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Volume 1 1 SEPTEMBER 2001 lssue 2

FOTHERING HANI AS_S_UNIES COMNIAN D

June 10th, 2001, marked the beginningof a new chapter in our Regimentalhistory when LCol B.G.MCEachernhanded over command of The Queen'sOwn Rifles of Canada to LColJ.M.Fotheringham before a large crowclof dignitaries, former commandingofficers, veterans, family members andfriends of the Regiment.

The reviewing officer Colonel R.W.Des-Lauriers, OMM,CD, Commander of 32Canadian Brigade Group, praised thehigh standard of dress, drill anddeportment of the troops on parade. Hethanked LCol MCEachem for hisachievements during his tenure ofcommand and wished LColFotheringham every success in his newresponsibilities.

LCol Fotheringham joined the Queen'sOwn Rifles as a Rifleman in 1985. Hewas commissioned in the rank of 2Lt in1986 and between that year and thepresent he has held numerousappointments in the unit includingplatoon commander, adjutant, companycommander and deputy commanding

:g:::[dj:regcu°aTdm:nndFer:nt:eef:::#:e:5tianniversary of D-Day.

He comes from a long line of citizensoldiers. His great grandfather servedwith the Ottawa Field Battery in theFenian Raid of 1866. His grandfatherserved in France with the C.E.F. and hisfather, Dr. John a. Fotheringham,served as a Pilot Officer in the SecondWorld War.

LCol Fotheringham graduated from YorkUniversity in 1979 with a Bachelor ofBusiness Administration degree andrecently completed the Masters ofBusiness Administration program at theUniversity of Toronto. He is employedwith the Workplace Safety andInsurance Board in Toronto.

In his limited spare time, he serves as aDirector of the Canadian AirborneForces Association and he has initiateda project to properly mark the Canadiangraves of Canada's Victoria Crosswinners.

All members of the Regimental familywish LCol Fotheringham every sucoessas he assumes command of TheQueen's Own Rifles of Canada. With hisdedication to the Regiment and his well-rounded military background, theRegiment is bound to succeed.

:::I,I:heen:ap4eadquarters. M°Ss pa+kofornT:r3htTa% %u5eAeT RS;reet East Tei (41 6) 362.3946

2.

Battalion News

LCol John M. Fotheringham, whoassumed command of The Queen'sOwn Rifles of Canada on 10 June,reports that the unit has been very busyduring the summer.

Serving members recently returned fromthe Annual Brigade summer trainingexercise, Steadfast Warrior, held inPetawawa during the week of 17-26August. Following a parachute jump intothe exercise, riflemen participated invarious drills, including rappelling, mocktower, obstacle course, pistol/rifle,machine gun, granade and anti-armourweapon firing, and jungle lane tactics.The extremely high fire index preventedthe fire power demonstration which wasto include TOW and the new LAV's25mm chain gun.

A cadre of Queen's Own NCOs,commanded by Capt Peter St. Denis,ran several stands for all Brigadeparticipants. These stands included -rappel tower and site, mock tower,obstacle course, and a jungle laneexercise. The Brigade Commandercommented to the Commanding Officerthat the professionalism of the Queen'sOwn cadre had "raised the bar for theBrigade.„

Welcome to Capt. Ray Taylor of theRoyal Canadian Regiment who comesto the unit as the Regular Force supportofficer. He is a Ranger-qualifiedparatrooper whose most recent postingswere with the RCR parachute companyand LFCA Headquarters. He willassume the role of unit OperationsOfficer.

Condolences to Sgt. June Parris, theunit's chief clerk, upon the death of herfather, Gerald, who served as a gunnerduring World War 11, and was the lastsurviving black member of Canada's D-Day force.

Congratulations to Harry Mccabe, aformer RSM and Immediate Past-President of Association's TorontoBranch, who has been appointedRegional Cadet Officer for the CentralOntario Area in the rank of Major. Alongwith Maj. Derm Wilson (formerlyCommanding Officer of the ScarboroughRifles Cadet Corps), he will beresponsible for all Cadet Corps betweenOshawa and Brampton up toCollingwood.

Upcoming events include the TorontoGarrison Officers' Ball, to be hosted bythe Queen's Own Rifles, to take place atthe Royal York Hotel on 16 February2002. The planned theme for this eventis "Valour'. Sgt. Ernest "Smokey" Smith,VC, Canada's last surviving VictoriaCross recipient, has agreed to attend asthe Guest of Honour. Each participatingregiment will be invited to have one oftheir veterans attend the function as ahead table guest.

plans are also undeiway for somerepresentation from serving members ofthe unit and the Regimental Band at thededication ceremonies of the JunoBeach Centre in Normandy on 6 June2002.

Additional information on the proposedtrip to Normandy is contained elsewherein this newsletter.

3.

A Noble and Generous Gesture

Members Of The Lincoln and WellandRegiment went into battle at KapelescheVerr in Holland in January 1945. Theyfought valiantly and lost a lot Of men. Asthe battle ensued, one Pte. victorHowey vas killed.

victor Howey's body, hastily buriedduring the fierce fighting, rose from thesshallow grave 55 years later, almost tothe day. It was identified through dentalrecords and Dutch and Canadianauthorities arranged for a full militaryfuneral.

Prior to the above ceremonies,newspaper columnist Christie BlatchfordOf The National Post, \^mote a columnaabout the controversy that arose overthe decision Of the Department OfVeterans' Affairs authorization to allowonly sin military personnel to attend thefuneral.

AAngry Canadians, including myself.\^rote Christie a letter offering to donate$1,000 on behalf Of The Queen's O\^mRifles Of Canada to help defray some ofthe costs for travel expenses forveterans Of The Lincoln and WelfandRegiment to attend the funeral.

Through our kind donation and manyothers totalling sol ,000, the Lincoln andWelland Regiment was able to send 28serving members to attend andparticipate in the burial Of Pte. VictorHowey. The ceremony, which \^ras held

LEa#irTooofh#n#Pinzerm#*November 20cO.

Submitted by Jchn G.B.Strathy

Bamev Danson Honoured

lt was recently announced by theCentral Ontario Campaign Of theCanadian War Museum that the theatrein the new Canadian War Museum hasbeen named after LCol The Hen.BamettJ.Danson, PC, OC.

An anonymous frlend Of the CentralOntario Campaign felt strongly thatBarney Danson deserved to behonoured within the Museum for whichhe had been such a strong advocate.Hecontacted friends and associates OfBarney's vwho, together, raised the$500,000 required to name the theatrein Barney's honour in less than a week.

A World War 11 veteran Of the Regiment,Barney Danson served as ParliamentarySecretary to Pierre Trudeau and asMinister Of State for Urban Affairs beforebecoming the Minister Of NationalDefence from 1976 to 1979. A formerHonorary Lieutenant Colonel Of theRegiment, Barney Danson wasProducer Of the six-part television series"No Price Tco High".

For Public Service

ln 1999 Capt. Timothy Nelligan, a retiredRegimental officer, presented a trophyto the Regiment to be awarded annuallyto a serving member of the unit or amember of the Regimental family whohas displayed outstanding publicservice.

The first recipient of the trophy isStephen Andrunyk who has voluntarilyserved as the Regimental Secretarysince 1980 and has been on theExecutive Committee of the RegimentalTrust Fund for nearly 25 years.

4.

News from Toronto BranchQueen's Own Rifles Association

At the Annual General Meeting, a verycO#+#nyth##gu]'#celebrations, passed the gavel to NormMccracken, the new Branch President.Planning for the 150`h anniversary hasbegun and I encourage every memberOf the Regimental family to establishcocontact with me and get involved inplanning Of the events.

AIl riflemen, past and present, should beproud Of their contributions in makingthe Queen's O\^m Rifles the fine,outstanding Regiment that it is. 150years Of unbroken service to Canada ishistorically significant. The 140 for 140historical video has proven to beinformative - a great start for the 140 for150 years. It would be incredible if there

#at#noandTBTLle83ae,jt%mPhotos,stories,eta. would be goodreferences for our Regimental historian(yet to be named - any volunteers?)

There is much activity overseas as BriarBudden maintains contact with ourDutch hosts. The \^/Wll "SwitchbackMuseum" at Oostburg is up and running.The Dutch government has struck amedal for those involved in the liberationand the medal will be distributed by theDutch Association Of Canada.

Breaking ground for the Juno BeachCentre will take place this year, possiblySeptember, with the official opening inJune 2002. A party from the Queen'sO\^m will be in attendance. TheAssociation, under the direction Of BrianBudden, is organieing a trip for theoccasion. Rob Grieve has been asked

to take 30 members in period dress todo an assault on the beach. He alreadyhas 20 committed men.

Frank Pearce informs us that the Koreaveterans are aware of the possibility thata monument may be erected in Pusan.They, the veterans, are looking fordonations.

At the Annual General Meeting, Art Gaywas hono ured for h i s fa ithfu Icommitment to the Association as itsmembership chairman.

There was considerable discussion atthe meeting about the discrepancybetween our mailing list and paid-upmembers. Our mailing list is 1400, butour paid membership is just over 300.We ask everyone to send in theirmembership fee of $15.00 so that wecan keep the records current andsupport the costs of printing and mailingof the Regimental newsletters.

While in Gravenhurst this summer, I metFred "Farmer' St. John who served withthe Regiment in Newloundland and NewBrunswick. He asked about Bill lves andHarry Fox.

Of interesting note, Ralph Moore ofOrillia was sorting through his deceasedfatherJs papers when he found t\ro 1943Regimental Christmas cards. One wassent by Rfn.T.Tidy whose wife was afriend of Ralph's mother, Florence; theother was sent by Pte. Maxey, a cousinof Ralph's mother. Both Tidy and Maxey\vere killed while serving with theRegiment. I have both cards. The pre-Wwll Battle Honour crests are ofspecial interest.

Submitted by Norm Mccracken

5.

ReDorl from Calaarv BranchQueen's Own Rifles Association

The 141st Regimental Birthday dinnerwas a great success with over 100members and friends in attendance.Col. Paul F. Hughes, HonoraryLieutenant Colonel Of the Regiment, andhis wife Beverly were the Guests OfHonour. Grace was said by BertPendlebury. Georgina Phillips proposedtthe Toast to The Queen; Ralph Ridleyproposed the Toast to The Colonelin-Chief and Jim Stoley gave the Toast tothe Regiment. Col. Paul Hughes gavean inspiring speech following the dinner.

For several years, a few Of the formerofficers Of the Regiment met for lunch atthe Mewata Offioers' Mess on the thirdFriday Of each month to re-hash

a:g::net:,a:fbheep::°a°ndd°t'hded,a!S;i:t2h=Battalions Of the Regular Force. Owingto a decline in the service and parkingproblems at the Armoury, a decisionwas made to change the venue toBranch 264 Of The Royal CanadianLegion. The group now meets on the lstFridey of each month with satisfactoryresults. Outofto\^mers with a commonbond are invited to join the group,however, since Legion membership isdesirable, it would be advisable tocontact Ralph Ridley (242€947) if youintend to attend.

MGen Herb Pjtts and his wife Mariannepassed through Calgary on their returntrip from Wlmipeg wliere they attendedthe Battle Of Kapyong celebrations. Hereported that 2 PPCLI carried out theevent in grand style. The unit was in theprocess Of planning its move to CampShilo. The visit by Herb and Mariannewas much appreciated and it served as

an example of the importance ofmaintaining contact with those who havesurvived the rigors of aging.

Maj Jim Taylor and his wife Dorothyhave been involved in extensive travelover the past few months. The UnitedKingdom, Utah, Yellowstone NationalPark, Alaska, Portland, and BritishColumbia were but some of theirdestinations.

Capt. Rollie Albrecht celebrated his 70thbirthday in style at the Ranchman's Clubhosted by Col Paul Hughes and his wifeBeverly. Passing himself as a 39-yearold no longer works for Rollie.

Lt. Charlie Park and his wife Mary willbe missed by their many friends inCalgary as they have decided to moveto Maryville, B,C..

The Branch is saddened by the passingof Capt. Lyle Sales in Okotoks on 6August and Fran Mcculloch, wife of thelate LCol Larry Mcculloch whocommanded the Regimental Depot inCalgary for many years.

Former members of the Regiment who

tsheervfestda#:h2#eBaiteai,joTnesn::'cDa:gpa°iaJ:fibe interested to know that the formerHarvey Barracks has undergone a majorchange. All military buildings have beenrazed with only the PMQs remaining.Currie Barracks has largely remainedunaltered although much of the spacewithin the buildings has been leased forcommercial use.

Members of the Regimental family areencouraged to provide material for "ThePowder Horn". Contact Ralph Ridley attelephone No. 403-242-3947.

6.

News from Vilctoria BranchQueen's Own Rifles Assoc.Iatilon

I

Victoria Branch Of the Queen's O\^mRifles Association continues to prosper.Although it meets only 3 times a year,the events are well attended.

At its Annual General Meeting on 20Ja"ary 2001, the Branch Executivewas reelected by acclamation exceptfor the Treasurer, David Stevenson| \whovoluntarily stepped do\^m. He wasreplaced by Jim Carroll. Other membersOf the Executive are Harold Drinkwalter,President; Fred Meroer, vice-President;Jchn Tolley, Secretary; Kevin Walsh,Entertainment; Winston Spurr, Kit Shop;and Sandy Rozon, Publicity. The NorthIsland representative is Bernie Schmidwhile Cy Simmons represents Mid's'and.

Under the direction Of Herb Pitts,assisted by Harold Drinkvvalter and JceWebb, a display Of QOR Of C artefactshas been set up in the Esquimalt BaseMuseum. The Base and the ProvincialMuseum were extremely helpful with theproject which is a credit to theRegiment. (Herb Pitts' report on thedisplay appears later in this newsletter.)

AI the Annual General Meeting it wasdclecided to allocate a small sum Ofmoney on behalf Of deceased Branchmembers to a charity Of the family'scchoice. Failing such direction, adonation will be made to the RegimentalTrust Fund. This action was taken as aresult Of concerns that deceasedmembers were not receiving duerecognition Of their service with theRegiment.

The Annuel General Meeting alsorrecognized the service Of theMacKendrick family to the Regiment by

givln#hodr#|rangm#TasMacKendrick, \who is a local resident.He served in the Regiment during theSecond World War and with theQueen's O\^m Rifles Militia Battalion inToronto from which he retired in 1986.

On April 2or, the Branch's amualdinner was held in the Naden Wardroomwith 180 people in attendance. Prior tothe dinrier, MGen H.C.Pitts presentedCa ned i an Peacekeepi ng ServiceMedals to eligible members and widows.1 40th Regimental Anniversarymedallions were also distributed tothose who had not received them. In hisafter dinner remarks, MGen Pittsthanked the Executive for its excellentwork and paid special tribute to DaveStevenson for arranging the dinner andto Joe Webb for his work on theMuseum display.

Submitted by: Joseph Rozon

Deberf Mill.arv Historv Society

The Debert Military History Society isattempting to re-establish a museumthat will chronicle the importance OfCamp Debert during the war years.

Since the Queen's O\^m Rifles wasstationed in Camp Sussex as part of 3rdCarradian Infantry Division which washeadquartered in Camp Debert beforegoing to Europe in July 1941, anymembers Of the Regiment \who have anyphotographs or information on CampDebert should contact the DebertMilitary History Society at P.O.Box 154,Debert, N.S. B0M IGO

7.

Ex±±±E2±ao_d_ed__QORofcExhibi.CFB Esauimalt

There was an opportunfty recently forthe Vlctoria Branch to expand the QOROf C display at the CFB Esquimalt Navaland Military Museum. A visit to theMuseum by a few members took note ofthe circa-1950s bamack room layoutwhich featured exclusively Queen's O\muniforms, webbing and equipment.While this was a welcome sight, itlacked colour and content.

TThe Branch was apprised` Of thesituation at the last General Meeting andit was unanimously agreed, ifnecessary, to spend some money andincrease the scope Of the exhibit tomore completely represent theRegiment's ser\/ice to Canada and,more particLIlarly, here on VancouveirIsland. Through the efforts Of Joe Webba contact was established at The ReyalB.C.Museum and \^re secured t\^rodisplay cases on permanent loan. Thisfreed us from a major firrancial outlayand resulted in lighted, secure andaattractive ways to present valuableartofacts. The display is now up andrunning. It is well worth a visit. We arestill in need Of mementos and wouidwelcome donations or items for display.

We are grateful for the assistance OfLoma Davey (B.C.Museum), PeterrSimundson (QOR Museum inToronto),Don Thomas and DebbieTowell (CFB Esquimalt Museum) fortheir assistance in getting the artieles ondisplay in time for visits by Associationmembers during the last RegimentalBirthday weekend. John Cresswell sentus a couple Of artifacts from Calgarywhich were surplus to their needs.

Regimental Trust FundAnnual Meeting

The Annual Meeting Of Trustees washheld in Toronto on 8 June 2001 underthe chairmanship Of President John G.B.Stratry.

The audited financial statement sho\^redreceipts Of sO9,722 while disbursementsamounted to $48,930. Major expensesincluded $11,471 for printing anddistribution Of "The Rifleman" and t\^roissues Of "The Po\nder Horn"; $17,365for support Of the Militia Battalion;se,348 for insurance premium onregimental property; se,799 for upkeepOf the Regimental Museum andrestoration Of portraits; and $7,957 forrestoration Of the Cross Of Sacrifice,cacarving Of the crest at the RoyalMemorial Chapel in Sandhurst, and theooperatienOfRegimentalHeadquarters.

Reelected as Trustees for a furtherterm Of one year were: John Strathy,President; Paul Hughes, Viice President;Steve Andrunyk, Secretary-Treasurer;Bernie Aaron and Art Gay, members Ofthe Executive Committee; and AdamHermant, Moore Jackson, JohnJennings,Herb Pitts, Tony Schultz, PeterrSimundson, and John Whyte. Electedfor one year terms were Bob CampbellandsamHughes,

President John Strathy expressed thegratitude Of the Trustees to thosemembers Of the Regimental family \whomade flnencial contributions to the TrustFund. He noted that estimatedexpenditures in 2001 will amount to$40,000 which required the financialsupport Of every member to ensure abalanced budget.

8.

Re+Visit to Normandy

WOI Brian Budden reports thatarrangements are underway for allQQueen's O\^m veterans, Associationmmembers and their families to visitNormandy on the occasion Of the officialopening Of the Juno Beach Centre on 6June 2002.

Queen's O\^m ceremonies will takeplace at Bemieres-sur"er, Beny€ur-MMer Cemetery, Le Mesnil Patry,Giberville, Anguemy, Anisy, Caen, andAuthie. Museum and other tours willalso form part Of the agenda.

The tnp is expected to take placebetween 6 and 16 June 2002.

TThose \who are interested in this trip areaasked to contact Verstraete Travel attwlephone number (416) 969eloo, Faxat (905) 727€113, or Toll Free at 1 -800-565-9267.Web Site: www aurora®verstraete.com.

please inform the Travel Agency thatyou are with the Queen's O\^m Rifles ofCanade group.

Association Annual Rifle Shoot

This event will fake place at CFBBorden Langemark Ranges onSaturday, 22 September 2001. The buswill leave Moss Park Armoury at 0900hours so please ensure that you arethere at least ten minutes earlier.

If you are going to CFB Borden by yourown means Of transportation, meet thegroup at the Langemark Ranges at 1030hours.

The cost is $20.00 per person.

Canadian Army Training Pant.hlets

Ccapt. F. David Luxford is collectingCanadian Army Training Pamphlets forthe PPCLI Museum in Calgary.

If you have any Of these trainingpamphlets that are gathering dust inyyour attic or basement, please bundlethem up and send them to David at thefollowing address:

Capt. F.David Luxford, CD107 Mapleqlade Close S,E.Calgary, Alberta T2J 2H1

5dh Wedding Anniversary

Congratulations and best wishes to Maj.Bill and Evelyn Mountain who will becelebrating their 50'h vreddinganniversary on Saturday, 13 October2001.

Dates to Remember

9 November 2001

Annual Officers' Mess Dinner - MossPark Armoury.

11 November _20_0_1

Regimental Remembrance Day a.hurchParade and Service at St. Paul's Churchin Toronto.

15 December 2001

Officers' Pro-Christmas Luncheon -Moss Park Armoury.

Just a Reminder

lf you are moving or intend to move,please let us have your new address.