The Battle of Quiberon Bay off France’s South Brittany coast on Nov. 20, 1759, was the most decisive naval encounter during the Seven Years War, 1756-63. [N. Popcock/Royal Museums Greenwich]

Heart of Oak, ships of steel

STORY BY STEPHEN J. THORNE

Proponents of the politically correct and “anti-woke” traditionalists opposed to change all have their knickers in a knot over the impending demise of the Royal Canadian Navy’s official march song—which was never theirs to begin with.

“Heart of Oak,” a reference to the wooden ships of Britain’s 18th century Royal Navy, actually predates Canada’s swabbie service by more than 150 years.

It was written by William Boyce, an English composer, with words by an actor named David Garrick to celebrate British victories at Lagos, Quebec and Quiberon Bay, all of which took place in 1759—the Annus mirabilis, or “wonderful year.”

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The First Army, under acting command of Lieutenant-General Guy Simonds (third from right), fought the critical Battle of the Scheldt. He is pictured here with Christopher Vokes (from left), Harry Crerar, Bernard Montgomery, Brian Horrocks (both British Army), Daniel Spry and Bruce Mathews, in February 1945. [Wikimedia]

An un-Canadian welcome: The Scheldt opening ceremony of 1944

STORY BY ALEX BOWERS

On Nov. 28, 1944, dignitaries gathered at the docks of Antwerp.

The ceremonial guests, attempting to ignore the foul weather, stared out toward the Scheldt estuary, where 18 inbound ships made their historic approach to the Belgian port.

They were right to celebrate, even if the looming grey clouds above hadn’t gotten the memo, as the Allied vessels represented a proverbial turning of the tide.

Only a few months earlier, on Sept. 4, the British 11th Armoured Division had entered Antwerp with the intent of seizing, at the time, the second-largest port in Europe.

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Member Benefit Partner

HomeEquity Bank, the provider of the CHIP Reverse Mortgage, is proud to be endorsed by The Royal Canadian Legion as a trusted organization offering a safe and secure financial solution to help aging Canadian homeowners live with independence, dignity, and empowerment.

Since 2019, HomeEquity Bank has partnered with the Royal Canadian Legion to empower Canadian Veterans and their families to live a secure retirement on their terms. As part of our ongoing commitment, Legion members receive a $500 cash rebate* upon funding their CHIP Reverse Mortgage!

Why should you consider the CHIP Reverse Mortgage?

• Access up to 55%** of the value of your home in tax-free cash
• Maintain ownership and control of your home
• No regular mortgage payments required
• No impact to OAS or CPP
• Only provider of reverse mortgages in Canada recommended by The Royal Canadian Legion

To learn more about how you can achieve financial freedom with the CHIP Reverse Mortgage, call us toll-free on 1-833-756-2447 or visit CHIP.ca.

Learn more

Member Benefit Partner

As a young second lieutenant leading 8 Platoon, ‘C’ Company, 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian LIght Infantry, in Korea, Chris Snider of Oakville, Ont., earned a Miltary Cross for valour. At 92, he still attends Remembrance Day ceremonies at Sunnybrook Veterans’ Centre in Toronto. [Stephen J. Thorne/Legion Magazine]

In Toronto, a Korean War veteran remembers

STORY BY STEPHEN J. THORNE

The first time Second Lieutenant Chris Snider came under enemy fire was the day he arrived at the battle front on the Korean peninsula.

“We were going down this long, long trench,” Snider said in a video made by students at Crestwood high school in Toronto. “I kept hearing these buzzing noises.

“I said to the guy with me, ‘what’s this buzzing noise?’ He said, ‘those are enemy rounds; they’re firing at where they think we might be; they don’t know where we are because it’s dark.’ I thought, ‘gosh, bullets are coming our way.’ And the odd one would come a little lower and maybe hit somebody, but not normally.”

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I Echelon officers of 2nd Battalion, Le Royal 22e Régiment at battalion headquarters, behind Hill 355 in Korea. [Wikimedia]

Fighting the tide: The first Canadian Battle of Hill 355

STORY BY ALEX BOWERS

“No withdrawal. No platoons overrun. No panic.”

These were the simple yet assertive instructions of Lieutenant-Colonel Jacques Dextraze, commander of 2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment, as his men prepared for the looming Battle of Hill 355 Nov. 22-25, 1951, amid the Korean War.

By that stage, indeed since that summer, international calls for peace negotiations had convinced both sides to discuss the prospect of an armistice. It was a notion that seemed almost as distant as Canada itself to the troops settling into their hastily made defences on the saddle between the U.S.-occupied Hill 355 to the east—dubbed “Little Gibraltar”—and the Chinese-held Hill 227 to the west.

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• In his blood: The life and death of Norman Bethune
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• The forgotten grave of Canada’s first VC recipient, Alexander Roberts Dunn

Member Benefit Partner

HomeEquity Bank, the provider of the CHIP Reverse Mortgage, is proud to be endorsed by The Royal Canadian Legion as a trusted organization offering a safe and secure financial solution to help aging Canadian homeowners live with independence, dignity, and empowerment.

Since 2019, HomeEquity Bank has partnered with the Royal Canadian Legion to empower Canadian Veterans and their families to live a secure retirement on their terms. As part of our ongoing commitment, Legion members receive a $500 cash rebate* upon funding their CHIP Reverse Mortgage!

Why should you consider the CHIP Reverse Mortgage?

• Access up to 55%** of the value of your home in tax-free cash
• Maintain ownership and control of your home
• No regular mortgage payments required
• No impact to OAS or CPP
• Only provider of reverse mortgages in Canada recommended by The Royal Canadian Legion

To learn more about how you can achieve financial freedom with the CHIP Reverse Mortgage, call us toll-free on 1-833-756-2447 or visit CHIP.ca.

Learn more