THE RIFLES REPORT

Monthly Update
October 2022

COMMANDING OFFICER’s UPDATE

The month of September started off with the unit stand-to during which we reorganized our sub-units and initiated battle procedure for the year.  Our training kicked off with Exercise Maroon Sword 1, which was held in Borden from 23-25 September 2022.  That same weekend, the RSM and I travelled to Kingston and attended the Royal Military College Wall of Honour dedication which included two QOR of C members—MGen Herb Pitts, MC, CD and HCol Larry Stevenson, CD. 

Members of our Recce Platoon deployed to Petawawa to work with 3 RCR Recce Pl for a week at the end of September as part of Exercise Silent Watch 2.  The exercise provided the opportunity to build interoperability and cohesion with our Regular Force Partners.  Meanwhile, the unit had two members deploy on Operation Reassurance in Poland.  The amount of members deployed will increase throughout the next year. 

The 15th Annual Golf Tournament was held at Cardinal Golf Course on September 30th, and was a great success with over 140 attendees.  We had great sponsorship from our extended Regimental Family.  The tournament exemplified how the 1860 Club and the Regimental Association could work together and put on great things for the Regiment.  Special thanks to the team of Dave Lavery, Brian Budden, Phil ten Kortenaar, Steven Ye and Association members that worked tirelessly to make this happen. 

The weekend of November 4th to 6th will be a busy one for the unit.  The Officers’ Mess Dinner will be held at RCMI on Friday; the Dinner will serve many functions but most notably it will welcome our new Honorary Colonel, MGen David Fraser.  It will be open to associate members of the Officers' Mess and 1860 Club Founders to attend.  As with the D-Day Dinner held earlier this year, we expect this event to sell out quickly.  On Saturday, we will hold a Senate Meeting in the Officers' Mess at 10:30, followed by an Appointment of Honorary Colonel parade at Casa Loma at 15:30.  On Sunday, we will hold our Church Parade; after the service, we will march to the Necropolis to hold a headstone dedication for two Fenian Raid veterans interred there.

 Finally, congratulations to Captain Kevin Junor for being awarded the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee from the Premier of Nova Scotia for his work with the formal apology to the No. 2 Construction Battalion.

In Pace Paratus 

LCol Scott Moody, CD
Commanding Officer
The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada

QOR Day at Casa Loma

Queen's Own Rifles Day at Casa Loma will return to an in-person event on Saturday, November 5th, 2022 after two years of virtual events. Come visit the QOR Museum at Casa Loma for a day of QOR Band performances, military exhibits, re-enactors, as well as displays from the Signals Heritage Group and the 2 Intelligence Company Museum. In the afternoon, a parade will be held in honour of the appointment of Major-General David Fraser, CMM, MSC, MSM, CD as the Honorary Colonel of the Regiment.

For more information on visiting Casa Loma, please visit this page.

History and Heritage Update

Recently I visited the grave of Labourer Chou Ming Shan, who died in Petawawa on 22 September 1917. Why is that of interest to the QOR? When serving with the unit, I thought of myself as a trailblazer from my community doing military work in Canada.  Now I find out that others had came before me. They made real contributions and sacrifice in the war. Thousands of members of the Chinese Labour Corp travelled from British Columbia across Canada on their way to the fighting on the Western Front. Labourer Chou Ming Shan died from sickness when he arrived in Petawawa. I ask everyone to look into the history of their heritage.  What you find might surprise you.

Robert Chan 

For more information on this little-known chapter of history, please see this CBC article.

Golf Tournament 

The 15th Annual Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada Golf Tournament was held on September 30th, 2022 at the Cardinal Golf Club in King, Ontario.  The tournament, which included 18 holes of golf, dinner, raffle, and team prizes, was to all accounts a great success in bringing members of the Regimental Family together and in raising funds to support serving and former members through the 1860 Club and the QOR of C Association.

WO Stephen Thomas deserves special mention for purchasing 70 raffle tickets, and somehow dodging all the prizes. Thanks to all who made this happen!

Book Recommendation

 On to Victory: The Canadian Liberation of the Netherlands

With members of the Regiment currently in the Netherlands, this month's book recommendation provides a definitive account of Canada's Liberation Campaign. 

On to Victory is the little-told story of the tense final days of World War II, remembered in the Netherlands as "the sweetest of springs," which saw the country's liberation from German occupation. The Liberation Campaign, a series of fierce, desperate battles during the last three months of the war, was bittersweet. A nation's freedom was won and the war concluded, but these final hostilities cost Canada 6,298 casualties, including 1,482 dead.

The QOR Association

Good day all, I am just getting back late Monday from the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. It was an amazing tour for 13 days along with my fellow QOR Association Member - Peter Berkhout. It was a very emotional tour, as we learned of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. But overall, it was a great experience with great memories; we were very busy with lots of adventures. We participated in a tour called "In Our Fathers Footsteps". There were 90 of us from across Canada that had some kind of background with our father or grandfather from WWII. 

In Our Fathers' Footsteps - A unique WWII Dutch pilgrimage (inourfathersfootsteps.com)

Highlights of the trip included the opportunity to meet Princess Margriet of The Netherlands and her husband Pieter.  We made the national News in Apeldoorn . We also had the opportunity to visit Rha and pay our respects at the grave of the QOR of C Lt. John Kavanagh in Steenderen Cemetery.  Thanks to our good friend Gerrit Bruggink.

 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 Stainless Steel Coffee Cups and Water Bottles from canuckcanada.ca.

Please visit the QOR Kit Shop here.

The museum is open again, and our volunteers are preparing for QOR Day in November. 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)  

November 4
Officers' Mess Dinner
Royal Canadian Military Institute

November 5
QOR Day at Casa Loma
1 Austin Terrace, Toronto

6 November
Remembrance Sunday Parade
St Paul’s (227 Bloor St E, Toronto) 

28 January
40th Anniversary of the QOR Para Tasking
Sergeants’ Mess, Moss Park Armoury

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 
WO Jason Bridge, CD
Hon Col Bryan Brulotte, KJ, CD 
Cpl Brian Buchan 
2Lt Martin Bunch
LCol (Ret’d) Greg Burton, CD
HLCol (Ret'd) Brendan Caldwell
Ms. Dara Carpenter
Maj (Ret’d) Allan Champion, CD
Capt (Ret’d) Robert Chan, CD and Ms. Annie Li
Mr. Michael Chisholm
Lt Ricardo Chiu, CD
Maj Daniel Copeland, 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
Capt T.L. (Tom) Foulds, CD
2Lt Juron Grant-Kinnear
MCpl Robert Grieve
Cpl Lee Harrison, CD
Capt (Ret'd) Adam Hermant, OStJ, CD
Hermant Family Foundation
Mr. Winston Hewlin
WO David Hodgson, CD 
MGen (Ret’d) Walter Holmes, MStJ, MSM, CD, MBE
Ms. Lana Holmes
Capt Ted Howard
Padre (Ret’d) John Howie, CD
Col (Ret’d) Paul F Hughes CD
Jackman Foundation
CWO Jeff Johnson, CD
CWO (Ret’d) Shaun Kelly, CD
WO Inasio Kim, CD and Ms. Lorena Kim
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
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
Mr. Eric Schneider
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