This issue of The Glen celebrates the platinum jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, explores the origins and evolution of the Glenworple song, and includes a career history of Regimental Piper Alf Miller along with a wide range of updates from the Highlanders.

This issue of The Glen reflects on the gas attacks carried out by the Germans during the 2nd Battle of Ypres on 22 April 1915 and in retrospect, compare the impacts of poison gas attacks and the subsequent Spanish Flu with the influences on personal freedoms and difficulties being encountered during the COVID-19 period of 2021.

This edition of the Glen Magazine is dedicated to the 75th Anniversary of our brave and successful Battalion of Heroes in 1944.
Not until they hit the shores of Normandy on 5 July 1944 did the 1st Battalion of The Calgary Highlanders get into action. Taking over Command from the famous ‘battle drills’ CO, LCol Scott in 1942, LCol Donald George MacLauchlan was the Commanding Officer as they crossed the channel shortly after D–Day and headed inland through the Normandy farm country towards Caen.

This issue of The Glen is the first under the watchful eye of CWO Kent Griffiths and LCol. Lee Villiger who have stepped up to the challenge on behalf of the Regimental family to continue the fine tradition started back in 1939 so that The Glen can continue to pro-mote the story of The Calgary Highlanders.
Airaghardt

This issue of The Glen is so filled with articles – thanks to a large number of contributors – that it isn’t possible to mention them all. This limits me to drawing attention to only a handful.A key plank in Cana-da’s recent Defence Policy Review is to strengthen the Army reserves. This now al-lows the Unit to aggressively recruit and a goal has been set to fill the majority of its 271 assigned positions by January 2019. B Compa-ny is to become a Combat Support Company and raise a mortar platoon, and together with the Loyal Edmonton Regiment, deploy a com-posite mortar platoon to Latvia with 3 PPCLI in 2019. The Command Team article gives addi-tional information on this step forward.

Perhaps the two biggest stories from the sum-mer of 2017 were the burial of Sgt Milne – a 10th Battalion soldier killed during the Battle of Arleux Loop 100 years earlier – and the Unit’s fielding of a team in the Nijmegen Four Day Marches. Both stories are covered extensively; Sgt Milne’s burial on page 7 and the 160 km marches on page 38. In both cases the Unit’s soldiers set a standard that brings credit to The Calgary Highlanders.
One issue that The Glen has not addressed, until now, is PTSD. Elizabeth Stock has recti-fied this omission with an article beginning on page 16. In it, she points out that the Canadi-an programs for treating PTSD and OSI (Operational Stress injuries) have come a long way and are amongst the best available. How-ever, there is a significant challenge in getting soldiers and veterans ‘to overcome the invisible barriers to treatment’ or, to put it another way, to get them through the door. In order to encourage access to treatment, her article ex-plains what’s available and provides a short list of contact information, answering the question, ‘who you gonna call’.

And finally, The Glen was first published in 1939, almost 80 years ago. Since then it has been the responsibility of a series of editors including, for the past eight years, myself. However, it’s now time to pass the torch, so to speak, and CWO Kent Griffiths has stepped up to the challenge. I know that the Regimental family will give Kent the support that I’ve en-joyed so that The Glen can continue to pro-mote the story of The Calgary Highlanders.
Airaghardt

As I write this Calgary is transitioning from spring into summer. But as our seasons change, so does the Regiment. Saturday 3 June will see the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Kyle Clapperton and the Regimental Sergeant Major, Chief Warrant Officer Christopher Tucker, turn over command to Lieutenant Colonel Simon Cox and Chief Warrant Officer Glenn Fedoruk. Our thanks go to LCol Clapperton and CWO Tucker for their hard work on behalf of the Regiment and the leadership they have demonstrated.

Our best wishes go to LCol Cox and CWO Fedoruk as they take up these two challenging positions (though ‘challenging’ is an understatement).The change of command parade will take place at Mewata Armoury starting at 1300 hrs, and all former Calgary Highlanders and friends of the Regiment are invited. Dress for members of the Canadian Forces is 1A while the rest of us are encouraged to appear in ‘business formal’.This issue of The Glen has a strong emphasis on the Tenth Battalion’s service during the First World War, specifically events during 1917, now 100 years past. The first article centers on the execution of Sgt William Alexander, who was charged with desertion at Hill 70. He has the sad distinctions of being one of only twenty five Canadian soldiers executed during The Great War and having been the only senior NCO amongst them.

In contrast, the Museum page describes the arrival of Private Harry Brown’s Victoria Cross in Calgary. Pte Brown’s VC was posthumously awarded for his devotion to duty at Hill 70, the battle that claimed both his life and that of Sgt Alexander, though under very different circumstances.The final WW1 piece concerns the discovery and identification of the remains of Sgt Alexander Milne, killed on April 28, 1917 during the battle of Arleux. Sgt Milne will be buried by the Calgary Highlanders in late August in the Com-monwealth War Graves cemetery located near where he fell.

Moving forward a century, it is with regret that I mention the death of Sgt Percy DeWolfe, who recently passed away during his 102nd year. Percy was one of our few remaining Second World War Veterans and maintained a connection with the Regiment through the Regimental Association until his death.
And finally, anyone who has served in Canada’s reserves for any length of time knows that it could be made more effective with some well thought out changes, many of which have long been adopted by the American Army National Guard. Col (Retd) George Petrolekas explores these in his article, Land Reserve Options. All of this and more in this issue of The Glen.

Denis A. Mascardelli
Editor

The Canadian Corps launched its assault on Vimy Ridge in the early morning hours of 9 April 1917 and, by the battle’s end on the 12th, the ridge

which the enemy had transformed into a gigantic fortress that had withstood three previous Allied assaults was in Canadian hands. In fact most of it had been captured by day’s end on the 9th, and the stunning victory went a long way towards establishing the Canadian Corps’ reputation as a deadly professional force. But the victory came at an enormous cost and 9 April 1917 stands as the bloodiest day in Canadian military history.

This April will mark the 100th anniversary of the battle for Vimy Ridge and events to commemorate it will no doubt be held across our land. In Calgary a major parade involving all units of the Calgary garrison is being planned for Saturday 8 April. This issue of The Glen remembers Vimy with a lengthy, though it is hoped, informative article which begins on page 5.Fast forwarding almost a century, this issue’s other major article is a description of the Canadian Patrol Concentration (CPC), held during November 2016. Participating units from Canada and the UK fielded 8 man teams which were graded on all aspects of their performance over a grueling 48 hour recce patrol. At one time Reserve units would have found it almost impossible to field teams with the skills necessary to seriously compete in such an event. In contrast, the 2016 CPC saw a number of Reserve Force teams participate, including a Calgary Highlanders team which won a silver medal. Our coverage of the Calgary Highlanders Team’s work up training and the actual patrol is written by two of the Unit’s team members.

This Glen also includes firsthand accounts of a world class obstacle course, deployments on major exercises, the Pipes & Drums on Parliament Hill, a poem on infantry, and much more besides.

I hope you enjoy it

Denis A. Mascardelli
Editor’s Page

As I write this Calgary is transitioning from spring in tosummer. But as our seasons change, so does the Regiment. Saturday 3 June will see the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Kyle Clapperton and the Regimental Sergeant Major, Chief Warrant Officer Christopher Tucker, turn over command to Lieutenant Colonel Simon Cox andChief Warrant Officer Glenn Fedoruk. Our thanks go to LCol Clapperton and CWO Tucker for their hard work on behalf of the Regiment and the leadership they have demonstrated. Our best wishes go to LCol Cox and CWO Fedoruk as they take up these two challenging positions (though challenging is an understatement).

The change of command parade will take place at Mewata Armoury starting at 1300 hrs, and all former Calgary Highlanders and friends of the Regiment are invited. Dress for members of the Canadian Forces is 1A while the rest of us are encouraged to appear in business formal.
This issue of The Glen has a strong emphasis on the Tenth Battalion’s service during the First World War, specifically events during 1917, now 100 years past. The first article centers on the execution of Sgt William Alexander, who was charged with desertion at Hill 70. He has the sad distinctions of being one of only twenty- five Canadian soldiers executed during The Great War and having been the only senior NCO amongst them.

In contrast, the Museum page describes the arrival of Private Harry Brown’s Victoria Cross in Calgary. Pte Brown’s VC was posthumously awarded for his devotion to duty at Hill 70, the battle that claimed both his life and that of Sgt Alexander, though under very different circum- stances.

The final WW1 piece concerns the discovery and identification of the remains of Sgt Alexander Milne, killed on April 28, 1917 during the battle of Arleux. Sgt Milne will be buried by the Calgary Highlanders in late August in the Commonwealth War Graves cemetery located nearwhere he fell.

Moving forward a century, it is with regret that I mention the death of Sgt Percy DeWolfe, who recently passed away during his 102nd year. Percy was one of our few remaining Second World War Veterans and maintained a connection with the Regiment through the Regimental
Association until his death. And finally, anyone who has served in Canada’s reserves for any length of time knows that it could be made more effective with some well thoughtout changes, many of which have longbeen adopted by the American Army National Guard. Col (Retd) George Petrolekas explores these in his article, Land Reserve Options.

All of this and more in this issue of The Glen

-Denis A. Mascardelli