| Royal United Services Institute of Vancouver Island | ||||||||||||||
  |
|
|||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
January 2005
Col (Ret)
CORRY, G.D. (Geoff)
Flt/Lt (Ret) NAPIER, Bill
April, May 2005
LCol (Ret) KAMOFFNICOLSKY,
George
LCdr (Ret) SMART, John
Capt MARSHALL, Harvey
Lt Cdr (Ret) NATION, John
November 2005
Col (Ret) STONE, J. R. (Jim)
December 2005
LCol (Ret) NELSON, F. D.
(Doug)
January 2006
Flt/Lt (Ret) WILKINSON,
P.E. (Percy)
June 2006
Capt (Ret) FARYON, H.E.
(Max)
Colonel James Reilly Stone died in Victoria on Nov. 24 at age 97. “Big Jim” as he was called by his men, was holder of three Distinguished Service Orders, two from World War Two and one awarded in Korea. He enlisted as a private at age 31 in 1939 and served in every rank retiring as a colonel, at which time he was Provost Marshal of the Canadian Army.
A Kapyong Comrade’s salute was presented in a memorial tribute service held in Victoria mid- December. The service commemorated one of Canada’s truly outstanding soldiers and military heroes.
He was 31 when he volunteered with the Edmonton Regiment in 1939 and became the regimental sergeant major before commissioning. His regiment was in the invasion of Sicily. In the Italian campaign as a major, he was awarded the Military Cross for single handedly wiping out an enemy gun emplacement.
He assumed command of his unit in Oct. 1944, now the Loyal Edmonton Regiment. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and later a bar. The citation for the second award read: “There were many instances (in Italy and Holland) where Lt.-Col. Stone’s personal leadership was the contributing factor to success in battle. His initiative and courage are unsurpassed.”
After returning to civilian life in British Columbia, he took command of the Rocky Mountain Rangers, a militia regiment. In 1950 with the outbreak of the Korean War, he took command of the newly formed 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (2PPCLI).
This was the first Canadian unit to depart for Korea ahead of the other Canadians still at Fort Lewis, Wash. He weeded out hundreds of volunteers as unsuitable. He was a tough commander and he made his unit tough too. The battalion was “lean and mean” and ready for its first action against the Chinese in Feb. 1951. Much of this was due to Stone’s adamant refusal to commit his troops to battle before completing training, despite the urgent requests from the U.S. commander.
Recovering from smallpox, he returned in time to command his unit in the battle of Kapyong, for which 2PPCLI received the U.S. Presidential Citation. Big Jim was awarded the second bar to his DSO.
Later, he was promoted to colonel and made Provost Marshal of the Canadian Army.
Born in Montreal Feb. 27, 1918, LCol Doug Nelson passed away peacefully Dec.15, 2005. A Victoria resident since 1928, he joined the 5th Artillery as a drummer boy, later to command the Regiment. Serving overseas in the Second World War where he was wounded, he met his wife and lifelong love, Renee, who predeceased him in May 2005.
Doug had a full civilian career with National Defence. But his real passion was military history where he won many national and community awards and accolades for his significant contribution to the advancement of B.C.Ùs culture and military history.
Proceeding to England in 1942, he was commissioned in 1943 and seconded to the Royal Artillery in the air defence of Great Britain. Demobilization in Victoria in 1945, he became a civilian personnel officer at HMC Dockyard, Esquimalt. He also re-enlisted with the Militia with his original unit, the 5th (BC) Coast Regiment, eventually taking command from 1956 to 1960.
In 1946 Doug joined the United Services Institute of Vancouver Island where, after 1968, he served on the Board of Directors as vice president, president and newsletter editor for a total of 19 years. He was awarded an Honorary Life Membership in 1987 and exceeded 59 years of RUSI of VI service.
Other interests included governor of the Corps of Commissionaires, trustee of the Maritime Museum of BC, guild master in the Baden- Powell Guild of the Boy Scouts of Canada, past president of the 5th (BC) Artillery Museum and cofounder of the CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum where he served as Base historian.
Predeceased by wife Renee in May, he is survived by daughter Christine (Robert) and family and son Christopher (Diana Reid) and family.
Born in Oregon July 1, 1903, “Percy” passed away on Jan. 1, 2006 in Victoria. He grew up in Saanich and Victoria. Most of his working life was spent in education: ten years in five independent schools, 11 years in three public schools and 20 years in the BC Department of Education. He received BA and BEd degrees from the University of BC and in 2004 was granted an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Victoria.
After 18 months in the militia (3Bn, Canadian Scots Regiment), Wilkie joined the RCAF in January 1942. He was Adjutant of 14 (F) Sqn from September 1942 and, during 1943, participated in its "detached operations" from "X Wing" (USAF), at Fort Glenn, Umnak Island in the Aleutians. In Feb.1944, 14 Sqn was renamed 442 (F) Sqn. and joined 12 Air Defence Group at Digby, Lincolnshire. Then, for six months, he held the unenviable position of Effects Officer at Middleton St. George, one of the eight stations of No.6 (RCAF) Group. In Sept.1944, Wilkie became Adjutant of 404 (F) Sqn in 18 Group, RAF Coastal Command, at Banff, Scotland. That unit was disbanded May 25, 1945 and Wilkie was discharged at Jericho Beach, Vancouver in Sept.1945.
Percy was an active member of the Royal United Services Institute of Vancouver Island, the Boy Scouts of Canada for over 80 years, the Royal Canadian Legion for over 50 years, the Airforce Officers Association of Victoria, and a Life Member of the Airforce Association of Canada. As noted, he joined RUSI of VI in 1946 and achieved one of the longest service records in RUSI, 59 years!
|
Top | | | Index | | | Previous | | | Next | © RUSI VI 2006 | |
