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Ironically, considering Scott's
cavalry background (he recalled in his memoirs how superior he felt, between the wars,
riding past the infantry on his horse) Scott became a pioneer in infantry training.
Battle Drill is discussed in detail elsewhere on this site. Scott invigorated his
battalion after long months of routine training, and set the standard for the rest of the
Army to follow. Typical of his relationship with his men, Scott did not consider
himself above taking the tough battle drill course himself. He was eventually
given the nickname "J. Fred God." But battlefield command was not to be
his; at the age of 43 he was considered too old and in February 1942 was appointed General
Staff Officer Class I at the Royal Military College in Kingston.
On the 28th of February, the officers held a mess
dinner in his honour, and at church parade the next day, Pipe Major Neil Sutherland
had the band play a pipe tune of his own composition, entitled "Colonel Scott
Farewell." The Colonel bade farewell in an address printed in The Glen:
To each his land is best and
similarly
pride of unit happily is strong in all our Canadian Forces. For our unit we can say
that we have a good and respected name in the Canadian Army and among those British units
and peoples with whom we have come in contact. I believe that the things the Unit
has done have all been done well. Our concerts, our lead in experiments with
equipment and training, the great number of officers we have serving in staff appointments
throughout the Canadian Corps - all these have brought us to a point where in the Canadian
Forces at least I question if anyone could be found who had not heard of our unit.
Even the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals paid us a special visit
after some of our cowboys were featured in the Daily Mail.
Through our introduction of Battle Drill
into the Canadian Forces, the enthusiasm for that training has gained a firm foothold in
many units...The name Battle Drill and that of the Calgary Highlanders will be closely
associated in the minds of the Canadian Army and many British units whose officers have
had their instruction at our Battle School. The unit has not been a colorless unit.
The following story was released by the
Canadian Press:
CALGARY LEADER
BACK IN
CANADA ON SPECIAL JOB
Lt.Col. J. F. Scott
Officer Commanding Noted Western Unit
TAUGHT NEW DRILLS
Somewhere in England,
March 27.-(CP)-Lieut.-Col. J . F. Scott, of Calgary, leading proponent of battle drill in
the Canadian Corps, who mobilized and commanded the Calgary Highlanders for 2 1/2 years,
returned to Canada to be general staff officer, grade 1, at the Kingston, Ont., senior
officers' school.
His return from overseas
was made known last night in Calgary. Until a permanent successor is appointed, Major D.
G. MacLaughlan, 35, of Calgary, is acting commanding officer of the Highlanders, with
Major Doug Robertson, of Calgary, acting as second in command.
Major MacLaughlan was in
the advertising department of the Calgary Albertan before going on active service.
Started Drill
School
Colonel Scott, 49, led the
Highlanders through all their heavy training in Canada and England, and during the last
winter started the first battle drills school in the corps. Under his guidance the
Highlanders developed battle drill to a high point of commando perfection and the colonel
was responsible to a large extent for selling the idea to the corps generally.
He put on demonstrations
for officers of other Canadian battalions and recently some Calgary officers and N.C.O.s
went to a British division to give battle drill instruction
Colonel Scott, who spent a
great deal of time in the field with his men talking this training, probably will seek to
advance battle drill in the home forces in Canada.
Tendered Banquet
Before he left officers of
the battalion held a banquet for him. The guests included Viscount Bennett, former
Canadian Conservative prime minister and honorary colonel of the regiment, who praised the
Highlanders' progress in training under Colonel Scott and lauded their enterprise for
introducing battle drill as a real stimulant of offensive spirit among the troops. Colonel
Scott said there were personal reasons which made his return to Canada happy, but added
that he was leaving the battalion "with sorrow."
In May of 1942, Scott transferred to the
Canadian Battle Drill School at Vernon, BC, as commanding officer. In October 1944,
he was promoted to Acting Colonel and went to act as Commandant of A10 Canadian Infantry
Training Centre at Camp Borden, Ontario. In an interview in the Calgary Herald in
August 1942, in which he was described as "known to most Calgarians as a mild, kindly
spoken city lawyer and King's Counsel here for many years" he had the following to
say:
There can be no glamorizing to the awful
business of war...Killing is brutal and harsh on the soul and can never be a refining
influence for the future.
But the Canadian soldier deserves at
least an equal break in pitched battle and he won't get it without the killing mentality
our enemies have used with such success to date.
What all this will do to them for the
peace days to follow I don't know, but battle drill will, at least, fit them to live
through the interim of hell before peace does come.
Scott was discharged on 10 November 1945, and
returned to law practice until 1976. He took an active interest in a school named
for him in Calgary, and passed away on 13 February 1982 at the age of 89.
Colonel J. Fred Scott Elementary School still
proudly displays his photo in their lobby. |
