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Researchers identify remains of Franklin expedition skipper

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An item from the Legion Magazine.
Front Lines
Front Lines

A daguerreotype of Captain James Fitzjames taken in 1845 and sold at Sotheby’s in September 2023. The remains of Fitzjames, who commanded HMS Erebus, have been identified by DNA and genealogical analyses. [Sotheby’s/Wikimedia]

Researchers identify remains of Franklin expedition skipper

STORY BY STEPHEN J. THORNE

They are the last known communications from the storied Arctic expedition led by John Franklin, found by a search party stashed in a stone cairn at Victory Point on the northwest coast of King William Island in May 1859, 11 years after it was written.

Scrawled in the margins of a preprinted Admiralty form, the so-called “Victory Point Note” bore two messages. The first, dated May 28, 1847, said the ships Erebus and Terror had wintered in ice, that Franklin was commanding, and all were “well.”

By April 25, 1848, however, the situation had deteriorated markedly.

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Military Milestones

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.

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Military Milestones
Military Milestones

Bowmanville prisoners of war. [U-35.com]

The Battle of Bowmanville

STORY BY ALEX BOWERS

“Wherever possible,” read a detailed Allied military plan for Operation Jubilee, “prisoners’ hands will be tied to prevent destruction of their documents.”

The order was a recipe for disaster on what would be a disastrous day in Dieppe, France, on Aug. 19, 1942. There, some 6,100 Allied troops—4,963 Canadians among them—endured nine hours of hell as the German defenders cut them to ribbons. The Dieppe Raid incurred about 3,000 casualties, amounting to almost half the original assault force; of those, more than 900 Canadian dead littered the bloodied shingles and wrecked commune, while 1,946 were taken prisoner.

Searching the washed-up bodies and burnt-out vehicles, the victorious Germans found the orders. Hitler was outraged—and it was destined to get far worse.

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Thanksgiving photos; film screenings, artist talks & more

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A newsletter from one of our fellow Canadian organizations in the Bay Area.

Canadian Studies Announcements

In This Issue:

News from Berkeley

• Photos from our 7th annual Canadian Thanksgiving dinner

Upcoming Events

• Stop-Motion Storyteller: Film Screening & Talk Back featuring Amanda Strong & Bracken Hanuse Corlett

• Artist Talk: Amanda Strong and Bracken Hanuse Corlett

External Events

• Royal Canadian Navy at San Francisco Fleet Week

• Canadian Brass at The Bankhead

• Two Canadian films at the San Francisco International South Asian Film Festival
In Photos: Our 7th Annual Canadian Thanksgiving Dinner 🥧

Canadian Studies and our partners at the Digital Moose Lounge celebrated an (early) Canadian Thanksgiving dinner yesterday with friends from around the Bay. Over 100 Bay Area Canadians and their friends braved the heat to come to Berkeley to show their Canadian pride. Attendees enjoyed our traditional turkey dinner and speciality Canadian desserts like Nanaimo bars, along with a raffle of Canadian goods and specialities.

This year also featured a surprise appearance by a film crew from CBC comedy news show This Hour Has 22 Minutes, who decided our party was the perfect place to get the inside scoop on life as a Bay Area Canadian! Host Dan Dillabough interviewed attendees about their experiences living in the US for a one-hour primetime special, set to air on CBC on November 4. (We’ll be sure to provide a link when it’s up!)
Right: Attendees listen to remarks by Canadian Studies Advisory Board chair Griselda Zhou. Bottom left: This Hour Has 22 Minutes host Dan Dillabough (right) and his film crew asked attendees for their thoughts about life in the US. Bottom right: Program co-directors Richard A. Rhodes and Hidetaka Hirota pose with Advisory Board chair Griselda Zhou, current and former board members, and Consul for Political, Economic and Public Affairs Marie Alnwick.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Stop-Motion Storyteller: Film Screening & Talk Back featuring Amanda Strong & Bracken Hanuse Corlett

Wed., Oct. 30 | 7:00 pm | BAMPFA | Buy tickets

Over the past decade, Michif (Métis) artist Amanda Strong has created an exceptional collection of animated films depicting Indigenous realities, stories, and dreams to build a compelling cinematic counterpoint challenging colonial histories of Indigenous peoples. Using stop-motion techniques to animate meticulously crafted three-dimensional puppets and objects, Strong creates magical worlds—uncanny mirrors to our own—in which her stories unfold. This program, presented in collaboration with the Arts Research Center and the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, represents an extensive retrospective of her work and includes her collaborations with Wuikinuxv and Klahoose artist Bracken Hanuse Corlett, her partner in life and art. Eight films are included in the screening.

This event is free for UC Berkeley students, staff, and faculty with a Cal 1 Card. Other guests may purchase tickets via the link above.

Artist Talk: Amanda Strong and Bracken Hanuse Corlett

Fri., Nov. 1 | 4:00 pm | BAMPFA | Buy tickets

Award-winning animators and multimedia Indigenous artists Amanda Strong (Michif) and Bracken Hanuse Corlett (Wuikinuxv and Klahoose) share insights on the creation of their films, including their current project—nine years in the making and now on the cusp of its world premiere—and their frequent collaborations. This artists’ talk is copresented by the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive and the Arts Research Center, which is sponsoring Strong as its Artist-in-Residence and Corlett as a Visiting Artist.

This event is free for UC Berkeley students, staff, and faculty with a Cal 1 Card. Other guests may purchase tickets via the link above.

If you require an accommodation to fully participate in one of the above events, please let us know at least 7 days in advance.

EXTERNAL EVENTS

Royal Canadian Navy at San Francisco Fleet Week

Oct. 12 & 13 | San Francisco, CA | Learn more

 

The Consulate General of Canada is pleased to support the Royal Canadian Navy’s participation in San Francisco Fleet Week 2024. Public tours of the HMCS Regina will be offered at San Francisco Pier 15/17 on Saturday, October 12 and Sunday, October 13, from 10:00 am – 3:30 pm. All tours are free of charge, available on a first-come, first-served basis. More details, including the ship tour guidelines and code of conduct, are available via the link above. Please note that ship tours are not accessible to persons with limited mobility and that visitors will be screened prior to boarding.

Canadian Brass at The Bankhead

Sun., Oct. 13 | 3:00 pm | Livermore, CA | Buy tickets

Get ready for an unforgettable afternoon with Canadian Brass, the world’s most renowned brass ensemble. Since 1970, they’ve enthralled audiences worldwide with their diverse repertoire and captivating performances. From classics to contemporary hits, Canadian Brass’s versatility shines through. With over 135 albums and numerous awards, including Grammy and Juno nominations, they’re pioneers in popularizing brass music. Don’t miss the chance to experience their magic live at The Bankhead, where their infectious energy and unparalleled musicianship promise an unforgettable afternoon.

Two Canadian Films at the San Francisco International South Asian Film Festival

Oct. 18 & 19 | San Francisco, CA | Learn more

3rd i’s 22nd annual SF International South Asian Film Festival presents groundbreaking cinema celebrating inspiring stories from South Asia and its diaspora. Two Canadian films will be shown as part of the festival:

The Queen of My Dreams (Oct. 18) is the feature-length directorial debut by Canadian filmmaker Fawzia Mirza. It explores the complicated bond between a Queer Pakistani grad student and her conservative Muslim mother through a Bollywood-inspired journey from Karachi to rural Canada. At its TIFF premiere, it was voted one of Canada’s Top 10 films of 2023.

Dear Jassi (Oct. 19) tells the ill-fated love story of a young woman from a wealthy Indian-Canadian family who defies her family when she falls for a working-class man while visiting relatives in the Punjab. The film weaves a tragic true story into a gripping Shakespearean tale of injustice with a haunting, chilling finale.

Berkeley students, faculty, and staff can receive 50% off ticket costs by using the code “50_off” on all online film purchases.

Canadian Studies Program

213 Philosophy Hall #2308

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Canadian Studies Program | Univ. of California, Berkeley 213 Philosophy Hall #2308 | Berkeley, CA 94720 US

Stolen Churchill portrait coming home

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An item from the Legion Magazine.
Front Lines
Front Lines

Yousuf Karsh’s Churchill portrait was shot in two minutes in an antechamber off the House of Commons on Dec. 31, 1941. [Yousuf Karsh]

Stolen Churchill portrait coming home

STORY BY STEPHEN J. THORNE

An original print of one of the world’s most famous photographs, stolen during the COVID pandemic, is on its way back to the Ottawa hotel that photographer Yousuf Karsh called home for 19 years.

Pinched from the reading lounge of the Fairmont Château Laurier some time between Christmas Day 2021 and Jan. 6, 2022, and replaced with a fake, the portrait of Britain’s wartime prime minister, Winston Churchill, was found in a private collection in Italy in September 2024.

A 43-year-old man from Powassan, Ont., was arrested in April 2024 and charged with multiple offences associated with the picture’s disappearance, including theft, forgery and trafficking in stolen property. His name is under a publication ban.

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Vintage warbirds posters
News
Military Milestones

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
Military Milestones
Military Milestones

Zeppelin L.31 readies for launch. [Wikimedia]

Night of the Tempest: A British-Canadian pilot versus German Zeppelin L.31

STORY BY ALEX BOWERS

Shortly before midnight on Oct. 1, 1916, Second Lieutenant Wulstan Tempest, soaring through English skies in a B.E.2c biplane, spotted his looming target.

At more than 14,000 feet (4,267 metres), the German Zeppelin Luftschiff 31—or L.31—looked like it rained death from the heavens, however hellish that prospect seemed. But now, of course, it was the 25-year-old pilot’s turn to wreak havoc upon the airship, crewed by 19 and, with its onboard machine guns, far from defenceless.

Tempest remained undeterred. He would be the oncoming storm.

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Canvet Publications Ltd.
86 Aird Place |
Kanata, Ontario | K2L 0A1 | Canada |
1-844-602-5737 | 613-591-0116 | magazine@legion.ca