Remembering the Raceland: Righting a Wrong

During the Second World War one of the most perilous duties of any Allied ship was to round the North Cape under threat of attack from the Luftwaffe, U-boats and the Arctic weather. In March 1942 one of the hundreds of merchant ships which braved those waters in the PQ Arctic convoys sailing that route became one of the victims.

The Clydebuilt SS Raceland had been the Italian owned ship Ircana berthed in Florida. In 1941 she was requisitioned, passed into US ownership, and as was common for the day was registered under her new name in Panama. The ports of the USA were filled with sailors from all over the world in 1942 and her crew was as multi-national as her background.  The bulk of her crew were Scandinavian – Norwegians, Danes and Swedes but there were also Estonians, Dutch, Canadian, English and Scots sailing her.

On 28^th March 1942 the Raceland was attacked by Junkers 88 Luftwaffe bombers as she rounded the tip of Norway on her way to Murmansk as part of convoy PQ13. After taking several hits the Raceland’s engines gave up and the ship began to sink. She was already a slow ship and the convoy couldn’t wait for her as she settled in the water. It was a still day in the Arctic waters and with their ship sinking beneath them the forty-five crew took to four lifeboats in the hope of reaching the fairly close Norwegian coast. Their luck took a turn for the worse that night as the weather changed and a storm scattered the lifeboats and capsized two, killing all occupants.

For the next few days the two remaining lifeboats endured the hardships of small boats in Arctic waters. Exposure took its toll in both boats and many men died before they separately reached the inhospitable shores of northern Norway; one boat after five days and the other after eleven. The bodies of those who died after reaching land first were recovered, but were buried at a remote location on the island of Söröy. All the Scots sailing on the Raceland had died on the lifeboats and had no grave but the sea.

A few men did survive, and it is from the survivors - passing the details via the Red Cross, from a German prisoner-of-war camp, to the next of kin of their dead shipmates - that we know this story of the Raceland’s fate.

Unfortunately  - and shamefully -the Scots of the Raceland who laid down their lives for freedom were not commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission after the war. Out of ten Commonwealth crew members of the ship only one was commemorated by the CWGC. I think it is no coincidence that Ship's Boy Roy Currie - who was one of those whose bodies were recovered on land - is the only one commemorated. Either the German or Norwegian authorities will have recorded his death and burial, and ensured his recording in the official registers. The rest have been lost in a gap of recording British and Canadian nationals serving in non-British registered ships. The recording of British sailors lost in British ships during both World Wars was already patchy; adding an extra level of administration had obviously been too much. In April 1942 the US Coastguard informed the British Consulate in Washington of the British nationals who were missing after the loss of the Raceland. We don’t know if this was the only occasion when the details of the names were passed on to UK authorities from the US authorities but there are other paper trails between next of kin and US authorities and ship owners to suspect it wasn’t.

A nephew of one of the Dutchmen who died when the Raceland foundered has been researching the fate of the ship and the men for a book he is going to publish. Jos Odjink in the Netherlands has already pieced together the facts around the sinking of the ship and has researched the background to many of the crew. It is thanks to Jos’s hard work that we know so much about the Raceland and we are very grateful that he has put a lot of the details online.

http://www.ss-raceland.com/indexEnglish.html  

Consulting archives in London and Washington whilst on business trips, Jos has uncovered several useful documents. From Jos’s information and the work of some members of the Scottish War Memorials Project this is what we know of the Scottish sailors of the Raceland so far:

John G Keogh

He was born at Carntyne Street, Shettleston on 28th March 1902. The ship was sunk on his 40th birthday.

His parents were John and Ellen Keough (nee McKeown) and in the 1911 Census he was one of five children. His next-of-kin address during the war was given as 703 Shettleston Road, Glasgow - his mother was living there. She died in the same location in July 1949. One of the survivors wrote to her from a PoW camp and said her son had died the day after the sinking. A Merchant Navy index card from 1937 for John Keough survives and gives his rating as Fireman.

James Joseph Burns

No date of birth has been found yet, but his age is given as 38 by the US Coastguard so it should be around 1904. No James Joseph Burns has been found to match this date of birth.

His next-of-kin address was given as 117 Florence Street, Glasgow - it was his mother who was living there. The same survivor in the PoW camp who gave information to John Keogh’s mother told James Burns’ mother that her son had died in a lifeboat on the 2nd of April.

Hugh McKenzie

This man is more difficult to track down and not just because of the name. He was listed by the US Coastguard as 48 years old, so he should have a date of birth around the mid 1890's. His next of kin address is given as 1913, 75th St Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio. Jos thinks he may have taken US citizenship even though the US Coastguard sent his details to the British Embassy.

We have managed to find a Merchant Navy index card for a Hugh Brown Mckenzie with a birth of 2nd November 1896 in Glasgow which is a possible lead but will need to be confirmed. Interestingly it also features a photo of the man concerned.  

Could this be Hugh McKenzie?

Jack Kleinberg

This man is actually listed on the SNWM roll of honour at Edinburgh Castle. This is because his sister approached the Secretary to the SNWM Trustees in the 1990’s with the information she had about her brother’s death. The SNWM entry says he was born in Glasgow:

Able Seaman Jack Kleinberg

Place of birth: Glasgow

Date of death: 28 March 1942

Theatre of death: Unknown

SNWM roll: MERCHANT NAVY & FISHING FLEETS (Part 1)

Unit attached to MERCHANT NAVY & FISHING FLEETS

Other detail S.S. "RACELAND"

Jos Odjink has found a letter from Kleinberg’s fiancée -an Etta Bernstein of Glasgow -looking for information from the ship owners about his fate.

Along with his place of birth, that would seem to suggest he was a Glaswegian but intriguingly he is also listed on the Jewish War Memorial in Piershill Cemetery in Edinburgh. This memorial also gives his age as 23. It was the investigation of this man’s name on which prompted the SMRG investigation of the fate of the other Scottish crewmen of the Raceland –

http://warmemscot.s4.bizhat.com/viewtopic.php?t=8363&mforum=warmemscot

Jewish War Memorial in Piershill Cemetery

Earlier this year Jack Kleinberg’s name came to the attention of Martin Sugarman. Martin has set himself the task of identifying Jewish servicemen and women who had died during the World Wars but had not been commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. We passed on all we had on Jack Kleinberg to Martin as did Jos Odjink. Martin lives in London and is able to make regular visits to The National Archives and was able to track down the vital pieces of information which could be used as evidence in progressing Jack Kleinberg’s case with the CWGC.  The good news is Jack Kleinberg has been accepted by the CWGC for commemoration and he will be added to their database. At some point in the future his name will also be added to the Tower Hill Memorial to the Merchant Navy in London.

The other Commonwealth war dead lost on the Raceland deserve to be commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and the three Scots by the Scottish National War Memorial. With Martin’s successful submission to the CWGC that commemoration looks a step closer and the SMRG will look for the evidence and provide them to the relevant authorities. 

It’s not just the men of the Raceland. Other Scots serving on US merchant ships are not commemorated either. There will be some amount of work to identify the unrecorded Scots and get them commemorated, but the men who manned our lifeline, the unsung heroes of the Second World War, deserve nothing less.  Men like:

Thomas Mullin. Lost on the Nathaniel Green 02/24/43 F/W from Rothesay, Bute, Scotland

C. W Hunter. Lost on the Nimba 09/13/42 Scotland

Joseph Sutherland. Lost on the Rochester 01/30/42 3rd Engineer, from Glasgow, Scotland

Edward M Mackin. Lost on the Tambour 09/26/42 Donkeyman, from Scotland, Aged 32

John McRae. Lost on the Winkler 02/23/43 Able Seaman, from Scotland

Hugh J. Smith. Lost on the Winkler 02/23/43 Ordinary Seaman, from Scotland

The First Battle of the Scarpe - On this day in Scottish Military History - 1917

The attack and capture of Vimy Ridge by the Canadian Corps ninety-five years ago will be in the news today. Five thousand Canadian students and the Governor-General will be among the many paying their respects at the magnificent memorial which stands on the ridge and commemorates the eleven thousand men of the C.E.F. who died on the Western Front and have no known grave.

Vimy Ridge was just one part of a larger offensive which started on 9th April 1917 and would last until 16th May. It would also involve thousands of soldiers from Britain, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Newfoundland (this island colony was not actually part of Canada until 1949).

On the same day the four Canadian divisions attacked Vimy Ridge the three Scottish Divisions on the Western Front were also in action around Arras as part of Third Army, in what is officially known as The First Battle of the Scarpe (after the River Scarpe which runs through the centre of the battlefield). 

15th (Scottish) Division was in VI Corps, while 9th (Scottish) Division and 51st (Highland) Division were in XVII Corps. In total fifty-two Scottish infantry battalions across several divisions, including the three Scottish divisions and 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 30th, 33rd and 34th Divisions, fought at Arras during the offensive* 

In fact since thousands of Scotsmen enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force there were probably more Scots in action around Arras on this day ninety-five years ago than Canadians. 

One particular Scottish regiment paid a heavy price in the Arras Offensive. All the battalions of the Seaforth Highlanders on the Western Front were in the front-line on the first day. The three Territorial Force battalions - 1/4th (Ross-shire); 1/5th (Sutherland and Caithness) and 1/6th (Morayshire) all served in the 51st (Highland) Division. The 1/4th suffered two hundred casualties, the 1/5th three hundred. 

The 7th (Service) and 9th (Pioneers) Battalions served in the 9th (Scottish) Division and the 8th (Service) Battalion was in the reserve in 15th (Scottish) Division.

The regular 2nd Battalion was in the 4th Division and on 9th April it advanced four and a half miles inside German lines. It was too good to last and two days later at Fampoux the German counter-attack cost the 2nd Seaforths five hundred and twenty six casualties or ninety-three percent of their strength. One of the casualties was Lieutenant Donald Mackintosh whose bravery on that day would earn him a posthumous Victoria Cross. 

When it came to picking a spot on the Western Front after the war to erect the Celtic Cross war memorial to the eight thousand four hundred and thirty two Seaforth Highlanders who died in the First World War it was the site of the 2nd Battalion's heavy casualties at Fampoux which was chosen  - at the heart of the Battle of The Scarpe where seven of the eight front-line battalions of the regiment were in action on the same day**. 

Seaforth Highlanders
War Memorial, Fampoux

Not far away from the Seaforth's Celtic Cross at Fampoux is a massive and very Scottish Cairn***. It is the First World War memorial to the 9th (Scottish) Division. Like the Seaforths the sacrifices of the Division at places like the Roeux Chemical Works made Arras the choice of location out of all the battles the Division had been in; from Loos in 1915 to the final offensives of 1918. Its inscription commemorates one Scottish division but its sentiment could be applied to the tens of thousands of Scots who served near Arras on 9th April 1917 and the bloody days which followed. 

When you hear about the Canadians on Vimy Ridge today then also...

Remember with honour

The 9th

Scottish Division

Who on the fields

Of France

And Flanders

1915-1918

Served well

Unveiling of the 9th (Scottish)
Division War Memorial

Notes
* Not included are 2nd Dragoons, Royal Scots Greys in 2nd Cavalry Division; 4th Regt South African Scottish in 9th Division; the four Tyneside Scottish battalions in 34th Division; London Scottish in 56th Division and the men serving in the artillery, engineers and other corps recruited in Scotland and attached to the Scottish divisions.
**The other battalion - 1st Bn Seaforth Highlanders was on the front-line in Mespotamia on 9th April 1917
*** In 2006 the 9th (Scottish) Division memorial was moved a short distance from its battlefield location at Athies to a location next to Point du Jour British Military Cemetery to accommodate road improvements.

Missing Coatbridge soldier to be reburied 93 years after his death.

A missing soldier, born in Coatbridge in Lanarkshire who died in the closing stages of the First World War, has been identified by National Defence in Canada. Private Alexander Johnstone was serving with the Canadian Expeditionary Force in France when he was killed in September 1918.

From what I can take from the article below his body was taken off the battlefield and probably buried in a shallow grave. Unfortunately after the war his grave was not found until 2008. He was identified earlier this year through a DNA test on his great-nephew and he will be buried with full military honours on Tuesday.

From the Ottowa Citizen

Great War soldier finds his final resting place

By Jennifer Campbell, The Ottawa Citizen October 17, 2011

OTTAWA — For 90 years, his final resting place was unknown. His service, however was commemorated on the Vimy Memorial near Arras, France, where the names of more than 11,000 other Canadians who have no known grave also appear.
But next week, the remains of Pte. Alexander Johnston, which surfaced when a First World War battlefield became an industrial construction site in 2008, will be buried, with full military honours, at Le Cantimpré Canadian Cemetery in Sailly, France. And his Ottawa-based next of kin will be on hand to see it.
Indeed his great grand-niece, Ann Gregory, who is a bugler with the Governor General’s Foot Guards, will play The Last Post as part of the ceremony. She’s travelling as part of the National Defence delegation and her father, Don Gregory, and brother, David, will also be on hand thanks to Veterans Affairs, which provides funding for two family members to attend. In addition, three of Johnston’s relatives who live in Scotland, where he was born, will also travel to France for the ceremony.
Ann Gregory says her father, who was a jet pilot in the air force, knew about the death but it wasn’t something that she grew up knowing about.
“I guess because it was a long time ago and maybe because he didn’t have a known grave. It wasn’t something we talked about,” she said.
That said, she admits that it’s deeply meaningful to get to play The Last Post at his service. “It’s something that’s very special to me.
As a trumpet player, it’s the biggest honour you can be given. It helps families with closure and honours military service.
“It’s surprisingly emotional for me,” she said. “It’s a person I’ve never met, who died 93 years ago, but somehow it still feels close.
Also, The Last Post brings up emotions. It seems such a shame that someone dies in battle and they die so young.”
She said she’s impressed and touched by how much trouble National Defence took to identify his remains, find his family and “do the right thing” by giving him a proper burial. And, she was amazed they were able to track down her father, who is the last living Canadian who could have provided the mitochondrial (descended from the mother) DNA they prefer to use for testing in these cases (men have mitochondrial DNA but they can’t pass it on to their children.)
Pte. Johnston was born in Coatbridge, Scotland, in 1885 and moved to Hamilton, Ont., in his late 20s. He joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force on Jan. 5, 1918 and was part of the 78th Battalion when he died during the Battle of the Canal du Nord on Sept. 29, 1918. He was 33.
His remains were found less than a kilometre where he died and fought, said Laurel Clegg, casualty identification co-ordinator at National Defence. She was notified in 2008 by the Canadian Embassy, which had been contacted by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. She travelled to France to look at the remains and begin the search for who he was.
Canada has signed an agreement that says no soldiers’ remains (the Unknown Soldier’s notwithstanding) get repatriated to Canada so she is only allowed to bring genetic samples back to Ottawa, and even those she will return to France to be interred with the rest of the remains next week.
“We take it very seriously, the idea that you don’t repatriate because you can’t repatriate them all,” Clegg said. “There’s also the sentiment that he’ll be interred with those he fought with, near to where he died. It does make the investigation more difficult but we stand by it.”
With these investigations — they do (on average) between two and three per year — they do two kinds of sleuthing. First, there’s historical research where they look at badges that might have been found with the remains (in this case there was a 78th Battalion medal) and then military service records to see whose remains were never recovered from that battalion and that area. Then Clegg goes to France to do the physical anthropological research to determine who old the soldier was, how tall, whether he had injuries — “you’re just looking for all these clues.” In some cases, and this is one, there aren’t enough clues, and she then takes a DNA sample as well.
While the historical research determined there were a total of 11 missing from that battalion, only two fit the profile they’d put together.
A genealogist then spent the next year looking for maternal descendants (that is, the soldier’s sister’s daughter’s children in this case) of those two soldiers and in the end found appropriate relatives for both the missing. Once tested, Don Gregory’s DNA was the perfect match.
“We made the identification in March and contacted the family,” Clegg said.
And on Oct. 25, Pte. Alexander Johnston will be buried with his fellow soldiers, less than a kilometre from where he fell.

Remains Of First World War Soldier Identified

A news release from the Canadian Department of National Defence on the identification of a First World War casualty. Alexander Johnston was born in the town I was brought up in...


OTTAWA – The Department of National Defence (DND) has identified the remains of a First World War soldier found in Raillencourt Saint-Olle, France, in 2008, as those of Private Alexander Johnston of Hamilton, Ontario. 

“This identification will provide closure to Private Johnston’s family, as well as reassure them that the ultimate sacrifice he made in the name of his country will never be forgotten,” said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence. “Our Canadian soldier will finally be laid to rest with the military honours that he so rightfully deserves.” 

In July 2008, human remains were discovered in Raillencourt Saint-Olle, France. Found with the remains were two collar badges of the 78th Battalion (Winnipeg Grenadiers). The Directorate of History and Heritage was notified of the discovery in February 2009, and the remains were identified through mitochondrial DNA testing, as those of Private Johnston, on March 31, 2011.

DND has since notified members of Private Johnston's family of the identification. Veterans Affairs Canada will have the responsibility of providing them with ongoing support as arrangements are made and carried out for the final interment. 

Private Alexander Johnston was born in Coatbridge, Scotland on August 20, 1885, and moved to Hamilton, Ontario, in his late twenties. He joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force on January 5, 1918, and was taken on strength of the 78th Battalion in the field on September 4, 1918. Private Johnston died during the Battle of the Canal du Nord on September 29, 1918. His remains will be interred at Le Cantimpré Canadian Cemetery in Sailly, France, in October 2011 with his family in attendance. 

For more information on the Department of National Defence’s casualty identification process, please visit: http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/news-nouvelles/news-nouvelles-eng.asp?cat=00&id=3725.

The last Earl of Strathearn

Prince William has been made Earl of Strathearn today. It is a royal title and was previously linked to the Duke of Connaught rather than the Duke of Cambridge.

The last Earl of Strathearn died in Canada in 1943 as a Lieutenant in the Royal Scots Greys whilst serving as the Aide-de-Camp to the Governor General.

WINDSOR, ALASTAIR ARTHUR DUFF
Rank: Lieutenant
Regiment/Service: Royal Armoured Corps
Unit Text: Royal Scots Greys (2nd Dragoons)
Age: 28
Date of Death: 26/04/1943
Service No: 64562
Additional information: 2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn. Son of H.R.H. Prince Arthur of Connaught, K.T., G.C.M.G., G.C.V.O., and of H.R.H. Princess Arthur of Connaught, R.R.C., of Braemar.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Cemetery: MAR LODGE CHAPEL, BRAEMAR, CRATHIE AND BRAEMAR

He had only been the 2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn for just over a year when he died. Before that he used a title from his mother's side of the famly - the Earl of Macduff.

At the time of his death he was ADC to the Governor General of Canada and he died in Ottawa (His granfather, the 1st Duke, had been Governor General of Canada in the early 20th Century

His ashes are in St Ninian's, Mar Lodge Chapel which was the private chapel of the Mar Lodge estate which was owned by his mother at that time. His mother apart from being the Princess of Connaught was also the Duchess of Fife and Countess of Macduff in her own right.

The death of the 2nd Duke is quite strange. Seemingly he fell asleep beside an open window and died of hypothermia!

The fact that he died of natural causes and in Canada didn't stop him being remembered on the Scots Grey's War Memorial on Edinburgh's Princes Street

Calgary Soldiers Memorial Unveiled

From the Calgary Sun. A new war memorial has been unveiled in Calgary.

Many of the men commemorated for the First World War would have been Scots such as William McCubbing of Beeswing near Dalbeattie who had been in the Calgary Rifles and died of wounds in France in 1918 whilst serving with the 50th Bn CEF.

Emotions stoked with soldier memorial unveiling
By DAVE DORMER, Calgary Sun

Last Updated: April 9, 2011

We lived.

Felt dawn.

Saw sunset glow.

Unveiled Saturday just west of the 10 St. bridge, those words are etched on the Calgary Soldiers’ Memorial — six large, stone tablets engraved with the names of more than 3,000 soldiers from six Calgary regiments killed in First and Second World Wars and Afghanistan.

Three of those names — Sgt. Arthur Knight, Pvt. Harry Brown and Pvt. John Pattison — are recipients of the Victoria Cross, the highest military honour awarded by Commonwealth countries.

“It’s, really, really important for us to have these things so we can reflect on them individually,” said Michael Hornburg, whose son, Nathan — a member of the King’s Own Calgary Regiment — was killed Sept. 24, 2007 in Afghanistan.

“I think, even for myself, who remembers my son every hour and moment of the day, to come to a site like this, it’s a very, very powerful reminder that all these losses ... I know they meant something to lots of people who were close to individual soldiers and I wouldn’t want any of them to ever become a mere statistic.”

The christening comes on the 94th anniversary of the Canadian attack in France that wrested Vimy Ridge from its German defenders.

Part of the Memorial Drive Landscape of Memory, the monument is across from Mewata Armoury, where many of the soldiers whose names are now etched on the tablets trained.

“I’m just so overwhelmed by it,” said Hornburg.

“Every single panel is a work of art in an of itself, they’ve very beautiful.”

The memorial should be meaningful to everyone who sees it, said Lt. Col. (ret.) Bill Schultz, who served 42 years with the Lord Strathcona’s Horse regiment.

“I hope they get a sense that the freedom that they enjoy now and in the future did not come without a cost,” he said.

“I know people say they don’t want to have an election now, but at least we can have an election.

“The ability to run down the bike paths, the ability to go cycling, the ability to go up to the mountains, all of that was bought with a price and those names on that wall gave the price.”

The memorial includes all army reserve units based in Calgary — the King’s Own Calgary Regiment, 41 Combat Engineer Regiment, 746 (Calgary) Communications Squadron, Calgary Highlanders, 14 (Calgary) Service Battalion and 15 Field Ambulance.

1st Canadian Division arrives in France - On this day in Scottish military history - 1915

Today marks the day in 1915 when the 1st Canadian Division arrived in France. These were not the first Canadian troops on the Western Front – Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry had been part of the British 80th Brigade since October 1914, but this was the first time a complete division of Canadian troops had been in France. They would receive their baptism of fire at the Battle of Gravenstafel in April when they successfully pushed back the German attack.

Why is this relevant to a blog on Scottish military history? Well, it’s important not to underestimate the influence that Scotland has had on Canada and its people. Due to the number of emigrants from these shores, and due to the passing of time, there are a vast number of Canadians who share Scottish ancestry, and this can be seen in their military.

During the First World War, a large number of battalions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force had names that echoed their Scottish ancestry – the 13th battalion was the “Royal Highlanders of Canada”, the 15th was the “48th Highlanders of Canada” and the 16th was the “Canadian Scottish”. Later battalions had names such as the Cameron Highlanders of Canada, the Nova Scotia Highlanders and the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada.

These and many other Canadian battalions served with distinction in the First World War, and the list of Battle Honours is an impressive one. It is something to be proud of that the Canadian battalions were often considered the “shock troops”, the best the Allies had, and were always relied upon to carry out any task given to them.

In an echo of their Scottish heritage, it is worth noting that another division held in high regard as the best there was…was the 51st Highland Division.

Of course, not all men serving in these Canadian/Scottish battalions were from Scotland or had Scots ancestors, but the influence cannot be ignored. It is also worth noting that many Canadian battalions without this Scottish heritage would also have had Scots serving within them.

You can see for yourself the influence Scotland had on the Canadian forces in two ways. You can see it in the number of Canadian soldiers commemorated on memorials throughout Scotland, as well as the large number listed in the Scottish National War Memorial.

You can also view the database listing the soldiers of the Canadian Expeditionary Force on the Canadian Archives website – pick a Scots surname at random and look at the number of search results and then view some of the Attestation papers. You'll find a Scottish place of birth in many of them. The Scots blood runs deep in Canada, and in our time of need in two World Wars, they came when we called. For that we should be eternally grateful.

Who's Who in Scottish Military History - James Paris Lee

I am pretty confident that although you’ll have never heard of the Scot I’m posting about today you’ll certainly know his surname. That’s because this is the man who put the Lee into Lee Enfield.

James Paris Lee was born in Hawick in 1831 but it was in Canada and later the USA that he became famous for his rifles.

His family moved to Galt in Ontario when he was 5 and when he was 12 he built his first rifle.

In 1858 he had moved to Wisconsin just in time to design a rifle for the US Army during the American Civil War. This was a breech loading version of the Army’s standard Springfield rifle but unfortunately for Lee it was rejected for use during the war.

Undaunted he went on to perfect the spring-loaded magazine which is now the standard magazine design for all modern military small arms.

In 1879 he designed a rifle using the bolt and magazine layout which would become the standard which all rifle designs throughout the world would follow for the next seventy years.

In 1889 the British adopted Lee’s design for their .303 rifles and the Lee Metford and later the Lee Enfield were used in several variations up until 1957 as a front line rifle, and up until the 1990’s as the L42 sniper rifle. It was the rifle used by the British Empire and Commonwealth troops in both world wars and Korea.

When James Lee died in January 1904 the Short Magazine Lee Enfield (SMLE) was just entering British Army service. I’m sure he would never have imagined that his rifle would still be going strong 106 years later. You sometimes see it on news items being used by Indian Police, Nepalese Army or Afghan Militia. It's also still used by the Canadian Rangers. In fact the SMLE design is the longest serving military bolt-action rifle still in official service anywhere in the world and the total production of all Lee Enfields is estimated at over 16 million rifles.

Here's a clip from a US Documentary which shows Lee's most famous creation.

On this day in Scottish military history #11: 1960 - The farewell parade of the Seaforth Highlanders

The Seaforth Highlanders (Duke of Albany’s, Ross-shire Buffs) held their final parade fifty years ago today. General Sir James Cassels, the Colonel of the regiment, took the salute in Munster, Germany. On the same day the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders paraded at Redford Barracks in Edinburgh for the last time. Both regiments would merge in early 1961 to become the Queen’s Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons). The Queen’s Own would disappear only 33 years later when they merged with the Gordons to become The Highlanders in 1994. Only 12 years later in 2006 they became 4th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland. At every stage the regimental tradition has been that little bit diluted.

On a happier note on the other side of the world the Seaforth name and uniform still survives in Vancouver, Canada. In fact this Saturday sees the Seaforths of Canada celebrate the 100th anniversary of their raising as the 72nd Militia Regiment on the Canadian establishment.

The 72nd Militia was formed in November 1910 from the Scottish community in Vancouver and in 1912 took the uniform and name of the British 1st Bn Seaforth Highlanders which prior to 1881 had been the 72nd Highlanders.

The Seaforths of Canada provided a large contingent to the 16th Canadian Scottish battalion when it was raised in 1914, including the Scots-born Piper Richardson V.C.
Later the 72nd Bn CEF was composed of Canadian Seaforths and a large number of them were Scots born too.

In the Second World War the Seaforths of Canada served in Sicily, Italy and North-West Europe.

Recently they have proudly worn their stag’s head badges in Afghanistan whilst serving with Canadian Forces on ISAF duties.

In two days time the regiment will receive new colours and have invited former members and fellow Vancouverites to help celebrate their birthday with a party.

Whilst the regiment they took their name and uniform from has long gone at least they are still going strong across the Atlantic. I’ll end with an old Mackenzie motto which was used by the original Seaforths:

Cabar fèidh gu bràth – The stag’s horns for ever.

(Text by Adam Brown)

Stolen Seaforth Highlanders' ceremonial mace recovered

Further to our previous post, the stolen ceremonial mace belonging to the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada has been recovered.

From "The Province":

The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada have their regimental mace back.

The five-foot staff made of Malacca cane and brass has been to war with Vancouver’s storied infantry regiment in two world wars and numerous missions, most recently to Afghanistan.

It was in the drum major’s pickup truck when it was stolen from a parking lot in New Westminster on Oct. 28.

The regiment put out a public appeal to have it returned in time for this week’s celebration of the Seaforths’ 100th anniversary, and Thursday night their prayers were answered.

On Friday, the New Westminster police handed the historic mace back to the Seaforths.

“It has been a great day,” Lt.-Col. Paul Ursich, the Seaforths’ commanding officer, told The Province.

“The mace is in exactly the same condition it was when it left our possession. It’s great,” he said.

“We had a ceremony [Saturday] morning to thank the lady who called the police and give her the reward,” Ursich said of Gail Blinkhorn.

“We presented her with the regimental coin as a keepsake and gave her three cheers on parade.”

No one in the regiment was happier than its drum major, whose truck was stolen with the mace inside.

He was on his way to the Seaforth Armoury to drop the mace off, but stopped at Queen’s Park Arena to play one last game of hockey before shipping out to Afghanistan.

The thief broke into the players’ dressing room and stole a number of wallets and the keys to the drum major’s truck, said Ursich.

New West police received a call from Blinkhorn and found the stolen vehicle five blocks away in a hospital parking lot.

It is the lone remaining article still in use that was given to the regiment by the Imperial Seaforth Highlanders 100 years ago, but it could be much older than that.

“It could go back to the Battle of Assaye (1803),” said Ursich.

“It had that battle honour on it, so it’s somewhere between that battle and 1910 that the mace was made, we’re not sure when.”

The 100th anniversary of the formation of the regiment falls on Wednesday, but the milestone will be celebrated on Saturday at UBC’s Thunderbird Stadium.

Staff-Sgt. Paul Hyland of the New West Police Department said forensic investigators are going through the stolen truck with a fine-tooth comb to attempt to identify the thief.

Ceremonial Mace stolen ahead of Remembrance Day

Spotted a report on Canadian news about a regimental mace belonging to the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada being stolen:

A Vancouver military regiment is pleading for the return of a stolen century-old ceremonial mace in time for the annual Remembrance Day parade.

The ceremonial club, a gift to the Seaford Highlanders from their Scottish counterparts in 1910, would have played a major role in Remembrance Day proceedings this week, as well as in the unit's 100th anniversary celebration at the end of the month.

"It's an irreplaceable regimental artifact, and the timing of it makes it even worse," Capt. Bill Annand told CTV News.

The regiment's drum major carries the mace during parades, and uses it to direct the pipes and drums band. Annand says that it has a storied history, both inside Canada and overseas.

"It's been carried by the regiment in deployments overseas in the First and Second World Wars," he said.

The mace was inside the drum major's SUV when the vehicle was stolen from the parking lot at Queen's Park Arena in New Westminster on Oct. 29.

Former Vancouver MP John Fraser, an honorary colonel with the Highlanders, says that the unit is hoping to appeal to the "fundamental decency" of whoever stole the mace.

"This is a piece of Canadian history," he said. "It's of no real value, in terms of money, to whoever who took it, because if the person who took it tried to get rid of it, the game would be up."

Scots-born VC's medal goes on display in Winnipeg

Hanna Peters, exhibit manager with the museum, receives medals from Lt. Col. Brett Takeuchi CO of the Camerons, as Major Paddy Douglas looks on. (KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS )

This article was spotted in the Winnipeg Free Press, and is of interest as Shankland was born in Ayr in 1887.

Hometown war hero Lt.-Col. Robert Shankland’s Victoria Cross is on display in Winnipeg for the first time since Shankland’s medals were bought by the Canadian War Museum in a controversial auction last year.

The medal, along with others awarded to Shankland, is part of a temporary exhibit unveiled today at the Manitoba Museum to mark the 100th anniversary of the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders, a primary reserve infantry regiment based in Winnipeg.

"To the Camerons, their value is immeasurable, as the regiment’s only Victoria Cross," said Lt.-Col. Brett Takeuchi, commanding officer of the Camerons, of the medals.

Shankland served in the 43rd Cameron Highlanders battalion in the First World War.

He’s one of three soldiers, all hailing from the same block of Winnipeg’s Pine Street, credited with the street’s name change to Valour Road in the 1920s in recognition of the Victoria Crosses each received for gallantry in battle.

Shankland received his Cross in the 1917 battle of Passchendaele. A national controversy erupted in May 2009 when it was reported his medals, including the Victoria Cross, were set to go up for auction, with concerns raised they could wind up leaving the country.

The medals were ultimately purchased by Canada’s National War Museum, which is loaning them to the Manitoba Museum for the exhibition.

The exhibit includes Camerons uniforms worn in the First and Second World War, artifacts, and the medals of other soldiers affiliated with the regiment.

It will be on display until November 21.