THE RIFLES REPORT
Monthly Update
May 2022
COMMANDING OFFICER’s UPDATE
The month of April marked the 162nd Birthday of The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada. RSM Johnston and I had the opportunity to send a message the members of the Regimental family, which can be found here. It is our sincerest hope that this is the last time we have to hold a virtual celebration!
The QOR participated in two exercises last month, with the first on the weekend of April 8-10: Exercise Maroon Hammer 1, which was held in Meaford and Borden and consisted of conventional and field firing ranges. The exercise culminated with a Parachute descent from a CC-130J Hercules onto DZ Patterson at CFB Borden.
The second was the Rogers Challenge, which was held the weekend of 22-24 April 2022. This competition was run by the Queen’s York Rangers, and consisted of teams of four from across the Brigade completing various challenges along a 40km route. Our teams put in a strong performance and were the first to cross the finish line, ultimately placing 2nd and 4th out of over a dozen teams. Congratulations to Corporals Bingham and Salinas (Team Leaders), and Corporals Taylor, Kalogerakis, Chang, Teper, Patterson, and Conquer for their performance. Special mention goes to MCpl Divito for organizing the teams, MWO Burns for running the water crossing stand, and Sgt Doria for running the rappelling stand.
The Annual Normandy and Ridgeway Challenge March is less than 2 weeks away. I highly encourage all of you to participate in this event, as it is a great way to commemorate our history. You will also earn a unique coin and certificate.
The D-Day Dinner is now sold out, and we have established a wait list if additional tickets become available. The event committee is hard at work to ensure a memorable evening.
The Regiment will be marching to The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada Legion (Branch 344) on June 8th for stand-down. We plan on being there for 21:00 if you would like to meet with our Riflemen; this is also a great opportunity to renew your membership to the Legion.
In Pace Paratus
LCol Scott Moody, CD
Commanding Officer
The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada
Rifleman: The Dock Yip Story
The 1860 Club supported the production of this documentary on the Regiment's Asian Heritage. Hear from past and present Canadian Asian members of The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, from the children of those who lobbied hard to repeal discriminatory legislation, and in particular about K. Dock Yip, human activist and first lawyer in Canada of Chinese descent.
The project was conceived by former RSM Robert Chan, and directed by QOR of C museum volunteer Steven Hu. Production costs were funded by the QOR of C Trust Fund. The video can be viewed on the museum's YouTube page.
Honour Guard for the Visit of the Governor General
The Regiment provided members for an Honour Guard for the recent visit of Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General and Commander-in-chief of Canada on her first official visit to Ontario at Queen's Park.
During the visit, the Governor General was met with a 109-person Honour Guard and a 21-gun salute to mark her arrival to the Ontario Legislature.
Ridgeway and Normandy Challenge 2022
This June marks two important battles in the history of The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada. June 2nd, 2022 will mark the 156th Anniversary of the Battle of Ridgeway, the Regiment’s first combat action. On June 6th, the 78th Anniversary of D-Day takes place.
Members of the QOR Regimental Family will have the opportunity to participate in the Challenge March between June 1st and 8th in order to commemorate the Battle of Ridgeway and D-Day invasion.
The challenge will consist of the following options:
Those under 50 years of age: 2 x 20 km back-to-back marches (2 days in a row), with a 15 kg pack, between June 1-8, 2022.
Those over 50 years of age: A total of 40 km in marches, with no pack, between June 1-8, 2022.
For more updates, please follow us on social media (@1860club) and join our Strava group.
Upon completion you will receive a certificate from The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada, and the Normandy / Ridgeway Challenge Coin. This will be mailed to you or presented at MPA.
Dr. Lynn Tomkins appointed as CDA President
Congratulations to Dr. Janet Lynn Tomkins, an associate member of the Senate, on her appointment as President of the Canadian Dental Association (CDA) for 2022-23.
As the second trailblazing female CDA president in the association’s 120-year history, Dr. Tomkins will lead the organization in its mandate as the national voice for dentistry, dedicated to the advancement and leadership of a unified profession and to the promotion of optimal oral health as an essential component of general health.
The full article can be viewed on the website of the CDA.
Book Recommendation
As part of the The Rifles Report, the Commanding Officer will be recommending a book every month, that may be of interest to members of the Regimental family. This month's recommended reading is:
Dispatches from the Front: The Life of Matthew Halton, Canada's Voice at War
by David Halton
The QOR Association
On Saturday April 30th, we bid farewell to our fellow Rifleman, Major (Ret'd) Norm McCracken, CD at Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa. I want to thank all members of the Association who participated in the Military Service for Norm. The service was conducted by our Association Padre, John Howie.
We appreciate the support from the Regiment for supplying two Skirmishers: WO Graham Humphrey and Cpl Travis Lynch. This just added another piece of QOR history to the service.
Brian Budden
President
Health & Welfare Chairman
QORA (Toronto Branch)
In Pace Paratus
Rifleman Strong!
QOR of C Kit Shop
If you are interested in purchasing QOR of C merchandise, you may do so via our online Kit Shop. We now have the ability to issue invoices and accept payment online. We have several new items in stock, including Stainless Steel Coffee Cups and Water Bottles from canuckcanada.ca.
Please visit the QOR Kit Shop here.
The museum is open again, and regular volunteer nights have resumed. Please visit our website at qormuseum.org for more information, as well as our YouTube channel!
If you have potential items for our Museum and Archive collection, please read this page and complete the online form, or contact us at museum@qormuseum.org.
Watch and Shoot (Upcoming Events)
Colonel (Ret’d) Paul Hughes, CD Celebration of Life
Sunday, June 5th at the QOR of C Officers Mess from 2-4 PM
If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to info@1860club.ca
D-Day Dinner at Casa Loma
Monday, June 6th at Casa Loma at 7:00 p.m.
This event is now sold out.
Brigadier General (Ret’d) Don Pryer, CD Event
Saturday, June 25th at RCMI from 2-4 PM.
If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to info@1860club.ca
Trust Fund and Fundraising Update
Since the launch of the 1860 Club, our members have donated over $150,000 to support The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada Trust Fund. We would like to express our sincere gratitude for your generosity, and recognize the following members:
Normandy 1944 Donors
Over $186,000 in lifetime contributions
HLCol Lionel Goffart, OStJ, CD
Col Paul F Hughes, CD (Ret’d)
Vimy 1917 Donors
Over $18,600 in lifetime contributions
Capt (Ret’d) Bernie Aaron
HLCol (Ret'd) Brendan Caldwell
Lt J. Chris Donald
Mr. Bryan Gransden
Capt (Ret'd) Adam Hermant, OStJ, CD
Hermant Family Foundation
HCol Larry Stevenson, CD
LCol (Ret’d) John Strathy, CD
WO (Ret’d) Philip ten Kortenaar, CD
True Patriot Love Foundation
1860 Club Founders
Col (Ret’d) William Ball—US Army
LCol (Ret’d) William Barnard, CD
LCol Sandi Banerjee, CD
Mr. Hans G. Bathija
Bruce Beauchamp Memorial Fund and Mr. Terry Beauchamp
Hon Col Bryan Brulotte, KJ, CD
Cpl Brian Buchan
2Lt Martin Bunch
LCol (Ret’d) Greg Burton, CD
HLCol (Ret'd) Brendan Caldwell
Maj (Ret’d) Allan Champion, CD
Mr. Leo Chan
Capt (Ret’d) Robert Chan, CD and Ms. Annie Li
Mr. Michael Chisholm
Lt Ricardo Chiu, CD
MWO Adam de Bartok, MMM, CD
Ms. Linda Di Felice
Lt J. Chris Donald
WO (Ret’d) Bob Dunk, CD
Lt Brandon Filatow
LCol (Ret’d) John Fotheringham, CD
2Lt Juron Grant-Kinnear
Mr. Bryan Gransden
MCpl Robert Grieve
Cpl Lee Harrison, CD
Capt (Ret'd) Adam Hermant, OStJ, CD
Hermant Family Foundation
WO David Hodgson, CD
MGen (Ret’d) Walter Holmes, MStJ, MSM, CD, MBE
Ms. Lana Holmes
Col (Ret’d) Paul F Hughes CD
Jackman Foundation
CWO Jeff Johnson, CD
CWO (Ret’d) Shaun Kelly, CD
2Lt Matthew Kocal
LCol Frank Lamie, CD
MWO Darnel Leader, CD
Maj Samuel Leibel, CD
Capt Ben-Jaemin Lee, CD
Capt Roland Llewellyn-Thomas, CD
LNG Group CIBC Wood Gundy
Mr. James Lutz
Capt (Ret'd) Brian MacDonald
Maj Henry McCabe, MMM, CD (Ret’d)
Ms. Michele McCarthy
Ms. Jenna Zuschlag Misener
Lt David Merrithew
Mr. Nick Migliore
LCol Scott Moody, CD
CWO (Ret’d) John O’Connor, CD
Mr. Carmine Nigro
Mr. Jansen Ng
Capt David Pampe, CD
2Lt Weng Pan
Dr. Dylan Pannell, CD
Mr. Keith Perera
Lt Marco Petta
Cpl Sharl Robinson
Maj (Ret’d) Adam Saunders, CD
Maj (Ret’d) Anthony Schultz, CD
CWO Mark Shannon, MMM, CD
MGen (Ret’d) John Sharpe, CMM, CD
Capt Kevin Sheedy, CD
LCol Peter St. Denis, MSC, CD
Maj (Ret’d) John Stephens, CD
Mr. Tristan Strathy
WO (Ret’d) Philip ten Kortenaar, CD
Dr. Lynn Tomkins
Capt (Ret'd) Usman (Uzi) Valiante
Mr. Jeffrey Wallace
LCol (Ret'd) Tony Welsh, CD
LCol (Ret'd) Rob Zeidler, MStJ, CD
For more information on supporting the Trust Fund, please click here, or contact us.
Online Links
The QOR of C Regimental Association
More information about The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada Association Branches can be found at:
Toronto Branch
https://www.facebook.com/qortorontoassociation
East Coast Branch
https://www.qor-east.com
Calgary Branch
https://www.qorcalgary.com
Vancouver Island Branch
https://www.qorvi.com
The Rifleman Magazine (Annual Journal of the QOR of C)
https://fliphtml5.com/insrc/jjni
The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada Regimental Museum
https://qormuseum.org/
The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada Website
https://www.queensownrifles.com/
Kit Shop
https://sites.google.com/view/qorkitshop/
Submissions
To submit comments or content to the The Rifles Report or The Powder Horn, please contact Martin Bunch, 1860 Club Communications Director at editor@1860club.ca