|
have been taken offline while we do website upgrades.
|
Cover Photos
|
Cover Photo |
Caption |
 Dec 2006 |
Darrell Knight served with The Calgary Highlanders and trained with various military units domestically and internationally during the Cold War. In October 2006, he launched an updated version of the history of the 31st (Alberta) Battalion, CEF, which he edited. Mr. Knight is currently a member of the 10th Battalion Calgary Highlanders Association as well as the Society of Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary. His next book will the history of 665 Air Observation Post Squadron of the RCAF, which carried Army artillery observers aloft during the Second World War. Mr. Knight is only one of many former Calgary Highlanders to have had success in writing about military history; details of some others may be found on the page on Regimental Authors. |
 Nov 2006 |
Floyd
Orin Rourke, DCM, still serving the Regiment in 2006. Photographed at the annual
Peacekeeper's Day, and inset as he appeared in 1945. Rourke was a Lance Corporal in
"A" Company on 26 April 1945 when his platoon commander and the senior NCOs of
his platoon were hit by enemy fire during an assault on Gruppenbühren, Germany. Taking
command, he led the remnants of Number Nine Platoon through heavy 20mm, light machine gun
and small arms fire over 700 yards of open ground, through barbed wire, and into a system
of enemy entrenchments. After achieving the company objective, Rourke reorganized the
platoon and made a further bound to capture the crew of an 88mm gun, putting the weapon
out of action. Rourke was one of only seven Calgary Highlanders awarded the DCM - a
gallantry award ranked second only to the Victoria Cross. Mr. Rourke continues to appear
at Regimental functions, and honoured the unit with his presence at the annual Walcheren
Causeway commemoration on 1 November 2006.
Main photo courtesy of Warrant Officer Martin Woods, CD; inset Calg Highrs Photo. |
 Oct 2006 |
After less than a year's tenure, Pipe Major Mike Giles has improved the quality of the band such that the Pipes and Drums took Best Pipe Band in the 2006 Calgary Stampede Parade, Best Canadian Band overall, and 1st place in their grade in the Highland Games in High River in August 2006 against a strongly competitive field. Pipe Major Giles' biography is listed at http://www.calgaryhighlanders.com/appointments.htm. Under the strong leadership of Pipe Major Giles, shown here leading the band to its victory in High River in August 2006, the Pipes and Drums have earned more consistent competitive successes than at any time since the tenure of Pipe Major Don Maxwell, MMM, CD. Shannon Armstrong Photo |
 Sep 2006 |
Warrant Officer Mike Smith, in front of one of the Grizzlies that Canada has given the African Union for the African Union Mission in Sudan. WO Smith is as of this writing serving in Africa as an instructor on Grizzly weapons systems (including both the M2 .50 calibre machine gun and the C6 (7.62mm) General Purpose Machine Gun) and assisting African officers and soldiers train for peacekeeping duties in the Sudan. Photo courtesy WO Mike Smith |
 Aug 2006 |
Warrant
Officer Bruce Waterhouse, CD, in a photograph from the recent publication "Argyll and
Sutherland Highlanders" by Alastair Campbell of Airds. As the Argylls undergo
amalgamation into The Royal Regiment of Scotland, this book chronicles the history of the
regiment, including the part that individuals like Bruce Waterhouse played. Waterhouse, a
long serving Calgary Highlander, served a term of engagement as a Corporal (equivalent to
a Canadian Sergeant) with the 1st Battalion, A&SH, including a tour of Northern
Ireland (as attested by his General Service Medal) before returning to the Calgary
Highlanders. Warrant Officer Waterhouse (photographed here at the Queen's Parade in 1990
at McMahon Stadium) passed away at a relatively young age; his medals are on display at
the regimental gallery at The Military Museums (formerly known as The Museum of the
Regiments) in Calgary. The book, by Tempus Publishing Ltd, was published in December 2005
with ISBN number 0752435388.
Thanks to Archie Mac Laine, A&SH (ret.), for the scan. |
 July 2006 |
Roy Alexander Farran, who passed away at the age of 85 in June
2006, was the first author to publish a history of The Calgary Highlanders. As compared to
his many personal achievements, it was just one among many professional
accomplishments. Roy Farran was commissioned into the British Army and saw combat early in
the Second World War, commanding tanks in Africa and later on Crete where he was wounded,
captured, awarded the Military Cross, and escaped from Greece, taking 9 days to sail to
Egypt. He acted as ADC to Major General Jock Campbell, VC, commander of the 7th Armoured
Division (The Desert Rats). He was later wounded in action again, and after parachute
training, joined the 2nd Special Air Service.
He led a raid on a lighthouse in Sicily and participated in several commando missions in southern Italy, eventually being awarded the Military Cross three times in total. On 19 August 1944, he led 60 men and 20 jeeps in Operation WALLACE, one of the most successful post D-Day SAS operations in France. He was just 23 years old at the time. He led his men 200 miles behind enemy lines, inflicting 500 enemy casualties, destroying 95 vehicles, a train, and 100,000 gallons of gasoline. An illicit leave in Paris on the return journey did not dissuade his superiors from awarding the Distinguished Service Order. Farran returned to Italy, where he won the US Legion of merit. He finished the war in Norway, then went to Palestine and Sandhurst, followed by work in Scotland and Africa. He lost a bid for a seat in the British Parliament, and came to Calgary where he spent the rest of his life. He founded the weekly North Hill News, published History of The Calgary Highlanders 1921-1954, and was elected to the Legislature in 1961, where he remained until 1979, holding two ministerial appointments. His many military awards included the Croix de Guerre, and in 1994 was awarded the Legion d'Honneur for his work in facilitating Franco-Canadian student exchanges. He published several other books, including two about his time in the SAS entitled Winged Dagger (1948) and Operation Tombola (1960). |
 June 2006 |
In Autumn and September 2006, actor Paul Gross will star in and direct the film Passchendaele, inspired by the true story of his grandfather, Sergeant Michael Dunne of the 10th Battalion, CEF (forerunners of The Calgary Highlanders). The Tenth Battalion earned the Battle Honour Passchendaele during the Third Battle of Ypres in 1917; notably at Hill 52 in November, when the battalion was tasked at the last minute to capture a prominent feature, and did so with only light casualties. The film is scheduled to shoot at CFB Suffield, as well as locations in Calgary and Belgium, with post-production to finish in time for a Rememberance Day release. |
 May 2006 |
As fans of the Calgary Flames watch with excitement the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, The Calgary Highlanders' regimental hockey team, the Oakleafs, reflect on a hard-fought season, culminating in their 4-1 playoff performance and a well earned League championship. At left, team captain Chris Tucker during an exhibition game against the British Army Training Unit Suffield team. |
 Apr 2006 |
One of twenty-five Calgary Highlanders currently deployed to Afghanistan,
Corporal Adam Wanvig poses for the camera. Canadian soldiers on Operation ARCHER continue
to conduct active operations, including in some cases contact with the enemy.
Photo courtesy Corporal Adam Wanvig |
 Mar 2006 |
Former Calgary Highlander officer Lloyd Swick, photographed in Ottawa at a Victory in Europe Day event in 2005. The event was hosted by the government of The Netherlands. Mr. Swick wears standard veteran's dress, a regimental blazer with crest and regimental tie, as well as regimental headdress and his decorations - including not only awards for the Second World War, but also for service in the Korean War, and UNMOGIP (a UN observer mission in India/Pakistan), as well as the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal and the Canadian Forces Decoration with bar, indicating at least 22 years of service in the Canadian military. Photo courtesy Warrant Officer W.E. Storey, Mapping and Charting Establishment, Canadian Military Engineers |
|
January 2006 has seen the safe return of Warrant Officer Martin Woods from a tour of duty in Afghanistan, as well as the deployment of several more Calgary Highlanders to the region as the Canadian Forces commitment to that area increases. The regiment continues to set its sights on Task Force 0407, which will hopefully see a sizeable contingent of Calgary Highlanders deployed as a formed unit. The Canadian Forces have had soldiers deployed to the area since the immediate aftermath to the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. While democracy has been restored to the country, members of both international terrorist organizations as well as the former Taliban regime continue to operate in both urban centres and the Afghan countryside. As Warrant Woods' photo shows, Canadian soldiers in theatre are completely and appropriately equipped to perform the variety of duties with which they've been tasked, from aid to the civil population, to combat operations. |
 January 2006 |
The past year has been a
significant one for the Calgary Highlanders. 2005 had been declared The Year of the
Veteran by The Honourable Albina Guarnieri, Minister of
Veteran's Affairs, and in recognition all members of the Canadian Forces wore a special
pin on their uniform throughout the year. Alberta also marked its Centennial, and
several Calgary Highlanders were recognized with the Alberta Centennial Medal for
service both within and outside the military, including outgoing CO Lieutenant Colonel F.
Lee Villiger.
Most significantly, the Regiment was again inspected by the Colonel-in-Chief, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, in May. As 2005 recedes into history, the Highlanders now turn their attention to preparing for operational deployments; the new year sees many soldiers either deployed to Afghanistan, or en route, having completed their pre-deployment training. |
