Daily Blog

"Lest We Forget"... a familiar phrase for many, but I can't help feeling that it is slipping for many more...including the press

6/27/2014

If you have read more than a handful of over 225 or more blogs in this space you realize that I like to fly the Canadian flag often. By this I mean to say that I like to constantly bring forth the stories, often stories many have never heard before, of Canadian heroes, and those with connections to Canada. These men, numbering well over 200, have been awarded the highest medal for bravery one can earn in the entire continent of North America and the vast British Empire.

I also take considerable pride in bringing you stories of these heroes and the events of the day, that the media either forget, or did little justice with. And I include with the media those who make the movies that make heroes out of actors, and big bucks the companies in the process. But the true stories and the players in those stories often end up on the cutting block in the process.

And thus my flag waving.

Many of these heroes have been covered in this space. So too have others, deserving high accolades as well, but that aside, men who's stories in events like the Great Escape and the Devils Brigade and the Iran Hostage taking and the Monuments Men that, while told, seem to lack quite a lot with regards to the Canadian connection. Stories about Gettysburg and Little Round Top, the Monitor and the Merrimack, the Alabama and the Kearsarge, the 54th Massachusetts and the 27th Maine, Guadacanal and the Battle of the Bulge and many dozens more all have Canadian connections rarely mention... except in this space.

And today comes another story in itself.

Today I went to Google News to see what the press was saying about the fact that yesterday was the 157th anniversary of the first EVER presentation at London England of the Victoria Cross. A 10 a.m. ceremony, most brief in itself, saw HRH Queen Victoria bend down from her horse and pin on the chest of 62 brave men the Victoria Cross. These were the first men ever to be so bestowed with the most sought after bravery award probably in the world.

Well folks, I checked the hits for the first five pages and in the 50 hits I found quite a lot of references to the VC, and of course the start, soon, of WW l. Two of the hits had one liners saying that the first VC awards took place back in 1857.

Lest we Forget! Two out of 50. And a few lines at best.

One site had this curious headline...

I sent them an email noting that I did not recall missing 99 of these events and that, perhaps, they meant that this was in fact the FIRST of those 100 year events.

That being said, over the past 18 months and more I have been bringing you these stories, I have written dozens on the Victoria Cross and I would invite you to use the search function on this site to search for these stories and re-read then at a time that it is yet again important to reflect on their incredible heroism.

With those blogs you can read about William Smith who was actually presented his VC whist in Canada, and Timothy O'Hea who's actions took place within Canada and for which he was later awarded the VC.

There have been about 1,350 Victoria Crosses awarded since the 1850's with about a dozen since WW ll.

Henry James Raby was a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and earned His VC for actions during the War in the Crimea. The date of his action was 18 June 1855, and was not the first by date of action, to earn the VC. But his rank of Commander in 1857 and the highest rank held by one of the recipients on parade, coupled with the fact that he was in the senior service... the navy, all resulted in him being recorded in history as the first ever to be presented with the medal., (His image is at left, above)

Charles Lucas was a sailor and also in the RN and was rewarded for his bravery when others panicked onboard a ship during the Crimean War War. When a lit bomb landed on the deck of his vessel he had the tenacity to charge for it as others headed in the other direction. He got to it, struggled to pick it up pick it up and then tossed it overboard where it blew up before hitting the water. Had it remained on deck, the vessel may well have been sunk with many lives lost. Instead just a few received minor injuries. His action on 21 June 1854, was the first ever to result in the VC being awarded. (He is pictured above and center.)

Cecil Buckey, again a RN officer, and again from the Crimean War actions, was the first of these three to be listed in the London Gazette of 24 Feb., 1857 as being recipients of the VC. (His image is at right above.)

Much more can be read about these medal and their medals by using the search facility at the site.

Back on Wednesday.

Bart

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Third of three blogs on Canadian born Victoria Cross recipient John Alexander Sinton

6/25/2014

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The past two blogs have told some of John's story. He was born in Canada but at the age of six went with his parents when they decided to move back to their homeland near Ulster Northern Ireland. Mention was given to the formal training and then advanced training up to and including several universities where he excelled in medical studies. When WW1 started John took this medical training to the military and became a medical officer with the British Indian Army. But before this happened the military sent him off to conduct further research at Queens, but while still wearing his uniform.

He would then be sent off as part of the Mesopotamian mission with the 37th Dogras where he was repeatedly mentioned in dispatches for bravery in the face of the enemy. His actions on 21 January 1916 resulted in his receiving FOUR separate Mentions in Dispatch, each being an actual medal for bravery. (He got 6 by war's end.) In the same actions he would be wounded three times yet his crawling out under under heavy fire repeatedly to dress and bring in the wounded ended up with his being awarded the Victoria Cross. The last blog brought you the London Gazette documenting of the award five months after the battle.

Here is a picture of John Sinton's actual Victoria Cross sent to me most kindly by the curator of the Army Medical Services Museum in England where the medal is on display.

The front of the VC is shown at the left, minus the bar that it is attached to the uniform.

On the reverse of that bar would be inscribed the name of the VC holder. The image to the right has the left image tuned upside down and the medal turned over so that you can read the date... 21 Jan, 1916. That being the actual date of the battle were the medal was earned.

The Russian government also awarded John Sinton with a medal...their Order of St George, for the bravery in 1916. The above London Gazette citation announced the King's approval, effective in May of 1917 for Sinton to wear this medal with his British medals.

For the next two years Sinton was the Senior Medical Officer posted to the Turkistan Military Mission. In 1921 he transferred from the military to civilian side of the British India Army and continued to serve until 1936. On switching over, he had a very busy year. He was by then an International known and recognized soldier, doctor and malarioligist. The year saw him as officer commanding the quinine and malaria inquiry cell at the Central Malaria Bureau and also appointed the first director of the malaria survey of India at Kasauli, then one of the chief centers for malaria research of the day. That year he was also appointed a member of the OBE.

Around this time he attended the Pasteur Institute of India. And between then and 1936 John Sinton had published over 200 scientific papers. These covered a wide range of his work from malariology, chemotherapy, sand fly species, parasitology, immunolgy, lab and survey techniques. Sixteen of these papers covered new science.

Sinton also seemed to find the time to become a Mason Fellow at the School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and also doing some work for the malaria labs at the Ministry of Health.

Having finally decided to retire, he was soon pulled out of his much deserved rest, as he still held a reservist rank, and was sent off as a consultant malariologist to East Africa, and still later to the Middle East. After this he was yet again seconded as a specialist and sent of as a consultant to Asia, Australia, Burma, Ceylon, India, Nee Guinea, and the Solomon Islands.

When the military final let John escape to a more peaceful life, he left with the rank, as show here, of a Brig. General.

But this was not time for lacking off.

Shortly after returning to his home at Cookstown, Northern Ireland, John ranked with the best of the best and most eminent scientists and was thus elected to the very prestigious Royal Society.

The home town welcomed John Sinton with appointments as Deputy Lieutenant for Tyrone as well as its High Sheriff and even the position as a Justice of the Peace.

As if this was not enough, he even found the time to serve as President of the local branch of the Royal British Legion.

General Sinton passed away at Cookstown on May 25, 1956. (Medal of Honor Day in the US as regular readers will hopefully recall.) Each year of 11 November the local legion holds a ceremony at his grave.

Scientists have named a number of mosquito and sandfly species after John Sinton. After a Dental and Medical facility was bombed by the IRA in 1996, it was rebuilt and dedicated in honour of John. Queens University honours Sinton with the Sinton Hall in his memory. He sat on the university's Senate and also served a period as its Pro-Chancellor.

The Army Medical Services Museum has also provided this photo of John's complete medal group out of its holdings. This is one of the most impressive medal groups for any Canadian I have every seen.

A few blogs ago I mentioned that the British government would be creating new paving stones that can be mounted at suitable communiteis across the UK in honour of the deceseaed VC recipeints. I am pleased to note that John's name is on the list of those to be created and mounted, probably in 2016.

By the way, John's London Gazette announcement of the awarding of his VC was issued 98 years ago this past Saturday.

Another Canadian we should all remember.

Please share these blogs with like minded friends.

Bart

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Canadian awarded Victoria Cross, numerous Mentions in Dispatch and other medals totaling 14, other impressive credentials in medicine.

6/22/2014

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Friday's blog brought you the first part of John's incredibly high credentialed life as both a military officer and then as a civilian. His most brief life in Canada, relocating to Ireland for further education there and in England saw him earning several degrees in medicine, and receiving a commission in the army. Orders to be sent off to the war front in 1915, were then changed because his expertise in the study of malaria and other infectious diseases was better needed at Queens University. The blog left off with John's later boarding of the Steamer Muttra (image below) in Pakastan with his army unit, the 37th Dogras, and about to join the Mesopotamia Campaign in what is now called Iraq.

In December of 1915 37th Dogras, their complete contingent of mules and yet another regiment, were crowded on to the British India's steamer Muttra. They set sail from Karachi (located at waters edge of the Arabian Sea, directly below the "Pakistan" label in map,) and made the several day sail north west to water's edge of Metsopotamia (Iraq). En-route the vessel grounded three times but managed to break free. On arrival in Iraq the men were transshipped to smaller river going vessels to continue their move north to the area where the Battle an Hanna would take place. (shown by red indicator above)

The overall campaign would see some 650,000 British/Indian troops playing a roll in the very creation of what is today known as Iraq, but the going was very costly for all sides. The Dogras would soon discover this while playing a role in the attempts to save the British/Indian garrison at the town of Kut al Amara, about 120 miles south of Bagdad. It had become completely surrounded by the enemy Ottoman forces. Some 10,000 troops were being held hostage as were about another 6,500 civilians. It's commander sent out the cry for help... and thus our man John and others were being dispatched.

About 30 miles south there was a place known as the Hanna Defile, a small piece of land between the Tigress River and the Suwaikiya marshes. It had to be captured by the British India Army before they could advance on Kut al Amara. But a day before the attack against very well placed machine guns, the British fired considerable shelling but this did not result in any significant destruction.

The next morning... 21 January 1916... John's 37th Dogras moved forward but it was after a night of heavy rains. The advance was through mud-soaked open fields to their front, and over dead man's land for some 600 yards. The advance was very bloody and costly.

The British suffered over 2,700 casualties in this battle alone and were repulsed by the enemy. After the battle a 6 hour truce was called so that both sides could retrieve their dead and any wounded yet to be rescued by either side.

It was during the heat of the battle that John, as the medical officer for the 37th, volunteered to go out under heavy fire, not once by numerous times to treat not only his unit's wounded, by those also from other units and aiding in their recovery from the battle lines.

For this event he received not one or two or three... but four completely separate Mentions in Dispatch. (He had 6 MID's by the end of the war.) He was also awarded the Turkish Order of St. George, said to be equivalent to the British Commonwealth's Victoria Cross. The British also awarded John with the VC itself. The above painting depicts his tending to the wounded that day. Note the arm patch. He was wounded in both arms and even took a third wound, but continue till dark doctoring the troops till they were all dealt with before he accepted medical relief himself.

John continued to serve till war's end. And much more, to be noted in a follow up blog on Wednesday. His full name was John Alexander Sinton, and at the end of his name you can add the post-nominal initials of... VC (Victoria Cross,) OBE (Officer, Order of the British Empire,) DL (Deputy Lieutenant,) FRS (Fellow of the Royal Society ...and the only person in the world entitled to display the letters VC and FRS,) Hon MD (medical Doctor with Honors,) Hon D SC (doctor of Science,) MB (Bachelor of Medicine,) BCH (Bachelor of Surgery,) BAO (Bachelor of Obstetrics,) and DPH (Department of Public Health,) In addition he served as a JP and High Sheriff of Tyrone, received 6 MID's (Mentions in Dispatch, each being equal to yet another bravery award,) and finally the Russian Order of St. John.

Here is the London Gazette awarding of John's Victoria Cross...

(second column is on another man's award)

Back on Wednesday with more on John.

Bart

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War hero, scientist with unmatched credentials in the entire world, was a Canadian

6/20/2014

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I guess you could say it all started with John and Mary, who were Quakers heavily involved in the linen industry back at the Ulster of the late 1800's. For unknown reasons they migrated to Canada where their son John was born in December of 1884. To support the family John took up work in labouring or clerical functions in a goods store, but soon took to wharfingering.. the job of running a wharf and taking responsibilty for the arrival, storage and departure of goods. Soon that led to being a freight agent for a local railway.

But Canada was not Ireland, and by aged 6, John and parents were off back to Northern Ireland. This time the family settled some 60 miles east of Ulster at a place called Lisburn.

John attended public school, an academical institution and then Queens College (forerunner of Queens University) at Belfast. By the time he finished at Queens, he would graduate head of his class, with first class honours in medicine. More schooling came, back in England with three degrees coming his way from Cambridge and Liverpool. Degrees were now his for bachelors of medicine, surgery and obstetrics. Appointments in the pathology came his way from Queens and the School for Medicine in Liverpool and other hospitals in Belfast.

In 1911, at age 26, John was living in Liverpool, according to the England and Wales census. That year he wrote the exams to enter the British India Army, and of all recruits was yet again the first of the class. He was commissioned a Lieutenant and about to be sent off to India, but was instead seconded back to Queens University for further research duties at the Liverpool School for Tropical Diseases.

By 1915 John was wearing the rank of Captain and had taken up the bad habit of smoking a pipe, as seen here. That year he joined the Duke of Connaughts' Own Lancers and became the officer commanding the brigade's Laboratory.

Near year's end he switched over to the 37th Dogras, a British Indian Army infantry regiment. His duties there would be as the Regimental Medical Officer. (Cap badge and collar dog shown above)

In October of 1915 John's 37th was part of the Indian Expeditionary Force and by the 29th he would leave Karachi aboard the small British Indian Steamer Muttra to move to the front lines.

The steamer was built to only carry 27 Ist class passengers and 1982 deck passengers. But on this trip it carried not only his unit but also the complete 97th Infantry and his unit's full contingency of mules. It was said to be very overloaded...and ripe for disaster. Such almost came 3 times en-route, but I'll bring you that and more... much more ... on Sunday.

Bart

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This week's columns will be on Friday and Sunday. A delay was caused because of ongoing computer issues and also some researching taking longer than anticipated.

6/18/2014

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Two major initiatives to keep the Victoria Cross recipients' stories alive in the UK... also have international benefits... including in Canada and the United States.

6/14/2014

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Over the past several months this column has received numerous acknowledgements for what it is accomplishing. On Wednesday I started to tell of a few of these stories. But yesterday I decided to put that theme aside for a few blogs to talk about a much more important matter. That being what is happening in England regarding the VC story.

Well I am pleased to say there is lots going on, and on two separate fronts.

Last August I brought you a blog about the first of these... the British Government's Commemorative Paving Stones project. With the upcoming beginning of a several year remembrance of the Great War, the government came up with a program to yet further honour recipients of the Victoria Cross. It was to hold a contest to get a design made up that could be placed on a large marker for the heroes. It would be similar to the size of grave stones, and it would be provided to the local town's council's or equivalent from the place of the recipient's birth. They would then hopefully reach out to the public for input, decide where in their jurisdiction it would be unveiled and would then hold the appropriate ceremony.

But, as mentioned in my earlier blog, the concept was flawed. And it did not take long for the public to express it's dissatisfaction. For one, it's plan called for honouring only those born in the UK. It forgot those born elsewhere that came to England to serve, and later earned the VC. It called for making stones for those buried in the UK... not elsewhere, an obviously serious flaw. It limited stones to just those of WW l, yet another point of concern to the public. More on this can be reread by revisiting my earlier blog at... http://www.canadianmedalofhonor.com/wednesday-and-friday-blogs/britains-initial-plans-to-honor-ww1-victoria-cross-recipients-had-many-up-in-arms-and-rightly-so

Well folks, the contest has received over 200 proposed designs, and the panel of 7 very qualified individuals have selected three. Since many came from school children at the primary and secondary levels, one from each level was also selected. Each of the two schools will be receiving a prototype of the marker its student designed and such will no doubt be put on display at the school involved. The third design will be reproduced on markers and forwarded to over 400 communities in England, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Wales.

Those involved have issued statements that they are revisiting several aspects of the program and will be somehow honouring ALL recipients regardless of place of birth or burial or war in which their heroism took place. But details have yet to be released how this will take place. Many of these recipients are of course from Canada, and several from the US as well.

An 11 year old girl from Sale, Cheshire is the proud designer of the first image, represented the primary grades, while an 18 year old fellow from a secondary school in Kent designed the middle marker. The winning design overall came from an architect who hopes that with the simplistic circle, it will help focus your eyes and thoughts to the name on the recipient listed below.

I however find it most strange that this has been chosen as a winning marker when the words Victoria Cross do not even appear on the stone. I suspect many will view will be from many parts of the world. And some of these will wonder what it is. The soldiers' name, rank, unit name and date of battle are all given, but even the initials... VC are missing from the marker.

The new stones will also come with some form of a QR (Quick Response) code that, with the help of a smart phone a passer bye can scan the code. This will take the viewer to a website that lists the details of the hero involved such as the battle and what he did, where born and died and other info. Maybe even tell you the image is of a VC. hehe.

QR codes are what we see in lots of adds in newspapers and junk mail adds. They are used more and more by used car dealers and are becoming used quite often at cemeteries where you can walk the rows and when you find one, use the phone to pull it up to see what the story is of the person laying at rest. They are not expensive and you get to control if the info will be released to any viewer or, say, just family.

These markers are supposed to be made and distributed so that the community can hold a ceremony on the very 100th anniversary date, that the battle took place in which the recipient was awarded his Victoria Cross.

Readers of these blogs have often read of the efforts that many of us are involved in, in the Medal of Honor world as well, and to locate and clean up or even mount new markers for Medal of Honor men going back as far as the Civil War days of the 1860's.

So to is the movement very much alive in the UK for those who have earned the Victoria Cross. While the Commonwealth War Graves Commission has a wonderful record in maintaining the graves of those VC recipients who were killed in battle, in the UK this group does not handle the graves of those recipients who were not killed in battle. This causes a major problem when one looks to the maintenance of any markers. Too often all descendants have passed on. Further complications arise when trying to determine who actually owns the marker today. Is it a church, the cemetery, the local government. Who knows? Any family found may not even know of the hero in their past. Many may lack the funds needed to do this repair work. Necessary repairs could cost upwards of 25,000 pounds to do massive work to return the stone back to its original stature.

Some time ago a group in the UK was formed to deal with this very problem. It is known as the Victoria Cross Trust and it seems to have not only gained the trust of the public but is gathering a long list of accomplishments in not only finding long lost graves. but in cleaning or repairing as needed. And as important, the retelling of the hero's story and thus, further preserving his and the county's history.

The above is a perfect example. On the left is the Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park. It is VERY old. John Buckley earned his Victoria Cross back during the Indian Mutiny in the 1850's. He was buried in an unmarked grave in 1876. When the grave plot...without any sort of a marker ...was discovered last year, the Victoria Cross Trust went into action. The grave is in the same cemetery pictured at left. And with the incredible work of the Trust, the centre location now has the marker at above right.

Here are two more graves in England that need massive work, both again from the Indian Mutiny days of the 1850's. The one on the left is for a Lt Colonel who actually acted as one of the Pall Bearers for the Unknown Soldier at London on 11 November 1920. Heroes of out-most standing with graves completely a mess and forgotten about. Nothing sort of a disgrace, regardless of reasons. But graves now getting attention.

And some of this attention of late is as a result of the national Sun newspaper in the UK, the Victoria Cross Trust and others, including the public. First the Newspaper decided it was high time this sort of a problem was rectified and asked the public, their millions of readers, to step forth and help. They were asked to go out to their local cemeteries... and all others they could find, and send in pictures of the graves of VC recipients. As the lists started to come in and get documented, you could go to a site, see who's grave is near bye and go and see it. The pubic were also encouraged to let government know how very wrong it was that these heroes must rest in unmarked graves or with markers that have deteriorated to such an extent that they could crush in the on the very hero. Folks were also asked to donate.

And then it happened! The government, just weeks ago announced that it too would help out with this most highest of worthy causes. It has committed to donating 100,000 pounds to the trust for this work. Better yet, it has also committed to match dime for dime, all the money the newspaper chain raises for the cause as well.

Here are the Sun's logo and a most recent cover page designed to get some attention. I guess it worked.

Congrats to all involved in this project.

I will try to keep my eyes open to further developments on these two issues and bring them to you as I get them.

Back on Wednesday.

Bart

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Additional info just in is causing a delay in today's blog, but it will be posted by 6 PM tomorrow. Cheers till then.

6/13/2014

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Updates on a Medal of Honor and a Victoria Cross recipient.

6/11/2014

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Anyone who knows me knows that I love to talk about the Medal of Honor. And it is a daily thing with me. A reporter once said that I used to ride the ferry with a Civil War book open and I'd just sit at the cafeteria waiting for someone to come and sit at my table. The trap door is then swung open when they ask about the book I am reading. Then I've got them! Lecture 101 on the Medal of Honor is about to start.

It's not long before I am asked why the interest in the MOH?

Today's first story, like hundreds since I started this blog over 18 months ago hits on the answer to that question. I talk and write about not just the Medal of Honor (and the Victoria Cross) but with a very special slant most of the time. While I sometimes drift from the theme, usually the materials cover a recipient who either was a Canadian, or who lived in Canada, for awhile before or after the event to which he was awarded, or has some other connection to Canada.

I do not know of ANYONE else in North America that covers the topic with this depth, and from this angle.

This is well illustrated with the story of a young high school student in the US who read one or more of my blogs and recently contacted me. He was interested in Wesley J Powers whom I have noted a few times in this space. I have written a full blog on Wesley and it appears at... http://www.canadianmedalofhonor.com/wednesday-and-friday-blogs/archives/05-2013/3

The student had a dilemma. All in the class were told they had to do a term paper on a Medal of Honor recipient. He was assigned Powers, someone he and probably everybody else in the class knew nothing about. He was upset because some of the others had famous heroes to write about. And he had Powers. Not so famous, though through no fault of his own. He was every bit the hero all the others where... but no one bothered in the past to tell his story the way I did in this space.

The student was upset because some of the other classmates had an easier go at getting information from a zillion places. But no so for this fellow. He tells me that..."Everywhere I looked... internet, books, facts on file, he is barely mentioned." He adds that he then found my site and that it ... "was very helpful." and thus he was... "very glad to have come across your blog."

There's the answer folks. These are stories that need to be told, and have not been told in many cases or only briefly covered.

I trust Wesley, pictured here and very proudly wearing his Civil War army version of the Medal of Honor, would be happy. His parents came to Canada from the US...by snowshoes apparently. They settled in a place once called Canada West, but the family later returned to the US. Wesley tried to join up for Civil War service several times but was rejected due to his youth. So he ran away. Actually he walked... for EIGHTY MILES, said he was an orphan, lied yet again about age and went off to war and heroism resulting in his getting the Medal of Honor...after a 30 year wait, mind you. But it arrived on the right day. His birthday.

Kudo's to the student for tackling the challenge of researching Wesley, and to his school for giving out the assignment in the first place. One needs to ask how long we have to wait to see the assignment being done in Canadian classrooms.

It is a great story and if you go to the above link, you can see what the student read, and no doubt stunned his classmates and teacher with.

Moving on to a Victoria Cross story, not long ago yet another reader of my blogs made contact. This fellow was involved with a program in Ontario that was responsible for the mounting of a historic plaque at the old Don Jail in Toronto.

The Riverside Historical Society, the jail and Heritage Toronto had sponsored the placing of the plaque in honour of the old Jail Governor's residence on site.

Contact was made with me as I had written a blog about Victoria Cross recipient Walter Rayfield some time back. Some of the photo's used were requested for a video to be released about the unveiling.

Walter tried to sign up mot once nut twice and was rejected in Canada. he then went down to California and somehow managed to sign up with a Canadian unit from there and went off to war and earned a VC in 1918.

His story can be read at...

http://www.canadianmedalofhonor.com/wednesday-and-friday-blogs/rejected-twice-by-army-waits-over-two-years-thenaccepted-on-3rd-trygoes-on-to-earn-a-victoria-cross

Walter is shown here with his VC on his left chest. After WW l he returned to Toronto and for many years worked at the Don Jail, rising in rank to deputy and then governor of the jail. His residence is shown above as is the plaque recently placed to identify the historic property. He later was appointed Sergeant at Arms at the Ontario Legislature.

This is the Rayfield medal group with the VC of course on the left. The plaque mounting video can be seen at... http://riverdalehistoricalsociety.com/plaques/ On the video they credited this blog for the photos.

More on Friday

Bart

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Americans Gather to Honour Canadian War Hero.

6/7/2014

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It has been 148 years... and a few days since Civil War hero General John Alexander Logan and a handful of others got together and agreed to form what became the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). The veterans organization grew to a massive number in the hundreds of thousands and had members in every state of the country and several others to boot... including a handful of branches in Canada. Its members consisted of men of all ranks, private to general and included many powerful politicians including several past Presidents. When it talked, the listener tended to listen intently.

In its 2nd year of existence the GAR instilled a duty on the service men either serving or former, in having a day each year that they would be required to honour those who were killed in war. Originally called Decoration Day, today it has evolved into what is called Memorial Day. Those originally honoured have expanded to all those who died while in service. Americans now celebrate it on the last Monday of May. It was originally held on another day but has become sadly, more akin to the marking of the beginning of summer. For convenience it has been affixed on a Monday, the last of each May, to give all a long weekend. Quite a move from the original intent.

Here is general Logan's Order #11 from back in 1868....

Note that the very first lines in the order required that the day of memorial was to be on the 30th of May. That date was picked because it was felt that it represented the best day of the year across the United States for the fullest bloom of flowers.

Original dates and purposes aside, people on both sides of the Canada/US border gather several times a year to honour those men and women who now serve or have served in the past. And so it should be.

GAR posts across the country have done much to bring forth the story of the earlier veterans. In cities and towns and cemeteries across the nation can be found very significant memorials raised by GAR efforts to recognize those who served. The memorial of the left is one such memorial and is at the Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Blairstown, Benton County Iowa. There are at least 47 Civil War veterans buried there. One of these is John Hayes who was born at Brogus Newfoundland 182 years ago next month.

The plaque pictured here was of a type designed many years ago by a group of veterans and others including the then President of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. A fellow named Charles MacGillivary, a MOH recipient for heroism during the WW ll Battle of the Bulge in France. Charles was from PEI. His MOH was earned just about 700 Km east of where Hayes earned his MOH during the famous battle at Cherbourg France between the Confederate powerful raider the CSS Alabama and the Union's USS Kearsarge. Hayes was Captain of one of its powerful cannons. Ironically the distance between Cherbourg at the where the battle of the Bulge took place is also around 700 Km.

The Hayes marker indicates that John's wife Mary is buried with him. In front of their marker is the familiar star of the GAR, an organization which regular readers have read much about in past blogs here. But on the right is something new. Here you see the flag that was introduced by the federal government back in 2002. It was designed by a fellow from Jefferson County Iowa. Rather fitting since the MOH was actually first proposed by an Iowa Senator back in 1961. He was at the time, the Senate's Chair of the Naval Committee and proposed the medal for the navy. A similar proposal came months later for an army medal.

In contacts with me recently, a descendant of John Hayes tells, with pride, of his purchase of the flag, and travelling to the grave site to place the flag.

The designer of the above flag comes from Jefferson County, Iowa. When the flag was approved, that same county was given the honour of flying the very first of these flags, and did so over a grave of a WW ll air force MOH veteran's grave. All Medal of Honor recipients, deceased or living, are entitled to one.

When the last of the GAR veterans died off, a new group was given birth...the Son of the Union Veterans of the Civil War. Yet another called the Daughters now also exists.

This year, on Memorial Day the "Sons" went to the Iowa Cemetery where Hayes and dozens of other Civil War veterans and no doubt many others are also buried and performed suitable ceremonies. A service was also held at the marker for Canadian John Hayes.

This image is believed to be part of that later ceremony. Unfortunately the Hayes graves does not appear to be in the image. But note the GAR star marker in the foreground near 2 other markers.

Using "Google Earth" I managed to capture this air shot of the Cemetery, as shown on the left. By enlarging, at right there is something interesting to see. When you have a second look at the GAR monument near the top of this blog, and then come down to this enlargement, have a close look at the top of the photo. At mid point the shadow is the giveaway. It appears to be GAR monument.

Back on Wednesday.

Bart

"Lest We Forget"... a familiar phrase for many, but I can't help feeling that it is slipping for many more...including the press

Third of three blogs on Canadian born Victoria Cross recipient John Alexander Sinton

Canadian awarded Victoria Cross, numerous Mentions in Dispatch and other medals totaling 14, other impressive credentials in medicine.

War hero, scientist with unmatched credentials in the entire world, was a Canadian

This week's columns will be on Friday and Sunday. A delay was caused because of ongoing computer issues and also some researching taking longer than anticipated.

Two major initiatives to keep the Victoria Cross recipients' stories alive in the UK... also have international benefits... including in Canada and the United States.

Additional info just in is causing a delay in today's blog, but it will be posted by 6 PM tomorrow. Cheers till then.

Updates on a Medal of Honor and a Victoria Cross recipient.

Americans Gather to Honour Canadian War Hero.

computer problems prevents a blog today.. should be back in few days

Author;
Bart Armstrong, C.D.,
Recipient, Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers

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Author;Bart Armstrong, C.D., Recipient, Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers

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Author;
Bart Armstrong, C.D.,
Recipient, Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers