Seaforth Highlanders of Canada Regimental Association April 2015 Newsletter - Part 2

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Seaforth Museum Volunteers Working Hard In the last few months the Museum has received three significant artifacts:

  • Margaret Currie, widow of a former Seaforth, donated three boxes of WW1 glass slides and the original projector. Two of the boxes contain rare photos of WW1 battlefields including Vimy and Passchendaele. The slides are in a very delicate condition so they have been photographed and digitized. Some were used last weekend during the Vimy Dinner. They will form an important part of our collection and of the online museum’s upcoming WW1 exhibits.
  • The Quayle family donated a FG 42 German machine gun captured during the battle of Ortona. This weapon would have been used against Canadian Forces as they fought to capture the town of Ortona and as a result has special significance for our Regiment.
  • A box of audio cassettes of interviews of WW2 veterans of the Italian Campaign produced by Ken McLeod has been donated and now converted to digital. Ken has kindly given us permission to place the interviews on our website. They will be used to augment our written history and will give the listener a better understanding of what it was like to been in the middle of a battle.

Please visit our museum on line at www.seaforthhighlanders.ca

The museum site now contains the War Diaries of both World Wars and well as online copies of both Regimental histories. Photos of the full collection of artifacts are slowly being added to the site so it is always expanding.

The Museum volunteers are now beginning the planning process for the return to the Seaforth Armouries next year. While there will be some Museum space, the intent is to place most of the exhibits around the Parade Square, Messes, hallways and offices. This will allow both soldiers and visitors to explore the collection on a daily basis. Understanding where we have been and not just where we are going is an important part of being a member of the Seaforth Regimental Family.

If you have a piece of our history or know someone who has, please contact Rod Hoffmeister (rodhoffmeister@shaw.ca) or Ryan Di Fine (ryandifine@gmail.com)

The Museum staff can either add the piece to the collection if the owner is not ready to part with it, photograph and digitize it for the website. Valuable items entering the collection will be appraised and tax receipts issued.

The Museum is supported by the Seaforth Foundation, Patrons, and the Regimental Association. We will need additional funds to finance the return to the Armouries. If you wish to contribute, please contact HCol Mike Shields, Museum Chair (shieldsm@telus.net. Tax receipts will be issued.

 

2017 WW1 Battlefield Tour Being Planned

2017 will be the centennial of two of the most significant Seaforth battles of the First World War – Vimy and Passchendaele. LCol Paul Ursich has agreed to lead this tour. Members of the Battalion as well as the rest of the Regimental Family will be invited to come.

We will provide more details as they become available.

 

Clarifications

  • The date of the Association AGM is May 20th – not April 20 as previously reported.
  • The second veteran traveling to Holland is Jock McStay. Jock Murray was the British Naval Officer that dropped the Seaforth Commander on the wrong beach in Sicily July 10, 1943.

Sorry for the confusion.

Association News, NewsSeaforth Webmaster