Page 1
http://www.gcclondon.ca/
Please note that our 11 March GCC meeting will
be held at the Wolseley Barracks Officers’ Mess
 Meet and greet 11:15 a.m.
 lunch service begins at 11:30 a.m.
 Speaker 12:00 p.m.
MARCH 2015 NEWSLETTER
Meet and Greet:
11:15 hrs Wolseley Barracks Officers’ Mess, Wednesday, 11 March 2015
11:30 hrs lunch service begins (Please bring a guest)
Meeting Start Time:
12:00 hrs meeting starts
Speaker:
MGen(Ret’d) Walter M. Holmes, MBE, OStJSB, MSM, CD
(see page 2 for details)
Lunch Menu:
Feature soup OR salad 3. 75
Soup and salad duo 6.50
Artisan premium sandwiches 5. 50
Add any side to your sandwich 8.75
Hot entree chefs feature 10.00
Various desserts 2.50
Coffee 1.00
** all prices + HST
Page 2
http://www.gcclondon.ca/
Speaker: 11 March GCC Meeting WBOM
Walter M. Holmes, MBE, OStJSB, MSM, CD
Major General Canadian Army (Ret’d)
Walter Holmes is a career soldier. Born in London, Ontario he commenced
his military career at the age of thirteen with his High School Cadet Corps
where he rose to the lofty rank of Sergeant. This was followed by three years
of part time service with a Militia battalion, the 3rd Battalion of The Royal
Canadian Regiment garrisoned in London. Upon completion of High School
he applied and was accepted into the Officer Candidate Program (OCP) as
an Officer Cadet. After a year of grueling training at the Infantry School in
Camp Borden he was commissioned into The Royal Canadian Regiment in
1967 as a 2nd Lieutenant.
What followed was an Army career with the majority of time spent in command with the odd staff tour
thrown in for balance. Command at platoon (airborne, rifle, mortar and anti-tank), company (airborne,
rifle and admin), battalion/battle group, regiment (Airborne), garrison (CFB Petawawa), brigade (2
Brigade), Land Area (LFCA) and Division level (NATO Multi-national AMF(L)) provided challenges
but equal measures of fun with the highlight being the opportunity to work with the very best soldiers
in the world. Staff positions at battalion, Army and Corps (1st British Corps) level, a tour as the
Canadian Military Attaché in the Canadian Embassy in Washington D.C. and a three year teaching task
at the Canadian Army Staff College rounded out the balance of the 37 years of regular force service.
One of Major General Holmes’ claims to fame is he has visited or exercised in North Norway 22 times,
only once in summer.
Major General Holmes retired in late 2002 and commenced a second career as a security/military
consultant with emphasis on Eastern Europe. This work involved a range of activities at the strategic,
operational and tactical levels. He has also been and remains engaged with a number of military
associations and like organizations in furthering the cause of support to and recognition of Veterans.
A five year tour as Colonel of The Regiment, The Royal Canadian Regiment, an honorary position with
a considerable commitment involved, will always remain the highlight of Major General Holmes’ post
service years. Having followed four regimental battle groups in preparation for and during their
deployments to the Kandahar region of Afghanistan, he has an enduring personal interest in long term
support to Veterans and their families. Major General Holmes was appointed Colonel Commandant of
the Royal Canadian Infantry Corps in August of 2013, at the end of his tour as CCOI in 2016 he will
have served 51 years in uniform, 48 of them in the Infantry.
Walter and his wife Lana live in Kingston, Ontario. They enjoy their families, friends and every
opportunity for an adventure.
Page 3
http://www.gcclondon.ca/
GCC’s February Meeting Speaker
Guest Speaker at the Feb. 11, 2015 GCC
meeting was Rory Edwards, Operations
Manager Kongsberg Pro Tech Systems.
Acting chair and GCC 3rd VP Doug Acton with Feb. 11 guest speaker Rory Edwards, Operations
Manager at Kongsberg Protech Systems Canada.
Honouring Veterans Initiative- Cpl Joshua Waring
Cpl Joshua Waring was recognized at our February GCC meeting through the GCC’s Honouring
Veterans Initiative. Full details of his extensive service are available in the February GCC Newsletter
distributed to members and which is also available on the GCC website.
http://www.gcclondon.ca/whatsnew.htm
Gerry Treble, 1st V.P. and chair of the
Honour Veterans initiative presented Cpl
Joshua Waring with a certificate of
recognition at the regular meeting of GCC on
11 February 2015.
Page 4
http://www.gcclondon.ca/
More from the February GCC Meeting
Doug Acton, 3VP and acting chair for the Feb.
11, 2015 GCC meeting presented Beth Sayler
with her name badge and Certificate of
Membership.
Doug Acton also presented Tim McLarnon with his
name badge and Certificate of Membership
COS Lt Col Dan. McLean briefed members
of GCC on activities of 31 Canadian Brigade
Group.
Page5
http://www.gcclondon.ca/
Honouring Veterans Initiative: Robert Kennedy, Royal Marine
Robert Kennedy enlisted in the Royal Marines on 21 Sept 1937.
He attended his basic training at Deal which is situated down in Kent County not too far from
Canterbury. On the completion of several grueling weeks, he was posted to Chatham Barracks for his
gunnery course.
His first ship was the battleship HMS Royal Sovereign where he was a gun layer in “X” gun. Her main
armament was 8-15” guns in turrets of four. Her secondary armament was 14-6” guns.
Roberts’s next ship was HMS Naiad, a light cruiser with 4 turrets of 3-6” guns as the main armament.
She was the flagship of 15 other cruisers in the Mediterranean Sea under Vice Admiral Vian. On 11
Mar 1942 at 19:50, she was torpedoed with a loss of 83 of her ship’s company.
Robert’s next ship was HMS Valiant, East India Fleet. Her home port was Mombasa which became
Robert’s home for 2 years. He was then sent home to England for a sniper course also was an escort to
the Naval Hospital Ships.
On completion of his sniper course, Robert was sent to Ceylon where he was deployed to the Special
Boats Unit. During this tenure, HMNZ Navy requested to have some Royal Marine
gunners deployed to Gambia, a light cruiser with 8-8’’ guns in the Pacific Fleet of the
New Zealand Navy.
He was discharged in 1946. Robert immigrated to Canada in April, 1947, which was
Scotland’s loss and Canada’s gain.
31 Canadian Brigade Group Commander’s Column
An informal view of the Brigade’s activities.
This short article, normally penned by a member of the Brigade staff, will offer a casual look at
ongoing activities in 31 CBG. Written with an intent to avoid heavy use of military lexicon, acronyms
and abbreviations, the Commander’s Column supports information sharing to groups with diverse
backgrounds and will, hopefully, offer a less formal view of the Brigade overall, or the examination of
specific issues or events. I welcome suggestion of topics you would like to see covered in these
columns.
K.S.Bertoia, Colonel
Comd 31 CBG
Page 6
http://www.gcclondon.ca/
The London Headquarters; Early Years to the Second World War
31 Canadian Brigade Group Headquarters represents a heritage of headquarters for the Militia, and
latterly the Reserves, located in London that reaches back to before Confederation. The early Militia
Acts of the 1800s describe the Sedentary Militia which was composed of all able-bodied men between
the ages of 18 and 60 who mustered once annually to verify their enrolment. Although required to be
identified as members of the Sedentary Militia, when they were called upon in times of strife, those
men who marched away were volunteers from among the population.
It is with the Militia Act of 1855 that we see the first units of the Active Militia (i.e., structured,
regularly parading, and paid) formed. With that evolution came the designation of Military Districts.
No. 8 Military District was formed of the “Middlesex, Elgin, Oxford, Norfolk, Brant Counties, and
London City.” For this M.D., the first identified commander was Colonel John B. Askin (formerly of
the 1st Battalion, Middlesex
Regiment).
For a while, the requirement for
annual musters of the Sedentary
Militia and the nascent Active
Militia co-existed. In 1863, the
annual muster was set aside that
year and would eventually be
cancelled for good as more units of
the Active Militia were authorized.
By 1866, we see a change from the
original Military Districts to an
organization of “Brigade
Divisions.” The “7th Division,”
spanning “Middlesex, London
City, Oxford, Elgin, Lambton,
Kent and Essex” was under the
command of the Brigade Major
Again in 1868, the organization of
districts changed again, with The
Counties of Essex, Kent, Bothwell, Elgin (East and West Ridings), Oxford (North and South Ridings),
Middlesex (North, West and East Ridings), Lambton, Huron (North and South Ridings), Perth (North
and South Ridings), Waterloo (North and South Ridings), Wellington (North, Centre and South
Ridings), Bruce (North and South Ridings), and the City of London, [forming] "Military District
Number One." This district was
1855 Colton Map of Upper Canada or Ontario - Geographicus
Page 7 http://www.gcclondon.ca/
subdivided into two Brigade Divisions, each of which was further subdivided into regimental divisions
consisting of individual counties, or half-counties.
In 1905, with the establishment of the Militia Council, a reorganization of the Militia took place.
General Order 90 of 1905 created four “superior military division,” including: “Western Ontario
Command — Nos. 1 and 2 Military Districts, with headquarters at Toronto, Ontario.” This is also the
first time that we see the definition of headquarters responsibilities and the authorization of staffs to
assist the designated commander.
In 1911, the Command areas are subdivided into Divisional Areas. General Order 59 stated that “The
First Divisional Area replaces Military District No. 1, comprising the counties of ESSEX, KENT,
LAMBTON, ELGIN, MIDDLESEX, OXFORD, WATERLOO, WELLINGTON, PERTH, HURON and
BRUCE , in the Province of ONTARIO, with Headquarters at LONDON, ONTARIO.” Effective 1 May
1911, the Officer Commanding the 1st Division Area was Colonel W.E. Hodgins, previously the
District Officer Commanding Military District No. 1.
The Military Districts were again reorganized in 1916: “The Counties of Essex, Kent, Lambton, Elgin,
Middlesex, Oxford, Waterloo, Wellington, Perth, Huron and Bruce are formed into a Western Ontario
Military District, to be known as “Military District No. 1,” with Headquarters at London, Ontario.”
This grouping of counties as Military District No. I would be restated in 1926 and 1939, although a reorganizations of staffs would occur in 1919 as the span and complexity of the headquarters
responsibilities grew.
In the years after the First World War, the Militia
underwent a continuing series of evolutions to
match the types and distribution of units that
proved effective in the Canadian Corps. This
reorganization included the authorization of units
that had not previously expected in the Militia,
e.g., Machine Gun and Veterinary Corps units, as
well as the designation of “Reserve battalions,”
of existing regiments, which would be manned in
wartime as needed. The infantry regiments in
Military District No. 1 were formed into two
divisional structures along with two additional
brigades and two more unbrigaded units..
Honourable Discharge Certificate
It was during the Second World War that we see the first use of the designation “31st (Reserve)
Infantry Brigade Group.” The reserve formations, created across the country, consisted of part-time
soldiers who had not volunteered for full time service.
Page 8
http://www.gcclondon.ca/
Significant Military Dates- March
The list of significant military dates each month serves as background for the GCC’s Honouring
Veterans Initiative. The list is not conclusive and is for reference only.
3 March 1942
World War II
10 March 1950
Korean War
- Aviation
12 March 1930
World War I
12 March 2014
Afghanistan
13 March 1943
World War II
17 March 2004
Haiti
19 March 1885
North West Rebellion
Begins
20 March 1944
World War II
First combat flight of the Toronto-built Avro Lancaster
bomber, the war's most successful night bomber.
Avro Jetliner flies to Ottawa from Toronto in a recordsmashing 36 minutes for a demonstration in front of
government officials, military leaders and dignitaries at
the Rockcliffe airport; followed by a promotional tour
across North America; in April, the Jetliner will carry
the world’s first jet airmail from Toronto to New York
in a record 58 minutes; Howard Hughes orders a flight
of 30 C-102s for Trans World Airlines, but minister
C.D. Howe will order Avro to halt development in 1951
to concentrate on the CF-100 jet fighter for the Korean
War.
World War I air ace Billy Barker killed in a plane crash
at Rockcliffe air base; shot down 53 enemy planes
during the war, won Victoria Cross for a single-handed
combat against some 60 German aircraft.
The Canadian flag is lowered in Kabul, marking the end
of the longest-running combat mission in Canadian
history.
Canadian Flower-class corvettes HMCS Prescott and
HMCS Napanee sink German submarine U-163 while
defending a convoy off the coast of Spain; often named
after small towns in Canada, these vessels were used as
anti-submarine convoy escorts during the Battle of the
Atlantic.
Canadian Forces sends 170 soldiers to Haiti to provide
security in Operation Halo to support United Nations
peacekeeping
North West Rebellion - Louis Riel reacts to the news
that the NWMP are on the way to Batoche, seizes
hostages, takes control of St. Anthony's Church, and
proclaims the Provisional Government of
Saskatchewan, with himself as President, and Gabriel
Dumont as Adjutant-General of the Army. His followers
ransack government stores and cut the telegraph wires
leading east. Batoche, Saskatchewan
Lt. Gen. Harry Crerar appointed to command of 1st
Canadian Army; largest field formation ever formed by
Canada; includes British, Dutch, Belgian, and Polish
units.
Page 9
http://www.gcclondon.ca/
25 March 1958
Aviation
27 March 1964
Cyprus
Crowd of 14,000 Avro employees cheer maiden flight of
supersonic fighter the Avro CF-105 Arrow at Malton
Airport; one of world's most advanced airplanes at the time;
cancelled five months later.
First 500 Canadians start duties with UN peacekeeping
force in Cyprus; to quell the ongoing conflict between
Turkish and Greek Cypriots beginning a decades-long
mission
MARCH – it looks like ‘Avro Canada Month’
Janusz Zurakowski takes the Avro CF105 Arrow Mk.1 on its first flight
(DND, 82-384)
Avro Lancaster Production Line - Toronto
The Avro C102 Jetliner was beaten to the air by only 13 days by the de
Havilland Comet, thereby becoming the second jet airliner in the world.
The Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck (affectionately
known as the "Clunk")
Page 10
http://www.gcclondon.ca/
GCC Members at London Heritage Council Heritage Fair
The Heritage Fair theme this year was Honouring our Veterans. GCC 1st Vice President, Gerry
Treble, coordinated GCC’s involvement and was supported at the table by a team of GCC members. As
well, several other GCC members participated at the fair working displays for other groups to which
they belong.
New GCC member LCol(Ret) Joe Murray works the
1st Hussars display.
GCC Past President, Randy Warden (shown with
Jared Zaifman) works the Legion table while GCC 1st
VP Gerry Treble looks on from the GCC display.
GCC 1st VP Gerry Treble works the GCC table
with GCC Past President Randy Warden at the
Legion table.
GCC member Marti Acton works the Jet Aircraft Museum
display with JAM Marketing Director, Mike Kestle.
Page 11
http://www.gcclondon.ca/
31 CBG hosts GCC Members at Exercise Arrowhead Precept
LCol Dan McLean, Brigade Chief of Staff and Capt Mike O’Leary, Brigade Web Officer OPI, hosted a
group of enthusiastic GCC members at Wolseley Barracks and explained the design and inside
workings of Exercise Arrowhead Precept. Follow the link below to go to the GCC Facebook page
where you can watch a YouTube video created by Jim Swan which describes the event.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/155018811222020/
Suitably reverent GCC members meet EXCON 1. As
Exercise Controller, he is known as God as he can
reactivate destroyed units.
LCol McLean and Capt O'Leary brief GCC members.
You can see from the screens that each unit receives
data unique to their situation to relay up their unit
chain of command.
This is one of three main locations for the exercise. Data
is fed to each unit by computer. Status is sent by radio to
another location for interpretation by unit officers and
then communicated to command level.
Page 12
http://www.gcclondon.ca/
Page 13
http://www.gcclondon.ca/
Support our team in the
FOREST CITY ROAD RACES
April 26, 2015
PLEASE HELP RAISE MONEY TO
SUPPORT LMFRC PROGRAMS AND EVENTS
Donate to a runner online at www.forestcityroadraces.com
Click on: Sponsor a Runner and search by name.
OR
Drop off or mail in a cheque (made out to “LMFRC”)
Charitable receipts for donations of $10 or more
Page 14
http://www.gcclondon.ca/
WBOM Wednesday Lunches
The Wolseley Barracks Officers’ Mess has reopened for Wednesday lunches. Lunch and bar service is
available at 11:30am. GCC Members are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity as well as
the lunch service at our regular GCC meetings. Use it or lose it.
GCC Meeting Dates- 2015
Program planning for 2015 is underway. Suggestions from members are always welcome. Please
contact any member of the executive with ideas. Below are the dates for January to June 2015.
14 January
8 April
11 February
13 May
11 March
10 June
GCC EXECUTIVE
President: Jack Scott
Treasurer: Lynn Coates
1st Vice President: Gerry Treble
3rd Vice President: Doug Acton
Past President: Jan Delaney
Secretary: Keith Roden
2nd Vice President: Geoff Hutton
Garrison Advisor: LCol Dan McLean
Next Meeting: at Wolseley Barracks Officers’ Mess
with lunch service
beginning at 11:30 a.m., and speaker at 12:00 p.m.
MGen(Ret’d) Walter M. Holmes, MBE, OStJSB, MSM, CD will be our speaker
Page 15
http://www.gcclondon.ca/
Tour of HMCS Ojibwa and the Elgin Military Museum
GCC Members are invited to participate:
If interested, please respond as per the information in the flier below: