Private Riley print special section

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THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR l THE SPEC.COM THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2012 BA1

FROM THE BATTLE OF RIDGEWAY IN 1866 to Afghanistan, the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry

has defended Canada even before it became a country.

IN THIS 150TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL REPORT, we look at the Rileys in words, pictures, multi-

media and song. Go to thespec.comfor extensive online content including the music video

Private Riley by Spectator reporter and songwriter Mark McNeil that features the RHLI band.

The uniforms of Corporal Phil Howie, who served in Afghanistan, and Corporal Brian Buckle, in 1860s dress, span the 150-year history of the RHLI.

THEROYALHAMILTON LIGHT INFANTRY AT 150

STORIEDREGIMENTFEATURED INPRINT,

ONLINEAND IN SONG

BARRYGRAY,THEHAMILTON

SPECTATOR


2/6

C M Y


Welcome to a special section on a special day for a

special regiment.

The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry is commemorating its

150th anniversary and today is especially notable in a

years worth of activities. A $250-a-plate fundraisertonight will commemorate the Rileys at the John Weir

Foote V.C. Armoury.

The event will:

n Raise money for Operation Yellow Ribbon, a charity

that helps soldiers returning from duty;

n Host the local launch of a RHLI postage stamp and the

soft release of the CD, Semper Paratus II by the RHLI

band;

n Feature the premire performance of the song Private

Riley by composer and Spectator reporter Mark McNei l

with the RHLI band directed by Major Michael Rehill.

PRIVATE RILEY

To see a video of the Private Riley song, go to

thespec.com. Annotated lyrics can be found

on Page 4 and 5 inside.

To hear and purchase the song for $2 go to

markmcneil.bandcamp.com. Money raisedwill be donated to Operation Yellow Ribbon.

SPEC

You see them in their neatly pressed

red tunics and bright white pith

helmets.

They march at downtown parades

and play concerts at Dundurn Park.

Theyre the go-to music providers

when royalty is in town.

And when Lincoln Alexanderwas

remembered in a poignant memorial

service a couple of weeks ago, the

Royal Hamilton Light Infantry was

there to march along with his

casket-bearers.

But today the band is celebrating

being recording artists as well. The

Operation Yellow Ribbon Gala dinner

tonight will be the official soft launch

of the RHLI bands second CD, Semper

Paratus II.

The band has a proud history almost

as long as the regiment itself.

It was formed in 1866 by Peter

Grossman and was known as the 13th

Battalion Band. But Grossman only

lasted a few years until George R. Rob-

inson, a graduate of the British armys

Royal Military School of Music, camealong.

There was a bit of a false start. Rob-

inson left in a huff over a disagree-

ment. But he returned a year later to

lead the band to glory over the next 45

years.

Robinson became one of Hamiltons

most famous musicians the band-

shell at Gage Park is named after him.

He took a group of forgettable horn

blowers and turned them into a tightly

disciplined unit that not only became a

source of pride in Hamilton but re-

nowned in military band circles across

the continent.

It was a tradition carried on by Rob-

insons son, William, and something

the current bandleader, Major Michael

Rehill, takes great pride in.

After a hiatus of several years with-

out a military band the RHLI got by

with a bugle corps rather than a full-

fledged military band Rehill man-

aged to talk the regiment into re-

forming the ensemble in 1992.

I argued we could really use a mili-

tary band. The regiment had a tradi-

tion of a military band and they went

for it.

Since then Rehill, who is renowned

for his military band arrangements,

has brought the Robinson pride backto the band with dozens of perfor-

mances every year.

It is really an honour to direct the

band, he says. Hamilton has such a

rich musical history.

THE ROBINSON LEGACY MARCHES ON

THE RHLI BANDn Thirty-seven players

n Instruments include brass,

woodwind and percussion.

n Forty to 50 performances a year at

tattoos, parades, royal visits,

ceremonies and concerts.

n Formed in 1866 and known as the 13th

Battalion Band.

n Director of music is Major Michael

Rehill (shown above).

SEMPER PARATUS IIn The second CD by the RHLI band

n Features 16 pieces depicting the

history of the regiment.n The CD includes a newly discovered

composition from longtime bandleader

George R. Robinson, for whom the

Gage Park bandshell is named.

n Cost: $15, available through the RHLI

SPECIALTO

THEHAMILTON

SPECTATOR

The renowned RHLI band, pictured in 1940, remains a source of local pride.

It started with a story I worked on

about a teenage RHLI soldier named

Private James Henry Morrison, whodied in 1866.

Earlier this year as part of Royal

Hamilton Light Infantry 150th anniver-

sary ceremonies he was honoured

in a graveside ceremony as being the

first RHLI fatality, the first of more

than 1,100 battle deaths to follow over

the next century and a half.

He was only 17 when he died. It

seems hed joined the regiment to make

a little extra money after his f ather

died and he was left to care for his

mother and sisters.

He probably never dreamed hed

find himself in a dingy cattle car en

route to Ridgeway near Fort Erie to

help take on a group of Civil War-hardened Fenians who were striking

out at the British-controlled, pre-

Confederation Canada.

He and his fellow soldiers were

poorly trained and equipped. They

had little food or water. In desperation

in the sweltering heat, many drank

ditch water, which made them sick. Its

believed this caused the severe illness

that killed Morrison weeks later. After

writing that story, I found myself

thinking about all the other RHLI

soldiers in similarly horrific circum-

stances on battlefields such as Dieppe,

Vimy or Kandahar.

So I thought there was a song in this.

Songs are part of my other life awayfrom The Spec, where I have worked

since the early 1980s. I have four al-

bums out. I perform regularly and

have made more than a dozen appear-

ances at Hamiltons largest outdoor

music event, the Festival of Friends.

I called the song Private Riley be-

cause members of the RHLI call them-

selves Rileys and I thought a compos-

ite soldier would be a good way to tell

the bigger story about the regiment.

I believed it would help get across

the truth about warfare, that while

technology, battlefields an d enemies

change, individual soldiers essentially

remain the same young people sent

off to do horrible duty.After I finished the song, I played it

for various audiences and it was well-

received. Then one day, I pulled senior

editor Carla Ammerata aside and saidI had an idea for a Spectator website

item a slide-show video to go along

with a new song Id recorded in my

home studio about the RHLI for its

150th anniversary. She loved the idea

and it soon had enthusiastic support

all the way up to publisher Dana Rob-

bins.

Then I thought: Wouldnt it be fitting

to have the RHLI band play on the

recording? I met with Major Michael

Rehill, who has been bandleader for 20

years, and Tim Fletcher, the co-ordina-

tor of 150th anniversary activities for

the RHLI. They were ecstatic about the

idea and said th ey would do whatever

it took to help out. Rehill agreed towrite a military band arrangement

that could be mixed into the song Id

already put together. Fletcher said he

would gather whatever information I

needed.

Meanwhile, back at The Spec other

people were thinking that an eight-

page RHLI commemorative section

and other web items should also be put

together to go with the song video.

So today, in the pages of The Specta-

tor and on thespec.com, just before

Remembrance Day, we commemorate

the proud 150th anniversary of the

RHLI. And all the Private Rileys who

have served through its rich history.

A SOLDIER AND A SONG

MARK MCNEIL

The Hamilton Spectator

Young Riley who died in 1866 inspires

composition about RHLI heroesHAMILTON

SPECTATORFILEPHOTO

In 1962, the RHLI pays tribute to those who died at Dieppe.

[email protected]

905-526-4687

Editorial content:Mark McNeil

Video and photography:Barry Gray

Graphic design:Dean Tweed

Thanks: To RHLI bandleaderMaj.

Michael Rehill for arranging and

conducting the RHLI band for the song

Private Riley; drummer MCpl.

Genevieve Wongand other membersof the band;Sgt. Tim Fletcher (ret.), Sgt.

Stan Overy (ret.), Capt. Jordan

Spoelstra, 2nd Lt. Richard Moll and

Blake Gamble for research assistance;

Dan Medakovic for mixing and

mastering the song and Steve Parisien

for transcription assistance.

BEHIND THE SCENES

THE ROYAL HAMILTON LIGHT INFANTRY

SEMPER PARATUSALWAYS READY FOR 150 YEARS

At Thursdays RHLI Operation Yellow Ribbon Gala,

a new Canada Post stamp celebrating the 150th

anniversary of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry

will be officially unveiled in Hamilton. It showcases

four uniforms from the regiments history.

A COMMEMORATIVE STAMP

1862Members of the regiment

would have wornthis uniform when the

battalion was formed

in 1862. Notable is the

Shako hat and the Enfield

musket with bayonet.

The uniform would

have been used at the

Battle of Ridgeway in 1866.

Second World WarThe soldier in beret

is wearing a battledress style that was

introduced in 1939

and is typical

of what RHLI soldiers

would have worn

in the Second World

War, including on the

beaches of Dieppe.

1910By 1910, headgear

was changed to a pith

helmet with a red band,

symbolizing the battalion

having become a Royalregiment. This uniform

would have been worn

by a bugler and is similar

to what is used today

by RHLI band members.

AfghanistanThis uniform was designed

for desert warfare and uses

a computer-generated

camouflage pattern

that reduces the chanceof being detected by night

vision devices. It was used

in Afghanistan by members

of the RHLI over the last

several years.

SOURCES: CANADA POST, ROYAL HAMILTON LIGHT INFANTRY

DEAN TWEED // THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR

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BA6 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2012 THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR l THE SPEC.COM

VAL PATRICK WAS 17, a Riley, and it

was Centennial Day 1967 in Hamilton.

He was part of a garrison parade

that formed inside the fortress-like

walls of the armoury on James Street

North to celebrate Canadas 100th

birthday. And he had no idea what

awaited him and the other soldiers of

the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry

outside.

I couldnt believe it. The band was

playing and the colours were flying

and the streets were lined for miles

with the parade going th rough the city.

People on the sidewalks were cheering

us. They were calling out, Rileys,

Rileys, says Patrick, 62, a retiredwarrant officer with the RHLI, who

later served with NATO forces in

Europe during the Cold War.

It was my proudest moment as a

young person ... It really drove home

how deeply rooted the RHLI is in this

city and what it means. Being a Riley is

symbolic and interwoven with what

this community is all about.

We are a tough town but were a

sophisticated town, too.

While much has changed in Hamil-

ton through its rise and decline as a

steelmaker over the 150-year history

of the Rileys, the militia has main-

tained its presence and character

through good times and bad.

We go back to before Confeder-

ation, we fought to defend this country

before it was a country.

An estimated 34,000 men and wom-

en have served as Rileys at various

times over the past century and a half.

All of them were part-time soldiers,

people who had other jobs. Many used

their military lessons for personal

development to help them in civilian

life.

Others found themselves on battle-

fields around the world. More than1,100 Rileys have paid the supreme

sacrifice. And 197 died Aug. 19, 1942, in

the ill-fated raid on German-occupied

Dieppe on Frances northern coast.

There were 582 Rileys who fought on

that day and fewerthan 10 are still alive

today. One of the last is Jack McFar-

land, 91, who was wounded and cap-

tured during the raid. Seventy years

later, he says he is still angry about the

poor planning that went into the mis-

sion.

Conversely, Corporal Jonas Raudys,

25, a National Steel Car employee, says

he was well-prepared and the plan-

ning was excellent for his recent tour of

duty in Afghanistan.For more than seven months, he

trained Afghan soldiers who are grad-

ually taking over the security of their

own country.

We basically taught them every-

thing from the basics of patrolling, to

holding and shooting a weapon, things

of that nature, he says.

HAMILTONS OWN IN GOOD TIMES AND BAD

Royal Hamilton

Light Infantry

member Val

Patrick. He

served with

NATO forces in

Europe.

Members of the RHLI march during the trooping of the colours ceremony attended

by Prince Edward at the Warplane Heritage Museum in September.

Hamiltons own continues // BA7

MARK MCNEIL

The Hamilton Spectator

IN WAR AND PEACE, THE ROYAL HAMILTON LIGHT INFANTRY AT HOME

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:

n RHLI guns fire at Dundurn Castle on

Canada Day this year.

n Canadian vets walk among the graves

at the Canadian cemetery in Dieppe.

n John Williamson, shown in 2000 in

Lake Ontario, was among the RHLI

soldiers who landed in Dieppe.

n Moments of reflection at theCanadian cemetery in Dieppe in 1944.

n In 1941, Lieutenant Gordon Clifton

(with megaphone) oversees Bren gun

training.

n Sergeant William Phillips Strickland

in 1860s uniform.

n Flags are proudly raised as the RHLI

parades on Nov. 22, 1945.

THE ROYAL HAMILTON LIGHT INFANTRY

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AND IN HOT SPOTS AROUND THE WORLD

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:

n Its chow time for the Rileys at Camp

Borden in June 1951.

n Even when a war is raging (its 1942)

soldiers must make time for a shave.

n The RHLIs Kim Element, a peacekeeper

in Bosnia.

n RHLI Captain Nick Arakgi, right, arrives

in Kandahar and is greeted by General

Walter Natynczyk in 2008.

n In the aftermath of the Dieppe

catastrophe, captured soldiers are marched

through the streets of the city in northern

France.

PHOTOS FROM RHLI ARCHIVES AND HAMILTON SPECTATOR FILES

AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE:

n In June 1941, RHLI soldiers stand in

front of training centre at Camp

Borden.

C M Y


34,000The estimated number of Rileys

who have served over its 150-year

history.

1,100 to 1,200Estimated number of Riley

deaths from battle, almost en-

tirely from the First and Second

World Wars.

4Number of Rileys who died fromsickness acquired while fighting

the Fenians at Ridgeway. The

troops were poorly supplied with

food and water and many got sick

from drinking ditch water con-

taminated with farm runoff.

500-550Estimated number of Rileys who

died in the First World War. De-

tailed numbers are unavailable.

Rileys in the First World War

served in different larger units.

They did not march under Riley

colours until the Second WorldWar.

590Number of Rileys killed in the

Second World War.

1,157Number of Rileys wounded in the

Second World War.

582Number of Rileys who were in-

volved in the ill-fated raid at Di-

eppe on Aug. 19, 1942.

480Number of Riley casualties (dead,

wounded or prisoners of war) at

Dieppe.

197Number of Rileys killed at

Dieppe.

60Number of Rileys who served in

Afghanistan. None killed, one

injured.

175Current number of people in theRileys.

37Current number of people in the

RHLI military band.

RHLI BY THE

NUMBERS

SOURCE: RHLI

More than 60 Rileys served in Afghan-

istan, all of them returning home safe-

ly.

The commanding officer of RHLI,

Lieutenant-Colonel Dan Stepanuik, a

vice-principal at Ancaster High

School, spent seven months in Haiti in

2008 as part of a United Nations relief

effort after three hurricanes left the

country devastated.

He received a Chief of the DefenceStaff Commendation for leading

rescue efforts at a collapsed girls

school.

Jack Granatstein, a Canadian histo-

rian who specializes in political and

military history, says the RHLI has a

special place among militias in Cana-

da. It is among the oldest in the coun-

try and one of the most respected.

The RHLI had a terrific wartime

record (in the Second World War) in

Normandy and Northwest Europe. Itwas arguably one of the best regiments

in the Canadian army led by (Brigadier

J. M.) Rockingham and people like

(Brigadier-General) Denis Whitaker,

he said.

People like that established rep-

utations for courage and leadership

and that ripples through the commu-

nity. It has a positive effect on enlist-

ment, keeping the unit alive. You

proved you could do it in action, there-

fore the unit deserves to survive and

the unit must survive.

Mike McAllister, co-ordinator of the

Hamilton Military Museum, says

there is a fierce pride in Hamilton for

the RHLI that is similar to the way acommunity might feel toward a long-

established sports team.

The Rileys have the tradition, will

and desire to keep an important in-

stitution in this city going, he said.

McAllister believes much of the

passion for the Rileys stems from

lingering sad memories from Dieppe.

Dieppe was splashed across the

newspapers. Dieppe was talked about

for years afterwards. It crossed the

boundary into civilian life in a way thatalmost no other battle honour can ... it

joined people together because so

many loved ones were lost or affected.

The Dieppe raid is the kind of thing

that resonates across society and grabs

at peoples hearts for a very long time.

Hamiltons own continued from // BA6

It was my proudest moment as a young

person. It really drove home how deeply rooted

the RHLI is in this city and what it means.VAL PATRICK

[email protected]

905-526-4687

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