Witnesses and historians tend to agree an Ex Cadet’s death was the catalyst for - In Flanders Fields. Who was This Ex Cadet?

New Email Service

The Club is now offering a new free email service to Members ($25 per year for non-Members).
The format will be firstname.lastname@rmcclub.ca.

Please email the Webmaster, 5070 Bob Cross  if you are interested in having a unique email address.
Please also send a password with your request!!

What's Happening Around the College?

RMC Captures Tournament Cup
Article by: Patricia Howes A134 

RMC Fencing Champs
(click on picture for larger view)

November 5^th and 6^th 2005 the two RMC Varsity Fencing Teams hosted the 36^th Annual RMC Invitational Team Fencing Tournament.  This long standing event has been a favorite in the fencing community for decades, and since the building of the new KMCSC Field House, has become a draw for hundreds of athletes from dozens of clubs including the British Combined Services and West Point Military Academy. 

The plan for the weekend involved 36 hours of cadet labour to set up and run the tournament, working together as a disciplined team, hosting West Point, and trying to perform with the best fencing possible.  Teams and individuals were shooting to achieve personal best performances and to better their standings from previous years.  The result at the end of the day was beyond what anyone would have envisioned.  After 22 years, the combined efforts of all the RMC A teams in foil, epee and sabre for both the men’s and women’s teams, culminated in the RMC fencers winning the overall tournament cup.  This feat was last accomplished in 1983 and only twice before in 1977 and 1978. 

Click here for more story & photo.

Reunion Weekend Golf

Mixed foursome champions and tournament champions
Lois Ross, Julie Tuepah, Graeme Ross and Bruce Russell
 

The Class of 1970 hosted the first annual Royal Military Colleges Club of Canada Foundation Fall Golf Classic at St. Lawrence Golf Club on Friday September 30th.  This event, which was held for all returning five year reunion classes, hopefully will become an annual event during Alumni weekend.  Ray Hook from the Class of 1971 has volunteered to carry the torch next year and hold the second event on the Friday of Alumni Weekend.  This year's tournament featured 54 golfers who survived cool temperatures in the low 50's and winds that gusted up to 25 kmph during the course of the round.  Both all male foursomes and mixed foursomes competed for prize table "goodies" purchased with funds raised from a number of hole sponsors who each paid a modest amount to tout their services or support to the event.  The lowest gross score in the scramble format was achieved by a mixed foursome captained by none other than Graeme Ross, a former RMC golf team from the Class of 1970.  Graeme teamed up with his wife Lois and a former RMC golf team member Bruce Russell and his wife Julie Tuepah.  This group of hustlers scored an impressive 5 under par during quite trying conditions and beat out three all male foursomes who all tied at 4 under.  Through a retrogression formula known only to Bill Simmons, one of the event chairs, the second Class of 1970 team composed of Bob Sochasky, Rick Lancaster, Jim Simpson and Scott King finished second in the event and was forced to pay homage to the talented team ahead of them in the final standings.  Third place in the event went to a team from the Class of 1985 (Randy Boucher, Mike Colpitts, Brad Gable and

Rob Doucette) and fourth place to another competitive team from the Class of 1970 (Jeff Holt, Brian Hope, Peter Brett and Don Peterson)  St. Lawrence Golf Club was in great shape for such a late event and all of the participants enjoyed an afternoon of fun and camaraderie.  Both Bill Simmons and I wish to thank all of our event and hole sponsors listed below for their support and hope that our hard pioneering work of 2005 results in an annual event that continues to grow in popularity over the coming years. Hole and Event Sponsors:  Cintas "The Uniform People"                               Paul Azinger Golf Design JML Associates International                              Simpson Environmental Corp. Class of 1970                                                    Class of 1980 Sandy Malone and Jim Gebhardt                         Jerome Taylor Chevrolet Oldsmobile The Toronto Branch RMC Club                            The Ottawa Branch RMC Club Weatherhaven  Jim Simpson, Alumni Golf Tournament Chair, 2005 Press here for more Reunion Weekend Golf photos.

ÉLÈVE-OFFICIER D'UN JOUR
6-7 Novembre 2005
Par André Durand OL CMR (Québec)

Nos 8 élèves-officiers d'un jour et les 2 sergents recruteurs.

Le 6 et 7 novembre dernier, l'OL CMR (Québec), en partenariat avec l'Escadron Richelieu, accueillait, pour une durée de  24 heures, un groupe de 8 candidats au Programme de Formation de la Forces Régulières (PFOR).  Ces élèves-officiers d'un jour aspirent être acceptés au sein du programme pour l'année 2005-06 et provenaient de 4 centres de recrutement de la  Province du Québec 

Le séjour a débuté avec la cérémonie du Jour du Souvenir au cénotaphe de la Ville de Saint-Jean sur Richelieu. Les aspirants au PFOR ont alors pu observer l'Escadron Richelieu marcher fièrement aux cotés des Vétérans et de la Légion Canadienne. Le reste de la journée fût consacré à visiter les facilités du Campus du Fort Saint-Jean et échanger avec les étudiants actuels de l'année préparatoire. 

Lundi a débuté avec une période de formation militaire suivie d'une visite de la Garnison Saint-Jean. En fin d'avant-midi nos élèves-officiers d'un jour on pu évaluer leur condition physique ayant la "chance" de subir le test de conditionnement physique du CMR. Ils ont grandement apprécié cette dernière opportunité et ont quitté le site du Campus après le dîner.

L'activité a été un succès si l'on en juge par le commentaire suivant:

  UP

Focus
by WJO

From RMC, to a golfing paradise

9699 Chris Ouimet (RMC '73) Glacier Greens Manager

  UP

  We get e-mails . . .

Rear Admiral Desmond Piers. 

It is not surprising that the passing of one of Canada’s greatest admirals has unleashed a fund of reminiscences. I recall our first meeting. 

I was president of the Nova Scotia Branch of the RMC Club a number of years ago. A football game had been organized between Dalhousie University and RMC to take place in Halifax. I arranged to have a number of the local senior officers join the Commandant , who had accompanied the team, and take in the game. 

It was pointed out to me, not long after it started, that Admiral Piers had driven in from Chester and rather than join the brass had elected to sit with the cadets on the far side of the field. I hastened over and invited him to join us, which he declined, and invited him to join the group for drinks and possibly dinner at my nearby house, after the game, which he accepted. 

I hastened to my car after the game and rushed to the house so that I could get the ice cubes and greet my guests. I was not fast enough. Admiral Piers had arrived before me to be greeted by my son. The latter, to my amazement, had dressed in a jacket and tie, although only about 12 years old. The Admiral said his name was ‘Debbie’, and that he supposed  that drinks had been laid out, etc. My son assured him that that was the case. Debbie then advised him that he was to be the bartender, and that he, Debbie, would be the waiter. 

It was at this point that I arrived. My apologies were cut short, and as I headed for the ice cubes, cold wine and water, I was ordered to go back to the door. Debbie would not take no for an answer. He and Christopher would serve the drinks, my job was to greet my guests. He took off his jacket, put a serviette over his arm and sent me on my way. 

He took all the drink orders, refused to tell Christopher how to pour the drinks, but did indicate which was the scotch and which was the gin. It turned into one great party. Admiral Piers was always ‘Debbie’ to my son from that day. One young boy, and his father, never forgot that lesson in leadership.  

Ian F McKee 2888

Another ex-Cadet story of which I had not previously been aware in this case Major John McCrae’s motivation behind the Poem “In Flander’s Fields”  The URL of the web site is:

http://www.canada.com/components/printstory/printstory4.aspx?id=a9b62004-07e4-4d02-971c-f724cdce6494

 With regards and thanks for your efforts with e-Veritas. 

Robert Mitchell
8059

Ed note:  Robert, many thanks for this piece and the kind words. See complete story in the “In Trivia” section elsewhere on this page.   

This past year I have had the occasion to visit both the International Hockey Hall of Fame in Kingston and the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.  I could not find any RMC memorabilia.  Do you know if any has ever been offered to these two establishments?  If not then I think we should certainly be represented.

Martin Burger.  (RMC ’89)

Ed note:  The last time we visited the “HHoF” in Kingston there was an RMC Red & White jersey, 1960s vintage #17 on display.