The commanding officer of the Danish warship HDMS Triton on Hans Island in August 2003. [Wikimedia]

Canada announces Arctic foreign policy overhaul

STORY BY STEPHEN J. THORNE

In 1984, Canadian soldiers visited a small, barren island in the middle of the Kennedy Channel between Greenland and Ellesmere Island. Jurisdiction over Hans Island had been the subject of a mild dispute between Canada and Denmark since 1973, when the two countries agreed to redefine their overlapping seabed boundaries in the area, leaving ownership of the 1.2-square-kilomentre rock in limbo.

The soldiers didn’t arrive expecting a fight. Rather, they planted a Maple Leaf Flag and left a bottle of Canadian whisky—a lighthearted assertion of Canadian sovereignty over what to most outside observers was an inconsequential stone slab. The Danish minister of Greenlandic affairs responded in kind, coming to the island a few months later, hoisting a Danish flag and leaving a bottle of schnapps with a letter stating “Welcome to the Danish Island.”

READ MORE

More from Front Lines

• The mighty word
• Picking up the pieces: A Canadian casualty clearing station at the end of WW I
• How a Manitoban sister and brother more than did their bit in WW I

Britain’s emblematic wartime prime minister and renowned drinker, Sir Winston Churchill, keeps a watchful eye of all patrons of the Crow’s Nest Captains Club in downtown St. John’s N.L. [WikiMedia/TheCrowsNest]

Where the walls tell the tales: Exploring the Crow’s Nest Officers’ Club in St. John’s, N.L.

STORY BY ALEX BOWERS

The Crow’s Nest Officers’ Club in St. John’s, N.L., has enthralled patrons for more than 80 years. Established on Jan. 27, 1942, for Allied sailors seeking respite from the perils of the Second World War’s Battle of the Atlantic, it has since been likened to a living museum. The club, located near the city’s harbour and brimming with evocative wartime artifacts, continues to host veterans, but also welcomes anyone wishing to explore WW II maritime history.

Legion Magazine spoke with two of the club’s past presidents, Gary Green, now a director on the club’s board, and Margaret Morris, the current treasurer, about maintaining the Nest’s unique spirit.

READ MORE

More from The Briefing

• Former defence chief Walter Natynczyk: Now Officer of the Order of Canada
• Bullets, beans and mouse holes: Talking urban operations with Major Jayson Geroux
• Exhibit on WW II’s Dutch liberation unveiled at the Canadian War Museum

Member Benefit Partner

Join BST Vacations, Dominion President and Legion members from across Canada onboard the Celebrity Ascent for an amazing 11 night Caribbean Cruise. Sailing to St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Lucia, Barbados, Dominica, St. Kitts & Nevis.

Contact us today to reserve your spot!

• English speaking contact:

Bruce McIntosh – 1-800-461-8500 Ext 301 / (519) 271-5710 Ext 301 bmcintosh@bstvacations.ca

• French speaking contact:

Debbie Pichette au (418) 525-0540 ou par courriel à dpichette@lagencevoyages.com

BST Vacations Terms & Conditions apply.

For full details on this cruise, visit our website:

https://bstvacations.ca/legion-presidents-best-of-southern-caribbean-cruise/

Learn More

Prime Minister Winston Churchill throws the V for Victory sign outside 10 Downing Street in 1943.
[World History Archive]

The mighty word

STORY BY STEPHEN J. THORNE

Talk may be cheap but, when it comes to war, words matter. From declaration to surrender, wars begin and end with words: they provoke, commit, inspire, motivate, reassure and mislead.

Mislead, indeed. Perhaps conflict’s most telling and well-known quotation is “the first casualty of war is the truth,” variously attributed to the Greek dramatist Aeschylus circa 550 BC, English writer Samuel Johnson in 1758, and U.S. Senator Hiram Warren Johnson in 1918. Regardless, truer words were never spoken.

Tough talk is a fundamental tenet of war speak, but as he stood in Spain one day in 1809 and cast his eyes over the ragged levies that were to carry him through his peninsular campaign against the French, Lieutenant-General Arthur Wellesley—the Duke of Wellington—spoke plainly and honestly of what stood before him.

READ MORE

More from Front Lines

• Picking up the pieces: A Canadian casualty clearing station at the end of WW I
• How a Manitoban sister and brother more than did their bit in WW I
• North Korean soldiers impress Ukrainian fighters

General Walter Natynczyk was named a member of the Order of Canada in 2024. [Wikimedia]

Former defence chief Walter Natynczyk: Now Officer of the Order of Canada

STORY BY ALEX BOWERS

Dec. 18, 2024, Governor General Mary Simon announced the appointment of 88 individuals to the Order of Canada. Among them was retired general Walter Natynczyk who, from 2008 to 2012, served as the head of the Canadian Armed Forces. Before his tenure as defence chief, Natynczyk held various command positions, including with The Royal Canadian Dragoons and for international peacekeeping missions to Cyprus and the former Yugoslavia. The Winnipegger has since carried out duties as president of the Canadian Space Agency (2013-2014) and deputy minister of Veterans Affairs (2014 to 2021).

In an exclusive interview with Legion Magazine, Natynczyk discussed his pre-military life, career in the CAF and his recent Order of Canada.

READ MORE

More from The briefing

• Bullets, beans and mouse holes: Talking urban operations with Major Jayson Geroux
• Exhibit on WW II’s Dutch liberation unveiled at the Canadian War Museum
• Ted Barris talks Canadian airmen at the Battle of Britain

Member Benefit Partner

RCL members and their families can benefit from exclusive discounts on car, home, condo and tenant’s insurance at belairdirect. Learn more at legion.ca/belairdirect

Learn More