INTRODUCTION
1. My wife, Carol, and I completed a cruise celebrating our 45th Anniversary this past winter and were back in Canada in early May. At that time I’m delighted to say I was able to fully assume the Colonel of the Regiment responsibilities. My deep appreciation goes out to Vince Kennedy for continuing the Colonel of the Regiment duties in my absence. Vince has served the Regiment superbly over the years and his performance as Colonel of the Regiment was no exception. Thanks Vince, I know I have big shoes to fill!
2. This is my first quarterly update which will go to the RHQ controlled Regimental Senate lists, serving, and retired. As in the past if you find other Senate members who do not get these updates please get their contact details and notify RHQ at rhqppcli@forces.gc.ca .
POINTS OF REPORTAGE
3. Broad issues at Defence. Much has continued to evolve in the World and both the Canadian Armed Forces and our Regiment are extremely busy. The world security situation remains challenging as confrontation seems to now be the norm, whether that be with Russia, China, North Korea, or conflicts in countries such as the Ukraine, Israel, and Sudan. Other issues such as climate change (including wild fires) and immigration are also impacting on us and our security. Challenges for the Canadian Armed Forces, to name but a few, include: op tempo, modernization, living up to our military values, soldier economic stresses, and morale. We are fortunate to have General Eyre as Chief of Defence Staff and other senior Patricias as part of the Defence Team guiding our military through the myriad of issues confronting our Canadian Armed Forces. Those of us who are no longer in the serving component need to understand the importance of what our soldiers are doing; the huge role they play today in Canada and around the world, and the sacrifice they (and their families) are incurring whilst carrying out their duties on a continual basis. I encourage all of you to extend your appreciation to our soldiers for what they are doing now and into the future.
4. Governance. A Regimental Guard and Regimental Executive Committee meeting will be held on 28 June in Edmonton. Amongst the issues to be discussed is the Regiment’s 110th Anniversary plan. It now appears unlikely that a Presentation of New Colours/Trooping will be possible in August 2024 due to several factors not the least of which is operational tempo and the likelihood of the new colours not yet being available from Directory History and Heritage. Rather, it is anticipated that our Edmonton celebrations will focus on the 3 PPCLI Change of Command parade and Association 2
Annual General meeting which would occur the last week or June or early July. Other activities potentially would include regional events by Association Branches, the PPCLI Sydney Frost Battlefield tour of Sicily and Italy from 16-31 May (coordinated by the Association and Hamilton Gault Memorial Fund), book launches of our Regimental History Book Volume VI in various locations across the country, a PPCLI art display, a possible display at the former PPCLI Home Station Officers Mess Calgary (now a Boutique Hotel called Inn on Officers Garden). Although the 110th is considered a minor celebration it is hoped that members of the Patricia family from across Canada will get involved celebrating our legacy.
5. Colonel of the Regiment Change of Appointment Parade. A Change of Appointment parade will be held at Garrison Edmonton Lecture Training Facility on 29 June at 1100 hours. Those attending are asked to be seated by 1045 hours. All members of the Patricia family are welcome to attend.
6. The Patrician 2022. The 2022 Patrician has not yet been distributed as it is still currently with the printer. The printer is optimistic that we will have an end June delivery of copies to RHQ.
7. PPCLI Regimental History Volume VI:
a. The Regimental Editorial Board (REB) have now completed the final review of the Volume VI manuscript and are very pleased with the results. Other than some wordsmithing and a few minor additions the manuscript is now considered complete. As well, all the front end material and Annexes are complete. The week of 5-9 June members of the REB will be reviewing the photos and making the final selection of them. The Author will then coordinate the finishing and resolution of the photos that will then be placed in the manuscript. This has been a particularly challenging portion of the REB work as the availability of good quality photos is very limited for the period covered by the book. Further, the Author has started to receive maps from the cartographer. After the Author’s review, they will then be reviewed by the REB before being finalized.
b. REB members met with the President of the Regimental Guard on 2 June to further discuss the selection of a publisher. There is no timeline as of yet when this will be finalized.
c. While the REB continues to aim for December as the target for the book being available that might now be somewhat optimistic, given the publication timelines once the entire book is completed by the REB. Aiming to have the book available for Regimental Day 2024 is probably more realistic.
d. Finally, the preparation of a draft Guard instruction for recording our major events and activities in the future should be completed by the end of June and will be forwarded on to the Regiment. This will be accompanied by a detailed matrix of lessons learned from our Volume VI endeavors. 3
8. Kap’yong Commemorative Walking Trail Initiative. This initiative which was supported by the Association is now complete. The trail climbed the Gapyeong (Korean name for Kap’yong) hills and link the company positions held by 2 PPCLI in April 1951. The walking trail was officially inaugurated in May whilst our Prime Minister was visiting South Korea as part of his G7 travels.
9. 70th Anniversary of the Korean Armistice. Paul Hale and Vince Courtney from the Regimental family will be going to South Korea from 23-29 July to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the Korean Armistice as part of the South Korean Governments Revisit Korea initiative.
10. John de Chastelain Honoured. On 2 June General John de Chastelain was honoured by Mount Royal University, Calgary with an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree at their Spring Convocation.
11. Colonel-in-Chief News. Madame Adrienne and her husband, John Ralston Saul, attended the Association’s May AGM in Niagara–on-the-Lake. She will also be in Edmonton over the period 28-29 June to participate in both the 1 PPCLI Change of Command Parade (28 June) and Colonel of The Regiment Change of Appointment Parade (29 June).
12. Hamilton Gault Memorial Fund (HGMF) and PPCLI Foundation. The HGMF AGM took place, in person and by Zoom, during the 12-14 May weekend in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Chair Dave Pentney and his Board of Trustees are doing outstanding charitable work on behalf of the Regimental Family. Accomplishments over the past year include: a $25,000 donation towards the restoration of the St. Bartholomew’s Church Stained Glass window; the granting of $30,000 of student bursaries; a comprehensive review of charitable purposes; recommencement of the Cadet Corps Trophy competition; and continued planning for the Sydney Frost Sicily/Italy Battlefield Tour. The HGMF is facing funding challenges this year due to a significant decrease in its investment portfolio and a decrease in donations. The HGMF current funding priorities are for student bursaries; the memorial plaques for the Sicily/Italy tour, and to allow as many PPCLI cadets as possible to participate in the Sicily/Italy Battlefield Tour.
Efforts are still underway by the HGMF and PPCLI Foundation to join into a single charitable entity. As reported in General Kennedy’s last COR update the agreement remains on hold awaiting the completion of accounting audits by the Foundation.
13. PPCLI ASSOCIATION:
a. In my first official activity as Colonel of the Regiment my wife Carol and I were honoured to attend the 75th Annual General Meeting of the Association in Niagara-on-the-Lake over the 12-14 May weekend. After a number of years of not having the ability to meet face-to-face, due to COVID, it was wonderful seeing members hugging each other once again. Members of the serving component also present headed by MGen Michael Wright and BGen Kirk Gallinger. The AGM itself was conducted using a hybrid 4
model of face-to-face and Zoom. At the start of the AGM our Colonel-in-Chief conducted three presentations on behalf of the Association. Don Dalziel was presented with a Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers in recognition of his long years of dedication and volunteer service to the Association; Dave Pentney was presented with the Association Merit Award in recognition of his years of commitment, dedication, and efforts to the Association; and Norah Hewson was presented with General Bill Hewson’s original Regimental Coin (#003) which somehow had never been given to him. Paul Hale also presented two 30th Anniversary Medak Pocket medallions to Janessa Bechard and Amy Vandenbroek, daughter and widow of Cpl Bechard who was tragically killed in Croatia in August 1993. He then also presented our Colonel-in-Chief with a hand crafted pewter globe with marguerite cap badge on behalf of Association member Bill Martindale.
b. I do want to thank Immediate Past President Ted Giraldeau and his outgoing Board of Directors for their hard work over the past several years. To our new President Greg Ferguson, Vice President Jake Flanders, and the Association Board of Directors congratulations are extended on your appointments. To those members filling Branch Executive positions the work you do is extremely important and we appreciate your assuming leadership roles within the Association. Lastly, an Association Spring Newsletter has been recently released.
14. PPCLI Sydney Frost Battlefield Tour of Sicily and Italy 16-31 May 2024. Reservations for this exciting battlefield tour being conducted as part of our Regiment’s 110th Anniversary activities are now open and all members of the Patricia family are encouraged to participate. Coordinated by the PPCLI Association and Hamilton Gault Memorial Fund they are using STI (Special Travel International) as the tour company. The tour is being conducted in two parts: Part 1 – Sicily 16-21 May and Part 2 Italy 19-3I May 2024. You can participate in both parts or one or the other. I encourage you to obtain a tour brochure on the HGMF website: www.hgmf.ca. Military historians Doug Delany, Ian Hope, and Karen Storwick will, no doubt, help make this a most memorable activity as we remember and honour the sacrifices of our WW II Italian Campaign Patricias.
15. The Regiment – Serving Component. The serving component of our Regiment continues to be very busy. All three Battalions have been participating on various activities such as OP IMPACT, a mission in the Middle East to help build the military capabilities of Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon; OP REASSURANCE in Latvia; OP UNIFIER, the Ukrainian training mission in the United Kingdom and Poland; exercises in the United States; running primary combat function courses; and conducting winter training to name but a few. Currently, the majority of 1 PPCLI personnel are in Latvia; 2 PPCLI and elements of 3 PPCLI have now returned from the United Kingdom; whilst most recently 3 PPCLI and the 1 PPCLI rear party have deployed elements to fight fires in Northern Alberta. It is also noteworthy that 1 PPCLI will have a change of command on 28 June in Edmonton. LCol Craig Higgins will be replaced by LCol Cole Peterson and CWO Eric Vollick will be replaced by CWO Brad Worth. The French Grey Battalion in Gagetown has also been very busy playing an essential role in training and operations 5
across Atlantic Canada. Patricias within the Infantry School and Tactics School have been involved in their delivery of leadership and specialized training to the Basic Military Officer qualification-Army; the Infantry Platoon Commander program; Sniper Detachment Commander Course; Advanced Small Arms Instructor Course; and the Army Tactical Operations Course.
Conclusion
16. I’m delighted to have this opportunity to serve as Colonel of the Regiment and look forward to providing these updates to Regimental Senate members both serving and retired. As you can see from the above report much is going on and all components of the Regimental Family are very active. At this time let me express my best wishes to each of you for a satisfying summer. Carol and I look forward to seeing many of you as we move into the future.
VP
Ray Romses
Brigadier-General (Retired)
Colonel-of-the-Regiment
Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry
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