THE POWDER HORN
Regimental Newsletter
Fall 2021
Commanding Officer's Message
From June to September, many of our members have been attending, supporting, or instructing courses as part of Regional Summer Training (RST). Many of our newer members have been part of the Full-Time Summer Employment (FTSE) program in which they are guaranteed full-time summer employment from May until September. Despite the challenges of COVID-19, the unit was still able to increase its capacity in both Riflemen and leadership over the summer. By the end of August, we welcomed 33 newly trained Riflemen, having completed their course during the summer. We also had Corporals Baxter, Divito, Do, Harewood, Lee, Low, and Master Corporal Thiers-Gomez complete the Infantry Section Commanders Course (ISCC), while Captains Llewellyn-Thomas and Flannery completed the Army Operations Course (AOC). At the end of August, we sent four members on the Basic Parachutist Course run by 3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment (3 RCR).
Due to our growth over the past three years, the QOR will be operating with a 4 Company structure:
60th Company—the Rifle Company led by Maj Chris Boileau and MWO Darnel Leader;
Normandy Company—the Combat Support Company led by Maj Rhys Henderson and MWO Justin Thorn;
Gurkha Company—the training Company, led by Capt Antoine Beaupre and MWO Bryan Burns, and;
Victoria Company—the Combat Service Support Company led by Capt Dave Pampe and WO Jesse Behan.
Supporting them in Battalion Headquarters will be RSM Jeff Johnston and myself, who will be entering our second year as Command Team. Also in Bn HQ are Deputy Commanding Officer Maj Sam Leibel, Operations Officer Capt Roland Llewellyn-Thomas and Adjutant Capt Morgan Holdway.
Congratulations to Sgt Alison Mejury for being awarded the 32 Canadian Brigade Group Sergeant-Major's Mentorship Award. She has led by example, and has mentored many as an instructor on courses and in the band.
This summer, several of our members began training for 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group’s (2 CMBG) Iron Warrior Race. Team members participated in the 21km sprint or 42km event on the weekend of 11-12 September, which requires participants to complete a loaded march, portage with canoe, followed by another march or run. The Regiment's participation in the Iron Warrior, along with the Canada Army Run, is financially supported by our Regimental Trust.
The Regiment and the 1860 Club had intended to hold an event in the Officers' Mess on September 17th. Unfortunately, due to current restrictions on bringing civilian members to Messes, this event will have to postponed. We will remain cautious yet tenacious with our planning to bring the Regimental Family back together again when possible.
Lieutenant-Colonel Scott Moody, CD
Commanding Officer
ASSOCIATION UPDATE
On August 9th, I was invited to Angus by Fern Taillefer, who organizes the events every year at Peacekeeper Park. There, along with fellow Association member James Atcheson, I laid a wreath on behalf of The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada Association.
In the second phase of the ceremony, a new Indigenous Veteran’s Memorial was dedicated. A wreathe was laid in memory of the late Joe Paquette, who served in the QOR Second Battalion from 1966-1968. Joe was very active with the Metis society, and I had the opportunity to know Joe when he assisted in the QOR Kit Shop with Art Gay. We would run into each other at different military events over the years, and we both received the Minister of Veterans Affairs Commendation back in 2014.
In the photo of Friends of Peacekeeper Park you will notice 2 QOR names – Frank Pearce, CD & Frank Sypulski, CD.
Here is the latest picture of QOR WWII veteran George Beardshaw of London, Ontario, who will turn 98 years old on September 14th. He served after D-Day until the end of the War, and was a POW in The Netherlands. He is also one of the last living "home children" from England; more information can be found here.
Thank you to Louise Hodder, Executive Committee Member of the QORA Calgary Branch, for her kind donation of the QOR flag for George's walker; he appreciates it greatly. George still lives on his own, with a great caregiver Judi Helle looking after him.
Brian Budden
President
Health & Welfare Chairman
QORA (Toronto Branch)
Our Man in Belgium
Steve Douglas is a Canadian living in Ypres, and "our man in Belgium" for the Regiment's memorials to the 3rd Bn, CEF at St. Julien, Passchendaele, Mt. Sorrel and Flers-Courcelette. These markers would not have been installed without his help finding locations and coordinating the stonework and installations.
COVID-19 has hit his military tour and bookstore company hard, and a small group of supporters have started a GoFundMe page to help him weather the storm. His rent to the town has not ceased, but his bookings and bookstore visits have pretty well dried up, with the majority of his clients normally being Canadian and British visitors.
Right now, he's working with our Memorials Committee on a new location for our Mt. Sorrel markers, which had to be moved due to a misunderstanding with civil authorities. His help will be instrumental in any future markers in the Ypres Salient, and it would be difficult to make it work without him on the ground. Members of The 1860 Club are encouraged to consider supporting "our man in Belgium" and making a small donation to the GoFundMe page at the link below:
Thank you.
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 accept payment online.
Please visit the QOR Kit Shop here.
The museum is open, and regular volunteer nights have started again this month! Please visit our website at qormuseum.org for more information.
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.
Trust Fund and Fundraising Update
The Trust Fund has been an integral and important part of the Regimental family since it was established on September 1, 1959. The existing Trust Fund is not the first one established and used by the Regiment. A significant predecessor of the current Trust Fund was set up to enable the erection and consecration of the Cross of Sacrifice at St Paul’s Anglican Church, Bloor Street in Toronto. That Trust Fund successfully completed its mandate with the consecration of the Cross of Sacrifice on October 18, 1931 and the Trust was then dissolved.
What distinguishes the existing Trust Fund from its predecessors is that earlier Trusts were single-purpose Trusts established with a single mandate. The current Trust was established with the ongoing mandate of raising and administering funds exclusively for the efficiency, welfare and well-being of the Regiment and its members. More specifically the objects of the Trust were listed as including, but not limited to, enabling the establishment and maintenance of a Regimental Museum, enabling the writing and publishing of a Regimental History, the enlargement and maintenance of the Cross of Sacrifice at St Paul’s Church, supporting the Regimental Centennial of 1960, maintenance of the Books of Sacrifice, and sending of soldiers’ comforts to Regimental units in action. The Trust Declaration of 1959 is the basis of the operation of the Trust up to now.
In 2008 the Trust Declaration underwent an extensive review which resulted in modernized wording and, for clarity, provided examples the objects of the Trust as first stated in the 1959 Declaration. The principal examples included:
Supplying to the serving battalion, band and Pioneers and Skirmishers items of attire and equipment that the Commanding Officer requests;
Operating a Regimental Headquarters;
Celebrating important Regimental birthdays and anniversaries;
Publishing and distributing a regimental magazine and newsletter;
Maintaining and updating a Regimental website;
Researching and publishing Regimental histories;
Supporting the Regimental museum;
Supporting Regimentally affiliated cadet corps, and
The maintenance of Regimental graves, memorials and monuments.
The Restated Declaration of Trust was unanimously approved by the Trustees to be effective June 9, 2008. Additionally, the Trust as a charitable trust is governed by the Income Tax Act and the Regulations of the Canada Revenue Agency. The Trustees have a fiduciary duty under federal and provincial legislation to ensure that the Trust is administered in accordance with its objects and all applicable legislation.
Since its establishment in 1959 the Trust has operated on a “cash” basis. That is to say, funds raised were spent as they were raised with no savings for the future. Routine items were funded by annual donations from a large number of donors from the Regimental family, while major items such as the 2010 150th Anniversary were supported by special fundraising. As an example, the funds raised for the 150th Anniversary totaled $343,000 with appeals resulting in very large donations from a small number of donors while a large number of members of the Regimental family provided smaller amounts. The monies raised were completely spent on the event with the major expenditures being: gifts, awards and presentations in the amount of $80,900 including a gift of $20,000 in the name of the Colonel-in-Chief to establish the Association Bursary; travel costs for the Colonel-in-Chief and staff ($72,000); support to the serving Battalion of $64,000 for uniforms; travel to support Association branches and subsidies for Riflemen attending events; support for Association events ($50,000), and events including the Museum rededication and Church parade for $21,000.
For many years the “cash” method of fund raising worked well for the Trust. Donations from a large donor base of WWII veterans, veterans of the Regular Army 1st and 2nd Battalions, and the Reserve Battalion in Toronto were sufficient to support operations, while special fundraising met large, one-time needs. This situation began to change with the aging of the donor base. To improve communications within the Regimental family and to enable new channels for fundraising, the Trust Fund and the serving battalion worked together to create the 1860 Club.
The 1860 Club has been a great success with over 260 members of the Regiment, Regimental family and friends of the Regiment joining (to date). Since its launch earlier in the year, the 1860 Club has issued electronic publications to the membership: The Rifle Report each month and The Powder Horn quarterly. In addition, the electronic version of The Rifleman magazine will continue to be published annually. The improved communication enabled by the 1860 Club has also resulted in revenue to the Trust Fund of over $100,000 raised through donations and events.
Changing times require new approaches to old issues. The creation of the 1860 Club and its early success show The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada, the Trust Fund, and the other parts of the Regimental family continuing to lead the way. 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 Bernie Aaron (Ret’d)
HLCol Brendan Caldwell (Ret'd)
Lt J. Chris Donald (Ret'd)
Mr. Bryan Gransden
Capt Adam Hermant, OStJ, CD (Ret’d)
Hermant Family Foundation
HCol Larry Stevenson, CD (Ret’d)
LCol John Strathy, CD (Ret’d)
WO Philip ten Kortenaar, CD (Ret’d)
True Patriot Love Foundation
1860 Club Founders
Col William Ball - US Army (Ret’d)
LCol Sandi Banerjee, CD
LCol William Barnard, CD (Ret’d)
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 Greg Burton, CD (Ret’d)
HLCol Brendan Caldwell (Ret'd)
Maj Allan Champion, CD (Ret’d)
Capt Robert Chan, CD (Ret’d) and Ms. Annie Li
Ms. Linda Di Felice
Lt J. Chris Donald (Ret'd)
HLCol Lionel Goffart, OStJ, CD
Lt Brandon Filatow
LCol John Fotheringham, CD (Ret’d)
Mr. Bryan Gransden
2Lt Juron Grant-Kinnear
MCpl Robert Grieve (Ret'd)
Cpl Lee Harrison, CD (Ret’d)
WO David Hodgson, CD
MGen Walter Holmes, MStJ, MSM, CD, MBE (Ret’d)
Ms. Lana Holmes
Col Paul F Hughes CD (Ret’d)
Jackman Foundation
CWO Jeff Johnson, CD
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
Maj Henry McCabe, MMM, CD (Ret’d)
Ms. Michele McCarthy
Ms. Jenna Zuschlag Misener
Lt David Merrithew
Mr. Nick Migliore
LCol Scott Moody, CD
Mr. Carmine Nigro
Capt David Pampe, CD
Dr. Dylan Pannell, CD, MD, PhD, CCFP, FRCSC
Lt Marco Petta
Cpl Sharl Robinson
Maj Anthony Schultz, CD (Ret’d)
CWO Mark Shannon, MMM, CD
MGen John Sharpe, CMM, CD (Ret’d)
Capt Kevin Sheedy, CD
Maj John Stephens, CD (Ret’d)
Mr. Tristan Strathy
WO Philip ten Kortenaar, CD (Ret’d)
Dr. Lynn Tomkins
Capt Usman (Uzi) Valiante (Ret'd)
Mr. Jeffrey Wallace
LCol Tony Welsh, CD (Ret'd)
LCol Rob Zeidler, MStJ, CD (Ret'd)
Please click here to find out how to become a Founder. For more information on supporting the Trust Fund, please click here.
For any additional questions, please 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 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 Rifles Report or The Powder Horn, please contact Martin Bunch, 1860 Club Communications Director at editor@1860club.ca