Veterans

OLDS REUNIOUN 2011

3 to 5 June 2011

The weather was not the greatest. It seems that overcast chilly days are becoming the norm for this time of year in Alberta. Nonetheless, it did not dampen the spirits of the 35 plus well motivated, enthusiastic veterans and associates who were greeted and registered by Ann Ten Pierik, Rosa Cluett and Cyndy Butler at the registration desk. Registration was held Saturday morning and later on in the afternoon.

After settling in, a lunch of soup and sandwiches was served at the legion. The ladies joined forces and held their lunch separate from the men in the Dieppe room. I guess they had different topics to discuss; the men were relegated to the games room where they eagerly told war stories and debated over sports. After lunch the ladies joined the men in attending the annual general meeting. The meeting, presided over by the president Darrel Sundholm, was well received and fully discussed such items as: attendance at the reunion, membership, upcoming functions, and date for next reunion. After the meeting, all attendees dispersed to relax and ready themselves for the banquet.

The banquet commenced with drinks and greetings, and a lot of camaraderie. Marge and Dan Fraser were joined by Marge’s daughter Sheila and her husband Warren. Shelia is Marge’s daughter from her previous marriage to Walter Kent who has since passed on. Tom Baker arrived with his daughter Sandee and presented a model tank (German Leopard) to the association. It was a beautiful, well constructed memento. I am sure the association will cherish it. Vic and Dorothy Morrison also attended. Malcolm Bisset, a good friend of the association, arrived early Saturday and with him was an association display board depicting the recent change in the association name: THE KING’S OWN CALGARY REGIMENT (50 CEF/14 CTR) ASSOCIATION.

Dinner followed, commencing with the traditions of marching on the head table/colours, introductions, toasts and greeting from the Deputy Mayor of Olds Murray Ball, the president of the Legion, Mark Swanson, and our president Darrel Sundholm. A lovely roast beef dinner was served by the ladies of the auxiliary. Our guest speaker, Major Darryl Watts, 15 years with the regiment, spoke about his time in Afghanistan, emphasizing Canada’s involvement and recent updates. The audience was spell bound by his hour long presentation. Major Watts was, among other appointments, a platoon commander while serving in Afghanistan. The evening ended with marching off the camp flag and entertainment by the Western Reunion, an a cappella choir from Calgary. Ray Gilbert is a member of this wonderfully talented group.

With Sunday came the Church Service directed by Chaplain Tim Kirby accompanied by his wife Sharon. Because a lot of guests had to leave Saturday evening, the service contained a small number. Nonetheless, it was a full service, which included marching on/off the camp flag, lying of wreaths, and remembering our fallen comrades since the last reunion. A bugler was in attendance (Pte Shawn Smith) to play last post and reveille. At the completion of the service, all attendees departed with some hugs, conversation, and farewells. See you at the next reunion.

Written by Jerry Cluett

Below are some photos of Sgt Elly Raskin who served with the Calgary Tanks in the Dieppe Raid. Also known as the Battle of Dieppe; was an Allied attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe on the northern coast of France on 19 August 1942. The assault began at 5:00 AM in the morning and by 9:00 AM the Allied commanders had been forced to call a retreat. Elly can be found outside the KOCR exhibit at the Military Museums on Mondays.

Canadian Churchill tanks on the beaches of Dieppe - only 15 of the 27 tanks that made it to shore where able to climb the rugged pebble beach and cross the German anti-tank ditch - the tanks were eventually stopped by the anti-tank walls and were immobilized, or later returned to the beach to cover the withdrawal.