Number 1. The Official Newsletter of the South Alberta Light Horse Regimental Association

Transcription

1 Number 1. The Official Newsletter of the South Alberta Light Horse Regimental Association Volume 2 Number 1. Fall/Winter 2010

2 SABRE AND SPUR The Official Newsletter of the South Alberta Light Horse Regimental Association Volume 2, 1 st Issue, Fall/Winter 2010 Editor: Regimental Second in Command South Alberta Light Horse BGen J.C. Jefferson Armoury PO Box Station Forces Edmonton AB T5J 4J5 Phone: (780) Cover Photograph : * * * * * * * * * * Sgt Christine Fraser receives her Regimental Medal from His Honour, the Colonel (Ret d), The Honourable Donald S. Ethell, OC, OMM, AOE, MSC, CD. Sgt Fraser received her medal in recognition of her deployment to Afghanistan in In total, 30 Regimental Medals have been presented for services overseas and at home. Read more about the new Regimental medal on page 12. THE EDITOR S RANT During the 1950 s, The Regiment produced a newsletter titled the Sabre and Spur. When I arrived at the unit in 2002, there had also been a newsletter created within the Regiment, The Lighthorseman. With the stand up of the new Regimental Association, I thought it prudent to once again produce a newsletter to help keep our extended family in the know with respect to Regimental goings-on. I have offered my services to produce what will hopefully become a bi-annual product. I would encourage members of the Association and the Regiment to send in articles and submissions for inclusion. Semper Alacer, CC Michaud Regimental Second in Command November

3 From the Desk of the Honorary Colonel 5 Commanding Officer s Guidance 6 Regimental Sergeant Major Corner 7 President s Message 7 Treasurer Report AGM Meeting Minutes 8 Articles and Contributions: Medicine Hat Movie Night 10 The South Alberta Light Horse Regimental Medal 12 B Squadron SITREP 13 Why 21 Guns for Royalty? 14 Major Frank Fane, Beaver Lake 15 Dragoons and Shermans 16 The Stiff Upper Lip The New Regimental Museum 17 Members Letters to the Editor 18 The Last Post 18 Membership Application 19 Lt. Col G.D. Wotherspoon, DSO, ED, CD Commanding Officer South Alberta Regiment

4 ABOUT THE SOUTH ALBERTA LIGHT HORSE REGIMENTAL ASSOCIATION The South Alberta Light Horse Association was formed in 2010 to foster, maintain and promote the well-being of prospective, current and former members of South Alberta s Light Horse Regiment and their families; to promote and foster the comradeship of their regimental service; to perpetuate the memory and reputation of the South Alberta Light Horse and its antecedents and to further the best interests of the Regiments among other military and civic groups or associations. Soldiers and their families can take great pride in their heritage. Albertan Cavalry has an unrivalled tradition, having served Canada with great distinction for over 100 years. Drawing on the example and courage of their forebears, soldiers in today s Regiment, The South Alberta Light Horse, continue to add to that reputation, serving in combat throughout the world. They are respected and valued by their allies; and feared by their enemies. Annual membership dues are assessed at $20. This contribution is used to fund the publishing of the newsletters and to cover fees associated with Association initiatives and exhibits. THE CHAIN OF COMMAND The following lists key appointments within the SALHRA. Elections are held yearly at the Annual General Meeting and any member in good standing may be nominated. Once again, submission deadlines for the newsletter are as follows: Spring Issue end Jan President Troy Steele Treasurer Rick Hunn Secretary Jason Watt Membership Paul Mast Interim Editor Colin Michaud Fall Issue end July Vice President Robert McKenzie Assistant Membership Officer Mike Sibulak 4

5 From the Desk of the Honorary Colonel Col Stanley A. Milner, OC, AOE, CD, LL.D As we approach the end of 2010, we look back on many events which highlighted The South Alberta Light Horse Regiment Foundation year. In January, we hosted a welcome home dinner for Brigadier-General Jon Vance, Commander, Joint Task Force Headquarters A few weeks later, TF 1-09 and TF 5-09 attended a dinner in their honour, on their safe return from Afghanistan. Throughout the year, we took part in opportunities for Government and Military leaders to share information in support of the Reserves in Alberta. On April 25, forty-five participants departed for Northwestern Europe with the South Alberta Regiment Battlefield Tour, 65th Anniversary of V-E Day, lead by SAR veteran Major W. J. Danny McLeod. Also on the tour were two SAR veterans, Tpr Jack Gardiner and Tpr Doug Thompson. Doug s wife, Mary, a veteran as well, took part in the tour. Major Colin Michaud, 2IC, represented the SALH, taking up the torch to maintain the South Alberta s legacy in Europe in future years. Susan Angus and Sharon Grant, on behalf of the Foundation, provided administrative support both prior to, and during, the tour. Tracing the battles of the SAR from France, through Belgium and into Holland, where the Dutch gave their final farewell to its liberators, it was a privilege for the participants to share history first-hand with our own veterans. In October, the Foundation hosted the inaugural presentation ceremony of the SALH Regimental Medal, which was created to celebrate the Centennial of the Regiment in Held at Government House, the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, His Honour, the Colonel (Ret d) The Honourable Donald S. Ethell, OC, OMM, AOE, MSC, CD awarded 38 medals to regimental members and civilians who have distinguished themselves by their service and assistance to the Regiment since A formal Mess Dinner followed. In November, His Honour attended in Medicine Hat to participate in the awarding of the SALH Regimental Medal while the Regiment was on parade, prior to the Grand Opening of the Regimental Museum. The Foundation is proud to provide support to the Museum which has resulted in a first-class military facility. We continue to offer scholarships to serving members who are pursuing their post-secondary education. I enjoyed opportunities throughout the year to visit with many of you, and want to thank each of you for your service to our Province and Nation. On behalf of all of us at the Foundation, I wish you a happy and blessed holiday season and a successful

6 The Commanding Officer s Guidance LCol Wayne Lockhart Over the last century, through a series of amalgamations, the SALH has emerged as the proud descendent of many distinguished units such as the 31st battalion of WW1 and the South Alberta Regiment of WWII, as well as many other units such as the 19th Alberta Dragoons. With armouries in both Medicine Hat and Edmonton, the regiment is truly a pan-alberta unit. In the century it has existed, the regiment has forged historical links with many Alberta communities. This year marks the 105th anniversary of the South Alberta Light Horse and predecessor units. More than a year ago, on a cloudy evening with a light southerly wind, I announced that the South Alberta Light Horse would stand up a Regimental Association. The intent was to create the home for our extended regimental family outside the traditional walls of an armoury. This Association would be dedicated to maintaining the vital ties between serving soldiers, retired soldiers, their families and friends of the regiment. Included in the family of Association would be our close friends of the South Alberta Regimental Association. Through the Association, I intended to promote and foster the extended regimental family with all the inherent benefits stemming from a close knit family. Welcome to the new Association. I am absolutely thrilled by the tremendous response to the new Association. Many folks that we had lost touch with are now re-establishing links through this new Association. Undoubtedly, the stand-up of this Association is past due. Dedication, hard work and self-reliance of the men and women who, in the last century, have served both Alberta and its senior militia regiment. These same traits prevail today, both in the regiment and in the core group of folks that have turned my concept of a Regimental Association into reality. The Association will serve many purposes. Primarily as a rallying point for establishing and maintaining our family links, it will also serve in other meaningful ways. I anticipate that several committees will be stood up such as the Historical Vehicle troop, the Regimental Museum committee and the Family Support Committee, as examples. The Historical Vehicle troop will provide oversight to Old Reliable, the command half-track from WWII, as well as identifying opportunities to enhance the visibility of the Association through the display of historical vehicles. The Museum committee will further the outstanding work by the current museum curator MWO Jim Ogston. I m anticipating that the Family Support committee can draw on the resources of the Association to help look after the welfare of our extended family. This Association will not be about one person, or one goal or one legacy. Rather, it will simply serve as the vital ground for promoting the interests of the entire family. I have been pleased to watch how the members have embraced the concept and observing attitudes switch from why?. to why didn t we do this sooner? Enjoy. Lieutenant Colonel Wayne A Lockhart, P.Eng, CD. Commanding Officer, SALH. 6

7 Soldiers of the Light Horse! Regimental Sergeant Major s Corner RSM Chuck Howie One of the major milestones that has been marked in 2010 has been the creation of the Association, which has many keystones, including looking after the interests of the soldiers of the regiment. This new association will provide the opportunity for former members to remain engaged with the Regiment. This has been along time in the works and is also for serving members. I strongly encourage all current or past members of the Regiment to join and if their personal schedule permits, to serve on the executive, pushing forward to an even stronger association. This is your opportunity to have your voice heard. The Light Horse has four members in the breech ready to launch on TF Good luck to you all and God speed. At this time, fourteen scholarships have been received and approved, by the Regimental Foundation, for presentation at the Annual Christmas Dinner. Congratulations to all those recipients; well done ends on a high note, having completed a successful and well run Gun Camp. With the grounding of the G- Wagon fleet, this has given us the opportunity towards honing our dismounted and domestic Operations skill. With this in mind, it puts us in good standing for towards Western Defender, (Area Reserve Concentration), in May Due to my civilian career time and space restrictions, I felt it would be a disservice to the members of the South Alberta s to not be available on a regular basis to the Regiment. As such, MWO Brian Talty, currently serving SSM A Squadron, has, and will continue to serve as Acting RSM until my return later in Be safe this holiday season and to all of you and your families, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Semper Alacer H President s Message President Troy Steele Dear South Alberta Light Horse Regimental Association Members; It was most gratifying to see so many old friends as well as to see some new faces attend at the Association's Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 23 October 2010 I am very proud to inform you that at the AGM, the membership elected an executive made up of a dynamic mix of NCM's, serving officers, and retired members. Your first elected executive consists of: 7

8 President: Maj Troy Steele. Vice-President: Robert McKenzie. Membership Coordinator: Paul Mast (South) and Cpl Sibulak (North) Treasurer: Rick Hunn. Secretary: Jason Watt. With these elections, the association is nicely positioned to begin the challenging work of growing the membership, and of course supporting the fine work of our regiment. I believe that to build our association we must keep the lines of communications open with our membership and find interesting ways to bring us all together socially. Currently we communicate through our website, facebook page, forums, and now with an association newsletter started by Major Colin Michaud. Socially we have hosted a movie night in Medicine Hat arranged by Capt. Scott Payne, and have held a number of meet and greets in the Jefferson Officers mess, organized by Maj. Chris Hunt. Soon we will be calling for nominations for association special interest groups and I am very confident that these groups will bring us even closer together. So as you can see, the association is active, growing and has a bright future in front of it. I am very proud to be your President and if you have any questions, suggestions or recommendations, please feel free to contact me at rhqsalh@gmail.com and I will be very happy to respond to each and every inquiry. Thank you all for the support you have shown to your association. Treasurer s Report Treasurer Rick Hunn At the time of printing, no Treasurer s Report was available. Hopefully we have some money! 2010 AGM Draft Minutes 23 October 2010 Jason Watt, Treasurer I. Call to order Maj. Troy Steele, Interim President called to order the inaugural meeting of the South Alberta Light Horse Regimental Association at 1300 hrs on 23 Oct 2010 in Edmonton, Alberta and Medicine Hat, Alberta. II. Roll call Lt Greg Yanda conducted a roll call. The following persons were present: LCol (ret d) Robert McKenzie LCol (ret d) D Heine Maj (ret d) Paul Mast Maj Colin Michaud Maj Troy Steele Capt (ret d) Greg Yanda Capt (ret d) Jason Watt Capt (red d) Rick Hunn 8 Capt Scott Payne 2Lt FB Davies MWO Jim Ogston MCpl (ret d) Alan Henderson MCpl Stuart Wall Cpl Nathaniel Hillier Cpl Michael Sibulak

9 III. Approval of minutes from last meeting As this was the inaugural meeting, there were no minutes to be read. IV. Open issues a) No open issues to be dealt with. V. New business a) Election of executive: i. President: Maj Colin Michaud nominates Maj Troy Steele. Greg Yanda seconds. No further nominations. Maj Troy Steele appointed by acclamation. ii. Vice-President: Maj Troy Steele nominates Robert McKenzie. Capt Scott Payne seconds. No further nominations. Robert McKenzie appointed by acclamation. iii. Membership Coordinator: Rick Hunn nominates Paul Mast. Robert McKenzie seconds. No further nominations. Paul Mast appointed by acclamation. iv. Treasurer: Robert McKenzie nominates Rick Hunn. Maj Troy Steele seconds. No further nominations. Rick Hunn appointed by acclamation. v. Secretary: Capt Greg Yanda nominates Jason Watt. Allan Henderson seconds. No further nominations. Jason Watt appointed by acclamation. b) Discussion around Membership Representative in Edmonton. Cpl Michael Sibulak will act as Membership Representative in Edmonton. Going forward, when Membership Coordinator is in Medicine Hat, Membership Representative will be in Edmonton and vice versa. c) Discussion around newsletter. Maj Colin Michaud will send out a newsletter in December. He solicited those present to determine who would have submissions for the newsletter. d) Discussion around Constitution. A draft Constitution is being circulated. The membership is encouraged to read the Constitution and submit comments. Maj Colin Michaud and Greg Yanda will lead efforts to revise the constitution. e) Discussion around Membership. Members are encouraged to seek out potential additional members for the Association. Efforts must be made to reach out to potential members, especially those outside of Edmonton and Medicine Hat. f) Discussion around Treasury. The Treasury currently holds $ g) Proposal for next Annual General Meeting is June of 2011, to coincide with Regimental Anniversary. VI. Adjournment Maj Troy Steele adjourned the meeting at 1335 hrs. Minutes submitted by: Capt (ret d) Jason Watt 9

10 ARTICLES Medicine Hat Movie Night Paul Mast and Scott Payne Captain Scott Payne was the Association member who originally came up with the idea of hosting a military evening of fine dining and a movie which would support several organizations here in Medicine Hat as well as help to kick start our Regimental Association. He outlined his idea to me and asked me what I thought of it. At first I was a little skeptical but the more I thought about it the more I liked it. While the Monarch Movie Theater located in downtown Medicine Hat has been around for a very long time it had ultimately been closed down. That was until a group of concerned Hatters formed an organization to preserve this very fine theater by completing needed renovations and raising funds to ensure the building did not fall to the demolition crew. This organization has held several Theme Nights with very good success and Captain Payne s plan called for a Military Theme Evening to take place very close to Remembrance Day. The Regimental Association was the perfect venue to tie this all together as a starting point for future fund raising events. The Dinner and a Movie was planned for November 6 th, 2010 and four local fine Restaurants offered their fine menus while the Monarch Theater showed our chosen movie - The Devils Brigade! All of the citizens of Medicine Hat were invited via articles in the Press, Shaw Cable, and TV and Radio Interviews. Guests were encouraged to wear dress of a military nature be it uniforms, formal mess dress, black tie dress with medals and so forth so it should be quite the show. There were also several military displays set up to give that military added flavor. The cost for the evening included dinner and the movie and the organizing committee planned to have bar facilities during the intermission at the movie. Proceeds from the evening went to the restaurants, the Monarch Theater, and the SALH Regimental Museum so all parties benefitted. Scott Payne chose the movie and, when it became known, a member of the local South Alberta Pipe Band placed Scott in contact with the son of a past member of the Devil s Brigade who was living in Medicine Hat. Scott called me and I made arrangements for this gentleman to give us a presentation at our United Services Institute for which I am President. The ensuing presentation and DVD showing was excellent. He plans on joining the USI so again the military brotherhood benefits! It never ceases to amaze me how many things military tie together for what ever reason. The 6 th of November turned out to be a beautiful warm evening. About 80 guests attended the three fine restaurants that hosted the Dinner and a 10

11 Movie event for SALHRA. The meals were all Italian style as the First Special Service Force did most of its fighting during the Italian Campaign in WW II. The guests were greeted at the Monarch Theatre by Mr. Malcolm Sissons (related to Col FO Sissons 3 rd Canadian Mounted Rifles) and two other members of the South Alberta Pipes and Drums who put on a spectacular performance that could be heard throughout downtown Medicine Hat. About a third of the guests showed up in period uniforms such as mess kit, patrol uniforms, battle dress and uniforms of allied nations, including British, New Zealand, Australian, and Indian uniforms. A photographer was hired to take pictures of the guests in front of pictures of King George VI and the Queen Elizabeth and the Red Ensign, Union Jack, and American flags (All guests will get their photos via ). The movie started with some historical footage of the First Special Service Force in training, including Dermot Patrick O Neil demonstrating his famous hand to hand combat to the eager Force men. The historic parade of the Force leaving Helena, Montana their first home followed next and finally a cartoon of WW II vintage which made fun of Hitler and his Nazi regime before the opening credits began to roll. The audience cheered regularly throughout the film, mostly at the Canadians and their interactions with their American compatriots. The South Alberta Pipes and Drums put on a 10 minute performance during the intermission. While the band played the film of the SALH and the Calgary Highlanders receiving their colours from Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra at Currie barracks was shown on the screen. The footage fit well with the live Pipes and Drums. Members and friends of the SALHRA attend the Dinner and a Movie Night 11

12 The film ended with a piece of colour footage of the last parade of the First Special Service Force where the colours were furled up for the last time and where the Canadians marched past for the last time. The footage was narrated by to FSSF veterans and was a fitting end to the event. Mr. John Hart, son of Technical Sergeant Geoffrey Hart a FSSF veteran brought his collection of Devil s Brigade items and a replica of the FSSF colours to the event. Mr. Hart had also invited Mr. Henry Planger, one of the few remaining Force men, to the event. Mr. Planger and his family made the drive from Lethbridge to attend the event. After the final credits were played the remaining guests, many of them in various uniforms took the stage for a group photo. Mr. Planger was of course in the middle. The South Alberta Light Horse Regimental Medal Susan Angus The Regimental Medal was created to celebrate the Centennial of the Regiment in 2005, and is awarded to those who have distinguished themselves by their service and assistance to the Regiment since It is made of pure silver with added brass filings from the primer of a 76mm round, one of the last rounds fired by the Regiment from a Cougar in Wainwright, in August The inaugural presentation ceremony took place at Government House, in Edmonton, on 05 October 2010, when the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, His Honour, the Colonel (Ret d), The Honourable Donald S. Ethell, OC, OMM, AOE, MSC, CD awarded 38 medals to regimental members and civilians. A formal Mess Dinner followed. On 13 November 2010, at the Patterson Armoury in Medicine Hat, medals were awarded during the Regimental parade. The event was well attended by the public and media, when His Honour awarded the Medals in conjunction with the Grand Opening of the Regimental Museum. One of three Regimental members who received the Medal was MWO Jim Ogston, a life-long member of the SALH, for his exceptional service to the Regiment including the realization of his vision to have a Regimental Museum. The Grand Opening of the Regimental Museum followed, when His Honour, HCol Stan Milner and LCol Wayne Lockhart, CO, took part in the official ribbon cutting. Tours of the Museum followed. That evening, it was fitting that the Commemorative Dinner took place. HCol Stan Milner also presented to the Mayor of Medicine Hat, Norman Boucher, a SALH Medal framed with an inscription in appreciation of the City s long-standing support of the Regiment. Other dignitaries in attendance were The Honourable Rob Renner, MLA for Medicine Hat, Minister of Environment and Deputy Government House Leader; former MLA and Minister of the Crown, Jim Horsman; the Commander of 41 CBG, Colonel Paul Bury; past Commander 41 CBG and past Commanding Officer Colonel Tom Putt; and The Honourable Judge D. Brand. A plaque was presented to Mr. Horsman for his support of the Regiment for over 50 years. 12

13 01 Sept 10 and its game on. B Squadron SITREP WO Kevin Cartier Individual Battle Task Standard (IBTS) out the gate and the OC and I discussed how to make it more interesting. With the talent of the SQ and the RSS Sgt, we were able to get some shot guns for the training. It was the first time the Squadron has done such training and was very well received by the troops. We then moved to ATV/Gator training and again, it was the first time we attempted this type of Individual Training for the Squadron. We pushed on to more IBTS with obtaining.50 Cal s. Need I say, training never before done by the troops. With the opening of the museum, the Squadron then went to Medicine Hat and was on parade for this historic occasion. The troops enjoyed socializing with their A Squadron brethren and the Commemorative Mess Dinner for the Senior NCOs and Officers was outstanding. We tip our hats to the Senior NCOs and Officers of Medicine Hat who put it all together and made it an excellent event. The gun camp in Wainwright was the icing on the cake for all the weapons training with firing the C6, C7, C9, 9mm, shot gun and the.50 cal on Saturday. Sunday was throwing of grenades and then handshakes and home time. Excellent attendance for C Sqn and the troops can pat themselves on the back for a job very well done. B Sqn would like to send a special thanks to the LdSH(RC) for their outstanding support to make this falls IBTS training such a success story. B Squadron conducts ATV Training 50 calibre, 9mm pistol, C-9, and shotguns were all practiced at the annual gun camp 13

14 Why 21 Guns for Royalty? By Colonel ER Rivers-McPherson, OBE Originally printed in The Legionary, National Magazine of the Canadian Legion (Re-printed in the Canadian Army Journal Vol X No 2) I was intrigued to see the great interest which was aroused in the Montreal press over the firing of the 21-gun salutes to welcome the Princess Royal on her visit to Canada [last autumn]. Correspondents were asking: "Why 21-guns?" This evoked a number of replies and many solutions were put forward. The most popular was that the old ships of long ago carried only 21 guns. I admit I was quite stumped, so I wrote to Major T. J. Edwards, the well-known Army historian in the United Kingdom. He very kindly referred me to the Librarian at the Admiralty in White' hall, who replied as follows: "In June 1688 'An Establishment Touching Salutes by Guns to be Henceforth Observed in His Majesty's Royal Navy', was published. This Establishment laid down the following scale of salutes to be accorded the various Naval ranks: "For a Captain, 11 guns; for a Captain having other ships under Command, 13 guns; for a Rear-Admiral, 15 guns; for a Vice-Admiral, 17 guns; for an Admiral, 19 guns. "No mention was made then of the number of guns to be accorded Royalty. However, the Naval Regulations of 1731 (the first issued) laid down that a Royal Salute was to consist of 'such number of guns as the Chief Officer shall think proper, not exceeding 21-guns each ship'. "Thus the 19 guns laid down in 1688 for the highest rank in Royal Navy was increased in arithmetical progression to 21' for Royalty." The foregoing, will, I think answer the interesting question raised in the press. One or two points came to my mind: Why was the cardinal number 11 selected as the starting point by the Admiralty? Again, all salutes are odd numbers-because some allege the odd number is easier to remember? In my old militia gunner days (1900) when we fired a salute, the executive officer in charge always carried the requisite number of marbles which he passed from one pocket to another as the gun fired. Old gunners will remember how easy it is to miscount a salute of guns. It is noteworthy too that many foreign countries fire a 21-gun salute to honour their heads of state. They probably copied this from the British. 14

15 Major Frank Fane, Beaver Lake From the pages of the Vegreville Observer June 25, 2002 Major Frank Fane has been on my list of subjects for this column for some time. When a picture of his gravestone appeared in last week s observer, I decided that the time had come. Twenty cadets from 341 Mundare Air Cadet Squadron were out recently doing a cleanup of the pioneer graveyard at Beaver Lake. The graveyard is on the east side of Beaver Hill Lake and is in a clearing amongst some trees, If one does not know exactly where to look then this cemetery would remain hidden as there is no marker at the roadside. Frank William Walter Fane was born on November 9th, 1864 at Canterbury, Kent, England. At the age of 16, he came to Canada and stayed with his aunt in Toronto. Two years later, he joined the Northwest Mounted Police where he stayed for eight years taking his discharge in 1890 with the rank of Quarter-Master. With the NWMP he was stationed at Lethbridge and Fort McLeod in Alberta and Fort Steele in British Columbia. He received the Riel Rebellion War medal for serving during that period. Upon his discharge, he married Margaret Duff who had come to Lethbridge with her parents from Scotland five years previous. She had been the first woman teacher in Lethbridge. From then, with the exception of a few years in Vegreville just before the First World War and a brief time in Edmonton when Frank was connected with the Soldier Settlement Board, they resided at the Beaver Lake homestead. After his many adventures during the 2nd Riel Rebellion and his other years with the NWMP, his married life to 1905 was comparatively quiet. The couple had three girls and one boy but one of the girls, Frances Helen, died at the age of five years. In a previous column we saw that the trail from Vegreville to Edmonton and Strathcona passed by the post office at Beaver Lake. Frank started this post office on Sept. 1, 1892 and was postmaster until May 22, There were four other postmasters after that until the closing on June 13, The mail route included Bathgate, Beaver Lake and Ryley. Frank also served as Police Magistrate in Beaver Lake district. Politically a strong Conservative, he opposed many provisions of the Autonomy Act including those relating to separate schools. In 1905 and 1909 he contested the then provincial electoral division of Vermillion. He was defeated both times running against Mathew McCauley and J.B. Holden. Although strongly partisan, he was at the same time highly patriotic. When war was proclaimed in 1914, he was in command of C Squadron, the 19th Alberta Dragoons. This squadron became C Squadron of the 3rd Canadian Mounted Rifles with Major Fane the commanding officer. While engaged in action at Ploegstreet, Belgium, he received injuries which ultimately brought about his death. During his command he endeared himself to his men by his constant attention to their requirements and their confidence in him was justified. Major Fane was so highly thought of that the first chapter of the IODE in Vegreville was named after him. This Chapter with its many activities was formed in 1932 and lasted until Fane s widow, Margaret was Honorary Regent. She was born at Pitlochry, Perthshire, Scotland on Dec 18th She was the first white woman settler in the district between Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta and Battleford, Saskatchewan. The Fane s son, Frank John William, also had distinguished military and political careers. He won the Military Cross, also became a Major as well as a Member of Parliament. Major Frank W.W. Fane died on July 3, A final salute was given to a dead soldier by a firing squad after which the Last Post was sounded and the earthly career of Major Frank W. Fane was closed. On February 5th, 1942, death came to Margaret, and they both rest side by side in this little cemetery near the Beaver Hill Lake. 15

16 Dragoons and Shermans Sgt (Retd) Brian Farley When I came to the regiment in late 1959, the only reconnaissance vehicle still used was the Scout car, as the Staghounds were gone. Lt Col. Causey was the CO. The regimental training on the Shermans was about once or twice a year at Wainwright where the tanks were kept. In the between time we had driver training on the soft skinned vehicles such as the Jeep, panel,3 ton stake and the 21/2 ton Army truck. The last tank shoot I can remember was in Wainwright in Many of the young soldiers like myself paraded on Saturdays which included recruit, trained Militia (Civil defense), and wireless courses. Many Sundays we attended 23 Militia Group courses such as storeman/clerk, some driving courses as well as Jr and Sr NCO courses. Every summer we went to Army camp for July and August. Training with the rest of the regiment was limited, due to money available. Lt. Col. Summersgill came to us from 154 RCSC in 1962 or 1963 and was with us till the disbanding. I noticed a picture posted with the dragoon web site about the Sgt's mess picture. Most of those Sr. NCO' s, with the exception of Sgt Clarke, RSM Smith,TSM Matwechuck, Staff Sgt Bailey, and SM Rasmusson, I seldom ever saw except at the odd Mess dinner. I was the Senior NCO representative to Garrison for the 19th Dragoons in I was not in that picture, neither was Sgt. T. Moore. The only other time I remember about the Sherman training, was when we had a tank over at RCEME work shop (38 Tech ) on 109 street. Sgt Kennedy of I staff (Strathcona's) conducted a short course on the firing mechanism, which was stripping and assembling the 75 mm gun. Before disbanding in 1964, we took to driving Centurions in Wainwright. For the war games, we were a part of the enemy forces against the Canadian Army in 1963 in Wainwright Alberta. I was part of a tank crew made up of Dragoon Sr and Jr NCO s that knocked out a troop of Canadian Hussars. It was Shermans against Centurions, they out numbered us by 4-1. Suffice to say they won the battle but we received recognition for that accomplishment. Another incident I recall, was core training with a troop of Shermans in Wainwright in One of the tanks barreled into a swamp and came to an abrupt stop. The rest of us avoided the water and watched as this tank slowly sank down. The RCEME recovery team came out but they could not recover this tank. As far as I know it is still there. I still thank God it was not my vehicle. 16

17 The Stiff Upper Lip 1815 Contributed by Capt. F.L. Lanes To the Canadian Army Journal Vol X No 2 The following is an extract from the Cape Letters, , edited by the Marquess of Anglesey (London 1955): "Lord Uxbridge, who commanded the British cavalry at Waterloo, had one of his legs smashed by a shot at the close of action. He was told that his leg had better come off and one of his aide-de-camps wrote that he said, 'If amputation is to take place, the sooner the better... During the operation he never moved or complained, no one even held his hands. He said once quite calmly that he thought the instrument was not very sharp. When it was over his nerves did not appear the least shaken, and the Surgeon observed his pulse was not altered. He said, smiling, 'I have had a pretty long run. I have been a Beau these 47 years and it would not be fair to cut the young men out any longer.' The leg was buried in a cottage garden, and a monument erected over it recording its origin and fate. On 13 Nov 10, the Regiment conducted a Grand Opening of the SALH Regimental Museum in Medicine Hat. The Reviewing Officer was His Honour Col. (ret'd) The Honourable Donald S. Ethell the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta. As part of the Grand Opening ceremonies, the Regiment was on parade with the Old Guard and the 2313 SALH MH and AD Edm Army Cadets. The New Regimental Museum Scott Payne This Grand Opening was the result of over 5 years of hard work by the curator accompanied by substantial donations made by the Regimental Foundation. The start of the renovations! 17 With the closing of the Regiment s indoor range in 2004, a decision was made to move the existing QM Stores into the reclaimed space. This move permitted the Museum to also move and expand into the now vacant QM. Coincidentally, many of the items and display boards for the new Museum were recycled from

18 the Regiment s successful 2005 display at the Royal Alberta Museum. Immediately following the parade the Lieutenant Governor, HCol Milner, LCol Lockhart, and MWO Ogston officially opened the museum with His Honour cutting the ribbon. His Honour along with his wife Her Honour, Mrs. Linda Ethell were given a guided private tour of the Museum by MWO Ogston. About 400 local citizens attended the events of the afternoon with a steady crowd coming and going up until closing time. The South Alberta Pipes and Drums provided the Vice Regal Salute on the parade square and fine background music for the afternoon. The parade was well executed and the ranks of the Old Guard were even larger than the Freedom of the City Parade in Jun this year. The Regimental Association continued to grow that weekend as more members of the Old Guard filled out their forms and where possible joined the parade. The Grand Opening was very well reported prior to and post event in print, television, and especially on the radio. The days events culminated with the Lieutenant Governor attending the Commemorative Dinner with his wife Her Honour, Mrs. Linda Ethell. A good time was had by all and charges were kept to a minimum. Left to Right: MWO Jim Ogston; HCol Stan Milner; the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, The Honourable Donald Ethel; and LCol Wayne Lockhart cut the ribbon to open the new Museum. Letters to the Editor At the time of publishing, no letters were submitted to the Editor. The Last Post At the time of publishing, no names were submitted to the Editor. 18

19 Interested in Joining Us? Please photocopy the following two pages, complete, and mail your application to the SALHRA The South Alberta Light Horse Regimental Association a Ave Edmonton AB T5M 2H8 MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION AND RENEWAL (Confidential) Please print or type all information Surname Given Names Nickname Spouse Name (if applicable) Street Address City Province Postal Code Telephone Number Address Decorations and Awards Units Served With (if applicable) Rank on Application/Retirement/Release: Year: Office Use only Approved Declined Assigned Membership Number: Assigned User Name: Payment received: Cash Cheque Other Receipt # Date payment received: Payment Received by: 19

20 The South Alberta Light Horse Regimental Association a Ave Edmonton AB T5M 2H8 Yes, I am interested in being a full voting member of the South Alberta Light Horse Regimental Association. Full membership is open to: all current and former serving members of the Regiment and their families, on application and payment of fees; and all serving and former members of the Armed Forces, who, at any time, served with the South Alberta Light Horse, its allied regiments, its antecedents; and their families, on application and payment of fees. This includes members of other regiments and the regular force who were posted to The Regiment for any time period. The wives, widows and near relations of the officers and men serving or who have served in the Regiment. Ladies and Gentlemen who are prepared to work on behalf of the Association and subscribe to its aims. Find enclosed my cheque for $20 payable to the South Alberta Light Horse Regimental Association. No, I am not interested in being a member of the South Alberta Light Horse Association. Please remove my name from your mailing list. For applicants, please complete the following As a member of the South Alberta Light Horse Regimental Association, I am interested in the following activities: Attending Dinners/Social Event Planning Dinners/Social Events Serving in an elected position Fund Raising Initiatives Remembrance Day Activities Participation in Casino/Fund Raising Events Attending the AGM Historical Research Initiatives Attending Battlefield Tours Planning Battlefield Tours Contributing to the newsletter Assisting with website design or maint Assisting with the admin of the Association Assisting with military vehicle restoration Participating as a Committee Chair Assisting with kit shop procurement and sales Other activities (please specify): Name (Printed) Signature 20