THE RIFLES REPORT

Monthly Update
June 2021

Serving Regiment Update

It is with optimism that we are planning for the return to a normal training cycle in the fall. On May 17th, I provided my Direction and Guidance for the training year. Within that guidance, we clearly defined four areas of focus for this training year.

The first, is maintaining the individual skills and meeting the prerequisites to force generate trained Riflemen to support both domestic and overseas operations. The second, is to train our recruits and aspiring leaders by supporting Individual Training (IT), specifically trade and leadership courses. This is the main effort, as many have had their training progress impacted by COVID-19. The tertiary focus is to conduct Collective Training (CT) to ensure we possess the experience and skills with the identified Battle Task Standards that are required in order to augment the Regular Force. Deeply connected to this is our final focus, which is to provide a Platoon of Riflemen to augment the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment (3 RCR). This is directed by our assigned Mission Task as an Army Reserve unit. It is our goal to demonstrate this by sending over 20 Riflemen with 3 RCR as they validate their capabilities at the Joint Readiness Training Centre (JRTC) in early 2022.

With the 77th Anniversary of D-Day quickly approaching, I would like to bring to your attention several opportunities to recognize this important historical date that are mentioned later in this Report.

Lieutenant-Colonel Scott Moody, CD
Commanding Officer

D-DAY VIRTUAL EVENT

The 1860 Club will hold a special members event on June 6th, 2021 at 13:00 to mark the 77th anniversary of D-Day invasion.

We invite you to join us for the virtual event, which will feature:

Welcome Remarks from the Regimental HQ;
1860 Club members update;
A short performance from the Regimental Band and Bugles, and
A toast to the Fallen.

Date: June 6th, 2021
Time: 13:00—14:00
Link: Zoom Meeting
Password: 1860

More information can be found at: https://1860club.ca/dday-2021

Ridgeway and Normandy Challenge March

Members of the QOR Regimental Family will also have the opportunity to participate in the Challenge March between June 2nd and 9th in order to commemorate the Battle of Ridgeway and D-Day invasion.

The challenge will consist of the following options:

Those under 50 years of age: 2 x 20 km back-to-back marches (2 days in a row), with a 15 kg pack, between June 2-9, 2021.

Those over 50 years of age: 2 x 20 km marches on non-consecutive days, with no pack, between June 2-9, 2021.

Due to the current restrictions, participants need to complete this as individuals. Should the restrictions change, you may be able to complete this in small groups. Participants are encouraged to do this in their local areas and to take pictures of themselves at local war memorials. For more updates, please follow us on social media (@1860club) and join our Strava group.

Upon completion you will receive a certificate from The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada, and the Normandy / Ridgeway Challenge Coin. This will be mailed to you or presented at MPA.

Registration is still open. Participants will be able to sign up through the 1860 Club Member's Portal. The cost of registration will be $20.

PROMOTIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Congratulations to MCpl Jessome and Capt Toohey-Faughnan on the award of the Operational Service Medal (OSM) for their service on Operation IMPACT in the Middle East, where they were part of the Female Engagement Team (FET), Mobile Training Team (MTT) in Jordan. The presentation was made at Moss Park Armoury by LCol Scott Moody on the 19th of May, 2021.

In addition, congratulations to the six newly-qualified Riflemen, including top candidate Rfn Clark, as well as Rfn Bakshi, Rfn Gurney, Rfn Lynch, Rfn Mahoney, and Rfn Singh.

RIFLEMEN IN PROFILE

Kew Dock Yip was the first Chinese-Canadian lawyer. Yip, along with other civil rights lawyers and activists, worked to repeal the 1923 Chinese Immigration Act, which barred Chinese immigrants from entering Canada. Born in Vancouver as the 17th of 23 children, Yip earned a pharmacology degree from the University of Michigan in 1931. He then became a secretary for the Chinese consulate in Vancouver before moving to Toronto to join The Queen’s Own Rifles in 1940. Two years later, he entered Osgoode Hall Law School and became a lawyer. For years, he was the only Chinese-speaking lawyer in the area and made legal aid more accessible to Chinese residents. He retired in 1992 and received the Law Society Medal from the Law Society of Upper Canada in 1998. Learn more at https://qormuseum.org/soldiers-of-the-queens-own/yip-kew-dock.

Because our collection only had a civilian version of the Ross Rifle used by Canadians in the early part of WWI, the QOR’s Maple Leaf Rifle Club generously donated $1,000 toward the purchase of a military version. Late in 2020 our Weapons Officer Rob Grieve, identified one on an auction site which we successfully purchased and added to our collection. Subsequently, retired Warrant Officer Phil Ten Kortenaar donated a 1907 Ross Rifle bayonet and scabbard stamped “QOR”.

Our thanks to Phil, the Maple Leaf Rifle Club, and Rob Grieve for the generous donations and assistance in filling these gaps in our collection!

If you have potential items for our Museum and Archive collection, please read this page and complete the online form, or contact us at museum@qormuseum.org.

Trust Fund and Fundraising Update

One of the great sources of pride for The Queen’s Own Rifles is the Regimental Museum, located on the third floor of Casa Loma. It is well known that the dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers who tend to the Museum not only provide curatorial and restoration work on Regimental artifacts and documents, which the Trust Fund supports in the purchase of necessary archival supplies, display cases, protective materials and related equipment, but they also administer the first-class website and other virtual media presentations. These costs are also covered through the Trust Fund.

The expenses associated with maintenance of the Museum’s website, and access to Flicker, Dropbox, Ancestry, and other cataloguing services are an outstanding repository of Regimental history as well as serving as a superb education resource for new members of the Regiment, and the public at large. Just as the Trust Fund can help to provide access to the necessary tools, it is the outstanding work of the volunteers that brings this rich history to life. By supporting the Trust Fund, this first-class work can continue, serving the Regiment, and all Canadians into the future.

Since the launch of the 1860 Club, our members have donated over $90,000 to support The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada Trust Fund. We would like to express our sincere gratitude for your generosity, and recognize the following members:

Normandy 1944 Donors
Over $186,000 in lifetime contributions

HLCol Lionel Goffart, OStJ, CD
Col Paul F Hughes, CD (Ret’d)

Vimy 1917 Donors
Over $18,600 in lifetime contributions

Capt Bernie Aaron (Ret’d)
HLCol Brendan Caldwell (Ret'd)
Lt J. Chris Donald (Ret'd)
Mr. Bryan Gransden
Capt Adam Hermant, OStJ, CD (Ret’d)
Hermant Family Foundation
HCol Larry Stevenson, CD (Ret’d)
LCol John Strathy, CD (Ret’d)
WO Philip ten Kortenaar, CD (Ret’d)
True Patriot Love Foundation

1860 Club Founders

Col William Ball - US Army (Ret’d)
LCol William Barnard, CD (Ret’d)
Bruce Beauchamp Memorial Fund and Mr. Terry Beauchamp
Hon Col Bryan Brulotte, KJ, CD
Cpl Brian Buchan
2Lt Martin Bunch
LCol Greg Burton, CD (Ret’d)
HLCol Brendan Caldwell (Ret'd)
Capt Robert Chan, CD (Ret’d) and Ms. Annie Li
Ms. Linda Di Felice
Lt J. Chris Donald (Ret'd)
HLCol Lionel Goffart, OStJ, CD
Mr. Bryan Gransden
MCpl Robert Grieve (Ret'd)
Cpl Lee Harrison, CD (Ret’d)
WO David Hodgson, CD
MGen Walter Holmes, MStJ, MSM, CD, MBE (Ret’d)
Col Paul F Hughes CD (Ret’d)
Jackman Foundation
CWO Jeff Johnson, CD
LCol Frank Lamie, CD
MWO Darnel Leader, CD
Maj Samuel Leibel, CD
Capt Ben-Jaemin Lee, CD
Capt Roland Llewellyn-Thomas, CD
Mr. James Lutz
Maj Henry McCabe, MMM, CD (Ret’d)
Ms. Michele McCarthy
Lt David Merrithew
LCol Scott Moody, CD
Mr. Carmine Nigro
Capt David Pampe, CD
Lt Marco Petta
Cpl Sharl Robinson
CWO Mark Shannon, MMM, CD
MGen John Sharpe, CMM, CD (Ret’d)
Capt Kevin Sheedy, CD
Maj John Stephens, CD (Ret’d)
Mr. Tristan Strathy
WO Philip ten Kortenaar, CD (Ret’d)
Dr. Lynn Tomkins
Capt Usman (Uzi) Valiante (Ret'd)
LCol Tony Welsh, CD (Ret'd)

Please click here to find out how to become a Founder. For more information on supporting the Trust Fund, please click here.

For any additional questions, please contact us.

Online Links

The QOR of C Regimental Association
More information about The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada Association Branches can be found at:

Toronto Branch
https://www.facebook.com/qortorontoassociation
East Coast Branch
https://www.qor-east.com
Calgary Branch
https://www.qorcalgary.com
Vancouver Island Branch
https://www.qorvi.com

The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada Regimental Museum
https://qormuseum.org/
The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada Website
https://www.queensownrifles.com/

Victory March
https://raceroster.com/events/2021/38945/victory-march-la-marche-de-la-victoire
(Registration Code: 1860)

Submissions

To submit comments or content to the Rifles Report or The Powder Horn, please contact Martin Bunch, 1860 Club Communications Director at editor@1860club.ca