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Our new President , Major George Chabrol, receives his gavel

from installing officer, Colonel Geordie Elms

Page 2

Newsletter Staff Writer/Publisher…………. Terry Sleightholm

Photography………………. Sgt Peter Moon

Terry Sleightholm

Writers/Editors…………… Sgt Peter Moon

Capt Larry Rose

Ann Unger

Fort York News Summer 2019

98th Annual Warriors’ Day Parade

Saturday 17 August 2019, 10:30 am

Canadian National Exhibition

Complete details including online Complete details including online

registration available at www.thewarriorsdayparade.ca Email: wdpa-

rade@rogers.com Join us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter registra-

tion available at www.thewarriorsdayparade.ca Email: wdpa-

Fort York Legion Branch 165

1421 Yonge Street

P.O. Box 69009

Toronto, ON M4T 1Y7

Branch Websitte https://fortyorkbranch165.wildapricot.org/

If you require a name tag, please contact LCdr Donna Murakami and she will arrange to have one made for you. The cost is approximately

$5.00 . Indicate whether you prefer a magnet

or pin closure.

donna.murakami.fujimoto@gmail.com

President……………………… Maj George Chabrol

1st Vice President…..……. LCdr Donna Murakami

2nd Vice President………. Gunner Bill Utton

Immediate Past President... Col Gil Taylor

Secretary……………………… Col Fred McCague

Treasurer……………………… Malcolm Hamilton

Membership Secretary…. Ann Unger

Deputy Membership…….. LW Joyce Lloyd

Chaplain……………………….. Maj Gillian Federico

Padre Emeritus…………….. Rev. Maj Ebert Hobbs

District D, Zone 5 Rep…… LCdr Donna Murakami

F.Y. News……………………… Terry Sleightholm

Sergeant-at-Arms………… Malcolm Morrison

Public Relations……………. Sgt Peter Moon

Sunnybrook Liaison………. LCdr Donna Murakami

Remembrancer……………. Col Jim Hubel

Branch Services Officer….Cdr Ed Sparling

RCMI Liaison………………… Susan Cook

Special Events Chair……... Maj George Chabrol

Members-at-Large……….. Capt Greg Bailey

Maj Rakesh Bhardwaj

Kathryn Boyden

Cpl Art Burford

Lt(N) Paul Costello

Kathryn Langley Hope

P/O Bill Milne

Tom Pam

Douglas Purdon

Fort York Branch Calendar 2019

Executive 2019 – 2020

Name Tags

Page 3

Bob Dale, D-Day Hero

By Terry Sleightholm

M any of us remember Bob Dale as a bright, kind and modest individual who spent many years

volunteering at Sunnybrook’s Veterans Wing. He was also president of Fort York Branch 165 in the year 2000 and supported its dinner meetings well after his president’s year.

But not everyone knows that Bob made a very signifi-cant contribution to the success of D-Day, 6th June, 1944, as a navigator in a Mosquito, the speedy, long-range twin engine, wooden bomber.

In May, 1944 F/L Bob Dale had completed two full tours of operations which usually meant repatriation to Canada. He had also earned a DFC, the Distin-guished Flying Cross. The odds of Bob’s surviving a third tour were slim. Air Vice Marshal Bennett called Bob into his office.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve told them you’re not available,” he said to Bob, who waited for the other shoe to drop.

“You know as well as I do that big things are about to happen,” the Air Vice Marshal explained.

Flight Lieutenant Dale admitted to Bennett that he knew something major was up and he wouldn’t want to miss it. The two agreed that the repatriation re-quest would be turned down.

Although plans for an invasion of Europe by the Allies were top secret, there was a feeling in England that something substantial was going to happen sooner than later.

Bob and his pilot, P/O Nigel Bicknell, stayed on for a third tour because their flying and navigational skills were needed for a crucial operation. On 4 June, the two men were given a briefing in the operations room at RAF Wyton, a station in Huntingdonshire, on the day’s mission: Fly a 1,000-mile weather-reconnaissance solo op east over the North Sea, then inland over Holland, south and west across the northern coastal region of France, south as far as Brest on the Atlantic coast, then back across the English Channel...at top speed.

Due to secrecy, Bob and Nigel had no idea as they

Fort York News Summer 2019

took off that day that a high level intelligence meeting was convening near Portsmouth. American and Brit-ish meteorologists continued to report to General Ei-senhower so that a date could be set for the invasion. At the time of Bob’s flight, D-Day was set for June 5th if conditions were good; that is, wind direction and visibility for aircraft and naval operations. Pressure was on the meteorologists and their forecasts. The weather had been questionable since June 2nd with low cloud coverage, low pressure cells and winds blowing across the Channel. During the flight, Bob recorded the various elements of the weather system.

“We saw the front at its maximum intensity, low cloud and rain,” Dale recounted years later. “We marked

front stems on our chart. … They wanted to know the height of the cloud and the cloud base. So we went down and figured we were in solid cloud at 8,000 feet or so. Then down to the base at about 500 feet. … The

weather was really bad.”

After flying across Holland and France for three hours, Bicknell touched down at Ford air station near the Channel, rather than wait until they reached Wy-ton. Bob immediately was engaged in a debriefing via a telephone conference call. The weather over the next 24 hours did not look good: Strong southwesterly winds were blowing across the Channel, cloud and rain lay low along the coast of western Europe. Eisen-hower confirmed that the invasion would be post-poned.

After returning to Wyton, Bob noticed, "They were starting to paint black and white stripes on the wings and fuselages of all the aircraft, " and he knew these zebra stripes were a definite signal. "This was it.”

Bob Dale and his Mosquito

Page 4

The Canadian navigator’s third tour of operations would cast him and his Mosquito aircraft pilot part-ner, Nigel Bicknell, in one of the most critical air op-erations of their war. A 1,ooo mile, three-hour flight that put Bob and his pilot into the history books about D-Day. □

From an article in the National Post, June 6, 2015 by author, Ted Barris ____________________________________

Sunnybrook Veterans Chapel In April, a special service was held in the Sunnybrook Veterans Chapel to dedicate the new pipe organ that replaced a somewhat worn-out model. Planned by Col Jim Hubel, Rev. Veronica Roynon and Rev. Mary-Jo MacDonald, several guests attend-ed, as well as the veterans from Sunnybrook.

Col Gil Taylor, Mrs. Oliphant, Marion Dick and Dr. Andy Smith, CEO of Sunnybrook, were among the guests.

Page 5 Fort York News Summer 2019

Page 6

DARING SECOND WORLD WAR ATTACK

RECALLED

By Captain Larry D. Rose

V isitors arrive in Venice by their thousands to see

historic St. Mark’s Square and the Doge’s Palace

and watch iconic gondolas bobbing along the Grand

Canal. Ah, the romance of it all. But only a couple of

cobbled alleyways away from St. Mark’s is a little no-

ticed attraction that tourists might also enjoy. The

Venice Naval History Museum has four floors jammed

with everything nautical: artifacts, maps, paintings,

uniforms and models.

During a recent visit, while enjoying the many im-

pressive displays, something very unusual caught my

eye. In the entrance hall was a twenty-two foot

manned torpedo, a type used during one of the most

audacious and remarkable attacks of the Second

World War.

The operation severely damaged two British battle-

ships, a destroyer and a tanker in Alexandria harbour

in December 1941. That success prompted the Allies

to organize similar operations and among those in-

volved in them were two young Canadians. More

about what happened to them later but it was the Ital-

ians who could trumpet the first big success.

The torpedoes used in the Alexandria attack, like

the one on display in Venice, appeared deceptively

primitive. They were designed and built before the

Second World War at a shipyard south of Genoa on

the Italian west coast.

Dubbed “Pigs” because they were difficult to steer,

the weapons carried a two-man crew who rode them

like a horse. They were also submarines in miniature.

Each Pig was equipped with ballast tanks and diving

planes while it carried 220 kilograms (485 pounds) of

explosives. Each had a battery-powered electric mo-

tor making it capable of travelling for several hours at

a maximum depth of about one hundred feet although

its speed was less than three knots.

The 1941 attack began when the Italian submarine

Scire left La Spezia naval base carrying three torpe-

does in special containers on its deck . The sub arrived

off Alexandra harbour on December 19 and in the

darkness released the torpedoes and their crews about

two kilometers from shore. After their approach all

attackers were able to enter the naval

Fort York News Summer 2019

base when the British opened the defence screen to

let in a flotilla of destroyers.

Aboard Torpedo 221 Lieutenant Luigi Durand de la

Penne and crewman Emilio Bianchi encountered un-

expected problems. The torpedo’s engine quit and the

pair had to push it manually. Then Bianchi was

forced to surface due to faulty oxygen equipment. De

la Penne had to wrangle the Maiale alone for the final

run to his target, the 3,400-ton battleship

HMS Valiant.

Here was an extraordinary duel: a great warship

armed with its mighty 15-inch guns and with a crew of

about 1,200 against two men and a torpedo.

De la Penne pushed his Pig under Valiant and left it

on the harbour bottom. The two frogmen were sup-

posed to find their way back to the Scire but instead

they were captured.

They were interrogated by Captain Charles Morgan

but they told him nothing. Fifteen minutes before

detonation, when it was too late to find and de-

activate the explosive, de la Penne informed Morgan

of what was about to happen. The two frogmen were

returned to a locked compartment just above where

the torpedo would detonate. A massive explosion fol-

lowed which blew a big hole in the hull and disabled

the ship. De la Penne and Bianchi were injured but

not seriously.

Meantime, crewmen Antonio Marceglia and Sparta-

co Schergat had better luck, attaching Torpedo 223

right to the hull of the battleship Queen Elizabeth.

The torpedo (also referred to as a limpet mine) ex-

ploded causing even more serious damage than that

sustained by Valiant. The two frogmen escaped from

Page 7

French sailors, but were captured by police two days

later. Aboard Torpedo 222 Vincenzo Martello-

ta and Mario Marino searched in vain for an aircraft

carrier they had expected to find. Instead, they decid-

ed to attack a nearby tanker, the 7,500-ton Sagona

with Marino fixing the mine under the tanker's stern.

The blast erupted and in the resulting confusion both

men managed to escape although they were eventual-

ly arrested at an Egyptian police checkpoint.

The damage to the three ships was severe. Eight members of Queen Elizabeth's crew were killed and the ship was put out of action for nine months only

returning to operations in June, 1943. Valiant re-mained on an even keel with its decks above water,

clear of the harbour bottom. Although immobilized it looked like it was still battle ready. The Royal Navy

allowed pictures to be taken which then appeared in the British press in an attempt to conceal the damage.

However, Valiant had to undergo temporary repairs until April 1942 when it was sailed to Durban, South Africa for more extensive rebuilding. The tank-

er Sagona and a nearby destroyer were damaged but both were repaired in Alexandria. For the next six

months the Italian fleet temporarily wrested naval supremacy in the east-central Mediterranean from the

Royal Navy.

The attack had one unintended consequence: it in-

spired the British to build their own manned torpedo,

dubbed the “Chariot.” Among those who trained for

Chariot operations were two Canadian members of

the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve, Lieuten-

ant Alan Moreton and Lieutenant Chuck Bonnell,

both from Toronto. Earlier in the war Bon-

nell had won a DSC as a commander of a

motor torpedo boat. It was used in several

attacks including an unsuccessful attempt in

October 1942 to sink the German battle-

Fort York News Summer 2019

ship Tirpitz. As told in the book, Through a Canadi-

an Periscope, the two underwent months of exhaus-

tive and bone-chilling training. Neither of them took

part in the Tirpitz raid but both were later involved in

attacks in the Mediterranean and Bonnell was lost on

one of them. He was aboard the British submarine

P311 which was operating off Sicily. Prior to launch-

ing its Chariots, it apparently hit a mine and sank

with all hands although wreckage of the boat was nev-

er found.

Moreton was involved in Chariot training but did not

take part in operations. He survived the war.

Meantime, one of the Italian divers had a remarka-

ble history in subsequent years. Luigi Durand de la

Penne was awarded the Gold Medal of Military Val-

our, Italy’s highest military decoration. After the Ital-

ian Armistice in September, 1943 he volunteered to

take part in operations against German targets. He

participated in a joint British-Italian operation in

June, 1944 which attacked two cruisers under Ger-

man control in the port of La Spezia. The cruisers

were sunk before they could be used to block the har-

bour entrance.

After the war de la Penne stayed in the re-formed

Italian navy, eventually retiring as a vice-admiral. He

later became a deputy in the Italian parliament.

In whatever navy, the human torpedo operations

involved enormous risks and required exceptional

courage and daring. Many of the volunteers lost their

lives both in training and on operations before the

war’s end. □

Page 8

Day Dodgers Luncheon

June 17th, 2019

By Terry Sleightholm

O n June 17th the D-Day Dodgers Luncheon took place in RCMI’s main dining

room. Several Fort York 165 members attended this annual event, which for many years was organized by the late Brigadier-General Ted Brown.

The luncheon meeting was presided over by Brigadier General Garry Thomson whose opening remarks were followed by a very tasty lunch. Of course it would not be a D-Day Dodger meal without the traditional slice of Spam adorning the salad.

Colonel Geordie Elms introduced the speaker, Honor-ary Colonel (ret’d) Geordie Beal, whose topic was enti-tled, Voices of Christmas ̶ Ortona 1943.

Everyone participated in singing the D-Day Dodger song,

accompanied by Major (ret’d) Gino Falconi on his accordi-

on.

The luncheon concluded following General Thom-son’s recognition of the various Canadian units who fought in Italy and those who represented them. □

Fort York News Summer 2019

BGen Garry Thomson makes

his opening remarks.

Colonel Elms introduces the speaker.

Speaker Honorary Colonel(ret’d) Geordie Beal

Page 9

D-Day Dodgers Song

We're the D-Day Dodgers out in Italy

Always on the vino, always on the spree.

Eighth Army scroungers and their tanks

We live in Rome – among the Yanks.

We are the D-Day Dodgers, over here in Italy.

We landed at Salerno, a holiday with pay,

Jerry brought the band down to cheer us on our way

Showed us the sights and gave us tea,

We all sang songs, the beer was free.

We are the D-Day Dodgers, way out in Italy.

The Volturno and Cassino were taken in our stride.

We didn't have to fight there. We just went for the ride.

Anzio and Sangro were all forlorn.

We did not do a thing from dusk to dawn.

For we are the D-Day Dodgers, over here in Italy.

On our way to Florence we had a lovely time.

We ran a bus to Rimini right through the Gothic Line.

On to Bologna we did go.

Then we went bathing in the Po.

For we are the D-Day Dodgers, over here in Italy.

Once we had a blue light that we were going home

Back to dear old Blighty, never more to roam.

Then somebody said in France you'll fight.

We said never mind, we'll just sit tight,

The windy D-Day Dodgers, out in Sunny Italy.

Now Lady Astor, get a load of this.

Don't stand up on a platform and talk a load of piss.

You're the nation's sweetheart, the nation's pride

We think your mouth's too bloody wide.

We are the D-Day Dodgers, in Sunny Italy.

When you look 'round the mountains, through the mud and

rain

You'll find the crosses, some which bear no name.

Heartbreak, and toil and suffering gone

The boys beneath them slumber on

They were the D-Day Dodgers, who'll stay in Italy.

So listen all you people, over land and foam

Even though we've parted, our hearts are close to home.

When we return we hope you'll say

"You did your little bit, though far away

All of the D-Day Dodgers, way out there in Italy."

Fort York News Summer 2019

Major (Ret’d) Gino Falconi leads the luncheon

audience in singing The D-Day Dodgers song

On the same day as the event inside, the Rap-

tors parade is about to turn the corner from

University onto Armoury Road, as viewed from

the RCMI balcony.

Page 10

CANADIAN RANGERS A GROWING COMMUNITY

RESOURCE IN NORTHERN ONTARIO

By Peter Moon

The Canadian Rangers have created an impressive

record of service to the First Nations of the Far North

of Ontario, according to their commanding officer.

“The Rangers are a success story in Northern Ontar-

io,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Matthew Richardson at

the Royal Canadian Military Institute’s annual confer-

ence on defence and security studies in Toronto.

There are 640 Rangers, who are part-time army re-

servists, in 27 First Nations across the top half of On-

tario. Every year, he said, they go to the rescue of

hunters, trappers, fishermen, and others who get into

trouble in a vast and challenging area bigger than the

size of France. They assist in evacuations and help,

when necessary, to deliver emergency equipment.

Almost half the Rangers are female.

Colonel Richardson said the army is adding new

Ranger patrols in two additional First Nations in

Northern Ontario this year and two more next year.

The Rangers are commanded by the 3rd Canadian

Ranger Patrol Group, with its headquarters at Canadi-

an Forces Base Borden. It is the largest army reserve

unit in Ontario.

In 2018 they rescued 13 people in 16 search and res-

cue missions. They rescued 22 people in 20 missions

in 2017. In 2016 they rescued 32 people in 25 search

Fort York News Summer 2019

and rescue operations. In 2015 they conducted 18

searches and rescued 23 people.

“The Rangers do a great job, they really do,” he told

his audience, which gave him an ovation after his

presentation.

He told them that in July and August, 2018, Rangers

from several communities flew to Wapekeka and

Nibinamik when the two Oji-Cree communities faced

youth suicide crises. They remained for a total of 51

days and conducted around-the-clock patrols to pre-

vent deaths. They also organized activities to keep

youth occupied. They provided similar organized ac-

tivities in 2017 when Attawapiskat faced a youth sui-

cide crisis.

Last December Rangers travelled by snowmobile from

nearby communities to assist in the delivery by a mili-

tary helicopter of a replacement generator for Wa-

w a k e p i w a n w h e n t h e s m a l l

First Nation’s generator broke down during a period

of bitter cold. The Rangers went door to door ensuring

people had food and heat. They also assisted when

Muskrat Dam’s generator had issues during the same

cold snap.

In the last five years, he said, Rangers played key roles

in the evacuations of a number of First Nations be-

cause of flooding and forest fires.

Last November many Rangers responded as trained

volunteers to a call for help from the Cree community

of Waskaganish in Quebec when four hunters went

missing. The Canadian Army recognized the value of

their contributions in the search by placing them on

duty retroactively and paying them for their service.

The Rangers also manage the Junior Canadian Ranger

program for youth aged 12 to 18. There are now more

than 1,000 Junior Rangers and the program is being

slowly introduced into schools in Thunder Bay, Tim-

mins, and Pelican Falls. “It is a very successful pro-

gram,” he said.

(Sergeant Peter Moon, a member of Fort York

branch, is the public affairs ranger for the 3rd Cana-

dian Ranger Patrol Group at CFB Borden.)

Colonel Matthew Richardson

Page 11

Sunnybrook Veterans Care

From Dr. Andy Smith

Dear Colleagues,

Sunnybrook, in partnership with Veterans Affairs Canada, has been proudly serving the needs of Cana-dian Veterans since 1948. Today, the Sunnybrook Veterans Centre remains the largest Veterans care facility in Canada and a recognized leader in the care of 475 Veterans of the Second World War and the Ko-rean War. Please share the following information with your senior leaders and health care teams, so they are aware of our capacity to further serve our veterans. All applications for admission into the Veterans Cen-tre are processed by calling Veterans Affairs Canada at 1-866-522- 2122. As many frail seniors and their families are faced with long wait lists for long-term care, I wanted to highlight and increase awareness that our Veterans Centre is here to serve Veterans in their greatest time of need. The Centre includes the Dorothy Macham Home opened as the first facility in Canada to meet the special needs of veterans suffer-ing from responsive behaviours due to dementia. This home has been highly successful at reducing challeng-ing, behavioural symptoms and improving the quality of life for our Veteran residents and their families. Sunnybrook was established as an institution of heal-ing for Veterans. Although the hospital has undergone many changes over the years, Veterans care has al-ways and will continue to be at the heart of what we do.

Andy Andy Smith, MD, MSc, FRCSC, FACS President & CEO Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre Phone: 416-480-4112 Fax: 416-480-6033 email: andy.smith@sunnybrook.ca

_____________________________________

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

April 29, 2019

To whom it may concern:

In 2016, Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) initiated a pilot project that expanded the eligibility criteria for up to 50 beds at Sunnybrook to include a new catego-ry of Veterans. This included certain Allied Forces and Canadian Service Veterans who previously did not qualify for Sunnybrook.

Fort York News Summer 2019

Currently, there is a wait list for this group of Veter-ans. We are pleased to announce that Veterans Affairs Canada has authorized an additional 30 bed alloca-tion to the pilot project at our facility for a total of 80 beds within our existing bed complement. Sunny-brook and Veterans Affairs Canada are proud to be able to provide greater access for this group of Veter-ans who need our care.

While we will have greater capacity for new eligibility Veterans who are awaiting access to a bed, we still have a significant challenge related to our occupancy and need to implement additional strategies. Over the last year we have experienced a steady decline in the number of traditional eligible applications to our fa-cility. This decline has also been evident at other Vet-erans’ care facilities across Canada.

As a result, Sunnybrook has made the difficult deci-sion to consolidate remaining empty beds and close K3C by the early fall of 2019. K3C is one of 15 Veter-ans’ care units in the Veterans Centre, and the closure will involve the relocation of 21 Veteran residents to other beds within the facility. These moves will not have an impact on the quality of care and services that our residents receive from the Veterans Centre.

At this time, we are evaluating each K3C resident’s individual care needs to determine the most appropri-ate new location within the Veterans Centre. As al-ways, we will be here for our Veteran residents to en-sure they have compassionate, resident-focused care as they face the challenges of aging.

We expect the moves will take place in the late sum-mer and into early fall 2019. We will do everything possible to make the changes as seamless as possible for our residents, their families and our staff.

Thank you for your ongoing support of the Veterans Centre. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Yours truly,

Sylvia Brachvogel, Operations Director: 416-480-6100 x7813

Dr. Jocelyn Charles, Medical Director: 416-480-6100 x2629

Dr. Dan Cass, Operations Executive V.P. & Chief Medical Executive

Page 12

The D-Day Copper Cross

Submitted by Capt Greg Bailey

O n 22 February 2019, the Royal Army Chaplains'

Department will celebrate 100 years from the

time King George V bestowed the prefix 'Royal' to

their name in recognition of its outstanding service

and sacrifice during the First World War. His grand-

daughter, Her Majesty The Queen, will attend a spe-

cial service of commemoration with the entire Army

chaplaincy community, to mark this auspicious anni-

versary.

During the service, a new Book of Remembrance

and Roll of Honour detailing the 315 Army chaplains

who have died in the service of others will be blessed.

The Book will subsequently be laid up in the Royal

Memorial Chapel Sandhurst where its pages will be

regularly turned. In keeping with recognizing the 75th

anniversary of the D-Day landings, the processional

cross used in the service will be the one used by Rev-

erend Sandy Reynolds, Chaplain to the 120th Anti-

Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery during the Second

World War.

Reynolds landed on D + 1 on Gold Beach and be-

gan services as soon as he could in a makeshift chapel

built by Royal Canadian Engineers of the 3rd Canadi-

an Infantry Division. The Canadian Sappers also fash-

ioned a processional cross from German Copper

Fort York News Summer 2019

modeled on one they found in a local destroyed

church. The Reverend Reynolds continued to use the

cross through France, Belgium, Holland and Germa-

ny and took it home with him to England. After the

war, Reynolds continued to serve in the Territorial

Army. At some point in his career, he donated the

cross to the parish of Brown Candover in Hampshire.

The Royal British Legion used the cross on both the

40th and 50th Festivals of Remembrance of D-Day

and has been kindly lent for the centenary service

with the permission of the Reverend Reynold’s

daughter Georgina Spencer. □

Just For Laughs...

Reverend Sandy Reynolds

Chapel and altar built by

3rd Cdn Div Engineers

Page 13 Fort York News Summer 2019

AGM/Change of Command Toronto Hunt

Page 14

HISTORY OF THE TORONTO

HUNT CLUB

F ort York branch has held its annual general

meetings at the Toronto Hunt Club for several

years, sponsored by one of our members, John

Newman, who is the honorary lieutenant-colonel of

the 3rd Canadian Ranger Patrol Group.

This is a brief history of the club, according to Wik-

ipedia.

The Toronto Hunt Club was established by British

Army officers of the Toronto garrison (Fort York) in

1843. It held gymkhana equestrian events at various

sites around the city.

In 1895 it acquired its first permanent home in a rural

area east of the city between Kingston Road and the

waterfront. In 1898 the streetcar was extended east-

ward to the site, and soon the area became a cottage

district and then streetcar suburb of Toronto. This

forced the equestrian activities to move further afield.

In 1907 the horses were thus moved to a site in

Thornhill (Steeles' Corner at Steeles Avenue and

Yonge Street).

In 1919 the club moved to a location closer to town at

Eglinton Avenue and Avenue Road. Known as the

Eglinton Hunt Club, a polo arena, clubhouses and

other facilities were erected.

The 1930s saw the club run into financial difficulties,

however. In 1939, with the outbreak of the Second

World War, the large site was purchased by the feder-

al government and turned into a secret Royal Canadi-

an Air Force research facility, the No. 1 Clinical Invest

Fort York News Summer 2019

-igation Unit. Noted scientists Frederick Banting and

Wilbur R. Franks were employed there, and it was at

the CIU that Franks invented the anti gravity g-suit.

The club was also home to RCAF No. 1 Initial Train-

ing School, a unit of the British Commonwealth Air

Training Plan. After the war it became the RCAF Staff

School, and remained an officer training facility of the

Canadian Forces until closed in 1994.

By 1995 the Government of Canada transferred the

property to the Metropolitan Separate School Board,

which was then renamed to the Toronto Catholic Dis-

trict School Board to replace De La Salle College Sec-

ondary School, which was re-privatized in 1994 and

Marshall McLuhan Catholic Secondary School was

built there in 1998.[The area surrounding the old

Eglinton Hunt Club is now an established residential

neighbourhood of Forest Hill.

The original Hunt Club site in Scarborough was

turned into a nine-hole golf course in the 1930s, and

it remains an exclusive private golfing club today. □

John Newman (left) and George Chabrol in con-

versation. John was our sponsor for the Toronto

Hunt event.

Our Inductees

Toronto Hunt

Page 15 Fort York News Summer 2019

Page 16 Fort York News Summer 2019

AGM and Change of Command

Page 17 Fort York News Summer 2019

Toronto Hunt, June 2019

Page 18 Fort York News Summer 2019

Past president Colonel Geordie Elms, left, salutes with Brigadier-General Jocelyn Paul, commander of 4th Canadian Division, during a 75th anniversary of D-Day ceremony at Queen's Park on June 6. Colonel Elms represented the veterans of Ontario. Ted Arnott, speaker of the Ontario Legislature, is at right.

Toronto Hunt 1877

Page 19

Our First President

M ajor General Robert Rennie, CB, CMG, DSO, MVO, VD was born on December 15, 1863 in York Co, Ontario. He died on De-

cember 17, 1949 in Toronto. In civilian life he was a “seed merchant” – he had risen to become President of the firm started by his father: The William Rennie Seed Company.

Rennie joined the militia in July 1880 as a Rifleman and in his early years he was a well known marksman, representing Canada on the Bis-ley Team on three occasions and receiving several medals and prizes for his marksmanship. He be-came a 2nd Lieutenant (Provisional) April 7, 1887; gazetted 2nd Lieutenant August 13, 1887; Lieuten-ant November 16, 1888; Captain April 22, 1892; Brevet Major 24 Oct 1904; Major 10 Apr 1906; Lieu-tenant Colonel 11 April 1911.

As a Major in 1910 he participated in the trip to England and during a visit to Balmoral, was award-ed the Royal Victorian Order, 4th Class by King George V.

By 1914 he was a Lieutenant Colonel. He was the original commanding officer of the 3rd Battalion CEF and led them at the Second Battle of Ypres, Festubert and Givenchy.

He was promoted to Brigadier November 17, 1915 and given command of the 4th Brigade, 2nd Canadi-an Division. In 1917 he was at Vimy Ridge. On Sep-tember 25, 1917 Rennie, when proceeding to the for-ward area, was accidentally thrown from his horse, suffering a broken collar-bone. He resumed com-mand on January 28, 1918 and was with the Bri-gade at the Battle of Amiens. Rennie was awarded the CB in the June 1918 Birthday List.

He was promoted to Major General on September 16, 1921. After retirement from Rennie Seeds in 1925, Robert and his brother John Rennie were committed golfers and curlers and re-mained connected to the civic life of Toronto. Rob-ert continued to be involved in military activities and was a prominent advocate of veterans’ interests. He was Honorary Lieutenant Colonel of the Queens Own Rifles from December 1936 to March 1939, and from then to his death he was Honorary Colonel.

Fort York News Summer 2019

Robert fell on hard times after the stock market crash of 1929 and embarked on a new career as an occasional stamp dealer (Hayter, 1988). A long time expert philatelist, he slowly sold off a massive accu-mulation of envelopes that had contained corre-spondence received by Rennie Seeds primarily from the era 1895-1905. These envelopes are widely held in collections of Canadian postal history and are ac-tively bought and sold.

In 1891 Rennie had married Marian A. Ross and

they had one son Gordon Cameron Rennie who also

served late in the First World War and is also buried

at Mt Pleasant Cemetery.

Major General Robert Rennie was the first

president of the Businessmen's Branch of the

British Empire Service League in 1930. This

organization later became Fort York Branch

165 of the Royal Canadian Legion.

An appeal for unity led to the formation of the

Dominion Veterans Alliance and, in Winnipeg

in 1925, the Legion was founded as “The Cana-

dian Legion of the British Empire Service

League.” It was incorporated by a special Act of

Parliament and the Charter was issued in July

1926.

Sources: Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada ar-

chives; Who We Are” by Col Jim Hubel

Page 20

New Veteran’s Service Card

T he new Veteran's Service Card will be available

this coming summer to anyone who served in

the Canadian Forces and was released before 2016.

Unlike the old NDI 75 photo ID card issued years ago

to Members who left the CF with at least 10 years of

service, the new requirements are very much easier.

Completed basic training and were honourably dis-

charged from the CF? You qualify for the new Veter-

an Service Card! (So almost 99% of us should qualify

for this new photo VSC card! - Example: I recently

met a now 69 year-old man, who was a recruit in the 6

-week summer Student Militia Program I helped to

run in 1967. He passed basic training, but quit the Mi-

litia by the end of 1967. Legally, he is a Veteran and

qualifies for the Card!

Google "Veteran Service Card" and presently the lat-

est info is of April 2019. You can also call Veterans'

Affairs Canada at 1-866-522-2122.

At present it has not yet updated to Vets with service

before 2016, but it is the same 2-page printable appli-

cation form that is available on line. Veterans with pre

-2016 service cessation can apply as of the summer of

2019 on.

Fill it in, add a passport quality photo, plus a photo-

copy of a government issued ID, like a driver's licence.

Send it in......and "hurry up and wait." The Veteran

Service Card should eventually arrive in the mail.

The Veteran's Service Card is valuable for several rea-

sons in establishing that you have served, or are serv-

ing in the CF. There are many discounts and more

hidden perks:

These include 25% off any VIA Rail fares, 3 or 4 piec-

es of luggage checked for free on Air Canada and West

Jet and numerous 10 to 20% discounts at hotels, res-

taurants, car rentals etc.

Incidentally, VIA Rail is currently running a special

40% off (instead of 25% off) this summer (till Sept.

2019) for CF personnel, Veterans and accompanying

family on the 4-day sleeping car trips between Toron-

Fort York News Summer 2019

to and Vancouver.

If booking, make sure you join the free affinity pro-

gram called "Via Preference".

But beyond these nice benefits of convenience and

"frippery", there are some very important and seri-

ous benefits, as we all get older. Imagine that at

some (hopefully) ripe old age it is decided you need

to go to a proper government licensed Nursing

Home, where waiting lists are typically from 5 to

13 months in the GTA and Southern Ontario. If there are no Veteran applicants when a bed opens up, it

goes to another applicant.

With a Veterans Service Card in your wallet your

loved ones can immediately establish your Veteran's

right to such a reserved bed. The Nursing Home will

usually wait no longer than 24 to 48 hours, before decid-

ing who gets the newly available bed. That is usually

not enough time to hunt up your by then decades old

paper records of military service. So apply for your

Veteran Service Card in 2019, and let loved ones

know what it can do for you, and where you keep

it. Better yet have your loved ones make a photo copy or

two, so proof will be handy when it is eventually need-

ed, hopefully, many years in the future.

Lastly, for deceased Veterans with very little or no

money, there is the Last Post Fund administered by

Veterans' Affairs Canada. This Fund pays for a

simple but decent funeral for a Veteran with little

or no money. And family or friends can claim for

funeral expenses that they had paid, for up to a year

after the Veteran's death. For further information

on the Last Post Fund call 1-800-465-711.