Tag Archives: 2nd Battalion

General

Reflections on a Posting with 2QOR of C

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From the Summer/Fall 2008 Issue of the Powder Horn

Colonel Neville Arthur (Robbie) Robinson, CD, ADC

By Colonel Neville (Robbie) Robinson CD

Having spent three years at the Royal Canadian School of Infantry in Camp Borden wearing RCIC badges, I was glad to be interviewed by Col. Peter Bingham as to my choice of “rebadging” among the Canadian Guards, the Black Watch (RHR) and The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada. Having started my military career in 1941 in the King’s Royal Rifle Corps (60th Rifles), I naturally opted for The Queen’s Own, which turned out to be the best choice.

Soon after getting myself back into “Green and Black” I was posted to Korea as a replacement for Maurice Whiting, in 1954. The posting was for three months as 2QOR of C was rotating home in the spring. On arrival at the battalion, I was posted as 2 I/C D Coy. which was a large (170) company containing all the troops taking their release on return to Canada. For some reason, it was known as the “Jaggy Company’” by the other rifle and support companies. It was commanded by Maj. Larry Harrington who used hearing aids for which he had trouble obtaining batteries and was constrained to save them by switching them off whenever possible! Every morning was OC’s Orders where justice was dispensed.

As the battalion reserve, we manned the defensive positions in the Kansas Line during the numerous “Scram” Exercises, and did a large amount of repair work to the bunkers and slit trenches. Just as the Battalion was getting prepared to leave for Canada I was posted into the HQ 1 COMWEL Division to replace Capt. Erwin Fleury as Staff Captain (Canadian) and OC to KATCOM (Korean Army Attached to Commonwealth Division) Defence Coy, a standard three-platoon rifle company.

The staff work was the standard stuff and I spent a lot of time with piles of paper, one of which was 125 copies of the nominal roll of 2QOR to get the battalion aboard the troopship at Inchon. I went down to see them off and say goodbye to friends like Ron “Awful” Werry, Charlie Belzile and Peter Nixon. The tragic death of Lt. Bill Vipond was on my desk and that Board of Inquiry took a while to get to Ottawa, going back and forth. Years later, in the 90s, my wife Brenda and I visited Pusan and laid poppies on the graves of the three 2QOR casualties in the impressive UN cemetery on the hillside overlooking Pusan harbour.

The three months in Korea was extended twice to 13 months as the powers that be vacillated about who was leaving and who was staying. Before I left I was awarded a Korean medal by the Korean Army Chief of Staff and it now hangs in the QOR museum at Casa Loma as, in those days, we were not authorized to wear foreign decorations for peacekeeping duties.
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Korea, Regular Force

70th Anniversary of the Korean Armistice

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Although the 2nd Battalion of The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada arrived in Korea about nine months after the Armistice was signed, they still had six casualties attributed to their service during the Korean deployment:

  1. Rifleman N.P. Ferland – 31 March 1954 – Accidentally killed by a vehicle
  2. Sergeant G.W. Koch – 4 August 1954 – Drowned during recreational swimming
  3. Lieutenant N.M. Anderson – 25 August 1954 – Accidentally killed in an airplane crash
  4. Lieutenant M.C. Vipond – 18 March 1955 – Died in a barracks fire
  5. Rifleman G.P. Reid  – 11 June 1955 – Killed in a car accident in Saskatchewan while on leave
  6. Major P.E. Gower – 9 December 1956 – Airplane crash in the Rocky Mountains while returning from Korea

They are all commemorated at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Brampton, Ontario.

Below is an excerpt from “THE QUEEN’S OWN RIFLES OF CANADA 1860-1960 – ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF CANADA” by Lieutenant Colonel W.T. Barnard, ED, CD which summarizes the QOR’s deployment to Korea:

Don Perdue on the US Troop ship Marine Lynx en route to Korea

“The Korean Armistice was signed on 27 July 1953. The rotation of units on watch resulted in the selection of the 2nd Battalion for duty in Korea. The battalion came to Toronto and, on 27 February 1954, paraded with the 3rd Battalion to St. Paul’s for divine service. The same night the 2nd Battalion entrained for Seattle, Washington. The troopship [USS Marine Lynx] touched at Sacebo, Japan; then on to Inchon, Korea. The captain of the ship and his executive officer remarked, “Those men in the green berets and black belts are the ones to call on if you want a job done.”

Demmy Korea 1955

The battalion was warmly welcomed to the Commonwealth Division by Major-General (now Lieutenant-General) Sir Horatio Murray and Brigadier (now Major-General) J. V. AlIard. All units had 100 Katcorns (Koreans attached to the Commonwealth Division). The Queen’s Own formed theirs into one company under Major R. B. Firlotte. The company didn’t last long, however. The Koreans liked everything except the rifle pace. So they transferred to the road-building gangs where the pace was easier.

Korea – Don Perdue Collection

Korea presented an excellent training ground for all ranks. Exercises were held up to and including Corps level. Sitting on the line between North and South Korea meant alarms and excursions at any hour of the day and night. In fact, on one occasion, the officers had to leave a Mess Dinner and take up battle positions in Greens! Certainly, the work called for a high standard of leadership; the response from all ranks was excellent.

RSM William Demmy and his crew out on a patrol in Korea in 1955

The Fall of 1954 saw the Canadian Forces in Korea reduced from a brigade group to one battalion. The Queen’s Own was chosen as the one battalion to remain even though they were not the last to arrive in the country. Quite aware of the fact that the Army considers turning in too much equipment as bad as turning in too little, The Queen’s Own fell heir to the surplus from the departing battalions. Everything turned up from two-and-a-half ton trucks to battle dress.

Seen here is an Acting Corporal during the Deployment to Korea in 1955

Now The Queen’s Own were brigaded with The Royal Australian Regiment and The Dorsets. The association was most pleasant. Training was stepped up during the winter and culminated in an exercise conducted by Brigadier Geoffrey Musson CB, Commander of the Commonwealth Division.

Bill McAndrew on a visit to the 38th Parallel in Korea.

Finally, in the early spring of 1955, The Queen’s Own was ordered home. Now came the tremendous job of turning in the battalion’s own equipment and the surplus mentioned above. In this connection, the 2nd in Command, Major Ted Shuter; the adjutant, Captain Peter Nixon; H.Q. Company Commander, Major Ed. Price and the Quartermaster, Captain Fred Coe, deserve special mention. As the battalion sailed, a personal congratulatory letter came from Lieutenant-General Guy Simonds, the Canadian Chief of Staff.

Inchon, Korea was left on 6 April 1955. The V.S.S. General Mason arrived in Seattle, Washington on 22 April. After sixty days leave the unit reassembled at Gordon Head, Vancouver Island. ”

Regular Force

Reg Force Reminiscences: “THE GLORIOUS TWO BN”

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by Major Ronald R. Lilley, CD

This article was the second of two found in our collection. The date or purpose for which is was written is unknown. The first article can be found here. Lilley left the Loyal Edmonton Regiment to join the 1st Battalion QOR in March 1954.

In ‘62 I returned to Regimental duty and once again was posted to a unit which had just returned from Germany – the Second Battalion, led by its gravel voiced Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Dan Osborne.

On a bright sunny spring day I found myself in command of one of the battalion’s 100 man guards, paying homage to the General Officer Commanding Western Command. I had spent most of the night writing up a bn exercise and consequently was more dazed than usual. The guard was approaching the yellow marker and I shouted out the cautionary words, “No. 2 guard will advance” (the guard number is immaterial to the event). All would have been perfect except that the executive words of command “Left, Turn” followed in rapid order. That was the day I introduced the new drill movement “left foot over right foot”, a major drill not previously practised to my knowledge. I had missed the marker by not less than 15 paces or 100 miles whichever was closer on that eventful day. The movement was carried out in the best Rifles tradition and by the time we reached the saluting base flag the guard was lined up with the lead coy. After the parade and at the dispersal area I called CSM George Stolzenberg (I believe it was Stolzenberg) forward, congratulated the guard on its excellence in the face of adversity and bought a libation to prove I was serious. Never before had I witnessed such steadiness and I only hope my successors never have the same nerve shattering experience.

The glorious day finally came when I took over command of B Coy in the Fall of 62. Captain Larry Diebel, at my instigation, started all rank Coy Mess Dinners. Sgt “The Bandit” Friedt the Officers’ Mess Sgt, and a member of B Coy, provided the candelabra, silver and wine glasses. We developed a mess dinner procedure with appropriate toasts, etc. They were very popular, as could be attested to by the attendance (smiles and attendance were both compulsory). The dress standard set for the first dinner was based on a tie and shirt. We did not alter the dress standard but with each succeeding dinner it was interesting to note the increase in subdued tone ties, blazers and sports coats and the vast improvement in the rifleman’s walking out dress.

The Coy went through its usual pre-Exercise Snow Chinthe drills during the Christmas holidays and learned to live outdoors in the cold and pull toboggans over simulated snow (gravel and grass). 2/Lt Dave Montgomery and Sgt Bill Hamburgh’s platoon learned to live with frogs and cope with soggy tent floors during an unseasonable warm spell in Wainwright prior to the exercise beginning. During the work-up training and on the actual exercise CSM Noble wee a tower of strength and on numerous occasions placed the fear of the hereafter on any idle rifleman or NCOs.

On my return from a course in England 10 days prior to leaving for Wainwright, I met the new CO, LCol Ed Price (expected). Capt Diebel, CSM Noble and many familiar NCOs and men were serving elsewhere in the bn (unexpected). The Coy’s training pace in Wainwright of a mile to two-mile run before breakfast, section tactics every morning, platoon tactics every afternoon and coy tactics every evening was slowed down when B Coy was honoured by being selected to enter the Forced March Competition on July first. This honour was duly passed on to 2/Lt Dave Montgomery and Sgt Jewel.

(For a fuller account see page 79 of the 1963 Powder Horn edition). It is now old hat that Dave’s pl won. But I’ll never forget the look of surprise on Brigadier Macdonald’s face when Dave’s pl doubled on in full battle order, then broke into quick time, advanced, halted and presented arms to the Bde Commander. This was not part of the usual ceremony but was added to show what stern stuff we riflemen are made of. In marching off Sgt Jewell’s order to the platoon was: “Run over them lads, if they don’t get out of the way!” He of course was referring to the spectators. At a suitable distance from the spectators, the plantoon was photographed with their trophy. This platoon also returned several pieces of equipment dropped by 2 PPCLI which were turned over to that unit’s CO by Colonel Ed Price.

We were soon concentrated as a Company and training started again in earnest. Dave Montgomery’s scalded feet required that I employ him as the OC of the Special Weapons elements attached to the Coy and in this capacity he assisted the Company Operations Officer, Capt Harry Williams-Freeman in the Command Post. Staff Sgt Don Wilson, as CSM, provided the spark which kept the Coy HQ on its toes. He did a tremendous job of organizing a very successful coy all ranks bash during our last days in the battalion bivouac area. Greased poles, bucking horses (45 gallon oil drums), log chopping and sawing contests were all entered into with great gusto. Cpl Miller, the Coy cook, outdid himself in providing deluxe hamburgers and Staff Lottridge ensured that an abundance of beer and soft drinks were always available. One LdSH(RC) [Lord Strathcona’s Horse] trooper was heard to say, “what a party!” “Why can’t our blank, blank squadron get organized?” A gunner from D Battery replied, “When you’re part of B Company who blank, blank cares?” and with that they rejoined the mob at the camp fire to sing their hearts out.

He operated a Company multiple radio net, an experiment which was reluctantly bIessed by the CO. It was an excellent training device and section commanders soon learned the worth of their radio, as can be testified to by LCpl Standen, whose radio ceased operating during a Brigade exercise. He claimed he knew nothing about the overall progress being made by the Company and consequently had no idea what to expect next. He felt that he and his section were completely insulated until they were committed to action by the Platoon Commander.

1964 saw the emergence of a cross country ski team, equipped with modified army skis which hampered any chances they had to win, and a Down Hill team that struck gold, or should I say silver plate, in their first Western Command Championship. Many will remember that the 1964 Exercise Snow Chinthe was almost cancelled because of the conflict with General Rockingham’s Western Command Ski Championship. In those days, channels of communication with all superior HQs were well established and woe to any individual who tried to short circuit the system. Unfortunately, Superior Headquarters did not always follow the established channels. I had been ordered to establish and direct the Command Ski Off and at one stage found myself working for General Rockingham, Brigadier Macdonald and LCol Price on conflicting requirements. As is not too unusual, the General won and my other tasks were deferred to after duty hours. Capt Dick Graham’s experience provided the necessary continuity in organizing the meet so that I could get some coy work done during normal working hours.

During the 1964 Bde Commanders Conference I was called to one side by Colonel Ed Price and told I was posted to the RCS of I [Royal Canadian School of Infantry] and would become DC Tactics Division. Once again, it was time to say farewell to Regimental life.