psoriasis. Product #63 Stem Cell Activator Product #66 Calming Chronic Stress Product FREE! TRIAL PACK! Receive a FREE Bladder
One for Women (Product #90) sample pack (6 capsules) by simply emailing
#67 Curcumin 2000X, with black pepper extract to increase effectiveness. Product #70 INFLAMMEXX Natural your postal address to FreeSample@Belllifestyle.com and asking for your
anti-inflammatory. Product #71 Calcium Build-Up, decreases calcification. Product #76 Kidney Cleanse free sample of Bladder One for Women. Regular size bottles of Bladder One
for Women (Product #90) and Bladder Control Tea for Women (Product #4b)
& Function Tea. Product #78 Thyroid Support Product #89 Gout Relief. are available in many health food stores and pharmacies.
All products have NPN licences. All come with a money-back guarantee. 1-800-333-7995
Always read and follow the label.
Store locations on our website.
www.BellLifestyle.ca
Indicates a registered trademark of Bell Lifestyle Products Inc.
Hard spending
decisions needed
L ee Berthiaume, writing for the
Canadian Press last fall, referred
to internal Defence Department
documents in a story about the need to
spend billions, beginning soon, to upgrade
Canadas submarines. He referred to those
submarinesUpholder to the British who
built them and Victoria-class to the Royal
Canadian Navy which acquired them. Suffice
to say that a nation with the largest coastline
in the world, depending heavily on seagoing
commerce, with daily challenges, from fishing
documents, obtained through the Access boats lost at sea to human smuggling, and a
to Information Act, in estimating the cost prolonged Russian buildup of its Arctic mili-
of upgrading the submarines at $1.5 to tary forces, needs an adequate submarine fleet.
$3 billion. In the hubbub surrounding the There were many defence experts who
lead up to the governments announcement to questioned why Canada purchased these sub-
obtain a small interim fleet of Super Hornets marines in the first place in the 1990s and no
and put off the final decision on a more sub- doubt there will be many more who will com-
stantial CF-18 replacement program, the plain about either putting billions of dollars
submarine story was virtually buried. more into the fleet orheaven forbidbuying
One way or another, the submarine saga an adequate, modern, under-ice capable fleet
will be disinterred shortly. The first subma- to replace the Victoria-class submarines.
rine Canada obtained, HMCS Victoria, is Modern weapons, especially large ones
scheduled to be retired in just five years. from armoured vehicles for the army to jets
Five years is a lifetime when it comes to major for the air force to the surface warships the
Canadian procurement projects. The other navy will need in the next decadedont
three submarines will follow soon after. come cheap. And neither do submarines.
Theres no point here in going over the long But a people who claim sovereignty over the
saga of Canada and its four Upholder-class second largest country in the world, with a
R130.685 CTP Eng Armed Forces Fridays - CTP 3cpl Window Legion Ad - 4.275 x 2.4375 (Drawn 100%)
Advertisement
relatively small population,
will need to face the fact that
defence isnt cheap and it should
In appreciation of your service certainly not be the last item
3
on the spending agenda.
Advertisement
NEW!
Poppy Bird Feeder
Bird Now Available
Feeder Toll-free or from our
$19.95 Online Stores Hand Crafted
Clay Necklace $34.95
Only
$14.95 Collapsible Umbrella
each $29.95
when you Poppy Seeds
Hand Crafted $1.95
buy a box Clay Earrings $29.95
of 5!
Canada 150
Medal
$25.00
Hand Crafted
Clay Brooch
$29.95
please note: shipping
Supply
and taxes apply.
www.shop.legion.ca www.poppYsToRe.ca
Toll-Free :1-888-301-2268 Exclusive to Legion Members For All Canadians
The ill-fated
Jameson Raid of
1895, led by British
colonial politician
Leander Starr
Jameson, was
one of many
antagonizing events
that led to the
Second Boer War,
from 1899 to 1902.
THE ROOTS of this war traced back to discovery quickly led to the British annex-
1835. Rejecting British attempts to extend ing Transvaal in 1871. By December 1880,
their authority over the Dutch colonists efforts to get the annexation reversed had
and considering themselves increasingly failed and the Boers resorted to armed
politically marginalized, about 15,000 resistance. At Majuba Hill on Feb. 27, 1881,
Voortrekkers crossed the Orange River to they dealt a large contingent of British
leave Cape Colony and establish indepen- regulars a stunning defeat that led to the
dent republics. Transvaal and the Orange Pretoria Convention a few months later.
Free State were recognized respectfully and Although the convention did not reinstate
reluctantly by Great Britain in the 1852 Sand full independence, it did grant the Boers sig-
Canadas first
River and 1854 Bloemfontein conventions. nificant control over their affairs and land.
contingent in
Both republics constituted attempts to In 1886, Anglo-Boer relations were again
the Boer War, the
Royal Canadian
continue the agrarian life that the Dutch col- shredded by the discovery in Transvaal of
Regiment boarded onists had maintained since their forebears the largest gold reserves on Earth. Seeking
HMS Sardinian in had settled in South Africa in the 17th cen- to limit the threat from the influx of gold
Quebec City on tury, which they saw seekers to the national iden-
Oct. 30, 1899. as being threatened tity of Gods people, as
after the British seized Transvaals President Paul
Key players in the the Cape settlement Kruger called the Boers, he
conflict included in 1795. In 1814, the enacted legislation restrict-
South African British takeover of the ing the franchise to men
General Piet Cronj Cape from the Dutch who had been resident at
(right) and (opposite, was formalized by the least 14 years. This effec-
from top) Paul Congress of Vienna. tively limited it to Boers. To
Kruger, Transvaal The Voortrekker protect Transvaals railroad
president from 1883 movement was a repu- link to Johannesburg
to 1900; British diation of spreading from being undercut by
Major-General E.T.H. British influence. Most encroaching Cape railways,
Hutton, who leaked Boers were deeply he also imposed what
plans for a Canadian religious, adhering to the British considered
force; and Governor a strict Calvinism that exploitive tariffs.
General Lord Minto,
was intolerant of other On the opposing side
who pressured
faiths. After almost stood Cape Colony Prime
Prime Minister
200 years of warfare with African tribes, Minister Cecil Rhodes, who sought to not
Laurier to act.
they were tough and uniquely adept at only expand his personal gold interests but
guerilla fighting that relied on riding skills, also to unite all of South Africa under the
deadly marksmanship and superb tactical British crown. In 1895, with full knowl-
use of ground. Every adult male belonged edge of British colonial secretary Joseph
to a commando military formation. Chamberlain, he attempted a coup that
The Boers hoped their flight would free failed miserably. Rhodes was forced to
them of British influence and encroachment resign, but the new Cape Colony governor
on their new lands, but the 1867 diamond and high commissioner, Sir Alfred Milner,
22 MAY/JUNE 2017 > legionmagazine.com Frederick S. Lee/LAC/e002505778; Wikimedia Commons; Alamy/EF98FJ; Topley Studio/LAC/PA-028142
26 MAY/JUNE 2017 > legionmagazine.com Arthur H. Hider/LAC/Acc. No. 1983-38-2; Public domain; Reinhold Thiele/LAC/C-014923
TIM COOK is a historian at the Canadian War Museum. He is the author of 10 books
about the military history of Canada; his latest is Vimy: The Battle and the Legend.
W
hen Canada declared war on Germany
in September 1939, the most immediate
threat to the country was an attack on its
shipping. That fear was so palpable that
when periscopes were soon sighted in the
St. Lawrence River, no one was surprised. A
submarine diviner with a plumb-bob and a
chart of the river was consulted to locate the
U-boats. Then a mob of soldiers went down
the river on a fire tug and a lighthouse tender to
attack them. Apparently, the Germans got away.
When the U-boats came for real in 1942, they also
got clean away. But not before sinking more than
20 ships, forcing the government to close the river
to ocean shipping, and inflicting the most embar-
rassing defeat of the war on Canada. At least thats
the way the story has been told for the past 75 years.
Recent scholarship suggests quite a different tale.
later complained salvaged. With all his torpedoes contact when U-517 suddenly
about how poor the expended, Hoffmann headed home. breeched the surface, rolled onto
sonar conditions He never made it; U-165 was sunk its side, and then submerged.
were in the river; as it reached the Bay of Biscay. Acting Lieutenant-Commander
this was not news A.G. Stanley, RCNR, kept Georgian
to his Canadian Hartwig, however, wasnt done. at it for the rest of the day, until all
colleagues. After a few days off Newfoundland his depth charges were expended.
Hoffmann, shifting torpedoes stored outside The staff in Halifax agreed with
alerted by Hartwig his hull into his forward torpedo Stanleys assessment: U-boat
of SQ-36s prog- room, he returned to the Gasp. By sunk. But Hartwig got away
ress, was ready midday on Sept. 21, he was track- again. He moved north to clear
when the convoy reached Cap-Chat, ing SQ-38 off Cap-des-Rosiers. the area and repair damage,
Que., in the early hours of Sept. 16. Hartwig thought he was safely then plunged again into the traf-
He launched a daylight submerged submerged, but the fickle water fic at the entrance to the river.
attack, although the ships in the conditions left a portion By the time Hartwig returned
convoy saw his periscope and fired of his conning tower exposed. in late September, the RCAF
on it as Hoffmann completed his Hartwig later admitted trouble had finally shifted whole squad-
firing sequence. Two ships were maintaining a steady depth: rons from Nova Scotia to the St.
hit: the British SS Essex Lance was Those water layers! he recalled. Lawrence, adding an additional 15
salvaged, but the Greek merchant HMCS Georgian was about Hudsons and 20 Cansos to the area.
ship Joannis sank in 10 minutes. to ram U-517 when it crashed Most were radar-equipped and
Undeterred by the escort, Hoffmann dived. Georgian then con- provided air cover at night. From
hung on to hit the American mer- ducted a deliberate depth charge now on, it was the U-boats who
chant ship Pan York, which was also attack, and was turning to regain were the hunted. In one 24-hour
A RENOWNED, SELF-INVENTED
WAR PHOTOGRAPHERS
11 SURVIVING PHOTOS IMMORTALIZE
THE CHAOS AND COURAGE OF D-DAY
forever known as the greatest was probably his most famous, and
combat photographer, famously controversial, picturethe death of
saying that if your pictures and sales representative; Andrei a Spanish soldierand Taro, whod
arent good enough, youre not was to be a darkroom hired hand; become a photographer in her own
close enough. and these two were to be employed right, was crushed by a tank. A
Since 1955, the Robert Capa Gold by a rich, famous and talented heartbroken Capa went to China,
Medal has been awarded annually by (and imaginary) American pho- then returned to Spain, remaining
the Overseas Press Club of America tographer named Robert Capa. there until the civil war ended.
for the best published photographic The three went to work, Hersey Back in Europe in 1939, the
reporting from abroad requiring wrote. Friedmann took the pic- Hungarian Friedmann discovered
exceptional courage and enterprise. tures, Gerda sold them, and credit that, with Hitler on the rise, hed
He was born Endre (Andrei) was given to the non-existent Capa. been born on the wrong side. The
Friedmann, a Jew in Budapest, Money poured in. The asso- French declared him an enemy
a flamboyant, adventurous, wom- ciation was happy, for Capa loved alien and seized his cameras.
anizing, card-player whose talent Gerda, Gerda loved Andrei, Andrei He went to America and bought
for self-promotion was legend- loved Capa, and Capa loved Capa. new cameras, wrote Hersey.
ary. The author John Hersey The genesis of the name Capa America got into the war and took
wrote that the name Robert Capa is, like most things Capa, uncer- the new cameras away from him.
was the 1935 invention of a man tain. Its been written that it was But still he managed, by various
bent on success and his equally drawn from the American film means, to be sent out as a war corre-
ambitious lover, Gerda Taro. director Frank Capra. Others said spondent with the American forces.
Based in Paris at the time, it was derived from Friedmanns Friedmann formally changed his
Friedmann and Taro decided childhood nickname, Cpa, name, and Robert Capa became
to form an association of three or Shark in Hungarian. a living, breathing human being
people, Hersey wrote in a 1947 Whatever its origin, the ruse whose life, and death, would ulti-
essay on Capas autobiography, was finally discovered by a French mately be bound to the myth hed
Slightly Out of Focus, which magazine editor, who then hauled made. The helmet he wore through
itself was slightly fictionalized. off Capa and Taroa German whose the Italian Campaign was inscribed
Gerda, who worked in a picture real name was Gerta Pohorylleto Property of Robert Capa, great
agency, was to serve as secretary cover the Spanish Civil War. war correspondent and lover.
There, a decidedly partisan Capa
(he always took sides) made what
wade toward a
Here is where the fog of war kicks where he dispatched his films by
in. A small group of soldiers can couriera half-dozen rolls of 120
be seen around a hedgehog. While
Capa wrote detailed captions for his distant, murky and four rolls of 35mm. Along with
cutline information for the 120 was
pre-invasion images, he wrote noth-
ing describing the landing itself. shore, weapons a scrawled note stating that all the
action was on the 35mm. Capa soon
In its D-Day spread featuring
Capas pictures the following week,
and gear in boarded another ship and headed
back to France, and immortality.
Life described the men as taking hand, their
collective fate
cover until all their boats came in. Back in London, editor John
In fact, the men they spoke of Morris was growing increasingly
in the balance.
were combat engineers, their insig- anxious as deadline approached. It
nias unmistakable on the fronts was Wednesday evening. The film
of their helmets, and, contrary to had to be souped, edited, printed
taking cover, they were exposing and cleared by censors a mile away
themselves to machine-gun fire in time to make a U.S.-bound flight.
as they ran Primacord detonating Our only hope to meet the dead-
cordvisible in the pictures line was to send original prints and
between cast-iron obstacles and negatives, as many as possible, in a
planted explosives to clear a route pouch that would leave Grosvenor
into the beach before the incom- Square by motorcycle courier at
ing tide submerged them. Riley got up to run forward precisely 9:00 a.m. London time
(U.S. army veteran, consultant and was hit twice by gunfire. His on Thursday, Morris recalled.
and amateur historian Charles D-Day assault ended right then The courier would take it to
Herrick made a convincing case for and there. So, too, did the photog- a twin-engine plane standing by
the heroes of Combined Demolitions raphers. Cameras in hand, he left, at an airdrome near London. At
Team 10 on the Nearby Caf website heading back out to the boats. Prestwick, Scotland, the base for
in 2015, complete with compara- The photographer could only transatlantic flights, the pouch
tive photographs of the engineers have been Capa and, judging by would be transferred to a larger
helmets and digital modelling show- portraits of the time, the soldier in plane. After one or two fuel stops, it
ing the orientation of the pictured his picture was very likely Riley, would arrive in Washington, D.C.,
troops to known angles of fire.) who was shipped off to England and our pictures would be hand-
Soon after this, Capa shot his and, miraculously, returned to the carried to New York on Saturday.
famous image of the man now fight but two weeks later. He would The call came at 6:30 p.m.
believed to have been Huston be severely wounded in October on Wednesday, June 7: Capas
S. Riley. The tide was rising and outside Aachen, sent stateside, film was on its way. It arrived
Riley, a veteran of invasions in and discharged a year later. around 9 oclock. The lab chief
Sicily and North Africa, was With one camera jammed and handed it to a young darkroom
struggling through the surf. his hands too wet and cold to tech, Dennis Banks, to develop.
The tide was way in by the time reload, Capa waded away from the Photographer Hans Wild looked at
I got in, Riley recalled in an oral his- fight, stepping back out among the wet negatives and said, though
tory interview conducted by Larry the bodies rolling in the surf and grainy, they looked fabulous.
Cappetto on Omaha Beach in 2004. climbing aboard a boat that had Morris said he needed contact
I got in pretty close . . . and this just dispatched medics. He was sheetsrush, rush, rush!
photographer and the sergeant from frightened and, ultimately, angry A few minutes later Dennis came
E Company drug me up to the bank. with himself for leaving the beach. bounding up the stairs and into my
It was a new kind of fear shaking office, sobbing. Theyre ruined!
my body from toe to hair, and twist- Ruined! Capas films are all ruined!
ing my face, he wrote. I did not
think and I did not decide it. I just
stood up and ran toward the boat.
HUSH-HUSH
HEROES
CANADAS SECOND
WORLD WAR AGENTS
IN ASIA
By Sharon Adams
Photos courtesy of the Chinese Canadian Military Museum legionmagazine.com > MAY/JUNE 2017 47
Photos courtesy of the Chinese Canadian Military Museum legionmagazine.com > MAY/JUNE 2017 49
50 MAY/JUNE 2017 > legionmagazine.com Photos courtesy of the Chinese Canadian Military Museum; DND/LAC/PA-206260
C IAL
SPE FER! Subscribe now
OF and save big!
Royals
SETT
for the NEING SAIL
W WORL
D ENEMIE
and EM
PIR
S
ES MONAR
THE
SHAPED CHIES
by WA
R
CAN
VETP
UB.C
OM
only
$
+ applicable taxes VALUE! off newsstand
E X P E R I E N C E A P I E C E O F C A N A D A I N E V E R Y I S S U E ! V I S I T C A N V E T P U B .CO M TO D AY.
54
CAF NEEDS TO BE Carrying on tradition
of Edmonton
MORE DIVERSE,
SAYS GENERAL
By Stephen J. Thorne
56 M
INISTER DISCUSSES
PEACEKEEPING, NATO
Ex-Servicewomen
By Stephen J. Thorne
I
By Tom MacGregor
58 I NJURED CADETS
SHOULD BE PROPERLY t is a small branch, but Edmonton auxiliary. So the veterans formed
COMPENSATED, Ex-Servicewomens Branch is their own womens division and
SAYS MILITARY still going strong, celebrating received a branch charter in January
OMBUDSMAN its 70th anniversary this year. 1947. By the end of the year, the
By Sharon Adams
While most womens branches branch had 298 members. Four
59 C
OMPENSATION of The Royal Canadian Legion or five of the original members
ANNOUNCED FOR 1974 have disappeared, Edmonton still come out to meetings.
CADET ACCIDENT Ex-Servicewomens Branch is As times changed, the branch
showing its independence by began to accept family members
59 SERVING YOU establishing its own premises. as associates. Resslers mother
Weve been located in four was one of the original veterans.
60 ARTIFACTS HELP TELL different branches in Edmonton, We do all the things that are
THE STORY OF VIMY said President Trudy Ressler. expected of a branch, said Ressler.
By Stephen J. Thorne Recently we were located at Jasper During the poppy campaign,
Place Branch, but the members the branch is responsible for
61 V
IRTUAL REALITY found the bus service was not good. distributing poppies in three
TAKES VIEWERS INTO About two years ago, the different malls in the city.
VIMY BATTLE branch began leasing office Among the programs
By Tom MacGregor
space in the Parkdale-Cromdale supported by the branch is
62 D
ONT MAKE NOV. 11 Community League Hall, near the a school lunch program for
A HOLIDAY, SAYS Commonwealth Stadium. We lease underprivileged children.
LEGION a room that is about 20 square feet, We have fundraisers such as
which we use for an office, said a casino night or our bake-less
62 O
BITUARY Ressler. When we want to have bake sales, said Ressler. We dont
JEAN MARIE DEVEAUX a full meeting, we have access to actually bake for it but everyone
the banquet room in the hall. pays what they would have spent
Ressler said the branch has more if there were baked goods.
than 80 members. The average age The branch also helps veterans
is about 78 and we get 20 members with their claims. Susie Shaw, a
out for a general meeting, she said. former service officer with Alberta-
Members of Edmonton Ex-Servicewomens The women who formed the Northwest Territories Command,
Branchs executive include (front, from left) branch were Second World War acts as the branch service officer.
Anne Bennett, President Trudy Ressler, veterans, who originally intended to A 70th anniversary tea and
Marian Young, (rear) Carol Rhodes, Joan join the now-defunct Montgomery reception at the community
Stachiw, Marie Moorehead, Faye Elliott Branch in Edmonton. At that time, centre with local dignitaries
and Rose Henry. women could only join the ladies is planned for June. L
A sk veteran soldiers
their feelings about
peacekeeping
missions and
chances are youll get a negative
response. Acting as referee and
policeman in areas of hostility is
peacekeeping started, he said in a
wide-ranging interview with Legion
Magazine. It was designed for a
particular set of security challenges
where peace agreements were
signed by both parties and you have
this intervening force coming in
Nations, Nikki Haley, has made
peacekeeping reform a top priority.
The Americans spend nearly US$8
billion annually on peacekeeping
missions and Haley has said she
wants to look at all 16 U.S. missions
to see which are succeeding in
like doing the job with one hand between to enforce that peace. maintaining peace and which arent.
tied behind your back, theyll say. Over time, as conflicts changed, Trump has said Washington
Strict rules of engagementpre- they werent evaluated as thoroughly spends far too much on other coun-
venting peacekeepers from firing as they could have been, which tries security. Sajjan, meanwhile,
unless fired upon, for example created [new] challenges. The right held his first face-to-face with his
endangered blue-helmeted troops rules of engagement werent there; U.S. counterpart, retired marine
and limited their effectiveness. the chain of command function in general James Mattis, on Feb. 6.
Minister of National Defence terms of authority was not there. The minister and the secretary
Harjit Sajjan, a decorated Last year, the federal government of defence discussed continental
military veteran who was announced it would commit up to defence as well as multilateral
wounded on duty in Bosnia and 600 troops to UN peace-support issues, including pledges to lead
did three tours in Afghanistan, operations, but a decision was NATO battle groups in Eastern
doesnt dispute the impressions delayed following the election of Europe and conduct UN operations.
of his former colleagues. Donald Trump to the White House. But the question of where and
Youve got to look at how Trumps ambassador to the United when those UN commitments
56 MAY/JUNE 2017 > legionmagazine.com M.Cpl. Jennifer Kusche, Canadian Forces Combat Camera
would be fulfilled remained to bring innovative solutions that sixth largest financial contributor
unanswered immediately follow- are going to move the yardstick and hits well above its weight
ing the discussion. Canada was forward and help improve the in terms of participation.
considering sending troops to Mali. efficiency and solve some of the Its kind of an overall, general
Wherever it ends up, rest assured problems that have marred the metric that if you spend money
the mission will be conducted United Nations in the past. on defence, youre going to be
differently than many of its prede- doing more, the minister said.
cessors. Gone in many cases are Sajjan also dispelled any sugges- At the end of the day, you can
the days of two sides, a line and tion the survival of the North Atlantic spend all the money you want on
the formalities of diplomacy. Treaty Organization was in question. your military, if your output is not
The factors involved are ever Im confident that the impor- there for supporting NATO roles
more complex and its not fair tance of NATO involves all of the well, guess what, youre really not
to the troops to send them into member states, Sajjan said. I providing any legitimate support.
situations that havent been thor- think the focus of the discussion Among other contributions,
oughly assessed, said Sajjan. will be: how do we make NATO Canada is leading a NATO mis-
Times have indeed changed, even better? Thats something that sion in Latvia, where it has
he said, and there is no one-size- weve always been striving for. committed 450 troops along
fits-all solution to peacekeeping After his inauguration, Trump with light-armoured vehicles
challenges. Canadas diversity and told the German daily Bild and and other military equipment as
world view are ideally suited to the The London Times that the part of an effort to deter Russian
demands of modern-day peace- 28-member alliance is obsolete aggression in Eastern Europe.
support operations, he argued. and unfair to the United States. We believe in multilateralism,
Its about understanding the Only five NATO members met said Sajjan. We were one of the
conflict first, he said. When you the groups co-founders of
understand the conflict, then you defence-spending NATO and we
create the mechanism required to standard of two will be playing a
accomplish your objectives. When per cent of GDP significant role.
you look at the reality of today, it is last yearGreece, CANADAS NATO plays
not the peacekeeping of the past. Estonia, Poland, a critical role in
Robust rules of engagement, yes, the U.K. and the
DIVERSITY AND the wider peace
but also flexibility for command- U.S. Canadas WORLD VIEW and security, not
ers on the ground and the ability spending ARE IDEALLY just for Europe
to make quick decisions for the increased slightly SUITED TO THE but in the rest of
safety and security of civilians. in 2016, to 1.02 the world, from
Canadas innovative approach per cent of GDP
DEMANDS OF capacity-building
to peacekeeping is not limited from 0.98. MODERN-DAY to deterrence.
to military options either, he That moved PEACE-SUPPORT Mattis, who
added. Several government Canada to 20th OPERATIONS. served as NATOs
departments are involved and from 23rd in supreme allied
assessments are based on where military spending commander for
Canadians can make the most as a percentage transformation,
impact with finite resources. of GDP among phoned NATO
In Africa, for example, poverty NATOs 28 allies. Its in a three- Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
and a preponderance of vulner- way tie with Hungary and after talking to Sajjan and reinforced
able youth who dont see hopeful Slovenia. Only Belgium, the Czech the key role NATO plays in transat-
futures are major factors in the Republic, Iceland, Luxembourg lantic security, said the Pentagon.
recruitment and development of and Spain spent less. Canada Sajjan said future Canadian defence
extremists. If we dont give them currently spends about $20 spending will be directly linked
a future, theyre going to find some billion annually on defence. to the output that were doing.
other things to do and, regret- Sajjan confirmed Canada would This will not be a laundry list
tably, theyre going to be sucked increase its military spending of equipment. This will be an
into the extremist propaganda. following a defence review, but he actual, real defence policy based
The military gets most of the added that alone is not a reliable on capabilities that allow us to then
attention but it actually plays a sup- indicator of the contributions figure out what do we needthe
porting role in many peace-support members make to the organiza- size, the structure and the new
operations, said Sajjan. We want tion. Canada, he said, is NATOs capabilities that we need to get. L
C adets killed or
seriously injured
while participating
in approved activities
should have the same care and
compensation that is extended
to adults supervising them, the
decades following the incident
sparked the ombudsmans review
of the cadet program in 2015.
Cadet activities differ from those
of other youth programs in that
the cadet organizations are under
the control and supervision of the
An examination of insurance
coverage revealed the maximum
lump sum a Canadian cadet could
receive through cadet league acci-
dent insurance for a life-changing or
permanent impairment is $20,000,
contrasted to $100,000 for severe
military ombudsman recommends. Canadian Armed Forces, though injury for adult civil volunteers
More needs to be done to support they are not part of the CAF. More covered by the same policies; and
our most vulnerable participants of than 20,000 youth, generally aged the CAF Service Income Security
the cadet program, said Canadian 12 through 18, attend summer Insurance Plan (SISIP) pays a
Armed Forces Ombudsman training camps at 21 army, sea and maximum of $250,000 for CAF
Gary Walbourne in a report to air cadet training centres across cadet instructor officers, who may
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan. the country. They are housed, fed also claim workers compensation.
He noted not much has changed and provided training activities at The reports major recommenda-
in knowledge of, and access to, long- the expense and under supervision tion is that in event of illness or
term care and compensation for of the CAF. The care and safety of injury arising from an approved
cadets and their families since 1974, youth entrusted by their families to cadet activity, the Department of
when six cadets were killed and the CAF is a sacred responsibility, National Defence and CAF ensure
dozens injured Lieutenant-General cadets are compensated and sup-
in a grenade Guy Thibault, ported in a manner commensurate
demonstration then vice-chief of with support and compensation
at a summer the defence staff, available to CAF members.
cadet camp in THE CARE said in media Recognizing it may take time to
Valcartier, Que. AND SAFETY interviews. And, change the necessary regulations
The cadets, inel- OF YOUTH the ombudsman and policies, the report recom-
igible for benefits found, cadets are mends that prior to 2017 summer
or compensation
ENTRUSTED BY well supported training, information be distrib-
available to Forces THEIR FAMILIES by the CAF for uted so cadets, their families,
members and TO THE CAF IS short-term health- instructors and supervisors all
defence employ- A SACRED care access. are well informed about what
ees, had to rely on RESPONSIBILITY. Yet, should benefits cadets are entitled to
provincial health something go now, and how to access them.
plans. Families seriously wrong, As part of the next annual
had to pay out of the report review of cadet organization
pocket for medical says, todays insurance policies, DND and CAF
assistance not covered by provincial cadets are still excluded from a should ensure the benefits are
health plans, and if they couldnt, the prescribed suite of compensation identical for all cadet leagues.
cadets went without. Few families and benefits, including disability It is not fair to offer com-
knew where to go for help, or that payments, available to their [CAF] pensation and benefits to cadet
they could file a claim against the instructors, defence employees and instructors who become ill or
Crown for additional compensation. some comparable groups. Cadets injured as a result of a cadet activity,
Complaints about unfair final recourse is still a legal claim and not offer similar support to ill or
compensation for cadets in the against the Crown, just as in 1974. injured cadets, said the report. L
SERVING SERVING YOU is written by Legion command service officers. To reach a service officer, call toll-free
YOU 1-877-534-4666, or consult a command website. For years of archives, visit www.legionmagazine.com
S
By Tom MacGregor
OBITUARY
With a 5-year
subscription SA
E
or renewal, you MAK
CTY
RF E
PE RS DA H E ROI C
RESCU
could WIN an E
iPad Air 2 32GB!*
FATH
I F T !
G THEING SU
IT
47
FLY
30 issues
for only
$ 45** ULD C
SYR
DA
ANAIA?
SHO HT IN
RTI
ME FIG Brave N
S WA NTS their liveewfoundlander
ADA AGE st s ri
CANECRET
S USS Tru o save the crUeSwNssk
xtun and PL EN I Nof
2 0 17
PoMluDxIARY
WO lA
Y
RIL N A N
H /A P
PLUS MAR
C
CA ILIT IO
M IAT 36
R
NUCLEAR
O
AV PAGE
PLUS WEAPONS
F
IM
LE
ON CANADIAN
SHOP NOW!
ATT
SOIL?
PAGE 36
V
Posters, Greeting Cards,
Stationery, Book Labels, T H
Invitations and more, all at
legionmagazine.com
*Applies to a minimum 5-year subscription or renewal only.
and
Chosen entry will receive an iPad Air 2 32GB. No cash value. $5.95 > DI
ry
SPL
e
Deadline to qualify is June 30, 2017. For full contest rules, write:
Brav ce at
Legion Magazine, 86 Aird Place, Kanata ON K2L 0A1 **Taxes extra
fi
sacreiridge
LEGION
MAGA
PM4006
3864
th
1, 2
MAY
UNTIL
PLAY
> DIS
$5.95
ZI
AGA
IONM
LEG
British Columbia/Yukon 64
Newfoundland and Labrador 66 IN THIS
Alberta-Northwest Territories 67
ISSUE
New Brunswick 69
Manitoba-Northwestern Ontario 70 Legion branches
Saskatchewan 71 donate more than
Prince Edward Island
Ontario 72
72
$216,000
Nova Scotia/Nunavut 82 to their communities
Quebec 82
Correspondents Addresses 83
Bulkley Valley Branch in Smithers, B.C., dedicated a refurbished mural honouring veterans of the two world wars
and Korean War. Funding for the mural, refreshed by original artist Hans Saefkow, was donated by member
Brian Atherton, whose father is depicted, and his wife Carla, as well as local businesses.
At the presentation of a donation for improvements to Poppy chair Sam Esopenko of Mount Arrowsmith
Brookhaven Care Centre from Westbank, B.C., Branch are Branch in Parksville, B.C., presents $2,500 to
(front, from left) Joan Steeves, Janice Perrier, Ken Carpenter, (from left) Navy League representatives Shannon
Barb Johnson, (rear) Maggie Lauinger, George Steeves, Pennington and Barb Robinson and sea cadets
Gladys Carlisle, Liz Dickson and Dennis Bell. CO Brittany Thurber.
Bill Mitchell, cadet liaison officer for Poppy chair Sam Esopenko of Mount
Kamloops, B.C., Branch, presents CPO2 Clayton Bailey of the Arrowsmith Branch in Parksville, B.C.,
$2,000 to MS Rosie Doherty, volunteer Kamloops sea cadet corps accepts presents $2,500 to Capt. Elizabeth
instructor for the Prince Robert $2,000 from Kamloops, B.C., Branch Reid of the Beaufort air
navy league cadets. cadet liaison officer Bill Mitchell. cadet squadron.
Edgerton, Alta., Branch President Jim Fraser presents Okotoks, Alta., Branch President Bob McLeod presents a
$900 to Edgerton Fire Chief John Koroluk, accompanied donation to Lieut. Patti Kjindersahl for the Oilfields army
by Dick Tippler (left) and Deputy Chief Deb Waddell. cadet corps as Sgt.-at-Arms John MacCormack (left)
and First Vice Paul Fegan look on.
President Darrell Webster of Robert Combe VC At the presentation of a donation to Jeffrey Chen and Andrew Potter
Branch in Melville, Sask. congratulates winners (second and third left) of the Vaccine and Infectious Disease
of the poster and literary contests from Organization International Vaccine Centre are Saskatoon poppy
Grayson School in Grayson, Sask., (from left) trustees (from left) Diane Robinson and chair John Peters of Nutana
Kelsey Lang, Kayla Dietrich, Parnet Brar Branch; Harold Martinson of Saskatoon Branch; and Margaret Wolfe
and Trinity Alexson. and Brent Wignes of Dr. Harold Anderson Memorial TVS Branch. VIDO
At John McMartin Memorial Branch in Cornwall, At the Tony Stacy Centre for Veterans in Toronto, Highland Creek
Ont., First Vice Bernadette Heagle (left) and Branch presents $6,975 on behalf of the Ontario Command,
President Linda Fischer present $3,000 to Branches and L.A. Charitable Foundation. At the presentation are
Hospice Cornwall representative Sandy Collette. (from left) vice-chair Dave Adamson, Neala Taylor of Tony Stacy
Centre, branch President Richard Viles, L.A. President Brenda
Butt and former District D commander Jay Burford.
President John Kollen of David Hughes of Oakville, Ont., Branch President Jim Young of Dr. Fred Starr
Hanover, Ont., Branch receives the Legionnaire of the Year Branch in Sudbury, Ont., along with L.A.
presents $500 to Sheila award from Chris Ferguson, First President Emma Goedhuis, Zone H-3
Ross, victim services Vice Joan Skins and Second Commander Art Buisson and District H
co-ordinator. Vice Nestor Yakimik. Commander Peter Miller celebrate the
branchs 90th anniversary.
President Brent Craig (left) and First Vice Phil Whitehead (right)
of Westboro Branch in Ottawa present $1,000 each to Ottawa At West Lincoln Branch in Grimsby, Ont.,
Mission representative Bianca Oran, the Shepherds of Second Vice Bill MacManus presents $5,000
Good Hope Foundations Leah Myers, and executive director to Judie Herbert (left), Sue Shipley and
Cindy Smith of the Christmas Exchange Cora Vandenbogert of McNally House
of Ottawa-Carleton. Hospice Care in Grimsby.
Norwich, Ont., Branch youth education chairman Patty Klatecki (right) along with principal John Heikoop (left)
congratulate branch-level winners of the Legion poster and literary contests from Rehoboth Christian School.
Surrounded by VON staff, Patti and Charlie Dalgarno At the presentation of $2,000 from Gen. Nelles
of Woodstock, Ont., Branch present $5,000 to the Branch in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., to
Meals on Wheels program. Chartwell Niagara Seniors Home are (from left)
Sgt.-at-Arms Doug Garrett, Stan Harrington,
administrator Lorraine Koop and Nick Marino.
At George Duff Memorial Branch in New Lowell, At Renfrew, Ont., Branch, L.A. honours and awards chair
Ont., liaison officer David Lawrence (second left) Cheryl Babcock (second left) and President Greg Walbeck present
and Ontario Command cadet league liaison the Legionnaire of the Year award to the ladies auxiliary,
officer Jennifer Lawrence present $1,000 for the represented by Marilyn LaFont.
Creemore army cadet corps to MWO Ian Jones
and Lieut. (N) Amy Lawrence.
Cody Cacciotti, operations manager at the Jim Wilson (left) of West Carleton Branch in Woodlawn, Ont., along
Northern Ontario Railroad Museum and with Sgt.-at-Arms William Berry and President Kathryn Scott,
Heritage Centre in Capreol, Ont., receives presents $8,000 to Daniel Clapin, executive director of Perley
$1,500 from Capreol Branch vice-president and Rideau Veterans Health Centre Foundation.
Mark John Slaughter.
Greely, Ont., Branch presents $4,000 to community groups. At the Lt.-Col. Harry Babcock Branch in Napanee, Ont.,
presentation are (front, from left) Courtney Rock of Rural Ottawa presents $6,500 on behalf of the Ontario
South Support Services, Greely Branch President Linda Wyman, First Command, Branches and L.A. Charitable
Vice Arlene Preston, service officer Bruce Sherritt, (rear) Chantel Foundation to the John M. Parrott Centre. With
Jolicoeur of Eastern Ottawa Resource Centre, Daniel Clapin of Perley the cheque are (from left) President Chris
and Rideau Veterans Health Centre Foundation, Tom Dawson Ingersoll, First Vice Kathy Gardner, Parrott
of Winchester District Memorial Hospital Foundation and Centre director Angela Malcolm and nursing
Past-President Ivan Wyman. manager Carol Corcoran.
Sgt.-at-Arms Doug Garret (left) and Nick Chatsworth, Ont., Branch youth education chair Murray Stahlbaum
Marino of Gen. Nelles Branch in Niagara- (left rear), Shirley Burgess and President Jim Wallace present awards to
on-the-Lake, Ont., present $2,000 to local students following the branch-level public speaking competition.
Margaret Lambert, long-term care
administrator at Upper Canada Lodge.
Owen Atkinson of
St. Peters, N.S., Branch President Donnie Pottie (left) Wedgeport, N.S.,
presents $7,500 to Strait Richmond Hospital site leader is presented with
At Trenton, Ont., Branch,
Kathy Chisholm and fundraising co-ordinator Aurine the 50 Years Long
Trenton Care and Share food
Richard. Also attending are secretary-treasurer George Service Medal.
bank representative Charlene
Plume (left) accepts $1,000 McPhee and Sgt.-at-Arms Charlie Williamson. J. OBRIEN
from First Vice Diane King.
Madeleine Langlois (left) and President Eric Connor of PHOTO PRINTSGlossy prints from a photofinishing
lab are best because they do not contain the dot pattern
Vaudreuil-Soulanges Palliative Care Residence accept that some printers produce. If possible, please submit digital
$2,000 from Cody Gilmore of Hudson, Que., Branch. photos electronically.
ROD HODGSON
BACK ISSUES
AVAILABLE THE
O N
S E D I T I
C TOR '
C OLLE
S P E C I
A L
| HEROES & MARTYRS
| EXHAUSTION & SHELL SHOCK
CANADA
and CANADASHES
SOMME
IN THE TRENC
MA
Complete your
TE STO
RY
ION
DIT ridGe
E aT viMy
or s vicTOry
THE SOMME
eCt aele
oll Schend
set today!
L C
CI A ry aT paS
and MiSe
e Action
SPE
eS Mud
Be A Part Of Th
ckS aT ypr
Today!
aTTa
NEWFOUN
deadly GaS
CAN
Subscribe
ADA
DLAND REGIMENT
S U
RIPTION.
A GIFT SUBSC
LT I M
NE SPECIAL TO
TREAT SOMEO THAT LASTS ALL YEAR.
ONLY
AT E
+5
STO
POSTER
AND CANADAS
14
in INSID E!
award-winning
95
the best value
RY
$
Canadian magazines, from PACKE
stories
link to veterans
today. Now is
the MAPS D
history to someone
(plus shipping
n
ebeATcotidaoy!
BOB BRYSON HAROLD TOSWELL
IN THE TRENCHES
PartSOushipping
Legion Magazine
bscri
AT
applicable
AN
SUBSCRIBE ONLINE
taxes HER OF
be A and
PUBLIS AZINE.COM
sub BY THE LEGIONMAG
.onmagazine.com/
D T
ion613-591-0
www.legi
iptCALL 116
sCrOR FREE
HE
+
6
r.
Braverycrifice
e speCia all yea
E AT
ACTION
The first on
lable. Special Editi
its tHe ay!
and Sae
R
Still Avai
Set Tod
g innin
award-w
e Your
THE
value
the best we are
$14.95
Complet
On Th rn frOnT
are we
SHOP canvetpub.com
Not only ian magazines,
stories
each
B AT
in Canad to veterans
today.
WeSTe
your link day and
taxes)
TLE
DEandLAgetY!six issues of
LIS
PUB
THE
T NOW
BY
DON 49
cribE for just $
SubS Magazine
Legion
INE AT sub
9 plus applicab
le taxes
LIFE MEMBERSHIP
UNIT REUNIONS
BC/YUKON SASKATCHEWAN
NORTH SHORE (NB) REGT.June 2-4,
PETER BATCHELOR SHIRLEY PEAKE Bathurst, N.B. Graham Wiseman, 1820
Dawson Creek Br. Leask Br.
King Ave., Bathurst, NB E2A 4Z7;
Capt. Luc Bouchard, 506-549-6014.
RITA MINER ARLO STRANDEN RCCS (ATLANTIC)Sept. 22-24, Sydney,
Dawson Creek Br. Outlook Br. N.S. Frances Arbuckle, 28 Arbuckle Ln., Port
RALPH OWENS Caledonia, Cape Breton Island, NS B1A 6W8,
Salmon Arm Br. ONTARIO 902-737-2806, arbucklef@hotmail.com.
THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN RANGERS
ELIZABETH DICKSON TERESA DUNN
Westbank Br.
Sept. 29-Oct. 1, Kamloops. B.C. Bill Mitchell,
Acton L.A. 288 Parkercove, Vernon, BC V1H 2A1,
PHIL HARTMAN youngforever@shaw.ca.
Westbank Br. TERESA UITERWYK
Acton L.A. ROYAL REGINA RIFLESJune 2-4, Regina.
MAGGIE LAUINGER Stacey Bouck, RRR Assoc., The Armoury,
Westbank Br. ERNIE MARSDEN 1600 Elphinstone St., Regina, SK S4T 3N1,
Bruce Mines Br. stacey.bouck@forces.gc.ca.
ALBERTA/NWT JAYE BEVAN 34 ROLAND J GROOME, 41 HERCULES AND
Cobourg Br. 703 OPTIMIST AIR CADETSMay 26-28,
Capt. S. Drew, 41 Hercules, Box 37159, Regina,
SIMONE FRANKS
DON RAMSEY SK S4S 7K4; 306-757-2252, reginaaircadets.ca,
Devon Br.
Cobourg Br. aircadet75regina@gmail.com.
JANICE MORRIS 223 RED LION AIR CADETSJune 3, Vernon,
Devon Br. KEN PARSONS
Forest Br. B.C. Monty Cross, Box 1171, Vernon, BC
V1T 6N4, 250-309-9490, info@223redlion.ca,
SYBIL EVANS www.223redlion.ca.
Ponoka Br. KITTY STONE
Sir Sam Hughes L.A., Lindsay
JIM PEARSON
Sunset Post Br., Victoria Harbour
SHIRLEY SEMPLE
Sunset Post Br., Victoria Harbour
KEEP
BARAN, MICHAELD124452, driver with PETERSON, PETE KELLY DOUGLAS
the RCOC, RCEME, 1941-45. Lived in Air traffic controller served in Shearwater,
St. Catharines and Timmins, Ont., after the Dartmouth, N.S, then transferred in 1986
REMEMBRANCE
war. Contact with veteran, family, friends to a base in B.C. Sought by school friend.
or comrades sought. Olga Rains, 571-314 Kathleen Morash Clarke, 4322 St. Margarets
Oxford St., W. London, ON N6H 4N8, Bay Road, Lewis Lake, NS B3Z 1E1,
loga45@rogers.com. kathy_clarke46@hotmail.com.
ALIVE!
BOURASSA, MAJ. JEAN AND RITCHIE, REGINA RIFLES D-DAYFrederick Thorne,
LIEUT. COLLEENSought by retired Belgian Royal Marine who took soldiers to Juno
soldier who worked with them in HQ in Beach, would like to contact surviving
Zagreb, Croatia, in 1998. Travelling to Canada Regina Rifles veterans. Clare Williams,
this year. Ivo Janssens, Lindebronstraat 9, 88 Hareclive Rd. Hartcliffe, Bristol,
Give a 10-year Legacy Subscription
Tongeren 3700 Belgium, janssens_ivo@
hotmail.com.
UK BS13 9JW, clare101172@me.com.
RICHARDSON, D.Veteran sought who
to
CANADIAN Legion
CORPS CYCLIST Magazine
BATTALION to someone
served aboard HMCS Magnificent, in Halifax,
1955. Yvonne Colbert, 20 Richardson Dr.,
Members and families of this and related CLASSIFIED
special.
units (Divisional CyclistEnsure that
Companies, Cyclist
Reserve and Cyclist Depot) sought regarding
our
Fall River, NS B2T 1E7, 902-478-6245,
ymc@ns.sympatico.ca. ADVERTISING
history
possible will
reunion for members never
descendants SFX NO. 20 AIRTRAINING SQUADRON
ITALIAN CAMPAIGN
as part of centennial of First World War May 2018
be forgotten. WWIIGroup photo of St. Francis Xavier MISCELLANEOUS
Armistice. Casey Anderson, 26 Charlotte squadron sought by family of AC2 Experiencing bladder leaks? We can help.
St., Carleton Place, ON K7C 1Y5, John Robert Williams, USAF/RCAF, who Rome-Cassino-Melfa/Liri Rivers
Healthwick has Canadas
Campobasso Ortona largest
Rimini selection
Venice of
cyclistbattalion@gmail.com. served 1943-1944. Margaret Williams incontinence products, with discreet delivery
CFB CORNWALLIS 1968Training group 174 Sydenham St., Woodstock, ON Perfect tour toTENA,
by mail. Depend, retracePoisethe
andsteps
more.
No. 6814. Veteran of Princess Louises N4S 7B6, margiewilliams111@gmail.com. of Canadas
FREE samples when army
you through Italy.
pay shipping. Now
8th Canadian Hussars seeks to reconnect offering direct billing via Veterans Affairs with
with crewmates Donald Lyle Clyde Martin, Blue Cross! Shop online
For detailed brochureat www.healthwick.ca
on all tours:
Roscoe Greenan, Kirk Underwood and SPECIAL
or callTRAVEL
toll free INTERNATIONAL
877-775-6656.
Edward Broadbent, who trained at CFB
REQUESTS
4603 Main Street, Vancouver, BC V5V 3R6
Cornwallis, October 1968 and CFB Borden Phone: 1-800 665Advertisement
0998 Website: www.sticanada.com
ARMY AVIATORSContributions from air
94
in 1969. William J. Sedor, 106 Cameron Rd.
Struggling
to stay shipshape
How politics and policies
hurt and helped the navy Consider the navy, the smallest of the envi-
P
ronments. A first-rate anti-submarine force
during the 1950s and into the 1960s, the navy
was hammered by Paul Hellyers unification
of the Canadian Forcesthe locust years,
rocurement of new equip- naval historian Marc Milner called them. In
ment has always been difficult 1968, the new government of Pierre Trudeau
for the Canadian Armed Forces. In had a clear disdain for the military, and all
peacetime, even in the darkest of three services suffered. The navy saw plans
Cold War times, expensive items such as for its General Purpose Frigates cancelled,
ships, aircraft and tanks were seen by gov- its aircraft carrier HMCS Bonaventure
ernment ministers, corporations and trade scrapped (after an expensive refit), the retire-
unions as profit centres and job creators ment of the last of the Second World War-era
as much as weapons systems to be used by destroyers, and it was told to operate with
men and women in uniform. At the same only 24 ships, a number that the prime
time, government policies and attitudes minister actually questioned as too high.
toward the military could hurt or help At the same time, the navy had to manage
with the acquisition of new equipment. demands for French Language Units (FLU),
88 MAY/JUNE 2017 > legionmagazine.com Corporal Dany Veillette/Canadian Forces Imagery Gallery/HS2008-K047-003
Discovering
Bartholomew
Bandy
H
support. Nothing but words on a page.
Making someone laugh while they read
sometimes seems like literary alchemy. But
the form is quite well represented in Canada.
ave you ever picked up a For instance, there is a wonderful
book that claims on its Canadian writer, though sadly now
cover that youll laugh somewhat forgotten, who gave his readers
uproariously on every the gift of laughter in a hilarious series of
page and upon reading it, discover its about novels collectively known as The Bandy
as funny as a root canal? Over the years, this Papers. Donald Jack will have you chortling
has happened to me quite frequently. Even and chuckling on every page, and at least
accommodating my high laughter threshold once a chapter, writhing in paralytic
inherited from my father, Ive suffered paroxysms of mirth. Deservedly, he won
through many a novel that purports to hit the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour,
side-splitting on the hilarity index, but then not once, not twice, but three times.
fails to nudge the needle past mildly droll. Some of you may know the name,
Now dont get me wrong. Its very difficult Donald Jack, but I suspect most will not.
to take a blank page and line up words in A veteran of the Royal Air Force in the
the right order so that upon reading them, Second World War, Donald Lamont Jack
emigrated to Canada in 1951 to ply his era. Through it all, Bandy leaves mayhem
trade as a writer and playwright. Starting and chaos in his wake, usually without
with Three Cheers for Me in 1962 and understanding that he has caused it all. He
closing with Stalin Versus Me published then miraculously navigates the very choppy
posthumously in 2005, Jack gave us nine waters he churned up himself and somehow
very funny novels featuring a horse- emerges the hero none the worse for wear.
faced farm boy from Eastern Ontario, The humour is, well, funny, sustained,
the inimitable Bartholomew Bandy. and very Canadian. And while Bandy
Bart Bandy is not your traditional often takes amusing shots at the military
do-no-wrong literary hero
all square-jawed handsome,
physically intimidating and
intellectually gifted. In fact, hes
0-3 on that score. Nor is he a DONALD JACK WILL HAVE YOU
particularly reliable narrator. CHORTLING AND CHUCKLING
Some might even suggest with
more than a little justification ON EVERY PAGE, AND AT
that he is often an utterly LEAST ONCE A CHAPTER,
oblivious narrator, a rare bird in WRITHING IN PARALYTIC
the CanLit canon. And thats the PAROXYSMS OF MIRTH.
source of much of the humour.
Unintentionally, Bandy
seems to infuriate most around
him, sometimes for no more
malevolent a reason than his own visage. brass and the politicians who sometimes
Heres how Bandy himself puts it in the give the orders, Jack clearly respects the
opening pages of Three Cheers for Me: soldiers who fought and died for Canada.
There was, for instance, my long face, You can see it on nearly every page.
which I knew to be smooth, bland, and In a memorable scene from Thats Me in
maddening. Even at the age of 14 its lack the Middle, the second novel in the series,
of expression had led me into many fights Bandy is arguing with his commandant
with other Beamington boys. I think the in the officers mess. This is how Bandy
situation was that, just as they felt the urge describes his seething superior officer:
to chalk slogans and fallacies on walls, The commandant continued to stand like
so most of them felt impelled to express a pillar of salt for what seemed like several
themselves on the blank wall of my face. minutes, glaring into his glass. We were
And were off on a wild and madcap all familiar with this posture. He was busy
adventure on and above the battlefields summoning up some lightning repartee.
of the First World War. Jack skilfully Thats Bandy all over. L
balances Bandys zany antics with the
sober reality of that terrible war. That is
a high-wire act that few writers would
attempt, let alone pull off. He knew a good > Check out Humour Hunt online!
thing when he wrote it, so we have the joy
of following Bandy through the Second Go to legionmagazine.com/en/category/
World War all the way to the postwar Stalin blog/humour-hunt/
Montgom
Romm
O
n Aug. 15, 1942, when
Lieutenant-General Bernard
Montgomery took com-
mand of the British Eighth Army in North
Africa, the British forces held a precari-
ous defensive line based on El Alamein,
draw the British into the kind of mobile
battle of armour against armour that the
Afrika Korps excelled at. Montgomery
ordered his commanders to fight defensively
and not be drawn. He also carefully built
up a material superiority that saw 1,200
Egypt, a way station 100 kilometres west British tanks arrayed against Rommels
of Alexandria. If that city fell to Field 530. By early autumn, Rommel realized
Marshal Erwin Rommels Afrika Korps, the it was the Germans who must go on the
Germans would wrest control of Egypt and defensive. He created an elaborate line
potentially the Suez Canal from Britain. 8 kilometres deep that was protected
At 54, Montgomery had been a soldier by 400,000 mines and expertly cov-
since 1908. He was wounded and decorated ered by well-sited anti-tank guns.
for valour in the First World War, led a divi- On Oct. 23, with Rommel recuperat-
sion through the fall of France in 1940, and ing from illness in Germany, Montgomery
spent the next two unleashed a massive nighttime artillery
years in a key training barrage that saw thousands of guns simul-
role that he claimed taneously shelling the defenders. British
provided the basis of infantrymen and engineers advanced
MONTGOMERY WAS A knowledge leading into the minefields and cleared two cor-
STERN TASKMASTER to all his future suc- ridors through which tanks could pass.
AND SELF-CONFIDENT cess. A widower and For two days, the battle raged inconclu-
ascetic who neither sively. Montgomery shifted the main effort
TO THE POINT smoked nor drank, to where the Australians had hacked a
OF EGOTISM. Montgomery was a salient into the German lines. On Nov. 2, a
stern taskmaster and renewed offensive here gained momentum
self-confident to the and after two more days of fighting, the
point of egotism. German defensive line was cracked open.
Sizing up the situation at El Alamein, Two weeks of gruelling attritional battle
Montgomery realized this was to be a test resulted in 50,000 German casualties
of his personal philosophy that called (30,000 being prisoners) for 13,560 British.
for decision in action and calmness in Up to Alamein we survived, wrote
the crisis. From intelligence intercepts, Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
Montgomery knew that Rommel hoped to After Alamein we conquered. L
I
point in the war
f I were Montgomery, we wouldnt air superiority, sandstorms and supply line In my profession,
still be here, Field Marshal Erwin shortages stymied Rommels advances, you have to mystify
Rommel said as the Afrika Korps and a stalemate ensued. Pushed back the enemy.
continued pressing against El Alamein on the defensive, Rommel expected the Montgomery (OPPOSITE)
in the late summer of 1942. He believed stalemate to persist long enough for a
Montgomery would have withdrawn. Rommel return to Germany to recover his health. I would rather be the
was not given to retreats, yet he had little On Oct. 23, while Rommel was gone, hammer than the anvil.
confidence of defeating the Eighth Army. Montgomery struck first. Racing back to Rommel (ABOVE)
When one comes to consider that sup- reassume command on Oct. 25, Rommel
plies and matriel are the decisive factor found that during the two previous days
in modern warfare, it was already clear Montgomery had so battered the German
that a catastrophe was looming on the forces that the situation was irretrievable.
distant horizon for my army, he wrote. On Nov. 2, he sought permission to with-
Throughout his long military career, draw. The following day, Hitler ordered him to
Rommel had proven a shrewd, sometimes stand fast. As to your troops, he wrote, you
brilliant, tactician and strategist. Like his can show them no other road
nemesis Montgomery, he had been wounded than that to victory or death.
and decorated in the First World War. In Nevertheless, Rommel dis-
the interwar years, his unorthodox tacti- engaged and a bitter retreat
cal theories attracted Hitlers attention. ensued that returned rem- HITLER MADE
Granted a Panzer command after the Poland nants of the Afrika Korps to ROMMEL, AT
invasion, he led a brilliant charge across Tunisia. Dogging along behind, 49, GERMANYS
France in May 1940. In early 1941, Rommel Montgomery and his Eighth
took the Afrika Korps to Libya to shore Army Desert Rats pushed
YOUNGEST FIELD
up the Italians. He swept the British back Rommel back, like a team MARSHAL.
to Egypt in a stunning offensive marked of plodding but determined
by rapid decisions and sustained mobility fox hunters. No opportunity
that won acclaim from ally and foe alike. was permitted for Rommel to
On June 22, 1942, Hitler made him, at 49, throw Montgomery off balance and regain
Germanys youngest field marshal. By then, a fluid situation. With the failure at El > To voice your
the Desert Fox dominated North Africa. Alamein, Rommel accepted that Germanys opinion, go to
That changed abruptly only days later one and only chance to overrun the British legionmagazine.
when, on July 1, the Afrika Korps struck Eighth Army and occupy the east Egyptian com/HeroesAnd
the British defences at El Alamein. RAF desert at a stroke was irretrievably lost. L Villains.
GNATs
versus CATs
When Germany introduced acoustic-homing
torpedoes, Canada responded with noisemakers
that lured them off-target
A torpedo detonator (known as a
pistol) taken from German submarine
U-889, which surrendered off
Nova Scotia on May 13, 1945.
1200
900
563 501 582
600
165 243 98
300
0
1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945
Year
Source: www.uboat.net legionmagazine.com > MAY/JUNE 2017 95
*
Find many more stories in
our OCanada publication now
available to purchase at
www.legionmagazine.com/shop
John McCrae
(back row, at left)
served in the Boer
War as a lieutenant
with the Canadian
Field Artillery.
John
McCraes
baptism
of fire battle. 21 July 1900, Our baptism of fire,
he wrote in his diary. They opened on us
from the left flank. One shrapnel burst over
T
us & scattered on all sides of us. I felt as if
he Boer War started the year a hailstorm was coming down & wanted to
John McCrae graduated from the turn my back, but it was over in an instant.
University of Torontos medical McCraes romantic ideas of war were
school. He had served as an officer in the stripped away by the realities in South Africa.
military reserves and had a romantic More men died of disease than in combat.
view of war, partly gleaned from Rudyard The field hospitals were a disaster.
Kiplings vivid accounts of war as British For absolute neglect and rotten adminis-
adventure. He had pasted Kiplings poem tration, it is a model, McCrae wrote. I am
The White Mans Burden into a scrapbook. ashamed of some members of my profes-
After graduating, McCrae was determined sion. The soldiers game is not what its
to go to South Africa. Ever since this busi- cracked up to be.
ness began, he wrote his mother, I am Britain was mired in South Africa, sur-
certain there has been not 15 minutes of prised by a stubborn enemy and its guerrilla
my waking hours that it has not been in tactics. McCrae was disillusioned by the
my mind. I shall not pray for peace in our battle there, and returned home before the
time. One campaign might cure mebut British began burning Boer farms and put-
nothing else ever will, unless it be old age. ting civilians in concentration camps, where
McCrae joined the Canadian volunteers 25,000 died of disease or famine.
asa lieutenant, and was assigned to McCrae returned to his hometown of
leadDBattery. During his first week in Guelph, Ont., to cheering crowds and a proud
CapeTown, he met Rudyard Kipling. speech from the mayor, but his enthusiasm
Met the high priest of it all, McCrae for war had withered. However, it wouldnt
wrote. He is little, fat like his pictures, bethe last war for McCrae.
& very affable. He says Up country is just And 15 years later, he would go on to
Hell. He told me I spoke like a Winnipegger. write a poem of his own, a more sombre
In mid-July, McCrae got his first taste of reflection on war: In Flanders Fields. L
Count on us
for FREE
Banking. 1
1
The monthly Plan fee is waived. You are responsible for all transaction, service and product fees not included in your Bank Plan. 2 Proof of CDCB eligibility is required. Offers may be
changed or withdrawn at any time without notice. 3 No annual fees apply for primary or authorized cardholder cards. Ongoing annual fees and all other applicable fees are subject to
change. Visit your branch; call the Customer Contact Centre at 1-800-263-2263, or visit bmo.com/creditcards for current rates and fees.
Registered trademark of AIR MILES International Trading B.V. Used under license by LoyaltyOne, Co. and Bank of Montreal. Interac e-Transfer is a registered trademark of Interac Inc.
Used under license. */* Mastercard is a registered trademark, and the circles design is a trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated. Used under license.