The Queen’s Own Rifles Regimental Museum recently launched our new YouTube Channel which is a great place for us to share digital versions of regimental film clips in our archives. So far we’ve uploaded eight clips from D-Day landing footage to the History of the QOR on its 140th Anniversary!
Two things:
Firstly visit our channel and check out the footage uploaded to date. If you enjoy the videos you watch, help us raise our YouTube profile by clicking the “LIKE” button (the thumbs up logo) at the bottom left of each video! And while you’re there we also encourage you to click the “SUBSCRIBE” button which means YouTube will tell you whenever we upload a new video clip.
Secondly we invite you to share any film clips you have with us so that we can include them in our museum archives and add them to our channel. Footage doesn’t have to be WWII or the 50/60’s to be part of our regimental history so please take some time to contact us if you have something that you think would be (or aren’t sure if it would be) what we’re looking for. Obviously video of training or jumps or formal parades is all pretty obviously a yes 🙂 You can contact the museum at museum@qormuseum.org and we can figure out how best to facilitate sharing your footage with us.
A Preview
If you haven’t already seen one of our most historic clips, check out this footage taken from a landing craft at Juno Beach as the QOR head on to the beach. Then check out the rest of the clips we’ve uploaded on our site – and we have more to upload over the coming weeks and months!
Please Note: This article was written by Captain Scott Moody, Officer Commanding the QOR of C Parachute Company for the 2013 issue of “The Rifleman”, Journal of the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada. Photos taken by Major Sandi Banerjee, Captain Chris Potter, Master Corporal Dan Pop and Paul Lantz.
In 2013 The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada celebrated 30 years of its designation as a “para-tasked” regiment. The initiative to award a parachute tasking can be traced back to the formation of the Central Militia Area Special Unit (CMASU), whose role was to be a reserve army unit that would have the potential to become an airborne one. This was an idea developed and vigorously encouraged by LCol Peter Fairclough CD, a Queen’s Own Rifles officer who had previously served in the British Army’s Special Air Service (SAS) in Malaysia.[1] LCol Fairclough’s proposal was derived from British and American Airborne and Special Operations Forces reserve units which had proven to be capable of supporting full-time counterparts.What followed is described by Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada Captain Scott Moody, who has worn paratrooper’s “jump wings” since 1992. A veteran of more than 100 parachute descents, he is also a fully-qualified jumpmaster and commands the regiment’s Para Company.
Central Militia Area Special Unit
The CMASU paraded at the Staff College in Toronto. Because it was a new unit it had several problems, a principal one being that it drew the best soldiers from many regiments, which often resulted in support from higher levels being provided only reluctantly, if at all. The solution was to have the CMASU reduced to company strength and have it bolster one of the Toronto-based units, with The Queen’s Own eventually getting the nod over The Toronto Scottish. Since a number of the original CMASU cadre had come from The Queen’s Own, then Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Bill Wilson, CD, warmly greeted the return of his riflemen. He was delighted with the addition of this significant element to his regiment and showed his strong support by providing the unit with the flexibility to maintain its training schedule and customs. The CMASU was designated as The Queen’s Own’s 60th Company and Lieutenant Colonel Peter Fairclough decided to become Major Fairclough to enable him to stay with his troops.
That the CMASU was stood down did not stop the desire to have reservists involved in supporting parachute operations in Canada. The idea of such a unit was significantly enhanced when The Canadian Airborne Regiment (Cdn AB Regt) offered to augment its numbers by inviting The Queen’s Own to provide a fully-formed section. The invitation was eagerly accepted, resulting in an eight-man rifle section serving with a company of 2 (Airborne) Commando, under the command of Major Ike Kennedy. During this time they took part in Exercise Georgian Strike 2 at CFB Borden, Meaford and Petawawa, and were later commended for their capabilities. These eight riflemen were former CMASU soldiers and their accomplishment served to forward the concept of reserve support to the Canadian Airborne Regiment. At the conclusion of the exercise they were present at the ceremony held to mark the formation of 3 (Airborne) Commando, which would be commanded by the same Maj Kennedy, who had become a staunch supporter of The Queen’s Own receiving a parachute tasking.
Preparing to jump!
Within higher headquarters Major General Reginald Lewis championed the tasking and vision became reality in 1982 when nine Queen’s Own soldiers were sent on the Basic Parachutist Course at the Canadian Airborne Centre (CABC) in Edmonton, Alberta, an unprecedented event. Prior to this, reservists had been given the chance to take the course only rarely, and as a “reward” for one accomplishment or another. All nine were successful graduates, among them being three future Regimental Sergeant Majors for The Queen’s Own Rifles in CWO (now Captain) John Wilmot, CWO Scott Patterson and CWO Shaun Kelly. Another graduate was LCol Robert Zeidler, who later became the regiment’s commanding officer. Additionally, BGen Don Pryer and LCols Bob Campbell, Steve Brand, Tony Welsh, John Fotheringham, Martin Delaney and Peter St. Denis, named commanding officer in 2102, were qualified as parachutists before taking command.
Augmenting the Canadian Airborne Regiment
On 23 January, 1983, the concept became official with the issuance of Operations Order 2/83 which gave The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada the mission to provide a 27-man platoon to augment the Canadian Airborne Regiment. The Queen’s Own were given 18 months to form the platoon by qualifying paratroopers and providing them with the opportunity to gain experience with the airborne soldiers. In August, 1983, 24 members of The Queen’s Own, led by then Lt Tony Welsh, attended the Airborne Indoctrination Course (AIC) where they earned the right to wear a maroon beret, bearing the cap Badge of The Queen’s Own Rifles.
In September, 1984, parachute tasking within the Canadian Forces burgeoned when Quebec-based Le Régiment du Saguenay and The Loyal Edmonton Regiment in Alberta were each also tasked to provide a platoon to support the airborne regiment.
The relationship between the regiments and airborne developed quickly and positively and by 1985 an operational assessment established the fact the reserve force jump platoons were now considered to be fully manned and trained. Due to the successes, the British Columbia-based Royal Westminster Regiment was awarded a 27-man jump platoon and The Queen’s Own and the Saguenays each were granted a second one, bringing the total to six reserve airborne platoons and a company HQ, which had been established by The Queen’s Own. The reserves could now form the fourth platoon in each commando, with the remaining three platoons and company HQ forming the basis of a fourth commando contingent.
That the Queen’s Own took great pride in their tasking was evidenced by the enthusiasm exhibited in their participation on airborne courses, exercises and operational deployments. Future Queen’s Own Rifles commanding officer, then 2/Lt John Fotheringham did a six-month posting with 3 Commando and in 1992, when the Canadian Airborne Regiment deployed to Somalia, it took with it six members of The Queen’s Own, thus forming the largest contribution from a reserve unit on the operation.
Riflemen were not only qualifying as paratroopers they also started acquiring more experience in parachuting and other skill sets related to airborne operations. They had the opportunity to take courses through CABC or with the CAR such as DZ/LZ controller (Drop Zone/Landing Zone), packer/rigger, basic mountain operations, and aerial delivery. They also were presented with the chance to participate in foreign exchanges and TALEXs (Tactical Airlift Exercises). These opportunities allowed some of them to gain enough experience to start taking more advanced courses. In 1989 Sgt Chris Thompson became the first Queen’s Own Rifles NCO to qualify as jumpmaster and in 1993 WO Donovan O’Halloran became the first to qualify as parachute instructor. These individual accomplishments helped solidify the formation of The Queen’s Own as an airborne qualified- and-ready unit.
In 1994, with budget pressures being applied at National Defence Headquarters, a little more than ten years after its introduction it was announced that, with the exception of The Queen’s Own Rifles, all militia units would forfeit their parachute taskings. While this was a crushing blow to those regiments, and justifiable cause for future concern at battalion HQ at Moss Park Armoury, The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada, once again, was the only reserve unit in Canada whose members had the chance to continue to train to become paratroopers and to become part of the regiment’s airborne cadre.
Within the year, however, the Canadian airborne community became the focus of much public attention and unrelenting harsh criticism, largely misdirected, following the death of a Somali youth at the hands of two members of The Canadian Airborne Regiment. A government enquiry into the matter ensued, military trials were held and the regiment was ordered disbanded. The outrage within the military at this draconian decision was unbridled but “orders is orders” and at CFB Petawawa, on 5 March, 1995 – a cold and windy day – The Canadian Airborne Regiment paraded for the last time. The Queen’s Own Rifles maintained its relationship with the regiment to the end, with its paratroopers participating in a final jump and attending its last parade, where The Queen’s Own’s Regimental Band and Bugles would play. The sombre event included a church parade, a ceremony of Laying up of Colours in the Canadian Airborne Forces Museum, followed by final dismissal on Nicklin Parade Square. It was a bitter irony that the parade square had been named in honour of LCol Jeff Nicklin, a former commanding office of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, which had been in the D-Day assault. Nicklin had been killed in action in Germany in 1945. Meanwhile in Ottawa the Chief of the Defence Staff ordered that the regiment be struck from the order of battle of the Canadian Forces with effect that date, in accordance with Ministerial Order 95003.
New Canadian Parachute Centre (CPC)
In June 1996, The Queen’s Own was tasked by Land Force Command (LFC) to provide 66 parachutists in support of the new Canadian Parachute Centre (CPC) that was relocated to CFB Trenton in Ontario. The Queen’s Own quickly developed a strong and important relationship with CPC, now the Canadian Land Advanced Warfare Centre (CFLAWC), one which has evolved over the years. Initially the regiment provided jumpers for CPC’s task of supporting Tactical Airlift Training Exercises (TATEX) for RCAF 8 Wing, Trenton. These allowed CC-130 helicopter crews to be qualified and to maintain efficiency in personnel and equipment drops. The exercises would take place several times a year for ten days and as time progressed Queen’s Own jumpers played increasingly larger roles by providing DZ control teams, jumpmasters and aerial delivery-qualified personnel to rig equipment for airdrops.
A further evolution of the relationship with CPC was the regiment providing instructors and support staff for courses. These responsibilities gradually increased in scope and frequency with Queen’s Own Rifles airborne riflemen teaching on aerial delivery, helicopter operation, DZ/LZ and advanced mountain operations. Proving their ability as instructors, Queen’s Own Rifles NCOs were soon being offered permanent instructor positions at CFLAWC.
Following disbandment of the Canadian Airborne Regiment, three parachute companies were formed in the 3rd Battalion of the three regular force infantry regiments – Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, Royal Canadian Regiment and Royal 22nd Regiment. The Queen’s Own quickly established and maintained a close relationship with 3 RCR Para Coy. Riflemen quickly began participating on exercises with the company on a regular basis and as the relationship developed Queen’s Own Rifles jumpmasters would support 3 RCR Para Coy parachute operations. In the past, Queen’s Own airborne-qualified personnel augmented 3 RCR in Ft. Bragg, North Carolina on a joint operation exercise with U.S. troops as well as at the U.S. Marine Corps Weapons and Tactics Course in Yuma, Arizona.
The relationship to 3 RCR has also transferred well to support on expeditionary operations. During OP PALLADIUM ROTO 3 and 8 to Bosnia-Herzegovina many members of the The Queen’s Own augmented 3 RCR Para Coy. When 3 RCR deployed to Afghanistan other personnel augmented the company during OP ATHENA in Kabul. An excellent example of the strength of this relationship occurred in 2008 when 25 members of The Queen’s Own’s airborne company deployed on OP ATHENA, Roto 6, in support of the 3 RCR Battle Group, which was the largest Queen’s Own Rifles contingent to deploy to a battle theatre since the days of the 1st and 2nd battalions of the Canadian Army’s regular force.
Planning and Executing its Own Exercises
Moving on following disbandment of The Canadian Airborne Regiment, The Queen’s Own found itself more and more involved in planning and executing its own exercises, a challenging task indeed. The training model for the reserves has changed frequently over the past 30 years, moving from individual unit training to collective training on weekends. Due to this, most exercises take place independent of regular unit training, increasing the level of commitment required from the airborne riflemen. During special events, such as summer concentrations, the regiment was often given the chance to jump into the Ex but the force employment was limited. This changed dramatically when The Queen’s Own was given the opportunity to lead a composite airborne reconnaissance platoon during the two-week-long summer concentration in 2003. The platoon was composed of 20 Queen’s Own riflemen and 20 pathfinders from the German Army in an exercise that was highlighted by tactical parachute and rappel inserts. At the following summer’s concentration, the regiment led an airborne company made of 60 paratroopers from The Queen’s Own and 30 jump-qualified from other Land Force Central Area LFCA reserve units in a variety of para-oriented tasks.
March 4, 2004 – QOR 60th Company troops await pickup by a Royal Canadian Air Force CH-146 Griffon from 400 Squadron at Fort Drum, New York.
In 2013, its 30th anniversary year, The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada’s parachute company exists as a shadow company within the unit, drawing its jumpers from the two rifle companies, 60th and Buffs, as well as Victoria company, which provides combat service support. The jumpers participate in annual parachute refresher training and physical training testing. New parachutists are also provided with internally-run indoctrination training to help them transition from parachutist to paratrooper. Training continues on weekends and jumpers have, on average, six opportunities to jump a year, weather and equipment availability always permitting. However, there is a renewed interest in having the Queen’s Own jumpers employed to support collective exercises, with a prime example of this being the platoon jumping, in well below zero weather, into a DZ on a frozen river to secure the airfield in Moosonee during area-level Exercise Trillium Response early in 2013.
The capability of The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada to provide a self-sustaining parachute company is well established after 30 years. In its ranks as the 30th anniversary year began the regiment has six parachute instructors, eight jumpmasters and a large pool of DZ controllers and aerial delivery specialists. Because of this capability, the regiment was able to take on a basic parachute course for primary reservists from LFCA during the summer of 2012. This resulted in members of The Queen’s Own Rifles planning and executing the first ever basic parachutist course staffed only by reservists and for reservists. The end result was 40 reservists becoming jump-qualified and the secondary effect of improved retention and motivation for these members.
In his role as jumpmaster, Capt Scott Moody, Officer Commanding 60th Company, adjusts the equipment of Sgt Matt Kohler prior to a training session.
Over the past 30 years of its parachute tasking The Queen’s Owen Rifles has continued to evolve. Changes have taken place in the areas of structure and function of airborne forces and reserve employment in Canada during this time. However, the inherent resilience of the Riflemen has permitted them to adapt to these changes and build capacity.
AIRBORNE!
[1] From 1963 to 1966, Britain successfully waged a secret war to keep the Federation of Malaya free from domination by President Sukarno's Indonesia and by Chinese Communists. At the forefront of the campaign was the British Army`s elite Special Air Service, whose essence is secrecy and whose tools are bold initiative, surprise, and skill.
Over the past few months we’ve received two corporate donations which we’d like to publicly acknowledge.
Paint
A conversation I was having with a colleague at work about repainting one of our exhibit rooms was overhead by another colleague which led to her father and eventually to the head office of Benjamin Moore Canada. The end result of “one thing leading to another” was some very expert advice on the most durable but also low VOC paints that would be most practical for our needs AND a donation of eight gallons of the said paint via one of their local retailers (Maples Paints on St Clair West.) Like most museums with limited operating budgets, donation of items in kind – like paint – can mean a big difference to what we can accomplish!
Mannequins
Pretty much every historical museum uses mannequins to display costumes – historical clothing or in our case uniforms. But like many museum supplies, mannequins can be expensive – up to hundreds of dollars. The Queen’s Own Rifles Museum is no exception and although we have a large number of uniforms on display, we still have a closet full that aren’t!
Since my day job office is located at Queen and Bay (on top of the Queen Street Hudson Bay store), I arranged to have coffee about a month ago with Richard Montgomery, Chief Adventurer (a.k.a. Vice President and General Manager) of the Queen Street store. After reminiscing about my first job as a teenager at the Robert Simpson’s Queen Street Store (before it was bought by the Bay) and finding out that Robert had a degree in history, we talked mannequins. Richard said he’d be happy to help us out if he could and promised to check what they might be available. Almost four weeks later, staff delivered 2 full mannequins and 2 “busts” on stands to my office on the 18th floor!
In the picture above, your’s truly is the one with the head, and a couple of the others have been clothed with fig leafs for modesty’s sake. We’ve also undertaken a mannequin naming contest since they may be there a while until I can arrange transportation to their new home at Casa Loma.
Thank you
Thank you to both Benjamin Moore Paints Canada and The Hudson Bay Company for their generous gift in kind donations!
Note that we have two “specialty” timelines for uniforms and weapons which we’re also trying to populate.
Information can be submitted in the body of an email or in a WORD attachment and each date/event (following the format already being used including a [2] at the end of each entry as the reference to this source). Research should be emailed to museum@qormuseum.org directly.
If you’re interested in assisting with this project, you can indicate below which time period you would like to research (it can be a portion of the periods shown above) and we’ll confirm with you before you start just some we don’t end up with any overlap. Questions can also be posted in the comments below!
OK well the position is actually Social Media Assistant not nerd, but you probably get the drift. We’re looking for someone comfortable with and experienced in using social media to connect and engage with visitors, friends, volunteers and financial supporters of our museum. Definitely someone who is familiar with and a regular user of Facebook and Twitter and preferably someone who understands Pinterest and WordPress as well. Experience using HootSuite or other tools for managing social media is also a plus!
You’d assist in preparing “this day in history” posts, following social media mentions of the QOR or our museum, re-posting items of interest from similar organizations, responding to comments/questions from followers and even perhaps creating some blog posts.
You’d work with the Curator within the guidelines we are developing and would work from your own computer and/or smartphone or other device. Besides social media cred, you need have an interest in the history of the Queen’s Own Rifles (duh) and ideally a connection to the regiment (but the latter isn’t a deal breaker!)
If you think you might be interested in taking on this volunteer position, please send an email to museum@qormuseum.org (please don’t apply via the “comments” section below although we’re happy to respond to questions about the position that way.) You should include a description of your experience in relation to what we’re looking for above and links to your FB, Twitter accounts and other accounts as a kind of portfolio for us to check out!
April is a significant month for the Queen’s Own Rifles for a number of reasons and this week in particular. In this post we’ll take a look at a few.
2nd Battle of Ypres and the 3rd Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF)
When the 3rd Battalion was raised for the Canadian Expeditionary Force in September 1914, it consisted mostly of soldiers from the Queen’s Own Rifles including all three of its wartime Commanding Officers, however it also had elements from the 10th Royal Grenadiers and the Governor General’s Bodyguard. Today the 3rd Battalion, CEF is perpetuated by the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada and the Royal Regiment of Canada (as the successor to the 10th Royal Grenadiers.)
After some training at Valcartier the 3rd Bn embarked for England On October 3rd as part of the 1st Brigade where they would spend four more months equipping, training and reorganizing. They arrived in France in mid February 1915 and were assigned to their first front line trench duties on March 5th. The first combat casualties occurred the next day with two men reported killed by shrapnel from shelling. But it was not until the April that they would see their first and perhaps most significant battle.
“On April 22nd the 2nd and 3rd Brigades were holding the line, the 2nd on the right, the 3rd on the left with the 1st Brigade in reserve about Vlamertinghe. In the afternoon the enemy launched the first gas attack of the war against the French and to a lesser extent against the Canadian left. The attack entirely broke the French, exposing the Canadian left flank which bent but held. The 2nd and 3rd Battalions, the latter commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Rennie, were rushed up in support, arriving at midnight, and were attached to the Third Brigade at Shell-trap Farm. The former at once went into the line on the exposed left flank. During the following morning “C” and “D” Companies of the 3rd Battalion were placed under command of Major Kirkpatrick and moved forward to fill in a gap on the right of the 2nd Battalion between the famous Kitchener’s Wood and the village of St. Julien. Throughout the day and night this flank held in spite of desperate German attacks, but the following day it was pushed back, “C” and “D” Companies being completely wiped out in a vain attempt to stem the tide. All this was done under heavy artillery fire and without artillery support, for the line had not been expected to hold and most artillery had been withdrawn. Meanwhile, many British battalions were being rushed up and about April 27th, the line was stabilized and the Division relieved, the 3rd Battalion being the last to be withdrawn. After several days in support, the division left the Salient and moved south.. This was the battalion’s first battle. It is known as the Second Battle of Ypres and the Canadian part of it as St. Julien sometimes Langemarck. It cost the battalion 19 officers and 460 men in casualties.”
From a “A Brief History of the 3rd Canadian Battalion Toronto Regiment”
Included in that total and what hurt the 3rd Battalion the most was the fact that 287 men taken as prisoners of war by the Germans – including Kirkpatrick – the second most of any Canadian unit during the war. Those that were not considered casualties, from the Commander on down, were all suffering from fatigue and irritable nerves.
The war dairies written during this battle are worth a read and you can find them on our website here. Note the 10 am April 24 entry which records instructions to Major Kilpatrick that “You must hang on to your position” and which would lead to his nickname of “Hang On Kirkpatrick”.
Here are two additional accounts of the battle from participants:
Corporal J.W. “Jack” Finnemore #9785 – 3rd Battalion
April 22, 1915 – 2nd Battle of Ypres “I was wounded on the last jump over between leaving an old trench and building a new one. My brother F.A. Finnimore (Staff Sargeant Frank Finnimore #9781) was wounded there just before I was.I started to take his putee off when Captain Strait (Major John Everett Streight, Prisoner of War)said to me “.Come on Finnimore. Look after your section. Never mind, you’ll have to leave him (my brother).” A newspaper back home reported that we kissed each other goodbye on the front, but I only did his leg up.That was all!.” Jack was captured by the Germans and became a Prisoner of War. Frank survived his wounds.
Private Frank V. Ashbourne #9170 – 3rd Battalion
April 24, 1915 – 2nd Battle of Ypres “We went into the line with a thousand and only two hundred of us came out of it. Sir John French said that it was our Battalion that stopped the advance of the Germans. “C” and “D” Companies suffered the most and were almost wiped out. I was with my brother Bert (Private Bertram Ashbourne #9171), shortly before we were separated by the gas attack at St. Julien, on April 24-25, 1915. My brother was wounded at Langemarck and taken prisoner of war. During the gas attack at St. Julien we lost the first line of trenches and had to move back to the supports. At the back of those trenches we lay down flat and covered our mouths with wet clothes, waiting for the Germans to come up. They came up slowly thinking we were all dead from their gas, but not so. It drifted slowly over us and showed the Germans about seventy-five yards away. We were suddenly ordered to rapid fire and I don’t think that about more than a dozen Germans got away alive. We advanced again and regained our front trenches with minimum losses”.
Formation
As many of you may already know, the QOR itself was formed by General Militia Order on April 26, 1860 under the name Second Battalion Volunteer Rifles of Canada. It consisted of several formerly independent rifles companies that had been raised in 1955 in the County of York and the surrounding communities. Lieutenant Colonel William Smith Durie of the Barrie Company appointed Commanding Officer.
The past 113 years, Queen’s Own Riflemen have seen service in the Battle of Ridgeway (Fenian Raids), the Red River Rebellion, the North West Field Force, the South African War, the First World War, the Second World War, peacekeeping in Korea and Cyprus, NATO service in Germany, various United Nations postings, Bosnia and most recently Afghanistan where 61 soldiers of the regiment saw active service.
This week is National Volunteer Week in Canada so we want to take this opportunity to thank and recognize our 15 volunteers who have provided 256 hours of volunteer service to the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada’s Regimental Museum in the past 6 months:
Cpl Jonathan Chan
Mathew Cutler
Clay Downes
Nancy Downes
Hayden
Phil Escayola
Capt (Ret) Larry Hicks
Cpl Graham Humphrey
Cpl Katherine Jessome
Cpl Tommy Jun
Katherine Kelly
CWO (Ret) Shaun Kelly
Lydia Radewych
Anne Root
Rfn Alex Sonatin
Volunteers are critical to the successful operation of our museum and we greatly appreciate the time, the skills, the knowledge and the effort of each and every one!
Aside from our collection of artifacts our museum has an interesting archival collection of documents, records and other materials dating back to the 1860s. These were created by the Regiment, by regimental affiliates or donated by individuals or their families. The museum itself has also collected a variety of material. We hope to create a catalogue of our archives to make them more accessible to researchers.
Our lack of full time staff to respond to requests for information has led us to consider the benefits of digitizing certain records and making them available online. To this end, we contacted Anne Dondertman of the Thomas Fisher Rare Books Library, University of Toronto, who is graciously allowing us use of the library’s digital book scanner designed for use with bound volumes. This is a book2net Kiosk for those enquiring minds.
After scanning, we import the individual jpeg images from a book into a single Adobe Acrobat pdf document. We then add books marks, run optical character recognition to create a searchable document (if possible), add metadata and reduce the size of the pdf for uploading to our website.
I can now scan about 400 pages per hour if I resist the urge to read while I’m scanning. As we only have access to the library a couple of hours each week, it may take us some time to process our materials. In the meantime we’re prioritizing so that we`ll be scanning the most useful/interesting first – a rather subjective process!
To date we`ve digitized and uploaded to our new ARCHIVES page:
one Nominal Roll (1866-1882)
three volumes of Regimental Orders (1868-1874, 1886-1892 & 1892-1897)
the regimental Book of Remembrance, 1866-1918,
three sets of Regimental Standing Orders (1880, 1894, 1925)
We’ve also linked to some previously scanned documents:
the 3rd Battalion Nominal Roll 1915
two diaries of soldiers who were in the North West Field Force
Lieutenant R. S. Cassels
Rifleman J. A. Forin
We’ll continue digitizing and uploading as documents are completed. We hope you’ll find this material both interesting and helpful!
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 15,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 3 Film Festivals
New photos storage shelving installed December 2012.
December isn’t over yet but we want to provide both an update and to ask for you support before we all get wrapped up in the holiday hustle and bustle.
Cleaning and Cataloging Photos
Two volunteers – former Regular Force Rifleman Clay Downes and his wife Nancy of Georgetown, Ontario – have been busy over the last several weeks, cleaning and cataloging framed photographs in the museums collection. Cleaning off several layers of dust is pretty self explanatory but cataloging requires recording detailed information about each photo including a description of the photos content, and as much about the people included, location, date, occasion, photographer or studio, dimensions, framing, etc. that we can determine. All of this information is being entered into our new collections management software and will help us with taking future inventories, sourcing photos for future exhibitions, and providing resources for research projects. Between them they have provided 61 hours of volunteer service and deserve a large thanks!
Today Curator Major John Stephens, Assistant Curator CWO Shaun Kelly and Clay, removed some older shelving that had been built with whatever materials had been at hand and installed new metal shelving (see photos at right). These new shelves will provide much better storage for all our photos, now well organized by their object number. The team was very pleased with the results and once the cataloged photos were moved into the new shelving, Nancy had room to continue the very large project!
RENEWING OUR PAST: Supporting the Regimental Museum
The Regimental Museum is undertaking our RENEWING OUR PAST Campaign which consists of two parts:
Preserving Our Past includes efforts to protect and preserve our artifacts to ensure they will continue to be with us for a long time. Installing new storage, purchasing necessary but expensive archival materials, and creating a detailed collections database are all unglamorous but important parts of this phase.
Connecting with the Present includes re-imagining our exhibits, reaching out with social media, creating a volunteer program and providing museum activities and resources. We’ll shortly be creating a new “Soldiers of the Queen’s Own” exhibit in the Tower room which will start with a new coat of paint!
Elements are underway in both phases and with that comes numerous additional costs beyond our usual operating expenses. The Regimental Museum is governed, operated and supported financially by the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada Regimental Trust Fund. You can help support the Museum and its RENEWING OUR PAST campaign by donating to the Trust through the CanadaHelps.org website. Under Fund/Designation select “Museum Fund” to ensure that your donation can be properly directed to our campaign. Donations received before the end of December, will be issued a 2012 charitable income tax receipt.
Thank you for your support and we wish you all a very happy holiday!
“From cushy to crummy and blind spot to binge drink, a new study reveals the impact the First World War had on the English language and the words it introduced.”
“The results of the research are included in a new book, Trench Talk: Words of the First World War, which documents how new words and phrases originated, while others were spread from an earlier, narrow context, to gain new, wider meanings.”
You may recall in that on September 3rd we launched an appeal on our website, Facebook Page and Twitter account for volunteers to assist with our project to transcribe scanned versions of the 3rd Battalion, CEF war diaries which were available online at the Library and Archives Canada website. The diaries consisted of 53 months of entries from October 19, 1914 when the battalion landed in England, to February 28th, 1919.
Today I’m pleased to announce that we received the final month’s of transcription which is now posted on our site! You can find them on our timeline or link to them directly: 1914 — 1915 — 1916 — 1917 — 1918 — 1919.
Twenty-seven people from around the world, volunteered to help with the project – especially after we posted our project on the “micro-volunteering” site Sparked (with many thanks to friend of the museum, Mr. Matthew Cutler for that suggestion!) International volunteers came from Chile, Australia, France and across the USA in Oklahoma, New York City, Pennsylvania, California, District of Columbia, Washington State, Colorado, and North Carolina. Many of Canadian volunteers come through the Museum Management and Curatorship Program at Sir Sanford Fleming College in Peterborough. Only two of the volunteers are involved with the military!
Although there were some challenges in interpreting handwriting or imperfectly scanned documents, many of the participants indicated how interesting (and in many cases sad) this project was and how it gave them a better understanding of day to day life in an allied infantry battalion of the First World War.
There is still a bit of tidying up to do on the pages and more links and a few map images to add but this now searchable transcription will definitely serve as a valuable research tool.
The Future of Casa Loma and a Museum of Toronto Public Meeting
In August 2011, City Council created the Casa Loma Corporation (CLC) for the purpose of managing the continuing operations of Casa Loma on an interim basis until its future ownership and management direction could be determined. The City of Toronto is now moving forward with a plan to ensure the long-term viability of Casa Loma, the Queen’s Own Rifles Regimental Museum and the potential for a Museum of Toronto as part of the site’s future. For more information about our progress, click here. You are invited to attend a public meeting to learn about these opportunities and give the City your feedback, vision and guidance.
It is important to note that the QOR Museum’s continued presence at Casa Loma is not guaranteed.
Date: Monday, November 26th Time: 7:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Location: Casa Loma (1 Austin Terrace)
Attendees may arrive at 5:30 p.m. for a site visit of the property prior to the meeting starting at 7:00 p.m.
The City will be seeking feedback from the public in two key areas at this meeting:
1. The future of the main building (south side of Austin Terrace)
The City is seeking qualified proponents with whom to enter into a long term lease to operate Casa Loma as an historic attraction and special event venue. As the Request for Proposal (RFP) is developed and the associated evaluation criteria the Board is interested in hearing from the public about your priorities for the building and opportunities to expand on its role in presenting Toronto’s history. A two stage Request for Proposal (RFP) will be issued in mid-December 2012.
2. The future of other buildings (north side of Austin Terrace)
In early 2013 the Board will issue a Request for Expression of Interest (REOI) for a vision and uses for the complex north of Austin Terrace, including the Hunting Lodge, Potting Shed, and Stables. At this public meeting input will be sought on the REOI, where Respondents will be asked to consider the feasibility of including a Museum of Toronto in their proposals.
On Saturday November 10th the Regimental Museum held a very successful first “Ask a Soldier” event throughout our exhibit rooms. Eight serving soldiers from the regiment were present to answer questions about their service and also to help visitors understand the militia today. They had personal and parachuting equipment available for visitors to try on and our Master Corporal Pioneer was also a hit with those wanting their picture taken with axes and swords! Thanks to Deputy Commanding Officer Major Sandi Banerjee, Regimental Sergeant Major Mark Shannon, Warrant Officer Justin Thorn, MCpl Jessie Behan, Cpl Shahab Alam, Cpl Alex Dristas, Cpl Susheel Palanivelu and Cpl Barry Windover.
As this was also the day before Remembrance Day, we provided an opportunity for our youngest visitors to help create poppies to place between the crosses lining the wall and bearing the names of QOR who had lost their lives in the service of their country. Museum volunteer Matthew Cutler helped them navigate the creation of their poppies and with creating the crosses.
Curator John Stephens and Assistant Curator Shaun Kelly tried to keep everything running smoothly and lunches for our participating soldiers were sponsored by Pegasus Catering.
We’re all looking forward to another opportunity to work with members of the regiment!
Each year hundreds of students visit Casa Loma (and our Regimental Museum) as part of school or youth groups or with their families. Casa Loma provides a number of programs and has identified their connections to Ontario’s school curriculum. Unfortunately these programs do not include our exhibits or the extensive 150+ years connection of the Queen’s Own Rifles to the history of Canada and the evolution of our city, our province, our country and our society.
Are you a current or retired Ontario teacher?
Phase I of our Project CONNECTIONS is to identify connections between the stories presented in our museum and all levels of the Ontario Curriculum. Once we’ve done that, Phase II will be developing resource material and activities that will help students make those connections.
If you are interested in helping with either phase of Project CONNECTIONS, please contact at us museum@qormuseums.org. Please indicate your teaching credentials, your current teaching status, and the level(s) you are able to assist with (primary, intermediate, senior.)
We’re looking for assistance in transcribing digitized copies of the 3rd Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Forces War Diaries for posting on this site. The 3rd Battalion, known as the Toronto Regiment, is perpetuated jointly by the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada and the Royal Regiment of Canada. Transcribing the diaries allows us to easily search them and link to specific names and events in the battalions history.
How this works:
Review the list of scanned pages on our 3rd Battalion War Diaries Transcription Project Page. Pages in italics indicate that someone has already committed to transcribe them. Pages that have been completed will be removed from the list.
Note that the diaries up until April 30, 1915 have already been transcribed by the Canadian Great War Project and are in the process of being posted onto our site.
It is not necessary for everyone to transcribe chronological order – if there is a time period you are interested in feel free to take that on – however to keep things simple, please complete the transcription for at least a complete month at one time.
We DO want to transcribe all pages entitled WAR DIARY. For this stage of the project we DON’T need to transcribe all appendices. “Messages” generally should be transcribed – Operations Orders should not – however please reference untranscribed appendices so that we can provide links to them.
It is NOT necessary to transcribe index pages – We’ll try to remove them from this list when we have time.
Send an email to museum@qormuseum.org to tell us you are interested in participating. In your email indicated which months/year you will be working on so we update our list and avoid duplication of effort.
Please send you transcription in text format (not tables). You use Word or simply paste them into the text of your email. See the format to be used in this example for November 11, 1918. Please make sure you review or better yet, have someone else review your transcription for accuracy. Typed entries are pretty easy to copy but transcribing handwriting entries can sometimes be tricky!
You do not need to save up all your transcriptions and send in at once. If you finish a month, please send them to us. We’ll try to post as quickly as possible.
If you have any questions, please email us at museum@qormuseum.org and we’ll do our best to respond as quickly as possible with the caveat that we too, are all volunteers!
Thanks in advance for assisting us with this exciting project!!
Firstly, who is this J.W.L. Forster? The Ontario Heritage Trust prepared the following research in preparation for the dedication of a historical plaque recognizing Forster in 2003:
Early talent
J.W.L. Forster (1850-1938)
John Wycliffe Lowes Forster (usually J.W.L. Forster) was born on December 31, 1850 in Norval, Ontario. His grandparents had immigrated to Canada from England in 1828 with six children, including Forster’s father Thomas who married Martha Wilkinson in 1847. Martha, who was reputedly descended from John Wycliffe, named her second son after the English philosopher.
By the age of two, Forster began to demonstrate artistic abilities by skilfully shaping the letters of the alphabet. As he grew older, he began sketching the faces of teachers and classmates on chalkboard with careful accuracy. Eventually, Forster passed the county teachers examination. He did not begin teaching but enrolled in Brampton Grammar School. Unfortunately, the daily eight-mile walk to school took its toll. He suffered a physical breakdown, which curtailed his plans for university.
Studio days With the encouragement of his parents, the 19-year-old Forster went to Toronto to develop his artistic talent. He became the apprentice of Toronto painter John Wesley Bridgman, noted for his professional crayon portraits, copies of historical paintings and portrait photographs. In 1871, Forster won first prize in the amateur class at the annual fair of the Upper Canada Agricultural Society for his portrait of Bridgman.
The following year, Forster and Bridgman began collaborating on portraits. Their work included a portrait of Mohawk chief Joseph Brant, painted for Lord Dufferin, and others displayed in the first exhibition of the Ontario Society of Artists. Forster made his first trip to New York City later that year, visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art and other collections. Forster formed a partnership with Bridgman that lasted from 1874 to 1878.
In 1876, Forster stepped onto the international stage, showing his work at the Philadelphia Sesquicentennial Exhibition alongside other Canadian artists including his partner, Bridgman. After the exhibition, Bridgman stayed in Philadelphia, giving Forster the opportunity to “work out portrait problems on my own.” One of the portraits he completed during this period depicts prominent Toronto businessman William Gooderham Sr. and his son William Jr.
Studying abroad By the age of 29, Forster had saved enough money to study abroad for three years. His first stop was London, England where he spent a few months with Canadian landscape painter Charles Stuart Millard who was teaching at the South Kensington Art School. Then Forster was off to Paris where he studied at the Académie Julian under Gustave Boulanger and Jules-Joseph Lefevre in 1879, under William Adolph Bouguereau and his associate Tony Robert-Fleury between 1880 and 1882, and under Carolus-Duran in 1882.
By 1881, two of Forster’s portraits had been admitted to the prestigious spring Salon in Paris. That same year, he sketched landscapes in the Barbizon region southeast of Paris with fellow Canadian painter William Blair Bruce, and for a time also shared a studio with Edwin S. Calvert, an Irish/Scottish landscapist. J.W.L. boasted at the time he had sold three pictures (probably landscapes) to collectors in Australia and received several portrait commissions in France.
Speaking of his Paris studies, Forster said, “my dream and ambition through the years had been to paint historical pictures, but comment was persistent by both masters and fellow-students on my mental and temperamental adaptation for portraiture.” His teacher Robert-Fleury declared. “C’est votre métier; et je vous conseille de le suivre. Vous êtes portraitists, vraiment.” [This is your vocation and I advise you to follow it. You are a portraitist, truly.]
Professional career Having completed his formal training, Forster returned to Toronto in 1883 to open a portrait studio of his own. A portrait of Dr. William Caven for Knox College was among his first commissions. Forster also taught students including J.W. Beatty, Curtis Williamson and Frank Armington, and was an examiner in fine arts at Hamilton Ladies College and Brantford Ladies College. Forster was also a major promoter for the establishment of an art school in Toronto.
He was elected a member of the Ontario Society of Artists in 1883 and regularly contributed to annual O.S.A. exhibitions between 1884 and 1925. In 1884, he was admitted as an Associate of the Royal Canadian Academy and began exhibiting during its annual shows. He also exhibited at the Art Association of Montreal (later the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts) from 1889 to 1914, and in various Provincial Industrial Exhibitions and the Canadian National Exhibition from 1902 to 1931.
By the mid 1890s, Forster was obtaining important commissions from the Ontario government. Forster painted retired Lieutenant-Governor The Honourable John Beverley Robinson in 1895, beginning the tradition which continues today of painting Ontario lieutenant-governors. Another early Ontario government commission, the portrait of The Honourable Christopher Finlay Fraser, is considered to be one of Forster’s finest works.
History paintings When the Ontario Legislative Building opened in 1893, “a series of historical sketches were made [by Forster] and submitted to officers of state as an appeal for the decoration of state buildings.” During the next decade, under successive provincial governments, Forster completed four historical portraits – Major-General Sir Isaac Brock, Major-General James Wolfe, Major-General Aeneas Shaw and Colonel John Graves Simcoe.
Forster thoroughly researched his historical subjects, travelling in 1897 to Brock’s home in St. Peter Port, Guernsey, England, to study the hero of the War of 1812. With an introduction from John Beverley Robinson, he visited the Miss Tuppers, nieces and heirs to the General. Using as a model a watercolour and pastel portrait of Brock (attributed to William Berczy) owned by the Tuppers, Forster made a preliminary sketch (now in the collection of the National Archives of Canada) and a painting that is displayed in the Royal Court House, St. Peter Port. Another painting of Brock in the Ontario government’s collection is displayed in the Ontario Legislative Building. The Tupper sisters also owned the General’s uniform that was “perforated by the musket balls which terminated his spectacular career,” as well as the letter which Brock wrote to Sir George Prevost the night before the Battle of Queenston Heights. Forster featured both the uniform and the letter in this famous portrait.
While in England, Forster took the opportunity to research a portrait of James Wolfe who led British forces at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759. He based his sketch on a portrait of Wolfe by Joseph Highmore that depicts him as a young lieutenant. Not completely satisfied with this image, Forster did further research in the Imperial War Records Office in London in order to make a more accurate rendering of the type of uniform Wolfe would have worn during his time in Canada.
Forster’s portrait of William Lyon Mackenzie was acquired by Premier Ross at the behest of citizens who recommended that it be hung in the Legislative Building “in respect to his place in history.” Premier Whitney then ordered a portrait of The Honourable Robert Baldwin, Mackenzie’s cohort in the struggle for responsible government. Forster also painted a portrait of Sir John A. Macdonald, a Conservative, as a counterpoint to an earlier portrait of Liberal George Brown.
Forster also proposed a series of murals depicting Ontario’s heritage for the walls of the new Legislative Building. Although a commission for Forster was not forthcoming, he did complete several notable history paintings during his career including The Departure of Canada’s First Contingent for South Africa 1899 and Welcome by the Parliament of Canada to the Members of the Colonial Conference at Ottawa 1894. While Forster was busy in England researching his portraits of Brock and Wolfe, he was able to obtain royal permission to sketch Queen Victoria and her household in June 1897 during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The resulting painting, Thanksgiving Service in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle for Queen Victoria and Household, is one of Forster’s finest historical tableaux.
During this period, Forster also painted historical portraits of the Methodist James Wesley, his brother Charles and their mother Suzannah. The three works are in the collection of Victoria University, Toronto – the institution that houses the largest number of Forster works. Commissioned by the Social Union of the Methodist Church of Canada, he travelled to numerous locations in England to research images during 1900.
“Big-wigs” Forster also wrote prolifically on art, history, ethics and education – including an autobiography entitled Under the Studio Light, Leaves from a Portrait Painter’s Sketch Book. In this book, he discussed the subjects of his paintings – prominent men and women from around the world who he affectionately called “big-wigs.” Forster categorized his subjects by profession. His “Public Men” included the Canadian Governor Generals Earl Grey and Lord Aberdeen, several Prime Ministers of Canada such as Sir J.S. Thompson, Sir Wilfrid Laurier and The Right Honourable William Lyon Mackenzie King, and provincial premiers from across Canada.
The “Eminent Collegians” that Forster painted included: Reverend Dr. Egerton Ryerson, the founder of Ontario’s educational system; Nathaniel Burwash, Chancellor of Victoria University; Reverend Dr. Charles Jas Stewart Bethune, Head Master of Trinity College School in Port Hope; and Dr. Willet Green Miller, first Provincial Geologist of Ontario.
Forster’s “Men of Affairs” included: farm equipment tycoon Hart Massey; department store mogul Timothy Eaton; Canada’s tobacco king Sir William MacDonald; and Ottawa lumber baron and founder of the Canada Atlantic Railway, John R. Booth. Forster also painted “Men of Imperial Minds” including Sir Sandford Fleming, inventor of standard time, and the military theorist Colonel Fred C. Dension, one of Forster’s “Knights of Old Chivalry.”
Among the notable women painted by Forster as “Guardian Spirits of our Race” were: Ellen Axson Wilson, the first wife of American President Woodrow Wilson; Mary L. McDonnell, the first President of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union; Emily Murphy, known as “Janey Canuck,” Canada’s first police magistrate and a leader of the Orange Order; and members of high society.
Forster painted dozens of portraits of missionaries, which he termed “Modern Crusaders”, including General William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army. He also painted many portraits of “Prelates, Priests, and Preachers” and “Artists in Prose and Verse”.
The Emperor and Empress of Japan Forster was the first foreign artist to be granted the privilege of painting the Emperor and Empress of Japan. The opportunity arose during the Eighth World’s Sunday School Convention in 1920 when convention organizers commissioned him to paint Their Imperial Highnesses.
Forster set up a studio in Tokyo’s luxurious Imperial Hotel. Because Their Imperial Majesties never sat for portrait painters, Forster was provided with photographs of his subjects and also given the Emperor’s uniform, medals, sword and regalia. He was also given the Empress’s ermine and velvet trimmed gown and court jewels. The only glimpse Forster caught of the imperial couple was when they were boarding a train at Tokyo’s Ueno Station. Nevertheless, after six weeks’ work, the portraits were completed. They were unveiled during the convention and subsequently presented to the Imperial Household. The paintings are in the collection of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
National Portrait Gallery On April 25, 1938, J.W.L. Forster died at the age of 87 following an automobile collision. His friend The Right Honourable William Lyon Mackenzie King attended the funeral.
Forster’s lifelong dream was to establish a portrait gallery of “historic and eminent Canadians”. Upon his death, he bequeathed 15 of his portraits to form the nucleus of a national portrait gallery and $10,000 for its creation. The Forster collection includes the artist’s self-portrait as well as portraits of his wife and mother. His financial bequest was to be used to expand the collection once the gallery was realized.
Although the Corporation of the National Portrait Gallery was patented in 1939, the Second World War slowed its development. In 1955, a plan was negotiated to exhibit Forster’s collection in universities and elsewhere to promote awareness of the National Portrait Gallery. One exhibition was held in 1956 at the McIntosh Gallery of the University of Western Ontario in London. The members of the board of the National Portrait Gallery transferred its paintings and the administration of Forster’s donation to the Royal Ontario Museum.
Conclusion Forster made important contributions to portrait and history painting in Ontario. He was a major proponent of art and art education in Ontario and the Government of Ontario Art Collection holds 28 of his paintings. Several of Forster’s works, including Sir Isaac Brock, are prominently displayed in the Ontario Legislative Building. He was one of Canada’s most outstanding portrait painters and his reputation extended around the world. He painted Queen Victoria, the Emperor and Empress of Japan and others. During his career, Forster created over 500 portraits and historical tableaux that represent a visual dictionary of the great personalities of his time and reflect the prolificacy, vision and talent of this internationally renowned painter.
Forster and the Queen’s Own Rifles So we know that Forster was one of the preeminent portrait artist of the country during his lifetime but you may still be wondering about his connection to the Queen’s Own. Those of you who have ever been in the Officer’s Mess in Toronto however should know the answer.
Forster painted large (generally 30″ x 40″) oil portraits of the first seven Queen’s Own Rifles’ Commanding Officers and of the first Honorary Colonel, Field Marshal the Right Honorable Earl Roberts of Kandahar, Pretoria and Waterford. These fine portraits in elaborate gilt frames line the walls of the Mess and provide a powerful sense of history and connection in the Officer’s Mess.
With the exception of Roberts which is believed to have been painted in 1902, we don’t know when these portraits were actually painted. Below you can see photographs of each of the portraits taken in June 2010 by Christopher Lawson at the request of the Queen’s Own Trust.
Field Marshal the Right Hon. Earl Roberts of Kandahar, Pretoria and Waterford, VC, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE – Honorary Colonel, 1900-1914. The original 1902 43″ x 30″ oil on canvas painting by acclaimed portrait artist John Wycliffe Lowes Forster, hangs in the Queen’s Own Rifles’ Officers’ Mess. Photo by Christoper Lawson, June 17, 2010.
Lieutenant Colonel W.S. Durie – First Commanding Officer, 1860-1866. The original 43″ x 30″ oil on lined canvass painting by celebrated Canadian portrait artist John Wycliffe Lowes Forster, hangs in the Queen’s Own Rifles Officers’ Mess. Photo is by Christoper Lawson, June 17, 2010.
Lieutenant Colonel C.T. Gillmor – Second Commanding Officer, 1866-1875. The original 42.75″ x 30.75″ oil on canvass painting by celebrated Canadian portrait artist John Wycliffe Lowes Forster, hangs in the Queen’s Own Rifles Officers’ Mess. Photo by Christoper Lawson, June 17, 2010.General Sir William D. Otter – Third Commanding Officer, 1875-1883 and Honorary Colonel, 1915-1929. The original 43″ x 30″ oil on canvas mounted onto panel painting by celebrated Canadian portrait artist John Wycliffe Lowes Forster, hangs in the Queen’s Own Rifles’ Officers’ Mess. Photo by Christopher Lawson, June 17, 2010.Lieutenant Colonel A.A. Miller – Fourth Commanding Officer, 1883-1887. The original 43.5″ x 31″ oil on canvass mounted on panel painting by celebrated Canadian portrait artist John Wycliffe Lowes Forster, hangs in the Queen’s Own Rifles Officers’ Mess. Photo by Christopher Lawson, June 17, 2010.Lieutenant Colonel D.H. Allan – Fifth Commanding Officer, 1887-1889. The original 43.5″ x 31″ oil on canvass painting by celebrated Canadian portrait artist John Wycliffe Lowes Forster, hangs in the Queen’s Own Rifles Officers’ Mess. Photo by Christopher Lawson, June 17, 2010.Lieutenant Colonel R.B. Hamilton – Sixth Commanding Officer, 1889-1897. The original painting hangs in the Queen’s Own Rifles Officers’ Mess. While the artist’s signature is not evident in this photo, it was likely J. W. L. Forster who had painted the preceding five and the next succeeding Commanding Officer. • Photo by Christopher Lawson, June 17, 2010.Lieutenant Colonel J.M. Delamere – Seventh Commanding Officer, 1897-1901. The original 43.5″ x 31″ oil on canvass painting by celebrated Canadian portrait artist J. W. L. Forster, hangs in the Queen’s Own Rifles Officers’ Mess. Photo by Christopher Lawson, June 17, 2010.
This story has no connection to the Queen’s Own Rifles but it is a story we’re all familiar with – or are we?
Writer, researcher and historian Julie Summers examines the true story behind the Oscar-winning film ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’. It is, in essence, a story of bloody-minded determination not to give up in the face of an implacable enemy.
Part of the Lunchtime Lectures series – a programme of free talks that takes place at the National Army Museum in London every Thursday at 12.30pm.
The Queen’s Own Rifles Regimental Museum recently launched our new YouTube Channel which is a great place for us to share digital versions of regimental film clips in our archives. So far we’ve uploaded eight clips from D-Day landing footage to the History of the QOR on its 140th Anniversary!
The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada Regimental Museum and Archive 