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On Friday, October 27, 2006 the Hyatt Regency Hotel was the site of a dinner jointly hosted by the Royal Military Colleges Club of Canada and The Calgary Military Museums Society. The main event of the evening was the awarding of the 2006 Birchall Award to former Chief of Defence Staff General John de Chastelain (also a former Calgary Highlander) and the awarding of the very first General Sir Arthur Currie Award to former Calgary Highlanders Honorary Colonel Fred Mannix. Guests at the evening included the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta The Honourable Norman L. Kwong, and current Chief of the Defence Staff General R.J. Hillier, CMM, MSC, CD.

The Birchall Leadership Award is presented by the Royal Military Colleges Club of Canada (Calgary Branch) to honour the memory of 2364 Air Commodore Leonard J. Birchall CM, OBE, DFC, OO, CD (1915-2004), the “Saviour of Ceylon”. This extraordinary leader, a distinguished RMC ex-cadet, RCAF career officer, former commandant of RMC, Honorary Colonel of 413 Squadron and until his death on September 10, 2004, the Vice-Patron of the RMC Club, exemplified a unique leadership quality which this award celebrates, and that is the ability to stand up in the face of difficulty or adversity to promote the welfare and safety of those under his command. The recipient of The Birchall Leadership Award will be recognized in his or her community as having demonstrated some aspect of Leonard Birchall’s extraordinary leadership qualities and is preferred to have had some military connection. On April 4, 1942 then Squadron Leader Birchall was piloting a Catalina flying boat over the Indian Ocean when he sighted and reported an advancing Japanese fleet intent on attacking Ceylon. The Allied Forces’ response to Birchall’s call successfully blunted the force of the attack. However, Birchall’s Catalina and its crew of 8 were shot down, and he, along with 5 survivors spent the remaining years as Japanese prisoners of war. It was as a senior officer among the prisoners of war (POW) that Birchall’s true leadership skills came to the forefront as he confronted his captors, often risking his own life, in order to preserve the morale, dignity and safety of lower ranked prisoners of war. In the post-war period, Air Commodore Birchall mentored and shared his thoughts on leadership with many persons in and out of uniform. He taught us the importance of:

Responsibility to not blame others but to shoulder criticism when required; and

The Birchall Leadership Award seeks to carry on this tradition of leadership by honouring its recipients in the name of one of Canada’s finest leaders. Last year’s recipient of The Birchall Leadership Award was Art Smith, OC, DFC, AOE, LLD, DCL (Hon).

General Sir Arthur William Currie, GCMG, KCB (December 5, 1875 – November 30, 1933) was the first Canadian Commander of the Canadian Corps, succeeding Sir Julian Byng after the Battle of Vimy Ridge on 9 June, 1917. Currie was a 38-year-old militia man from Victoria, BC on the outbreak of war in August, 1914. Shortly after arriving at Camp Valcartier near Quebec City, he was given command of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade. He accompanied the brigade overseas and was in command during the second battle of Ypres in April 1915. In September 1915, he was promoted to Major-General and given command of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division. He was assigned by Byng to study lessons that the French army learned at the Battle of Verdun and returned to the Canadian Corps determined to promote the virtues of thorough preparation and careful planning in the set-piece attack. His chief concern was to minimize casualties by dominating the attack through overwhelming fire power, especially artillery. After assuming command of the four-division Canadian Corps, he emphasized intra-corps communication and training, reconnaissance, and the use of specialized troops for engineering and battlefield labour tasks. He invoked his privileges as a national commander to ensure that the Canadian Corps was well trained and prepared before he would commit them to the Battle of Passchendaele in the fall of 1917, and he led the Corps to a series of stunning breakthroughs in the Battle of Amiens and the Last Hundred Days of the war in August 1918.

Currie led Albertans and other Western Canadians throughout the war and became recognized as one of the best operational commanders on the western front during the war. It is thought by some Canadian historians that his military career summarized the strengths of the militia experience which allowed him to throw off out-moded military doctrine such as the “cult of the offensive” and combine civilian-style innovation with military values to form the highest sort of military “professionalism through experience and experimentation.” The success of the Canadian forces under General Currie’s leadership at Vimy, Passchendaele and in the Last Hundred Days helped earn Canada a place at the Versailles Peace Negotiations. Perhaps more importantly, the participation of troops from all nine provinces under a single Canadian command helped to forge the identity of Canada as a nation. This, then, may be viewed as General Currie’s greatest contribution to our land.

The General Sir Arthur Currie Award is presented by the Calgary Military Museums Society (CMMS) to an individual who, by demonstrating leadership and determination, has made an outstanding contribution to the Canadian military community.

Honorary Colonel Fred P. Mannix, OC, CD, LLD Honorary Colonel Fred P. Mannix (to the left of the wine steward in the photo at right) was born in Calgary in 1942. At the early age of 12 he began working for his family as an Operator Trainee. Throughout his teenage years he continued with manual labour positions, learning the family business from the bottom up.As a young adult he moved into more progressive leadership positions prior to assuming responsibility for Loram in the following decades.
It was during these years that Honorary Colonel Mannix made contact with many retired NCOs and officers from WWII and Korea, all of whom had a profound impact on his understanding of Canada and the Canadian Forces. While overseeing the large family-owned corporation he honed his skills and began to understand the philanthropic responsibility that comes with corporate leadership. Honorary Colonel Mannix has done much for his fellow citizens, his community and his country. Today, he has many interests in and out of business. He believes in tight lines, hot barrels, team work and if it isn’t fun, change it – now! He enjoys heated discussions and is generous to a fault. Present Positions: Chairman of Mancal Group of Companies, Director of Loram 99 Corporation, Micralyne Inc., The Fraser Institute, Cullman & Hurt Community Wildlife Project, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Advisory Board, William Evans Limited, Calgary Polo Club and President of The Canadian Polo Association Past: Siemens Canada Limited, Investors Group, Pembina Resources Limited, Calgary Research & Development Authority, Strathcona-Tweedsmuir & St. Hilda’s Alumni Associations, World Wildlife Fund and Ridley College as well as all other family Corporations Notable Achievements: An Officer of the Order of Canada, Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree, University of Calgary, Alberta Centennial Medal, Chief of the Defence Staff Commendation, Founder of the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute, A Founder of Reserves 2000, Graduate of National Defence College, Alberta Chairman of the Canadian Forces Liaison Council, Introduced Hunter Education Programs to Alberta Armed Forces Cadets, Instrumental in creating the Museum of the Regiments, Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel and Honorary Colonel of The Calgary Highlanders, Honorary Chair Centre for Military & Strategic Studies Advisory Board, Patron of the Sharing our Military Heritage Foundation and CMMS, Former member of Calgary Research and Development’s Advisory Council and founded Polo Training Foundation Canada. Fred and Li-Anne enjoy five children: Margaret-Jean, Frederick, Alexandra, Vanessa and Julian.

GENERAL A. J. G. D. de CHASTELAIN OC, CMM, CD, CH 4860 General John de Chastelain was born a British subject in Bucharest, Romania on July 30, 1937, and was educated at Fettes College in Scotland and at Mount Royal College in Calgary. In 1955 he immigrated to Canada and joined the Canadian Army (Militia) as a Private in The Calgary Highlanders. In 1956, he transferred to the Regular Army and attended the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, graduating in 1960 with a commission in the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI).
General de Chastelain attended the British Army Staff College at Camberley, England. Highlights of his early career include command of the Second Battalion PPCLI in Winnipeg from 1970 to 1972, command of the base at Montreal during the 1976 Olympic Games, and service in 1976 in Cyprus as Deputy Chief of Staff of the UN Forces and Commander of the Canadian Forces. His senior command appointments include Commandant of the Royal Military College in Kingston and Commander of Canada’s 4th Mechanized Brigade Group, Germany. In September 1989 he was promoted to the rank of General and appointed Chief of the Defence Staff, an appointment he filled during the end of the Cold War, the first Gulf War and the events at Oka. In January 1993 General de Chastelain was appointed Canada’s eighteenth Ambassador to the United States of America. In January 1994 he was recalled to active duty and re-appointed Chief of the Defence Staff, a position he held until the end of December 1995. From November 1995 through January 1996, he was a member of the International Body on arms decommissioning in Northern Ireland. From June 1996 to April 1998, he was one of three International Chairmen involved in the Northern Ireland peace talks, which led to the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement of 10 April 1998. Since September 1997 he has been Chairman of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning in Northern Ireland. General de Chastelain is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a Commander of the Order of Military Merit, a Companion of Honour (UK), a Commander of the Order of St John, a Commander of the Legion of Merit (USA), and has the Commendation Medal for Merit and Honour of Greece. In 1992, he received the Conference of Defence Association’s Vimy Award. In 1996, he was made an honourary Doctor of Military Science by the Royal Military College of Canada, and in 2001 he was made an honourary Doctor of Laws (Conflict Resolution) by Royal Roads University in British Columbia. General de Chastelain and his wife MaryAnn have a son, a daughter and five grandchildren.
Captain Fiona McLean, Aide de Camp to the Lieutenant Governor.
General Rick Hillier.
The Lieutenant Governor, Captain McLean, and General Hillier.