Updated: 19 May, 2006

Canada

Research Corner

• Awards to the Royal Canadian Navy - This superb web site , by Commander (Rtd) John Blatherwick, CM, CD, MD, FRCP(C),  is dedicated to the Men and Women of the Royal Canadian Navy from 1910 to 1968. The majority of the site relates to the Honours and Awards of World War Two with some details on World War One, Korea, the post-war era and Canadians in the Royal Navy prior to World War One. Awards and citations to the Merchant Navy are also included. Jun 05

• Medals Chart (DND) (Revised Nov 01)

• Orders, Decorations and Medals of Canada (Megan Robertson)

• Canadian Forces – Honour and Awards - FAQs:

  1.	Can I wear tour numerals with my MFO medal?
  2.	Do I have to have my medals court-mounted?
  3.	How do I apply for medals from the First and Second World Wars, and from the United Nations Operations - Korea - 1950-1953?
  4.	How do I replace lost/stolen medals?
  5.	How to I get a Special Service Medal (SSM)?
  6.	I received a foreign award. May I wear it on my uniform?
  7.	I served in the Gulf and Kuwait War. May I wear my Saudi Arabian medal as well as my Canadian Gulf and Kuwait Medal?
  8.	May I wear a relative's medals?
  9.	What is the process for recommending awards to Canadian Forces' individuals or units, such as Bravery Awards (BA), Meritorious Service Decorations (MSD), Mentions-in-Dispatch (MID), Chief of the Defence Staff Commendations or Canadian Forces Unit Commendations?
  10.	What is the process for the acceptance and wear of foreign awards by CF members?
  11.	What is the submission, selection and announcement process for the Order of Military Merit?
  12.	Where do I wear tour numerals on my NATO Service medal?
  13.	Who controls national honours policy?
  14.	Who is eligible to receive the Order of Military Merit?

  Canadian Military History Since the 17th Century.  (7.61 MB - PDF File Format - DHH Website) Proceedings of the Canadian Military History Conference, Ottawa, 5-9 May 2000

  Introduction to the Study of MILITARY HISTORY for Canadian Students  (429Kb- PDF File Format - DHH Website) Edited by: Colonel C.P. STACEY, O.C., O.B.E., C.D., Former Director, Directorate of History, Canadian Forces Headquarters, Ottawa, Sixth Edition, 4th Revision Ottawa: Queen's Printer, 1964

• Casebook: The War of 1812 - The War of 1812 has been unjustly overlooked: The British see it as a sideshow to the Napoleonic Wars. In the United States, it stands in the shadows of the Civil War and Revolutionary War. Canadians, however, see it as the making of their nation. In truth, it was the making of the United States as well. . . .(Christopher T. George) (Oct 02)

• War of 1812 Website Links

• The story of Riel's revolt. Canada 1885 Part I by Major General T. Bland Strange

• Red River Rebellion

• Northwest Rebellion of 1885

  • Reminiscences of the North-West Rebellions - By Major Charles A. Boulton, Commanding Boulton's Scouts, Toronto: 1886 (Appears to be the complete document - 20 Chapters) (Aug 02)

  • Riel's twice-stolen relic In 1885, Canadian soldiers from small-town Ontario were summoned to the Prairies in what is now Saskatchewan to crush a Métis revolt led by Riel. They also plundered the bell from the church in Batoche during what was the war's final skirmish. The soldiers smuggled the bell home to Millbrook, southwest of Peterborough, where it was considered the prize of the battle, and was eventually put proudly on display at the local Royal Canadian Legion branch. Until 1991, when it was stolen a second time. Mr. Guiboche says he and another man broke into the legion to reclaim the bell in honour of Riel and with an eye to displaying it somewhere more befitting a Métis icon. group of soldiers from Ontario's Midland Provisional Battalion, Sergeant Ed McCorry among them, plucked the bell from its perch — along with a host of other objects — and wrapped it in a blanket and took it home to Protestant Ontario as a spoil of war. Before leaving, Mr. Guiboche noticed some war medals on display. He looked at them and then to his friend before returning his gaze to the medals. He says his friend shoved them in the bag. “It was payback,” the pair agreed. theglobeandmail.com 8 Oct 05

    • Local OPP working with RCMP on return of medals to the Millbrook Legion Peterborough County OPP have opened the lines of communication with the RCMP in Manitoba to solve the mystery behind the whereabouts of the Bell of Batoche. Last Saturday, The Globe and Mail published an article detailing that a Winnipeg man, Gary Floyd Guiboche, had confessed that he and a friend broke into the Legion and stole the silver bell and hid it in Manitoba. "It's been a cold file since 1991. With this new information that has come forward, we have to act on it." mykawartha.com 14 Oct 05

• Niagara Collection (Niagara Peninsula--History; Canada--History--War of 1812; United States--History--War of 1812; Welland Canal (Ont.) (National Library of Canada)

• Fort Henry Adventure (The)
• Fortress of Louisbourg

Boer War

• Queen's South African Medal (The Pine Tree Web)

• Soldiers of the South African War (1899 - 1902) Online database search Library and Archives Canada

• Canadians in the South African War (1899-1902) (List Units, Battles) (Canadian War Museum)

• How to trace an ancestor (Who served in the Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902)

• Canadian Casualties of the Boer War (Harold Leduc)

Troops killed in Boer War get their due  CVWM  Sproule (Jun 02)

• With The Royal Canadians  (501Kb- PDF File Format - DHH Website) By Stanley McKeown Brown War Correspondent. Toronto: The Publishers' Syndicate, Limited, 1900

WWI

• Search Military & CivilianWWI Personnel Records - Over 600,000 Canadians enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) during the First World War (1914-1918). The CEF database is an index to those personnel files, which are held by the National Archives. To date, over 350,000 images of Attestation papers have been scanned and are being made available on-line. (National Archives)

• The Canadian Military Heritage Project This site is dedicated to presenting Canadian military history ~ the wars, uprisings and conflicts in which Canadians participated. Our goal is to preserve the records and memories of Canadians who served their country, and to ensure that their sacrifices are not forgotten. Provides historical background for each conflict, chronological timelines, statistics, battles, weaponry, uniforms & equipment, famous Canadians, biographies of soldiers, heroes and their stories, contributions of women, other countries who participated, muster rolls for conflicts before 1900, Letters Home (from soldiers at the front), music and poetry, guest authors' submissions, links to other online resources, and Research Libraries. These pages will be of interest to educators, students, genealogists, military historians and those who are interested in the stories of the participants themselves.

• King and Empire - Canada’s soldiers in the First World War. Includes Battlefields, Archives,  and a collectors forum

• World War I Collection (World War, 1914-1918) (National Library of Canada)

• Vimy Ridge Remembered Links to eyewitness accounts, original documents, archives, news stories, audio clips, etc.  Gary Graves -- CBC News Lt-Col Thain MacDowell: The private hell of a hero Vimy Ridge a watershed in Canada's history Battle of Vimy Ridge

• History of the Battle of the Somme

• Canadian Veterans Recollect

• Courage Remembered: The World Wars Through Canadian Eyes

• Honouring a Nation (Vimy Ridge Tour)

• Jack Turner's War (Photographs of WWI taken by Jack Turner)

• Newfoundland and the Great War

• Newfoundland's Beaumont Hamel

• As a result of a generous donation by Walter and Ronald Gray, the Archives of Ontario recently acquired a series of World War One letters written from the battlefront. Visit the online exhibit, "The Archives of Ontario Remembers Our Canadian War Heroes" which includes digitized images, sound clips and samples from this new collection

• Art of the First World War Paintings from International Collections to Commemorate the 80th Anniversary of WWI

• Maple Leaf Legacy Project  (A Millennium Project in Remembrance of Canada's War Dead)

• Queen honours fallen soldiers (80th Anniversary of WWI ceremony in Paris) (Medals, photos and other WWI related resources)

• Medals of the First World War  The Western Front Museum

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission – Debt of Honour Register - Provides personal and service details and places of commemoration for the 1.7 million members of the Commonwealth forces who died in the First or Second World Wars. (A record of some 60,000 civilian casualties of the Second World War is provided without details of burial location). The cemeteries and memorials where these names are commemorated, in perpetuity, are located in around 150 countries This database makes it possible to identify the exact location, by cemetery plot or memorial panel, where any given name is commemorated.

• War Museum abuzz over rare Vimy Ridge artifact Tim Cook, curator of the First World War exhibit at the new Canadian War Museum, displays the Norman Howard Pawley cross. Amazed officials at the Canadian War Museum have been handed a one-of-a-kind artifact from Vimy Ridge that poignantly captures the heroism and horror of the battle that marked Canada's coming of age. A dust-caked wooden cross, erected for a fallen Saskatchewan soldier when the guns at Vimy were barely cool, was pulled from the rafters of an Ontario farmhouse and will be displayed as the supreme symbol of Canadian sacrifice in the victorious Easter assault 87 years ago. Lieut. Norman Howard Pawley died on April 12, 1917, the final day of fighting at Vimy, during the successful Canadian surge to take a hill called "the Pimple." By then, the 28-year-old junior officer was already a bona fide hero, having earned a Military Cross two months earlier for leading the capture of a German machine gun crew. "For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty during a raid on the enemy's trenches," his citation read. "He led his party with great dash . . . ." canada.com 10 Apr 04

• Fort to honour famous First World War sniper When Henry Norwest fell to a German sniper on August 18, 1918, Canadian Major-General Arthur Currie ordered every available artillery gun to fire on enemy positions as a tribute to one of the British Empire’s top sharpshooters. More than eight decades later Norwest will finally be recognized in the town of his birth. According to Veteran’s Affairs Canada, Henry Louis Norwest was born in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, of French-Cree ancestry. In his nearly three years of service with the 50th Canadian Infantry Battalion, the lance-corporal achieved a sniping record of 115 fatal shots. Norwest was awarded the Military Medal (MM) in 1917, for his actions during the battle of Vimy Ridge. The following year, he was awarded a bar to his Military Medal making him one of roughly 830 members of the Canadian Expeditionary Forces to be awarded this double honour. Fort Record 19 Mar 04

• War Hero Medals handed over to Canadina War Museum The wartime metals and artifacts of Canada’s most decorated Aboriginal soldier in the First World War, Francis Pegahmagabow, have been turned over to a new Canadian War Museum exhibit by his surviving family members. In addition to his numerous medals, a coveted Military Medal and two bars given for conspicuous acts of bravery, Mr. Pegahmagabow was hailed as an unsurpassed sharpshooter killing 378 enemy soldiers during his time abroad. Parry Sound North Star, Canada 12 Sep 03

• 'You just can't forget them' RCMP Constable Marc Searle noticed the gaps between the graves first. One day about a year ago, he went for a walk through a section of the Sunnyside Lawn Cemetery in South Surrey where veterans are buried. The plot is known as the Field of Honour, but as he paced along the markers reading the stories of the soldiers who had served Canada, he noticed some empty spaces. They turned out to be the unmarked graves of long-dead soldiers. "When I say they were unmarked, I mean there was nothing there. There was just grass," Constable Searle said. James Irving McMillan turned out to be a real challenge, because his name had been misspelled on his death certificate. "I convinced Chapel Hill funeral parlour to crack all the seals on their original records. And in there are handwritten notes by the funeral parlour director." That gave him the correct spelling and insight into a lonely death. "When he was buried, there was no one there at all. He was simply identified as being a 'fisherman.' " Using military records, he found out that the fisherman had, on April 9, 1917, twice crossed a bloodied patch of ground known as No Man's Land at Vimy Ridge. He was carrying messages to brigade commanders about the progress of the attack in a battle that helped define Canada. "He was awarded the Military Medal for gallantry and he was one of very few privates who was decorated during the war," Constable Searle said. "It was an emotional moment to realize that this war hero had lain for 40 years in an unmarked grave." Mr. McMillan, he said, was recruited in Calgary by the North-West Mounted Police into the 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles. He signed up on Christmas Eve, 1901, served in the Boer War and after discharge in 1902, served with the South African Constabulary, which was made up mostly of ex-NWMP, in what was really Canada's first peacekeeping effort. In 1916, he joined the 87th Battalion, Canadian Grenadier Guards. He fought in the Battle of the Somme and then went on to Vimy Ridge. "You just can't forget them. Remembrance has to be more than a word. It's our job," Constable Searle said. theglobeandmail.com 27 Apr 06

• The McCrae Medals: Reviving the Memory Details of how the medals were acquired, cleaned and put on display at McCrae House. CCI Newsletter No. 22 November 1998  Version Français

• WWI veteran turns up just in time for his medals A 15-year-old bugle boy who lied about his age to join the army in the first Great War has been honoured by the federal government after he was discovered living out his retirement years in an Oshawa nursing home. "I'm not nervous; I've been through two wars," 102-year-old Dwight Wilson quipped as son Paul, 69, helped him prepare for a medal presentation to receive the Queen's Jubilee Medal and the John McRae ("In Flanders Fields") medal, struck to mark the 80th anniversary, in 1997, of the end of World War I. Toronto Star 12 Dec 03

• Candian Expeditionary Force, 1914-1919 Official History of the Canadian Army in the First World War (1.5MB- PDF File format - DHH Website) By Colonel G.W.L. Nicholson, CD Army Historical Section Second Printing (corrected) May 1964 Ottawa: Queen's Printer, 1964

•  

WWII

• Dunkirk hero Timbrell dies Rear Admiral (ret’d) Robert Timbrell speaks of his experiences in 1940 as a young captain at Dunkirk. He was the first Canadian decorated during WW II, receiving the Distinguished Service Cross. By the end of the war, Mr. Timbrell had been torpedoed and bombed and was one of only 26 sailors to survive the sinking of the HMCS Margaree. Mr. Timbrell went on to command several other ships, including the aircraft carrier HMCS Bonaventure. Perhaps his greatest contribution was realizing the navy needed helicopters and variable-depth sonar on its destroyers to track nuclear submarines. Mr. Timbrell was eventually promoted to the rank of rear admiral and served as the head of the navy before retiring in 1973. thechronicleherald.ca 16 Apr 06

• Soldier never talked about his war Excerpt from the citation for Don Maidens's Distinguished Conduct Medal: "On 11 April, 1945, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry made an assault crossing of the Ijasel River. . . "It was essential that the routes they were to take be cleared of the enemy. . "Maidens went forward alone, in daylight over the flat country, and for a total of no less than 1,000 yards under the fire from snipers and machine-guns to capture two machine-gun posts and a total of 12 prisoners . . . "In addition to almost single-handedly accounting for three machine-gun posts and 14 prisoners. . . Maidens made it possible for (the soldiers) to get on to their objectives . . . "Maidens was an inspiration not only to his platoon but to the whole company. The complete disregard he showed for his own safety, and his leadership under fire, contributed greatly to the success of both the operations described. "His courage was of the highest order and his actions in the face of the enemy completely fearless and in keeping with the finest traditions of the service."  canoe.ca 28 Oct 04

• More Eligible For Canadian Volunteer Service Medal The federal government has broadened the eligibility requirements for the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal or CVSM to include volunteer members of certain civilian groups that functioned closely with the armed forces or merchant navy under military-like conditions during WW II.(Dec 01) Vet objects to war medals given to civilians - Concern that the federal government has reduced the significance of the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal (CVSM) by broadening the criteria for eligibility to include volunteer members of some civilian groups - More   CVSM Order Mar 02

• The Fall of Hong Kong (Canadian Involvement) (The Valour and Horror)

• List of Hong Kong Veterans (Still living in May 1988 - 361 Names) (Ref: Hansard)

• 6,100 Allied troops land at Dieppe (Veteran’s Affair – History of the Raid, Interviews with veterans, Links, etc.)

• The Dieppe Raid – Pilgrimage 2002 - History, Photos of Dieppe Vets wearing medals (Aug 02)  

• Canadian D-Day Memorial Wall (A listing of Canadian Sailors, Soldiers, and Airman who died while invading Normandy on June 6^th, 1944. Also includes un-armed Canadian POWs executed during the Normandy Campaign)

• D-Day memories of Jim Wilkins - Jim Wilkins was with The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, Company B.

• In Desperate Battle: Normandy 1944 - includes maps, stories, timeline, and more.

• Juno Beach - includes the Canadian objectives and German defence.

• The Juno Beach Centre at Courseulles-sur-Mer in Normandy will provide recognition of Canada’s military and civilian contributions during the Second World War. It will preserve for future generations the knowledge of the contributions of that generation of Canadians and honour the gifts of valour and freedom that were given by all Canadians who participated. The Minister of Canadian Heritage has designated the Juno Beach landing site to be a site of national historic significance to Canada. (Mar 02)

• Juno Beach memorial honours Canada's war effort Hundreds of Canadian veterans were honoured for their sacrifice and valour during the Second World War on Friday as the long-awaited Juno Beach Centre officially opened on a windswept shore in Normandy, France. Prime Minister Jean Chretien saluted the courage of all the Canadians who served in the battle that became the turning point in the war. CTV

• Juno Beach memorial dedicated to Canadian veterans Prime Minister Jean Chrétien on Friday opened a new museum and memorial at Juno Beach where 14,000 Canadian troops landed on June 6, 1944. Chrétien was at Courseulles-sur-Mer, along with several hundred Canadian veterans and families to mark the anniversary of D-Day, the day Allied troops stormed France's beaches. CBC News Juno Beach Centre

• Sadness, pride mark WWII medal ceremony - More than 50 years after Canadians helped to free the Dutch, Canadian soldiers are receiving the Medal of Remembrance in Relation to the Liberation of Holland Medal. May 02

• Holland honours vets on Canadian soil  Holland is the only country in Europe liberated mainly by Canadians. British and American troops had started the job, but it was Canadian soldiers who finally drove out the occupying German forces. Over the past half-century, there have been numerous ceremonies in the Netherlands commemorating Canada's contribution to the region's freedom. Thousands of soldiers have crossed the Atlantic again to glow in the gratitude of the Dutch. But many have not been able to make the pilgrimage, and be welcomed back as heroes who risked their lives for oppressed strangers in a distant place. So Holland embarked on a Canada-wide mission this year to honour those retired soldiers with a military decoration and words of thanks. (Sep 02)

• Dutch honour their Canadian liberators with medals (Holland is the only country in Europe that was liberated mainly by Canadian troops, defence attaché Leo van den Heuval of the Netherlands embassy in Ottawa said last week. Canada also sheltered Queen Juliana of Holland during the war, after she was persuaded to leave her home country in 1942. Her daughter, Princess Margriet, was born in Ottawa in 1943. "That is why we have a more special bond with your country than all the others. We will always remember the liberation," van den Heuval said. The Dutch thanked 20,000 Canadian veterans in 1995 on the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the country by decorating them with a medal in a ceremony in Holland. They thanked them again in 2000, in a ceremony that drew 17,000 veterans from overseas. But this year, Holland has turned its attention to Canadian veterans who have been unable to make the trip for the last two ceremonies, embarking on a Canada-wide mission to thank former soldiers here at home. Another ceremony in the Netherlands is planned for 2005, but organizers are painfully conscious it is likely to be the last that draws significant numbers of Canadian veterans. (Sep 02)

• Son pleads for vet's stolen medals Charles Rawcliffe, 90, fought for Canada in the Second World War, but the medals he earned were stolen from his Sarnia home this week. Rawcliffe, a father of nine who has lived in Sarnia his whole life, was too upset to face the media, but his youngest son, David Rawcliffe, pleaded for the thief to "do the right thing." "There's no monetary value. The only value is sentimental to him," Rawcliffe said. "Hopefully someone will do the right thing and give them back." A Canadian decoration medal was one of the six medals stolen. The medal, in the shape of King George VI's head, is impossible to replace because it has Charles Rawcliffe's name, battery number and army number engraved on the edge, his son said. canoe.ca 7 Apr 04
  • Troops offer to replace medals Troops at London's Wolseley Barracks are offering to replace war medals stolen from a Sarnia veteran's home Monday. "When it's a vet, it tugs at your heart strings," Maj. Keith MacNeil of the Area Support Unit said yesterday. "This is just awful that somebody would do that. All we want to do is get his medals replaced." MacNeil said he is looking into whether the medals can be replaced free of charge. If not, he plans to "pass the hat" among the 45 full-time soldiers and 30 civilians in the unit. "Most of (the veterans) are our heroes and we look up to them," he said. "Whatever we can do for him, even if it costs us a few bucks, we'd love to help. canoe.ca 8 Apr 04

• Medals of Remembrance (Thank You) (Netherlands ) These medals were instituted by the Thank You Canada and Allied Forces National Committee to celebrate the 55th Anniversary of the Liberation of the Netherlands in 2000. There is in fact three different medals as follows: Thank You Canada Thank You Liberators (with Canadian Flag) Thank You Liberators (without Canadian Flag)   Thank You Canada and Allied Forces National Committee (Netherlands)

• Canadian Naval Heroes - This is a commercial site, however it has photos of some of Canada's greatest WWII naval heroes Nov 02

• Military Cross awarded to heroic Canadian chaplain sold at auction A medal awarded to a Canadian chaplain for the gallantry he showed in treating the wounded despite being under relentless Nazi fire during the Allies' disastrous raid on Dieppe in 1942 sold at auction Tuesday for more than $7,000. The Military Cross awarded to Rev. James Porter Browne recognized his bravery in working as a military orderly on the beach until he could no longer carry on after being shot in the head. "This officer was continuously under fire throughout the whole of the operation and his steadiness and personal courage during the morning operations were an inspiration to all ranks," reads the citation that accompanied the medal. "At the withdrawal from the beach, with total disregard for his own safety, and while subject to continuous mortar and machine-gun fire, he repeatedly went to exposed positions rendering every possible aid and assistance to the wounded." cjad.com 25 May 04

• Medals of British pilot to be auctioned at Waddington's Eight medals awarded to Kenneth Letford, a Royal Air Force pilot who became famous for his heroics on China's Yangtze River in 1949, will be offered for sale at Waddington's Collectibles Auction on Wednesday, February 23 at 7:00 p.m. The medals, along with Letford's five log books, a BBC recording of an interview with Letford, his uniform, flying jacket and other artifacts from his remarkable military career, are estimated to sell for between $30,000 and $40,000. The public is invited to view Letford's medals from World War II and the Yangtze operation on Tuesday, February 22 between 3:00 and 9:00 p.m., and on Wednesday, February 23 between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. Waddington's is located at 111 Bathurst Street, just north of King Street. For further information: please contact: Donald McLean, Waddington's, (416) 847-6170, dpm@waddingtons.ca Catalogue with image of medals (DSO and Bar, AFC and Bar, Air Crew Europe, MID, etc.) Note: Sold for $112,700 (Cdn)

• Medal auction sparks spat The upcoming auction of a Quebec war hero's precious medals has triggered a spat among his family and drawn a stinging rebuke from a federal politician. A dozen medals from the estate of Dollard Ménard, a lieutenant-colonel in World War II who was wounded five times leading troops in Dieppe, are set to go on sale Jan. 23-27. But not without a fight. Ménard's son, Charles Ménard, has put the medals up for sale while the war hero's granddaughter says the rest of the family is "appalled" at the idea. The 12 medals are expected to attract bids of $20,000 or more at the sale and could go to a foreign bidder, including the Distinguished Service Order for gallantry under fire and the French Legion of Honour. thestar.com 14 Jan 05

• British war bride wants to share royal honour with 50,000 others Jean Spear came to Canada in December 1944 as 'a 20-year-old lass' for love of her Canadian husband and his country. She was named a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's new year's honours list for 2006. Mrs. Spear regards the honour not so much as recognition of her, but of all the nearly 50,000 war brides who, like her, left their homeland between 1944 and 1946 to come to Canada to be with their soldier-husbands. "I would receive total satisfaction if war brides across the country hear about the award and end up feeling they have a share in it." canada.com 5 Jan 06

• Local Devil’s Brigaders honoured posthumously Capt. Jack Jennings and Company Sgt. Major Ted Higginbottom posthumously received a recognition long denied them and other Canadians who soldiered in an elite U.S.-Canadian special force, the much-storied Devil's Brigade. Col. Bruce Doan, retired officer commanding the Elgin Regiment, presented the Combat Infantryman's Badge on behalf of the U.S. secretary of the army to widows Connie Jennings and Sadie Higginbottom. Both men had been members of the Elgin Regiment before the war. "It would have meant a great deal (to him)," Jennings said. Her husband, who also received Canada's Military Cross for gallantry, died in 1982. Both Capt. Jennings and CSM Higginbottom, who were seriously wounded as the Devil's Brigade entered Rome to claim the city for the Allies, died before the U.S. Army righted an historic wrong and agreed this year that the Canadians who made up one-third of the 2,300-man 1st Special Service Force, also could wear the coveted honour which their U.S. comrades received more than 60 years ago. The badge -- a silver musket on a blue background on a laurel wreath -- honours U.S. infantrymen who meet their enemies in face-to-face combat. Congress issued special authorization only after many years' lobbying by the U.S. veterans of the unit. stthomastimesjournal.com 29 Dec 05

• Fear foreigners may buy Canadian war medals War medals belonging to Canadian war hero Brig.-Gen. Dollard Menard are likely to end up in the pockets of wealthy foreigners, predicts Abraham Rogozinsky, head of Empire Auctions, in charge of handling the sale. Rogozinsky has been trying to find private Canadian donors to buy the medals but admits that donors willing to pay between $10,000 and $150,000 for the medals are hard to find. Menard, a young senior army officer from Quebec, was wounded five times during the Dieppe Raid in 1942. When he returned to Canada, Menard worked towards raising money for the war effort. cbc.ca 12 Jan 05

• Menard's war medals given to Quebec regiment A series of medals awarded the late Gen. Dollard Menard for his role in the Dieppe Raid and put up for auction by his family have been given to the Fusiliers Mont Royal to be kept in their museum. Philanthropist Ivonis Mazzarolo, of Vaudreuil, Que., paid close to $40,000 for the medals, which include the Distinguished Service Order and the Legion d'honneur. Former members of Menard's regiment chipped in $2,000 for the purchase. cbc.ca 28 Jan 05

• France's highest honour for D-Day vet Sixty years after local D-Day veteran Cliff Chadderton helped to liberate France from the Nazis, France is now awarding him one of its highest honours. The War Amps CEO and chairman of the National Council of Veteran Associations was recently named a Knight in the Order of the Legion of Honour. cnews.canoe.ca 27 May 04

• Aerodrome of Democracy: Canada and the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan 1939-1945  By F. J. Hatch (7.0MB- PDF File Format - DHH Website) Date of Publication: 1983 ISBN: 0660114437 Publisher: Canadian Government Publishing Centre, Ottawa

Korea

• The Korean War and the Battle of Kapypong

• Tommy Prince, MM, Silver Star (US)  Tommy Prince (Part 2) (Sergeant Tommy Prince, Canada's most decorated aboriginal war hero) (Aug 01)
  • Tommy Prince's medals to be auctioned Thursday (Aug 01) (Medals sold back to family for $75,000) (Aug 01)  

  • 3 medals complete the Prince collection Three medals for courage now complete the collection awarded to Canada's most decorated aboriginal soldier. Sgt. Tommy Prince, born on the Brokenhead reserve north of Winnipeg, was remembered at a ceremony at the First Nations Bank. He died in 1977 at 62. The medals were united with 10 others that had been in temporary exhibits in other Canadian cities until last week. The recent additions were formally presented to the Southeast Tribal Council and the Manitoba Museum. Prince fought in the Second World War as a member of the 3rd Regiment First Canadian Special Services Battalion, also known as the Devil's Brigade. He later did two tours of duty in the Korean War with the 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. Prince's other citations for bravery include an American Silver Star and a Military Medal, both pinned to his chest by King George VI. The original 10 went missing when Prince used them as collateral for a loan. They resurfaced at a London, Ont., auction in 2001, and were bought for $75,000 by his nephew Jim Bear, and Bill Shead, secretary-treasurer of the Prince Medals Committee. The medals make up the Prince Medals Collection, on permanent display at the Manitoba Museum. Prince's latest citations are the Combat Infantry Badge, awarded for being under hostile fire from the enemy, the Canadian Korean Volunteer Medal for service in the Korean War, and a Presidential Unit Citation for extraordinary heroism against an armed enemy. winnipegfreepress.com 23 Dec 05

Korea Veterans Association Inc. (Canada)

• The Pinetree Line Website ( Canadian military Air Defence history during the Cold War)

• MacMillan-Murphy Website - Contains unique information on:

  • Canadian Women Veterans who died in WW1, WW2 & Special Duty Areas Roll of Honour
  • 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion Roll of Honour 
  • The Governor General Foot Guards Roll of Honour
  • Canadian Airborne Regiment Operational Roll of Honour

  • Canadian MacMillan Roll of Honour (those who died in WW1, WW2, & Korea)

  • Canadian Murphy Roll of Honour (those who died in WW1, WW2 & Korea)
  • Doucette Roll of Honour
  • Murphy Roll of Honour - Vietnam
  • Sabourin Roll of Honour
  • The Willbond Homepage  
  • Canadian's Vietnam Roll of Honour

  • Canadian Peacekeeping Roll of Honour

• Canada's Army in Korea  (166Kb- PDF File Format - DHH Website) The United Nations Operations, l950-53, and Their Aftermath A Short Official Account by the Historical Section General Staff, Army Headquarters, Ottawa Ottawa: Queen's Printer, 1964

• Harold Leduc's Homepage 

• XV Commonwealth Games Medals

• 2RCR on guard at Buckingham Palace  

• Canadian Virtual War Memorial (The) This site contains a registry of information about the graves and memorials of more than 116,000 Canadians and Newfoundlanders who served valiantly and gave their lives for their country. The site also contains digital images of photographs and personal memorabilia about individual Canadians. The purpose of the Canadian Virtual War Memorial is to recognize and keep alive the memory of the achievements and sacrifices of Canadian citizens who have served in the defence of freedom and so have contributed to the development of Canada as a nation.

• Dave Wells, André Godin Recipients of U.S. Navy Superior Public Service Awards  Photo of Medal Oct 00

• War Graves Commission
  • Cemeteries
    • Algerian Cemeteries
    • Austrian Cemeteries
    • Belgian Cemeteries
    • British Cemeteries
    • Dutch Cemeteries
    • French Cemeteries
    • German Cemeteries
    • Greek Cemeteries
    • Hong Kong Cemeteries
    • Indian Cemeteries
    • Italian Cemeteries
    • Japanese Cemeteries
    • Libyan Cemeteries
    • Netherlands Cemeteries
    • Norwegian Cemeteries
    • Turkish Cemeteries

• Remembering Our Heroes: Saskatchewan First Nations Veterans

• War (Various Topics) (National Archives)

• We Will Remember: War Monuments in Canada

• Book: Contains much useful information on Canadian medals, which comes from the book by Surgeon Commander F.J. Blatherwick, CD entitled "Canadian Orders, Decorations and Medals".  For the serious collector of Canadian awards, this book, in its 4th Edition, is a must.

• War hero graves at risk (A Winnipeg military historian is upset that some 400 Canadian war graves -- including two decorated heroes from Winnipeg -- could be disturbed by a proposed Paris-area airport. Among the dead Canadian soldiers affected are Winnipeggers Lt. James Edward Tait and Pilot Officer Andrew Charles Mynarski,VC from the First and Second World Wars, respectively. Tait won the Military Cross on April 9, 1917. He was sent to France to join the 78th Winnipeg Battalion prior to the Vimy Ridge fighting, and won the Victoria Cross posthumously for his role in the Battle of Amiens the following year. (May 02)

• A Selected Bibliography of Canadian Military History Since Confederation (By Desmond Morton Director, McGill Institute for the Study of Canada)

• HMCS Chicoutimi crew to get medals, tragedy commemorated one year later The crew of HMCS Chicoutimi will be getting medals for their heroic efforts to save the submarine, one year ago today. Chief of Defence Staff General Rick Hillier announced Wednesday that the sailors will receive a Canadian Forces Unit Commendation. He says they worked courageously to save the submarine after it was crippled by an electrical fire off Ireland. canada.com 5 Oct 05