Legion - July-August 2022

94 Pages·2022·30 MB·English

NEW DEFENCE CANADA-U.S. TAKING ACTION
SPENDING COLLABORATION ON MISCONDUCT
JULY/AUGUST 2022
Remembering the men of
DIEPPE
EXCLUSIVE
REALITIES OF CANADA’S MEMOIR
of a
WW I BLACK BATTALION DIEPPE SURVIVOR
WOMEN OF PAGE 31
THE WAR OF 1812
9
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F
Femme fatale
Worker Veronica Foster
, known in wartime Canada
as the “Bren Gun Girl,” poses with a machine gun in the John Inglis
Company plant where the weapons were built.
See page 54
National Film Board/LAC/PA-119766
FF
eeaattuurreess
18 DOUBLE DUTY 38 CONSTRUCTIVE DISMISSAL
Some were heroines, some were victims, 8 myths of Black service in the Canadian
but most women simply endured and Expeditionary Force and the actual
survived the War of 1812 realities they faced
By Sharon Adams By Stephen J. Thorne
24 “TO THE MEN OF DIEPPE!” 46 A WAY FORWARD
Remembering the courage and fortitude Recent sexual misconduct scandals in
of the Canadian forces that mounted the Canadian Armed Forces have been
the ultimately ruinous raid a catalyst for change. But will it go far
By Tom MacGregor —and will it last?
By Sharon Adams
31 THE DIEPPE MOUNTIE
An RCMP constable who volunteered for 54 RIGHTS FIGHT
overseas service recalls the infamous raid As the Second World War wound down,
in his own words Ottawa assumed wartime working
By Edward Hammond Stevenson women would return to homemaking—
the women had other ideas
By Graham Chandler
NEW MEMBER BENEFITS
PACKAGE PARTNER
See pages 4, 6 and 7 for details!
COLUMNS
12 MILITARY HEALTH MATTERS
THIS PHOTO
Facing pandemic gloom
Not all Black soldiers of the Canadian Expeditionary Force
were part of No. 2 Construction Battalion. These four unidentified By Sharon Adams
men served with the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps.
14 FRONT LINES
CWM/19930012-397
Arresting development
ON THE COVER By Stephen J. Thorne
Major Charles Comfort depicted Canadian soldiers as they 
began the ill-fated Dieppe Raid on Aug. 19, 1942, in this 16 EYE ON DEFENCE
postwar painting. Military monies
Maj. Charles Comfort/CWM/19710261-2183 By David J. Bercuson
36 FACE TO FACE
Did the Dieppe Raid provide
the Allies with lessons critical
to D-Day’s success?
B y Tom MacGregor and
Stephen J. Thorne
80 CANADA AND THE NEW COLD WAR
Due North
By J.L. Granatstein
82 HUMOUR HUNT
Sudden surrender
By John Ward
84 HEROES AND VILLAINS
John Hughes-Hallett and
Konrad Haase
By Mark Zuehlke
86 ARTIFACTS
The ties that bind
By Sharon Adams
88 O CANADA
The Acadian expulsion
By Don Gillmor
DEPARTMENTS
4 EDITORIAL
8 LETTERS
10 ON THIS DATE
58 IN THE NEWS
65 SNAPSHOTS
79 LOST TRAILS
3
legionmagazine.com > JULY/AUGUST 2022
EDITORIAL
Culture
working. Sexists, bullies and racists The military aims to hardwire
change will not be admitted to the ranks. cultural change by holding lead-
The latest approach recognizes ers at every level accountable for
that eliminating sexual misconduct team diversity and inclusivity,
In
is not a one-time mission, but a and by adding those measures
never-ending cultural evolution. to professional assessments
March 2022, It will entail ongoing training and and promotion criteria.
a Royal Canadian education, constant monitoring and Plus, tackling this issue just
Navy basic training course at a continuing role for the new chief, might help address the CAF’s
Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt professional conduct and culture. recruiting challenge. The cultural
in B.C. was shut down after Indeed, several objectives set changes meant to make military
allegations of sexual harassment this bid at eradicating sexual careers more attractive to women,
and racism among recruits. misconduct in the CAF apart the LGBTQ2 community and
A sexually explicit photo was from previous attempts. racialized Canadians—such
shared with a chat group, inap- as allowing members to dress
propriate sexualized comments This time, the CAF is seeking according to their gender identity,
were made and racist, threatening suggestions to improve its poli- observance of diverse religious
messages were found on some cies and procedures from outside holidays and the broadening of
recruits’ personal devices. experts, including from those leave policies to include bereave-
After the Canadian Armed Forces who have experienced sexual ment, caring for sick children or
took a closer look at the 35 prospec- misconduct and gender discrimi- parents—will also make the CAF
tive members, a spokesperson nation. It is also targeting a range an attractive job option for men.
said “candidates deemed suitable of disrespectful behaviours at Will we see evidence of the evolu-
for retention will be returned to every level and promoting an tion quickly? Not likely. Similar
the Naval Training System at the environment that curbs hurtful changes to a more inclusive society
earliest opportunity.” Those who actions before they become toxic. outside the military’s ranks have
did not live up to the CAF’s Code of The CAF is developing methods been slow. While the armed forces
Ethics and Values were booted out. to support individuals experiencing might move faster, relatively,
It’s a sign that the new strategy such threats, as well as for bystand- than society at large, the cultural
for addressing sexual misconduct in ers to safely report misconduct. change for those in uniform is still
the forces—summarized in its Path It’s also creating processes for likely to be a methodical march.
to Dignity and Respect document addressing numerous inap- But the first steps have
published in October 2020—is propriate actions accordingly. been taken. L
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44
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Vol. 97, No. 4 | July/August 2022
Board of Directors day with a
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DIRECTORS Tom Bursey, Steven Clark, Thomas Irvine, Berkley Lawrence, Sharon McKeown, great coffee
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Published by Canvet Publications, 866 Humboldt Pkwy., Buffalo, NY 14211-1218. Periodicals postage
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866 Humboldt Pkwy., Buffalo, NY 14211-1218. U.S. Postmasters send covers only and address Order today at
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legionmagazine.com > JULY/AUGUST 2022
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Comments
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Love Letters,
Legion Magazine,
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Kanata, ON
K2L 0A1
for the
or e-mailed to:
[email protected]
liberators
As
a Dutch Canadian them as heroes. In turn, they a girl on each arm, a carton of
born in the eastern displayed a warm kindness that cigarettes and a bottle of whisky
part of southern Holland some stood out so noticeably after the in his hands, drunk as can be.
months before its liberation, years of Nazi tyranny.” Clearly, People laughed and cheered.
I was very interested in the the Canadian soldiers and the The fondness they had for the
articles on Canada’s freeing of the Dutch public got along well. Canadians overcame the foibles
Netherlands (“Liberation!” and But, as J.L. Granatstein has and excesses of the soldier.
“We are grateful to them, but let written, even a welcome guest G ERRY VAN KESSEL, GATINEAU, QUE.
them go home,” May/June 2022). can stay too long. As transport
My background is a part of why ships were in short supply, Encounter with
I am so fascinated by the friend- Canadian soldiers were still in
a saviour
ship between the two countries. Holland in 1946 and there were
The Dutch joy following the incidents of friction, though I appreciated John Boileau’s
liberation was, at least in part, these were temporary. The last- article in the March/April 2022 issue
relief that the tribulations of ing memory of the liberators’ on Leonard Birchall (“Saviour of
German occupation and the time in Holland is captured by Ceylon”), which concluded by noting
hunger of the 1944-45 winter a skit done by a local town in that Leonard himself never used
were behind them. One Dutch Groningen to honour departing that nickname. Indeed, he was a very
witness observed: “You know, Canadian soldiers. In it all the modest man. I worked with Leonard
we were overwhelmed by the different troops were depicted— when he was an administrator at
friendliness and hospitality of the Americans with sloppy York University in Toronto in the
our liberators. This was in such salutes, the Germans goose- mid-1970s. I had just graduated and
sharp contrast to the hostility and stepping, a little Englishman was in my first job, and Len was
arrogance of the Germans.... My saluting a corporal and hopping. incredibly friendly, kind and helpful.
friends and I spent much time But the house came down as I mentioned to my father, Wes,
among the soldiers, worshipping a Canadian soldier entered, who had served in the air force
near the end of the Second World
War, that York had hired quite a few
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he almost fell off his chair, so excited
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JULY/AUGUST 2022 > legionmagazine.com