July 18, 2000

Long wait for monumental honour

DICK DARRELL/ TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO

HER TROOPS: The Queen Mother reviews The Toronto Scottish Regiment during a 1974 visit to Canada. She has been the regiment's Colonel-in-Chief since 1937.

The Toronto Scottish Regiment will finally be recognized for its contribution to the invasion of Normandy almost 56 years ago.

Members of the regiment will officially unveil a $40,000 memorial in France this weekend, after they attend 100th birthday celebrations for the Queen Mother in England tomorrow.

The regiment will also put up a bronze plaque on the wall at Canada Square in Dieppe. Tim Stewart, a Toronto high school teacher and a sergeant piper with the unit, said no monuments or plaques were ever placed in France to honour the regiment's role during the World War II. "We felt it was high time that we recognized this oversight," he said. "They did their part like everyone else. I'm not casting blame . It simply hasn't been a priority. After the war the emphasis was not unfortunately on history."

Stewart, who teaches at Don Bosco Roman Catholic High School in North York and is the unit's historian, said he was disappointed when he visited the battleground in 1992 during ceremonies to mark the 50th anniversary of the Dieppe landing to see no record of the regiment.

The new monument will be be in a farm field near the village of San Martin-de-Fonteray, a piece of land considered vital to the Allied victory. Members of the regiment didn't take part in the June 6, 1944, D-Day landing, Stewart said, but stormed ashore on July 7 as part of Canada's 2nd Division which reinforced troops in the Normandy campaign.

"There was lots of activity still going on there in 1944," Stewart said . "A lot of Canadians were killed in July and into August. Stewart said the regiment encountered heavy resistance while fighting to push German soldiers south. "There was fierce fighting, " he said, "Very very fierce. These were fanatical German Panzer SS troops. The battle ended on Aug. 9, 1944, when the 3rd Canadian Division linked up with the 2nd Canadian Division.

The new monument's base was constructed in Caen and the engraved stonework was produced by Bob Youngs of the Granite Store in Etobicoke. The granite pieces for the memorial weight about 550 pounds and were flown from Canada to France to be attached to the monument structure.

"Twice in the twentieth century members of The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Machine Gun) and it's predecessor, the 75th Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force, have fought tyranny on French soil to restore liberty and freedom in the name of world peace," a plaque reads. "Both regiments were raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada."

The memorial, measuring 4 metres by 1.6 metres, also details the battle of Verrieres Ridge where 1,059 Canadian soldiers were killed and another 3,093 were wounded.

Youngs said more that 5,00 letters were inscribed on the monument, which will include a map showing the advance of troops and where the regiments fought. The federal government rejected requests to finance the project. Stewart said members of the unit raised funds themselves.

About 1,2500 Canadians were killed during the Normandy landing and another 21,400 wounded.

Youngs said it's disappointing that Canada didn't construct monuments. "The Canadian government should have had a co-ordinated effort after the war to make sure monuments were in place."

Among those at the dedication will be Bill Milton of Toronto, one of the 125 regiment members involved in the Dieppe raid. Stewart said the regiment has worked to complete the memorial so the unveiling could coincide with the regiment's visit to England.

The Queen Mother has been the Colonel-in-Chief of the regiment since 1937.

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