THE POWDER HORN
Monthly Newsletter
May 2023
COMMANDING OFFICER’s UPDATE
During May, the Regiment continued to hold the Ready Rifleman series of exercises to ensure our Riflemen remain current in our basic skills of marksmanship, first aid and fieldcraft. This training year, the Primary Reserve is starting the Soldier Readiness Program that has mandatory completion and attendance requirements.
On May 5th, the Command Team and the 32 CBG Commander attended the Ukrainian War Veterans Association VE Day commemoration. During the event, Maj Chris Boileau spoke to his experience as the Commander of Task Force Unifier. The following day, the Command Team attended the funeral for our last D-Day veteran, Alex Adair (pictured above in front of Canada House), in Tamworth, Ontario with many Riflemen and Association members in attendance.
This month, we also launched our D-Day 80 fundraising campaign. This campaign has a variety of components: most notably, the opportunity to sponsor a Rifleman in the name of a Riflemen killed in action on June 6th, 1944. In addition, everyone can participate in the Normandy Challenge March which will run from 1-10 June 2023.
The Regiment has announced the recipients of the Life Time Achievement Awards. This year’s recipients are:
Louise Hodder, Calgary Branch
Don Ethell, Calgary Branch
Ben and Kathleen Turpin, NL Branch
Brian Budden, Toronto
Jim Lutz, Toronto
Phil ten Kortenaar, Toronto
Finally, We look forward to seeing everyone at the D-Day Dinner on June 6th, 2023 at Casa Loma, as it will be a fantastic evening.
In Pace Paratus
LCol Scott Moody, CD
Commanding Officer
The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada
LCol Stimson Marksmanship Competition
Congratulations to Lt Pan, Sgt Wolfe, Cpl Chang, and Cpl Wong for leading the QOR team to victory in the LCol Stimson Marksmanship competition on Saturday April 29th, 2023.
The competition was resurrected by our friends at the Royal Regiment of Canada after 120 years. Established in 1903 by LCol Stimson of the 10th Regiment Royal Grenadiers, it was initially a competition between Infantry units in the Toronto Garrison.
Princess Alexandra Bursary
The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada Princess Alexandra Bursary Fund was established in 2010 in honour and recognition of Princess Alexandra, the Honourable Lady Ogilvy, serving as our Colonel-in-Chief for 50 years. The bursary is available to all serving members of the Regiment, relatives of serving and former members, and serving members of our affiliated Cadet Corps who are pursuing a post-secondary education. An additional award, the Sgt Aubrey Cosens Award, is also available to currently serving members.
Applications for the Princess Alexandra Bursary are due June 30th, 2023. This year applications can be submitted digitally through this link.
Normandy Challenge: June 1—10, 2023
Members of the QOR Regimental Family will have the opportunity to participate in the Challenge March between June 1st and 10th in order to commemorate the D-Day invasion and raise funds for the 80th anniversary trip.
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 1-10, 2023.
Those over 50 years of age: A total of 40 km in marches, with no pack, between June 1-10, 2023.
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 will be eligible for the Normandy Challenge Coin.
Registration link (Please note that you will need an 1860 Club account to register).
The QOR Association—Toronto Branch
Losing the Last Man Standing: Rifleman Alex Adair
Rifleman Adair was the last of our brothers to have stormed Juno Beach on June 6th 1944. Alex passed away on Christmas Eve, 2022 in his 100th year.
To all members of the QOR Regimental Family that attended the Funeral and Celebration of Life for Alex Adair in Tamworth on May 6th, the family surely appreciated your presence. From comments I received from his family and daughter Elaine, we fulfilled her Dad’s wishes. The family was extremely grateful, as Elaine reported that the Queen’s Own in Dad’s life meant the world to him.
On the back of Alex’s Grave marker is written: "Once In The Queen’s Own Always In The Queen’s Own."
Putting this service together was made possible through guidance and teamwork, and working diligently with our QOR Association Regimental Padre John Howie. Thank you Padre John!
I would be remiss if I didn’t thank Chick McGregor for his great PR work in getting in contact with the Toronto Star for Katie Daubs' article, and The Toronto Sun for Joe Warmington's article.
Till We Meet Again.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
In Pace Paratus
Brian Budden
President
Health & Welfare Chairman
QORA (Toronto Branch
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 merchandise from the Airborne Reunion.
Please visit the QOR Kit Shop here.
The success of our museum depends solely on our team of dedicated volunteers and we’re looking to expand that team. We normally meet on Thursday evenings at Casa Loma from 7 pm to 9:30 pm. Our primary need is for cataloguers and we’ll help train you if required. We’re also looking for people with archival experience as we have a LOT of archival materials to process.
You can find more information – and a Volunteer application form – on our museum website. Please visit our YouTube and Flickr page for the latest content.
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)
June 1-10
Normandy Challenge
June 3
QOR Cadet Corp Annual Inspection—Robert Land Academy
June 6
D-Day Dinner—Casa Loma
June 7
Trust Fund Meeting
September 8
QOR of C Golf Tournament
For more events, please consult the calendar of events.
Trust Fund and Fundraising Update
Since the launch of the 1860 Club, our members have donated over $200,000 to support The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada Trust Fund and various Regimental initiatives. We would like to express our sincere gratitude for your generosity and support. The full list of Founders can be viewed here.
For more information on supporting the Trust Fund, please click here. For any additional questions, please do not hesitate to 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