Canadian Medal of  

          Honor.com

  • Sunday evening's blogs
  • graves, memorials and medals
  • About the Author
  • contact the Author
  • Home

Pte. George Price, Part lll

12/30/2018

0 Comments

 
While I took a week off the blogs for the Xmas holidays, I did not pass on the best of wishes for your Christmas in a timely manner. Sorry my friends.

My belated message is contained in this story I found on the net.  It is most interesting, and whatever your religious background, I encourage you to take a break, right now to see this message. It is known as the Soldier's Deck of Cards, involves a little magic and is found by going to...  www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGPKpIuX3c

Turn your speakers on and please return when you are finished.

While I am not religious, I found it quite a nice message to send to the soldiers and sailors, airmen and marines, coast guard or other services in your lives today.

And to those serving, or not, and find them selves on the laid  off, or worse yet forced to work without pay during the current shutdown side, remember that it will not last long and then the cheques will start  rolling again.

Back in 2013 during Sept/Oct I was in  the US doing research and lost  about 1/3rd of my research time due to access denials because of the shut down then. And boy did I hear from the serving and otherwise who thought little of the politicians who chose could not do the jobs they were hired to do at DC and to work for Americans instead of one side versus the other and resulting in that shut down.

Perhaps the people should insist  that when the politicians cannot keep themselves on the job, those very politicians should have their pays frozen until the very day they open them back up for the rest of those who they chose to inflict.

Better yet, each should have pay deductions for the days they were awol from their jobs.

Moving along...   

Picture
Several weeks ago I started to bring you  what I thought was to be one blog about my net surfing, and finding this strange image. The blog was to tell you what it is and why the related image (below) equally caught my eye.
Picture
. As you now have hopefully read in the past two blogs, the first image above, in the shape of a drop of blood or a tear drop  represents part of the story of a Nova Scotia born Pte who lost his life in WW1 in Belgium.

Pte George Price, just minutes before the Armistice of November 18th, 1918 was to take effect,  Price and three others bravery  ran across open ground and a bridge on their own and without orders. They suspected a squad of Greman machine gunners were hidden and awaiting a larger force's attempt to cross over.

While the Armistice was to become effective at 11 a.m., it was just minutes before when the four chased the enemy through two homes and then Price exited  the doorway onto the street and got shot in the back from a sniper  a long distance way.

It was just three minutes before the Armistice ended the war. His death would be the last British Commonwealth death of the war.

At death it was discovered that he was carrying with him a clothe flower shaped like a maple leaf. It was found with  a drop of his blood on it.... the theme of the above memorial that was being  unveiled in the very village where he lost his life.

Soldiers representing regiments that earned battle honours from Belgiun in the great war, represented their regiments at the most prestigious event. In the above image we see the Right Honorable Julie Payette, Governor General of Canada, and Princess Astrid of the Belgian Royal Family about to participate in the dedication and unveiling of the Price Memorial on 10 November. (The following day she had to be in Ottawa for ceremonies there.

The dignitaries are about to inspect the honour Guard. And the 2nd soldier in from the right marker is Master Corporal Danny Das Neves proudly wearing the famed Hodden Grey kilt of the Toronto Scottish Regiment, oft mentioned in these blogs.  The Tor Scots proudly are the descendants of the 75th overseas battalion of WW1 who fought in Belgium and elsewhere and came home with 16 battle honours and a very long and deep list of casualties that paid with their lives for these honours.

Picture
In July 1915 Colonel Beckett, commanding Officer of the Mississauga Horse was authorized to raise a new regiment.. the 75th Overseas Battalion.

Within 3 weeks he had signed up over 1400 troops.  In March of 1916 Beckett, as the CO of the 75th took his regiment overseas to do most honorable service.

By war's end the 75th would receive over 240 special awards including the Victoria Cross, Distinguished Service Order,  Military Cross,  Distinguished Conduct Medal,
Military Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, and Belgian  Croix  de Guerre. Many of these were awarded to more than one soldier of the unit, who's members also got some 26 MID's.


Picture
Here we see our Governor General and Aide de Camp  at the podium as the GG addresses the dignitaries and members of the public and military gathered at the event. Behind stands the Price Memorial.

Behind the veterans and their flags appears to be the canal and beyond that several men standing in the area where..just off to the right it is believed the houses stood where George Price and the three other soldiers attacked the German machine gunners.

Above is a newer foot bridge named also in honor of Price and noted in the last blog. The lower picture seems to have the memorial chopped off but you can see the area where it stands and the Price bridge as well from a slightly different angle.

Picture
Our Governor General lays a wreath in honour of Nova Scotia's George Price. 

Danny from the Tor Socts tells me that he has been in the reserves for just under a dozen years and no doubt looks forward to his Canadian Forces Decoration medal in the not to distant future.

He was thrilled to be selected to represent the storied Toronto Scottish at this ceremony in Belgium and participated in many events and tours to various battle sites and grave yards. He even stood in front of the very grave marker for George Price and provided pictures of it and several others for me and this blog. On one of the tours he visited the German trench lines at Vimy,

He explains that at several points the lines were only a stone's throw away from the Allies.
Picture
Here we see two different trenches rebuilt over the years of course. On the right the round fixture is a Machine Gun pit from where the enemy fired from within the trench but with protection.
Picture
Here we see Master Corporal Danny Das Neves standing in front of the International famous Vimy monument.
Picture
Here we see him at the Mons Municipal Cemetery where some 46 soldiers from Britain's  Royal  Middlesex Regiment at rest.after giving their all in the Greta War.

Again getting fer too long, so I will close.
I will not be bloggonh next Sunday but will return the following week, cheers all and have a great bew years.

0 Comments

Pte. George Price, Part ll

12/17/2018

0 Comments

 
As noted last week, Nova Scotia born George Price was killed in action just a few minutes before the Armistice to end WW l  was to take effect.

I first learned of this story just a few weeks ago while doing other research and stumbling upon a very strange looking marker. Investigating further I also saw an image of a  guard of honour. It seemed to be made up with  men from several regiments. One stood out to me instantly. He was wearing the kilt of the Toronto Scottish Regiment. One of my old units.

Thus my digging in  to get the full story, which I started to bring you last week.   

Picture
While researching, it reminded me that there is a reoccurring theme that crops up regularly about Canadian war heroes. Be it a Victoria Cross or Medal of Honor recipient, our Iran hostage heroes,  the men of the Devil's Brigade, those who played such instrumental roles in  the Great Escape, and fellows like George Price, shown here. (Probably before he joined the army.)

Heroes all, that are well represented by various forms of commemoration in far away lands, yet so sparsely  honoured here at home in Canada.


Picture
This map covers about a dozen kms to the north east and south east of the Mons area of Belgium. To the left (west) of Mons some 100 kms is the famous Vimy Ridge. In the immediate area of this map, about 280 Canadians would be
either killed, wounded or became Missing In Action in the 2 days leading up to the  11 a.m. November 11th Armistice.

At the top of the heavy blue line is a village called Sur Haine. This is where a  sniper's bullet took the life of George Price with one shot into the chest from the back. It came from up an incline some distance off and out of Price's sight. 

Within minutes the Canadian was dead. He has been claimed to be the last soldier  from the Commonwealth to be KIA in the war. He was buried in the immediate area at the Town of Havre's  Communal Cemetery.

In 1958 Price's remains were removed and  laid to rest at the Military Cemetery  at Saint Symphorien. (Shown above at bottom of heavy blue line.) In the same cemetery also at rest is  Lt. Maurice J Dease an Irishman and British Officer  who's award of the Victoria Cross in August of  1914 was the first such award in the war. Also at rest in this same cemetery is  Pte. John Parr of the 4th Bn,.. Middlesex Regiment who was KIA  21 Aug. 1914, the first of the commonwealth to die in action   in the war.

Price's actions would be memorialized in several ways over the years including last month.

To begin, on the 50th anniversary of his death, a contingent of still living veterans of the very battle from the 28th North West Battalion, Sask. Regiment, (now the Regina Rifles  Regiment) visited the Price grave. While there they also unveiled a memorial tablet that was affixed on the side of a wall of one of the very houses Price and the three others tried to clear back in 1918. 

Here is that plaque...       

Picture
The plaque of course told of the 11 November sacrifice of George Price, and gave details of his last minutes of life presumably.

Over the years it was decided to widen the canal, which runs off to the left and under the footbridge, shown above.  To do this several homes had to be removed. One of these had the plaque fastened to it side. Above we see the plaque almost in its original position but now without the house.

Picture
Here we see the posthumous British War Medal and Victory Medal and also the memorial plaque, also known as the dead Man's Penny. Over 1.3 million who served and lost their loves during the Great War were awarded this medal. It is engraved..."he died for freedom and honour." Some 600 were awarded to women with the sex altered accordingly. The plaque had the name of the deceased, but no rank as all were to be treated equally..  The family donated these items  to a Nova Scotia Legion in the 1960's or 70's.          
Picture
Here we again see the marker along the canal memorializing George Price, but with some improvements in the 1980's.

It appears that in about 1991 and old motor vehicle bridge was replaced crossing the canal, and as shown in the above picture. That year this new bridge... a walking bridge..or footbridge if you will,..was dedicated to and named after Pte. George Price of Nova Scotia.

In April 2015 quite a crowd from Canada and  Belgium gathered near where George fell to his death to rename a public school in his name. Here is a picture of the events that day... 

Picture
Several hundred officials, bureaucrats, school leaders military from Canada and Belgium, and students gathered in Ville-Sur-Haines in 1915 to rename their municipal school after George Price. Here we see an official presenting  an artistic sketch of the school to the Canadian Ambassador to Belgium, his honour  Denis Robert.

Those living in Ottawa or planning a trip to the capital are encouraged to visit the incredible Canadian War Museum down town. It is just minutes walking distance from the Parliament buildings.

There you will find an exhibit for WW1  and within it, the medals donated by the price family and the Royal Canadian Legion.

Next week I will bring the final blog on this subject with the issues that first got me going on it...

see you then
Bart

0 Comments

Tonight's blog is taking longer than expected, and so will not run till tomorrow night. Sorry folks!

12/16/2018

0 Comments

 
0 Comments

There are hundreds of Canadian first's listed in the 1936 book... "First Things in Acadia."  But I don't think there are any Lasts"  That's a Shame!

12/9/2018

0 Comments

 
You can read to your heart's content about the first ever print press in Canada, the first post office and the first Canadian to die in the Boer War.  Plow through the stories about the  world's first coloured Victoria Cross recipient, our first lighthouse and the first divorce ever. He got off but she was forbidden from again getting married before he died, and had to leave Nova Scotia within ten  days. There are hundreds of great tidbits. but there is nothing about George being... not the first... bit the LAST one.

Starting at the beginning, he was of course born ... in Nova Scotia in the small community of only a few thousand called Falmouth near Windsor. He got basic education, became a labourer, farmer, lumberman and handyman of sorts, but soon sought more opportunity and headed out west in 1916, and  about 24 years of age. At Moose Jaw Saskatchewan he had hopes of working to help bring in the harvest  and go from there.

Apparently he worked for a while for the CPR but then got a farming job. But that led to troubles. The farm owner was a widow  and at one point owed him  salary that she couldn't pay. So he decided to help himself... to the tune of about $25 worth of her possessions including some bedding. He was charged and the court's were not impressed with him. He was sentenced to one month of hard labour.

And when that was over he found himself conscripted into the Canadian army.

Picture
George would move through a few units before getting to his final unit of choice..the 28th Brigade, Canadian Expeditionary Forces.

He enlisted at first with the 1st Saskatchewan Depot Battalion, 4 Dec. 1917, left St John's aboard the HM Soctian 21 Jan. 1918, arrived at Liverpool 6 Feb. 1918 and by May was in France.  By June he finally arrived with the 28th, as possibly shown above. While in France he was gassed and spent a month between a Casualty Aid Station and a general hospital before returning to his regiment.  

Picture
It would be on 11 November 1918 that the Armistice to end the war was signed at about 5 am. It would take hours to get the message out to all concerned. Some may have never gotten it. So claimed some in the 28th.

Their job that day was to sweep the area between Frameries at the bottom left  and Ville-sur-Haine  to ensure all bridges were secured along a canal. This area is about 60 Km south West of Brussels as you can see in above map.

The objectives of the 28th were reached, but upon getting to Ville-Sur-Haine the troops found themselves along side another canal with open fields on their side, and several houses across the canal, just a stone's throw away.


Some say a patrol of four men were looking for better protection for the regiment within the homes across the canal. Others say one of the men saw movement in  the area. He then asked three others if they would go with him on a patrol because German Machine Gun nests were known to be operating in the area.

The four, without official approval, took off across a bridge and then started to take enemy fire,  saw Germans heading into one of the houses and they gave chase. They kicked down the door but the enemy was then escaping out the back. Entering the second house, they again found Germans fleeing out the back.

George , stepped out the front door, a bang was heard and he dropped into the arms of a mate. He was shot dead by a sniper off some distance and up an incline.


It was three minutes to eleven and the time that the  Armistice ending the war was to begin.  Within a minute he was  dead.

George Lawrence Price that moment became Canada's, and the British Commonwealth's last soldier to die in the Great War.

Picture
Later that day a few miles to the West at Mons, the street was filled with civilians and Canadian Troops  celebrating the end of the war. George's ended hours earlier!
Picture
George was buried at the old Havre communal cemetery at first but in 1948 his remains were moved to the Saint Symphorien Military Cemetery at  Mons and given the new marker shown below. . The old marker is now at the Museum in Mons.

Picture
At the Peace Tower in Ottawa there are held 7 different Books of Remembrance listing the names of over 118,000  service members who have lost their lives in the service of Canada in the two World Wars,  Korea, South Africa War,  Merchant Navy, one for Newfoundland and yet another in the works for the War of 1812. Below is the Great War's book opened to page 487.

It lists  George Price in the right hand column at the first break. At the left side one soldier at the top and bottom come from the 75th Overseas Expeditionary Force, a unit that after WW l became known as the Toronto Scottish and of which I am a former member. I shall make several more comments about George, and the 75th in the next blog, as this one is getting long.

But I would like to point out on each on these Remembrance pages it shows a date when that page will be on display in Ottawa. Check out your relative and plan a trip around visiting this incredible artifact.

Also  note that if you scroll down the page enough it lists all the names from the scroll and by clicking on these you can get some further info and possibly even the link directly to their WW1 attestation papers.

Picture
See you next week with more on George and the 75th and a wonderful even that just occurred in Europe in November.

Till then, as they say in the Tor Scots...

Carry On

0 Comments

The Act of Remembrance, Part ll

12/4/2018

0 Comments

 
Continuing from yesterday...

Members of the Royal family, Canadian Prime Ministers, Governor Generals, Ministers of Defense, Veterans Affairs and other ministries, veterans organizations and thousands of individual organizations and fellow Canadians have visited the Cross of Sacrifice. 

Over recent years and  no doubt probably back to the first dedication in 1927, on  Armistice... and later Remembrance Day services at this historic cross would have been performed by Canadians of all stripes, and probably attended on many of these dates  by American officials and the greater military family as well.

Picture
Over  the years the cemetery has obviously gone through a number of expansions. Here we see that the overgrowth shown in the 1927 newspaper image has been removed. The area is now used as the final resting place  of about 125  military veterans.
Picture
The Cross of Sacrifice was originally to recognize those lost in the Great War. Little did they know at the time that there would be another World War. Such yet again resulting in Americans by  the thousands  signing up with Canada for service years before the Americans  declared war. In recognition for the Americans lost in that service, a WW ll  plaque was added. The same for Korea a few years later.

Now is the time for thoughts being given to add yet a third panel for those lost in Afghanistan whilst fighting with the Canadians and against our common foe.

Picture
While I probably reached out to late to get a response, I have asked the Canadian Embassy to provide names for these officials that attended  services this year at the Cross of Sacrifice. I may bring these names to you in a future update.

Over the past several years I and the  Canadian Embassy at DC have often exchanged names and created a list of  Canadians resting today at Arlington. Such a list only included a few not that long ago but now are in the 2 dozen range if memory serves me right.

Each year the embassy tries to get out on special occasions to visit these sites also to pay Canada's respect  for their service.

After the   2005 visit of our Ambassador to Arlington to visit the graves of about a dozen Canadian MOH recipients, the Embassy has continued that service each year as well. During some of these visits it is possible that American officials may have also joined with their Canadian allies.

Picture
Regular readers know of my passion for the Joseph Noil story. A Nova Scotia coloured sailor who earned a Medal of Honor just a few years after the Civil War. He went on to continue his service for years, then took sick and bounce between a few hospitals before passing away at a DC  hospital He was buried in a cemetery on site and remained so under a marker misspelling his name  and without any indication that he was a MOH recipient either.

I worked on this case for some 8 years. Several others   also played key roles in the work that culminated with a new Medal of Honor marker being mounted with a correct spelling that fixed mistakes that lasted over 130 years. The  story was told over the internet and exposed to literally millions in April of 2016.

DC  Embassy officials have now adopted this grave as well and I understand plan to visit it annually also. So too has the US Coast Guard, who's headquarters are located on another part of the same property, and  named in honour of yet another Canadian MOH recipient... Douglas Munro, noted earlier.

The above image shows DC members at the Noil grave  on 10 November.

Picture
Here is what the old marker looked like. The marker alone gives this man's story a new life, as it should!
Picture
Still with Remembrance services, regular readers of these blogs know of the decade and more than I have visited the grave site of  Victoria's late Commander Rowland Bourke, a WW1 Victoria Cross and Distinguished Service Order recipient for bravery off the coast of Belgium 100 years ago this year.

Over many of these years the local Naval reserve unit... Malahat has adopted this grave for the first of its 2 Remembrance Day services. Bourke descendants and  Family and I attend these as well. 


And finally... readers have read of the unveiling late last year of the new very attractive    memorial dedicated to the 158 service  members and 5 non-military that lost their lives whilst Canada did her part in the Afghanistan War. 

Picture
Veterans of the Canadian Army's unit, the historic Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry have agreed to take on the important role of looking after this important monument.

Recently it was decided  to have a brief ceremony at the monument  on Remembrance Day and hopefully will carry that on in the years to come.

So a few hundred, including myself gathered to pay our respects to these veterans who lost their lives and to many others from that conflict that  served, and their families at the home front,  and were in the audience as well.

So folks, I hope I have answered the three questions that started these last two blogs.

See you again  on Sunday,
Bart

0 Comments

The Act of Remembrance, a holiday for most, means so much more to me!

12/3/2018

0 Comments

 
Over the past month, and in fact... for years, I have found my self in conversations and asked why I spend so much time doing what I do most weeks in this space.

They ask how much did I get paid for the work I do to bring you these stories. They want to know how many  read  my work, who thanked me or even cares about the work.

To begin, over close to 2 decades I have received less than  $500 in speaking or teaching fees  and for  overnight housing costs. On the other hand my costs have been probably in excess of $25,000 over those years. These do not include office costs for computer, long distance telephone fees, URL and cable fees and more.

The readership question depends on how stats are  evaluated, and how accurate they are. About 2/3rds of the way through the life of the blog I was told by the server company that the stats since day one were being created wrong and changes were made.  Some comfort when my numbers took a major dive.

But the story was more important than  the numbers and I kept on nevertheless. I now estimate that there have been close to a  million computer and individual hits. These num bers should be ten times higher  but, with no funding for employing computer whizzes to assist with proper marketing of web sites, and their appearance, much is to be  desired, I readily admit.

Who cares? Where to start?

On Canada Day back in 2005, the then serving Canadian Ambassador to the United States, took a military delegation to that nation's jewel of cemeteries... Arlington National Cemetery, to perform a service in remembrance of 9 Canadians who had earned Medals of Honor . In follow up correspondence to me he admitted the service was performed... at my request... and that the Embassy had no knowledge whatsoever that Canada had earned these medals and in fact that 9 were buried within a few miles of their very offices.

The Ambassador of Canada and his staff cared.

In 2007 the US Consulate to Canada, at Toronto, sent a delegation to Lindsay Ontario for a service where I also attended, as one of the organizers, and joined with me and 3 others in the unveiling of a memorial grave marker for an Ontario born Medal of Honor recipient.

The Consul cared, as did his staff. And so did the people of Lindsay, the re-enactors, the public, those that came up from New York and even the monument company that donated the memorial marker for free.  They all cared.

That same year a grave stone was unveiled correcting the spelling and acknowledging the MOH status of a Canadian veteran buried in Los Angeles California. I attended and again was one of those unveiling the stone. The attending US General had many a question for me and was stunned to learn of the Canadian involvement with the US and in fact to be reminded that under his own command where Canadians.

He presented his country's flag to family, and they in turn to the Canadian Consulate office, where it is on display to this day I believe. An American flag in a Canadian government office. HMMMM!

All involved cared.

There are many other stories, but I want to also note the 2013 visit to Gettysburg and the shaking of hands of some 45 actual Medal of Honor recipients. Each was told most briefly about one of several Canadians who had earned the MOH. And each was stunned to here of such a major role we played in US military history.

They all cared.

As do the families of those gone, who earned the MOH. Many of the over 450 blogs in this space have brought stories about families meeting each other for the first time, or discovering a relative who had earned the medal or  seeing a picture of him and or the medal... all cared.

In August 2017, the former Governor General of Canada wrote me a personal note to advise the he had awarded me  HRH Queen Elizabeth ll's... Sovereign Medal for Volunteers, for my work over the years and the blog, then about 4 yrs old. He added his personal thanks... "for everything you do,  you have made your community  and our country stronger." 

He cared.

So too did our former BC Lt Governor who had flags flown at my request over Government House here in Victoria. These were to be presented to the family of Rowland Bourke, a Victoria Cross and Distinguished Service Order recipient buried in Victoria and to the Ship's Captain and entire crew of the latest US Coast Guard Cutter Munro. This US warship is the 3rd in  the US named after Vancouver BC born Medal of Honor recipient  Douglas Munro, killed saving 500 lives and the only MOH recipient in that agency's history.

Both were flown over Government House on dates reflecting importance to both events.

And on no less that 3 occasions the  former Lt Governor reminded me of her trips across BC and the telling over and over several of her favorite stories, one of these being the  Douglas Munro story.

She too obviously  cared.

Having one parent run over by a truck in WWll and another with glass piercing though her face in the same war, a grandfather who ran away from home as a teen to enlist in the Boer War, then serving in both World Wars and earning the MM, a distance cousin the VC and lineage to a Cdn PM (and former NS premier, and Father of Confederation) and to Royalty to boot, Remembrance was not an option... it was a duty in our family. And not one limited to one day a year. It also included on my part close to 20 years in uniform.

This background coupled with police work and writing, soon had me finding a niche in the military world not being properly addressed in Canada, and I day say..in the US as well. That being the Canadian connection to the Medal of Honor. The niche I have developed  has no serious competition anywhere in North American that I am aware of.

This involves massive research, discovery, advocacy, documenting and promoting in an on-going basis. It also involves the rewriting of history, or should I say the correcting of history, and on occasion the correction of my own work.  Two cases sit on my desk now and awaiting my attention.

The work going into these blogs is also greatly contributed to by supporters across the continent, and beyond,  who bring corrections or other details and original research to my attention. Without their considerable time, energy and interest, this blog space would be sadly lacking. 

And they all care also!

This caring goes extends to  not just the heroes that came away from war with medals pinned to their chests. It also includes those who came home with wounds and disease, and those with ailments not readily visible to the eye. So too does this care extend to  those on the home front and the costs paid there throughout  the war years and beyond.

But so too did we care for those who did not come home, those that remembrance mostly focus its attention on.

Back about 80 years ago we in Canada did something even greater. We wanted to recognize our friends to the south, and more importantly the 30,000 or more than  came northbound to enlist before the US joined the WW1 war efforts. And more specifically, those who served with Canada but were killed in action. In 1927 Our Prime Minister asked the US government to donate some land at the most sacred of all areas. That land being in Arlington National Cemetery. We asked their permission to mount a memorial to those Americans who were KIA while serving under Canada's (British)  command.  

Picture
Above is out PM's request to extend this honour, and below... American's acceptance and response.    
Picture
The newspapers carried a few early stories.. I found three... all below...
Picture
The monument, to become known as the Cross of Sacrifice, would be of the same sort used by the Commonwealth Graves Commission throughout the British Empire. They came in the standard heights of 14, 18, 20 and 24 feet high and made of white stone. Arlington's would be 24 ft. high. One even higher... and in fact the highest ever,  is 40 ft. and stands at Halifax N.S. All are fitted with a bronze sword... known as the Sword of Honor.

Arlington's  Cross stands to this day within a few feet of the juncture of Memorial and Farragut Drives. Surely the most traveled areas of the cemetery and within very close proximity of the Amphitheater, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers where millions visit annually.

Farragut  being the famous Civil War Admiral whom captured Mobile Bay after days of battle and its later surrender. Entering into the heavily fortified waters, his first vessel was destroyed leaving few survivors, after it plowed into a torpedo. (underwater bomb)  The next in line stalled in fear of the same result and thus caused a ripple effect on about another dozen of the Union fleet from moving forward onto the attack.

Farragut had earlier climbed up one of the masts to get a look beyond the smoke of battle to command all, saw what was happening and hollered down ... "Damb the torpedoes... full speed ahead."

Medals of Honor came to Canada for participating in this battle to PEI's Thomas Fitzgerald, William Pelham from Halifax, Louis Chaput and James McIntosh from Montreal.

It should also be mentioned that a fellow by the name of  Adam McCulloch  also earned a MOH in this battle. He was not connected to Canada. But  of interest, he was one of the double recipients in US history. But it claims only 19, his not being one of them... after history STOLE it from him as a member of the 27th Maine, oft noted in this space in the past. Note also that the famed Farragut flagship Hartford is where Fitzgerald and Pelham served and their resulting bravery brought them their Medals of Honor.

So while we see a Canadian  cross remembering the Americans, we see a street at the same location that, in part, can be argued to remember those Canadians, and others who helped Farragut become famous from one of his most well known battles. Doubtfully one in a thousand traveling that area know it!

Here's a map of Arlington Cemetery, and a close up of the area where the cross is mounted...

Picture
I have numbers on the map but they cannot be seen. So, at upper right the arrow sits over the famed Potomac River and points to down town Washington DC. The arrow below points to the Pentagon which is located across the street from Arlington National Cemetery. Both are not in DC but simply across the bridge, but now into the state of Virginia, and its Arlington County.

The upper left arrow points to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers and below this the arrow points up to the approximate location of the Cross of Sacrifice.

Picture
In this larger image we see the Tomb just below the centre of photo at its right  The theatre is at its back  Memorial Drive is the main street running up and down the map  whilst Farragut as the upper main left to right Drive Almost in the centre of that area is a white dot. You are looking at the Cross of Sacrifice from the air.
Picture
Here we see the Cross almost completed in  construction. Note the trees and overgrowth behind it. Today that same area has been cleaned out and now is the resting place of at least 125 veterans as later photo's clearly show.
Picture
It was indeed an honour for Canada to be able to gain permission to install the Cross at Arlington. As the above news accounts states, never before had another country received such a privilege.

I am not sure if this has been repeated over the years. But note that a few years back.. in 2016 HRH Princess Anne and husband and others traveled to Arlington, and later to Canada to unveil plaques commemorating certain Victoria Cross recipients. The unveiling actually came about as a result of earlier mistakes in England re who could  be named on the plaques and who could not. Several blogs in this space brought you that story.  Four of the five honoured on the Arlington plaque all served with the Canadian forces in WW1 when earning their VC's. Their names were also added to the plaque  at Ottawa.

The 1927 Cross of Sacrifice unveiling and dedication was attended  by many dignitaries from  both Canada and the US including our Prime Minister and the US President. Over 200 Canadian troops representing several regiments, and bands form several units including the famed 48th Highlanders from Toronto participated as well. American troops in large numbers also played a role as did several of their bands.

Tomorrow  I will bring another blog, to make up for last weeks missing blog, and will end today's with finishing remarks.

see you then,

Bart

0 Comments

Bart returns to the computer tomorrow.

12/2/2018

0 Comments

 
Several fires on the go at the same time, plus trying to get a rest from two long blogs of late, will see me back with my next story tomorrow night.

Bart

0 Comments

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

    Archives

    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly