U18 women run a heat in the 100m hurdles at the 2024 Legion National Youth Track and Field Championships in Calgary. [Stephen J. Thorne]

100 images of the 2024 Legion Nationals: Part 1

STORY BY STEPHEN J. THORNE

There must be something in the water they give those athletes at the Legion National Youth Track and Field Championships.

The 2024 Summer Olympics was proof positive of the Nationals’ fundamental role in the rise of elite Canadian sports men and women—28 Legion Nationals alumni wore Canadian red and white in Paris, including bronze-medalists pole vaulter Alysha Newman of London, Ont., and golden shot putters Ethan Katzberg and Camryn Rogers, both B.C. natives.

And judging by three balmy August days of competition at the 2024 Legion Nationals in Calgary, the future looks bright.

READ MORE

More from Front Lines

• USS Pampanito: A genuine WW II relic on Fisherman’s Wharf
• Rare birds: The Canada Aviation and Space Museum’s WW I collection
• In days of yore: How WW I rivals revived chivalry in war

ATTENTION CANADIAN MILITARY FAMILIES : Did you or a family member receive VAC disability benefits between 2003 and 2023?

On 17 January 2024 the Federal Court approved a settlement in a class action involving alleged underpayment of certain disability pension benefits administered by Veterans Affairs Canada (“VAC”) payable to members or former members of the Canadian Armed Forces (“CAF”) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (“RCMP”) and their spouses, commonlaw partners, survivors, other related individuals, and estates (the “Settlement”).

If you received any of the disability-related benefits listed below at any time between 2003 and 2023, you may be entitled to compensation under the Settlement. As the executor, estate trustee, administrator, or family member of a deceased class member who collected VAC-administered disability benefits, you may also be able to claim on behalf of the estate.

READ MORE

Wing Commander John A. Sproule, DFC of Toronto, Ontario, and Brandon, Manitoba, commanding officer of the Royal Canadian Air Force’s 437 “Husky” Squadron. [Canadian Virtual War Museum]

A Gallant Force: Canadians in Operation Market Garden

STORY BY ALEX BOWERS

Wing Commander John Alexander “Jack” Sproule of Brandon, Man., departed RAF Station Blakehill Farm on Sept. 17, 1944. His No. 437 RCAF Squadron—a part of No. 46 Group, RAF Transport Command—had been activated a mere three days before. Operation Market Garden would be their first-ever rodeo.

With only nine No. 437 crews ready at the time of departure, combined with two extra crews seconded to the Canadian flyers, each Dakota aircraft towed Horsa gliders that in turn carried members of 1st British Airborne Division. Their planned drop zone was the Dutch city of Arnhem. Aside from a scattering of flak fire, they encountered little opposition. It was just the beginning.

READ MORE

More from Military Milestones

• The Battle of Plattsburg: An Anglo-Canadian Defeat in the War of 1812
• My son in Spain: Canada’s last combat veteran of the Spanish Civil War
• Oakville’s Gamble: A Canadian Corvette vs. U-94

Member Benefit Partner

Learn more