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GUARDSMANALUMNI NEWSLETTER OF THE FORT HENRY GUARD CLUB OF CANADA
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1 V O L . 3 6 , N U M B E R 1
President's Message
IN THIS ISSUE
President's Message
Catching up with a Guard
Archivist's Corner
Announcements
Letters from the Regiment
Call for Volunteers
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Executive
Directors
FHG 1670 Michelle Foxton, President
FHG 1826 Matt Archibald, Vice-President
FHG 705 John Grenville, Treasurer & Secretary
FHG 950 Steve Mecredy, Past-President
FHG 1692 Chris Dearlove
FHG 1863 Greg Gouthro
FHG 1741 Rob Hamilton
FHG 1737 Sean O’Donnell
FHG 1761 Christy O’Neill
FHG 2100 Alex McLean
FHG 2186 Daniel Rose
FHG 593 Tom Little
FHG 2231 Michael Murphy
Fort Henry Guard Club of Canada
BOX 1955 Kingston, Ontario K7L 5J7
Club President
FHG 1670, Michelle Foxton
Club Registrar
FHG 1281, Pat Murphy
Newsletter
FHG 2231, Michael Murphy
A highlight of the difficult 2020-2021 Winter was the installation
of a new Honourary Guard Commander. For this issue’s President’s
Message, we are delighted to feature an excerpt of Michelle Foxton’s
speech from the ceremony. The full video is available on the
Fort Henry Facebook page
...The position of Honorary Guard Commander emulates this tradition.
It is a position filled by a person with great experience and wisdom. A
person to whom the Guard looks up to and deeply respects. It is also a
position with great importance, as the Guard relies upon its Honorary
Commander to advocate for the importance of the Guard. When times
are tough, it is easy to simply see the Guard as merely employment
positions that cannot be afforded. Yet, the importance & value of the
Guard goes far beyond economics. It is an investment in our future. It
offers opportunities to learn leadership skills, study local history, gain
confidence and strength of character & to appreciate the challenging
aspects of business & the service sector, not to mention the pride it
invokes with a well turned out uniform or an exceptional
performance.
The Honourable Hugh Segal, has for many years observed the unique
& strong character of the Guard & a wonderful advocate he has been.
Hugh has faithfully attended the Guard’s annual Awards Ceremony,
providing inspiration & sage advice that was always so keenly
absorbed by young & impressionable minds; an opportunity & an
honour that was so deeply appreciated. Hugh, we sincerely thank you
for your faithful and dedicated service to the Guard since 2006. You
are a dear friend whom we all will miss very much, although we hope
you will continue to visit the Fort and support the Guard by your
presence from time to time. We wish you all the best going forward.
Major-General MacKenzie, it is an honour to warmly welcome you as
our new Honorary Guard Commander. Your depth of experience &
accomplishments will bring such a rich & insightful perspective to
this position. We sincerely thank you for generously donating your
time & we are certain you will be a great advocate for the Guard in the
years ahead. Today’s ceremony celebrates the passing of command &
upon becoming FHG #5, you now become a part of the special &
unique history of the Fort Henry Guard & Fort Henry.
Congratulations & welcome!
Michelle Foxton, FHG 1670
CONTACTS & INFORMATION
Membership Info
Featured Photographs
The great memory that stands out from those four years, as it must for most of the
guys who were there at the time, was the trip to the Royal Tournament in June 1963. It
was a huge deal…many of us came to the Fort in March of that year for extra drill,
staying in the Fort in sleeping bags (so cold), and I passed up my Convocation
ceremony because they were desperate to begin training as soon as possible. We drilled
all through May and early June…getting the wheels straight was the big challenge, and
then off we went from Trenton to London, the whole Guard, with all the equipment
including the Armstrong guns.
We were barracked in a big room at the Earls Court arena and did daily
performances, along with various units of the British Army…the Devonport Gun crew
were the most impressive…talk about tough! They could have torn us apart in a fight,
but they liked us, and we got along well. Every performance there was someone
famous in the audience, often inspecting us as well: Sir Edmond Ironside, former
Chief of the Imperial General Staff, etc. We paraded at the Commonwealth Institute,
and were inspected by the Queen.
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1 V O L . 3 6 , N U M B E R 1
Catching up with a Guard - Bill Morrison
I was born and brought up in Hamilton, and first visited the Fort on a family holiday
in 1956 at the age of 14. In the fall of 1961, looking for a summer job for 1962, I applied
to the Fort…I was in the reserves at the time, and the military aspect of the job
appealed to me. Fred McConnell came to McMaster, did interviews, and I was in. I
served in the Drill Squad in 1962, 63, 66, and 67. I was in the front rank of the Drill
Squad, was the guide instructor for a couple of those years, and in my last year
reached the rank of Sergeant.
Probably my second most important memory is from my last year there,
Centennial Year, when we went twice to Expo 67 to put on the usual drill. My
job was to read the commentary over a loudspeaker to the crowd in both
official languages: “et maintenant, la charge à la baïonnette…” read in my
Ontario-accented French. And then there were the visits of the U.S. Marine
drill teams, which always ended in vast beerfests out at the pub by the
By then I was 25, so it was time to leave. I worked in Ottawa for two years, then began a 41 year career as a
university History teacher in Manitoba, Ontario, and British Columbia,with semesters in the U.S. I married
happily, had four kids and seven grandkids, wrote a bunch of books, retired in 2010, and now live in Ladysmith,
on Vancouver Island. Like most people who served in the Guard, it was a lifelong source of pride, and I’m still in
touch with some of my pals from that era. Good, and unforgettable, times.
Bill Morrison, FHG 527
penitentiary. On July 1 I commanded an Armstrong crew that went out to the hill overlooking R.M.C
at 6 am to fire a 21 gun salute for the centennial. Good times.
Obituaries
We regret to announce the passing of Mary Garnett on September 7,
2020. Mary is survived by her husband, Dr. Lawrie Garnett, FHG 436,
whom she met at Fort Henry while working as a tour guide in the
1960s. Born and raised in Kingston, Mary completed her education at
Carleton University, and settled in the Ottawa area.
Robert “Bob” Greggs, FHG 182, left this world suddenly at home on
December 3, 2020. A distinguished geologist known for undertaking
his early work in the Canadian Rockies on horseback, Bob earned a
PhD at the University of British Columbia before returning to teach at
Queen’s University. An avid birder, weather-watcher, and discusser of
local and national politics, Bob will be missed by family and friends
alike.
We regret to inform you of the passing of John Robert MacCallum,
FHG 949, on 4 September 2015. A modern polymath, John was an
accomplished musician, piano technician, master woodworker, gifted
software engineer, life-long student of physics and mathematics, a
talented hockey and tennis player. He held degrees from Queen’s
University, George Brown College and Kingston College (UK) which
led to a remarkably diverse career taking him from Kingston to
Toronto to London UK and finally back to his beloved Canada and
the Bay of Quinte in 2012. John is missed by his beloved wife Deborah
and their family.
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Donald “Ian”
Rothwell, FHG 686, on October 29, 2020. Ian worked at Fort Henry in
the late 1960s, and looked back fondly on his time as a drummer. He
will be missed by his family.
John B Stevenson, FHG 533, passed away on January 5, 2021 at
his home in Half Moon Bay, BC. John was proud of his time in the
Guard, and attended our AGM in August. A graduate of Queen’s
University, John was a physical education teacher and wrestling
coach in Etobicoke before he and his wife Donna moved to British
Columbia in 1999 to run Seawind Bed and Breakfast.
P H O T O B Y M A R T I N R . S M I T H
The FHGCC newsletter team
is looking to develop a
sponsorship program to
cover the cost of sending a
full-colour print newsletter to
all members of the FHGCC. If
you (or your business) would
be interested in sponsoring
the newsletter, or if you
would like to share your
thoughts on developing the
program, please get in touch
with us at
Announcements
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1 V O L . 3 6 , N U M B E R 1
V O L . 3 6 , N U M B E R 1
Featured Photographs
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1
Champion Armstrong team from the Drums 1968
L-R: Back row Randy Weekes, Chuck Molson, Jack Hamilton, Charles Armstrong, David Hain, Dave Stewart.
Kneeling: William Partridge, Wayne Fowler. (Shared by William Partridge)
Fort Henry Guard at the Place des Nations from Expo ’67 (Submitted by Pierre Tremblay)
Dear Folks;
Thanks for the letter and the money, but fortunately I didn’t have to wait this long, since I borrowed $25 from
Di. I tore your cheque up Dad, so you better take note of that.
My legs are now in good marching condition and we are doing about 5 hours per day. Now they give us rifles
weighting 11 pounds and expect us to lug them around. Ugh!
My uniforms haven’t been altered yet but I hope they will be soon. I haven’t had a day off yet but the work is
so enjoyable that I don’t really miss it. I guess I’ll take a day off soon.
We have been having guiding lectures and soon will begin taking tours. It will probably be a while before we
stand sentry or do gun drill, although we have done some work on the 24 pound canon on the ramparts.
I hope you enjoyed your trip to Chicago and that Doug didn’t go wild in your absence. Keep studying there
Doug kid, and makes sure you get a good grounding for Grade 13. Remember that’s valuable advice from the
Big Bully.
Love, Tom
Note: Recently, FHGCC Board Member Tom Little (FHG 593) found a box of
letters written to his family in the summer of 1964—his first year working at
Fort Henry. Tom has kindly agreed that a selection of letters (and photos from
the era) be shared in our new recurring feature “Letters from the Regiment.”
—Michael Murphy, FHG2231
V O L . 3 6 , N U M B E R 1
Letters from the Regiment
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1
The Guard Club needs yourhelp! We are looking for
volunteers to fill thefollowing roles:
Fundraising Committeemembers
MerchandisingCoordinator
Website Designer(Maintenance) Social Media Coordinator
For further information,
please [email protected].
Years 1 1AR* 3 5
Single $25 $20 $70 $99
Many of the first issues of Guardsman newsletters are now posted on the
Members’ Section of the FHGCC website. Reading past issues provides a
remarkable walk down memory lane and unearths some fascinating historical
FHGCC and Fort Henry facts. Newsletters and minutes are primary records
that reiterate the importance of the Guard in presenting the heritage of Fort
Henry. The FHGCC Collections Management Policy was recently approved
and will be posted for member access.
The CBC recording of Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King’s speech
at the official opening of Fort Henry as a “living museum” on August 1, 1938,
is available for the listening enjoyment of visitors on the FHGCC website. The
audio recording will be augmented shortly with an intriguing two-minute
segment of the opening ceremonies captured on a 1938 home movie obtained
from Library and Archives Canada. It is satisfying to amalgamate and
preserve the audio recording, home movie images, transcribed excerpts from
Mackenzie King’s personal diaries, and photographs from the momentous
day, for future generations.
Thank you to members who have assisted in the ongoing photographic
identification process. Any feedback regarding the identification of the
gentleman wearing the white trousers in the following photo (standing
between Norman Rogers, Federal Minister of Labour, and Prime Minister
Mackenzie King), would be greatly appreciated. Several suggestions have been
offered, but the identity of this gentleman remains inconclusive.
Dan Rose, FHG 2186
All fees are in $CAD
Multi-year rates are only
valid if paid at one time.
Payment by PayPal -
fhgclubofcanadainc@gmail.
com
Make cheques payable to
FHG Club of Canada.
U.S. dollar cheques are
acceptable.
Other foreign currencies
please use bank draft in
$CAD.
Changes to personal info
can be emailed to the
Registrar.
Membership
Archivist's Corner
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1 V O L . 3 6 , N U M B E R 1
Call for Volunteers
Copyright © 2021 Fort Henry
Guard Club of Canada.
All rights reserved.
Contact email:
Membership is open to any
former Guard, Cadet, or
other Fort worker.
With $35 $30 $100 $150
partner**
*1 year with automatic renewal
**Where both worked at the Fort