Remembering Stephen J. Thorne

An item from the Legion Magazine.


Weekly Feature
Weekly Feature

Stephen J. Thorne, Legion Magazine‘s late senior staff writer, enjoys a visit from the Canadian Veteran Service Dog Unit from nearby White Lake, Ont., at Ottawa’s Legion House in June 2024. [Aaron Kylie]

Remembering Stephen J. Thorne

STORY BY AARON KYLIE

“Stephen?”

“No, I’m Aaron,” I responded to the question from a Legionnaire at a hotel in Saskatoon in September 2025.

But I understood the confusion. After all, Legion Magazine’s senior staff writer Stephen J. Thorne was a regular, covering Royal Canadian Legion events across the country since he joined the publication in 2016. If there was a man with a camera roaming around, there was a good chance it was him.

“Oh, sorry,” said the Legionnaire. The apology, however, felt as though it had double meaning—sorry for the mistake; but also, a tinge of regret that I wasn’t actually Stephen. I get that, too.

After a sudden illness, Stephen died on Dec. 5, 2025, at age 66.

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Celebrating Canada Mugs
The Briefing
The Briefing

Author Allan Levine profiles Canada’s dollar-a-year-men in his latest book. [Courtesy Allan Levine]

Historian Allan Levine on how Canada’s business leaders helped win WW II

STORY BY ALEX BOWERS

“We’re always looking back on the Second World War and seeing it as an important time in Canadian history,” said historian Allan Levine, “but this is one story that’s never really been told.”

It has now, however, in the award-winning author’s most recent book The Dollar a Year Men, published by Barlow Books.

Rather than any battle blow-by-blow or front-line testimony, Levine’s narrative largely remains within the confines of Canada at a time when the country needed to mobilize its industry to support the Allied cause. Civil engineer-turned-politician C.D. Howe, then serving as minister of munitions and supply—and nicknamed the Minister of Everything for his far-reaching influence—took on that challenge, enlisting dozens of business leaders from across the country, their task to bring about the “greatest economic metamorphosis” ever experienced in Canada.

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See the Impact You Made in 2025

An item that way be of interest to members.


A holiday message from Support Our Troops!
Your Support in Action:

Our Year in Review

The generosity of Canadians has made a considerable impact on the lives of Canadian Armed Forces members and their families.

 

In 2024-2025, over 6000 CAF members, Veterans and their families were supported through Support Our Troops with $1.9M raised by generous Canadians.

 

This Support Our Troops Year in Review is a testament to the heartwarming stories of support for all those who’ve served.

Check it out here
Facebook  Twitter
Support Our Troops | 4210 Rue Labelle St | Ottawa, ON K1A 0K2 CA

11 iconic weapons of the Second World War

An item from the Legion Magazine.


Weekly Feature
Weekly Feature

11 iconic weapons of the Second World War

STORY BY LEGION MAGAZINE

Arguably one of the most terrifying weapons of the Second World War is the M1 flamethrower and its M1A1 variant.

The M1 and M1A1 were used primarily in the Pacific theatre for attacking pillboxes and other fortifications. It also saw use in Europe, most notably during the D-Day assault, where 150 were issued.

The weapons consists of two fuel tanks and a smaller propellent tank carried on the back of the user. A battery creates a spark and ignites a hydrogen igniter. Pressurized fuel (oil in the M1 and napalm in the M1A1) then spews from the weapons nozzle, up to 43 metres in front of the user.

This 32-kilogram weapon was extremely cumbersome and exposed the user to enemy fire.

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Ten under $10
The Briefing
The Briefing

Author and journalist Linden MacIntyre explores the life of fallen hero Hugh Tudor in his latest book. [Tom Zsolt/Courtesy Penguin Random House Canada]

Author and journalist Linden MacIntyre on the life of a disgraced British officer

STORY BY ALEX BOWERS

History will forever judge the judgeable, no matter where they’re laid to rest.

Such was the case of British Major-General Hugh Tudor, a once-hero of the Great War turned co-architect of some of the worst atrocities in the struggle for Irish Independence. While his enemies never exacted revenge upon him after he sought sanctuary in Newfoundland, the enigmatic former officer—who could have prevented much of 1920’s Bloody Sunday—failed to escape his tarnished reputation.

Where did it go so wrong for Tudor, a man mentioned in dispatches 10 times on the Western Front only for his name—and that of the infamous Black and Tans he commanded—to be reviled? This is one of many questions that renowned Canadian journalist and author Linden MacIntyre endeavours to answer in his latest book An Accidental Villain: A Soldier’s Tale of War, Deceit and Exile.

The biographer offered his insights in a Legion Magazine exclusive.

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Event today: Is the Carney government delivering on its promises?

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


Canadian Studies Announcements

EVENT TODAY

Panel: Canada at a Crossroads: Evaluating the Carney Government’s First Nine Months

Tues., Dec. 2 | 12:30 pm | 223 Philosophy Hall | RSVP

When Mark Carney won the 2025 Canadian Federal election, he assumed leadership of a nation facing multiple structural problems and widespread discontent. Canadians had united against threats from the United States, but major debates remained over issues such as housing costs, immigration, and Canada’s stagnant economy. During the campaign, Carney distanced the Liberal Party from its Trudeau-era platform and promised to be a steady hand to deliver urgently needed reform. Nine months on, how well is the Carney government delivering on those promises? Join our panel representing Canada’s major political parties as they debate Carney’s performance in tackling the country’s most pressing challenges.

About the Panelists

Parm Kahlon is a founding partner and strategist at Core Firm. She served as Special Assistant to Alberta premier Rachel Notley, and worked with various MLAs with the BC NDP. She has also served as managing director for UFCW 1518, one of British Columbia’s oldest and largest unions.

Jordan O’Brien is the cofounder and partner of the public relations and consulting firm Porter O’Brien. He has advised chief executives, cabinet ministers, and leaders of the opposition. He also worked for the Government of New Brunswick for ten years, including as chief of staff and deputy minister in the Office of the Premier.

Jordan Paquet is the vice-president of Bluesky Strategy Group. Over the course of his nearly 20-year career, he has worked across multiple levels of Canadian government, including the Prime Minister’s Office under Stephen Harper; as Principal Secretary to Conservative Opposition leader Rona Ambrose; and most recently as the Chief of Staff in Prince Edward Island’s Government Members Office.

This event is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Bluma Appel Fund, the Consulate General of Canada in San Francisco, and The Porter O’Brien Agency.

This event will have a remote attendance option via Zoom. Please select the “virtual attendance” in the RSVP form to receive the link.

If you require an accommodation to participate fully in this event, please let us know with as much advance notice as possible by emailing canada@berkeley.edu.

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