The Ladies’ Auxiliary is a non-profit organization operated separate from The Royal Canadian Legion… but together they thrive.
The Ladies’ Auxiliary originated during the First World War when women were asked to help wounded Veterans returning home, and to provide supports for their families. When The Royal Canadian Legion was established in 1926, these women were a welcomed addition at Legion Branches as they continued the tradition of volunteering to support needy ex-service personnel, and to enrich the programs and activities of the Branch.
Members of the Ladies’ Auxiliary support the aims and objects of The Royal Canadian Legion and today, they are a vital and integral part of the work of the Legion. Major contributors to the day-to-day life of Legion Branches, Ladies’ Auxiliaries provide financial and volunteer support to Legion programs.
The Ladies’ Auxiliaries are coordinated at the Branch level. Any woman who is eligible for membership in the Legion may choose to become a member of the Ladies Auxiliary only, or a member of both organizations.
This year alone the Ladies Auxiliary (LA) have raised just over $9,000.00 through catering, meet and 50/50/draws.
The LA’s have donated $6,850.00 to the communities of Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows and continue to support veterans in need.
Donations to date:
Friends in Need Food Bank
North Therapeutic Riding Association
Fraser Valley Fusion Softball
Emerald Pig Theatrical Society
Variety Club Children’s Charity
Maple Ridge Secondary Wrestling Team
Maple Ridge Secondary Basketball Team
Other causes the Ladies raise money for:
Guide Dogs, Alberta & BC
Maple Ridge Hospital Foundation
Parkinsons
There are 40 Ladies Auxiliary Members serving Branch #88.
By participating in meat draws, 50/50, monthly lunches and the like you are supporting the LA’s and by extension the donations they provide to the Legion and the community at large.
When you see them, please thank them for their service.
Veteran, John Vanderelst started volunteering at the Maple Ridge Legion in 2004 as a financial advisor to the Executive. Joined the Honour Guard and Colour Party in 2005, currently still part of the Honour Guard.
Also, in 2005 John assisted with membership. For the last 14 years John has served as our Service Officer, advocating for veterans, widows, widowers and dependants.
John has always participated in the annual poppy campaign and had many speaking engagements educating at schools, churches and various clubs.
Recently, John was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal for a life of service.
Johns service to veterans and the community at large continues to be exemplary.
It's National Volunteer Week and we want to give a shout out to the 16, yes 15 volunteers that run our meat and 50/50 draws every week.
Our volunteers generally work two draws per month but this varies depending on who is available. Working as a team, each person has a specific duty depending on whether they are selling the 50/50 tickets, meat draw tickets or taking the cash.
There are two weekly draws: Friday's at 5 and 6 pm and Sunday's at 4 and 5 pm. Each draw features 4 meat packages, with a bonus package after the final draw.
All monies raised are used by the branch to assist veterans and our community.
Remember, you need to be a Legion member or signed in by a member to enjoy our events and draws.
Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia, New Zealand and Tonga that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and suffering of all those who have served". Observed on 25 April each year, Anzac Day was originally devised to honour the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who served in the Gallipoli campaign, their first engagement in the First World War (1914–1918).
History
Anzac Day marks the anniversary of the first campaign that led to major casualties for Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. The acronym ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, whose soldiers were known as Anzacs. Anzac Day remains one of the most important national occasions of both Australia and New Zealand.
Gallipoli campaign, 1915
In 1915, Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of an Allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula in the Ottoman Empire to open the way to the Black Sea for the Allied navies. The objective was to capture Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, which was a member of the Central Powers during the war. The ANZAC force landed at Gallipoli on 25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the Ottoman Army commanded by Mustafa Kemal (later known as Atatürk). What had been planned as a bold strike to knock the Ottomans out of the war quickly became a stalemate, and the campaign dragged on for eight months. At the end of 1915, the Allied forces were evacuated after both sides had suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. The Allied deaths totalled over 56,000, including 8,709 from Australia and 2,721 from New Zealand. News of the landing at Gallipoli made a profound impact on Australians and New Zealanders at home and 25 April quickly became the day on which they remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in the war.
Though the Gallipoli campaign failed to achieve its military objectives of capturing Constantinople and knocking the Ottoman Empire out of the war, the actions of the Australian and New Zealand troops during the campaign bequeathed an intangible but powerful legacy. The creation of what became known as an Anzac legend became an important part of the national identity in both countries. This has shaped the way their citizens have viewed both their past and their understanding of the present. The heroism of the soldiers in the failed Gallipoli campaign made their sacrifices iconic in New Zealand memory, and is often credited with securing the psychological independence of the nation.
Troops of the 2nd PPCLI during patrol, March 1951. Photo: Library and Archives Canada PA-115034
On 22-25 April 1951, Canadian troops fought a difficult battle in the hills above the Kapyong Valley.
In late April 1951, the retreating Chinese and North Korean forces regrouped and counter-attacked in the western and west-central sectors of the front. The South Korean forces in one area were overwhelmed and hurriedly fell back, putting them in danger of being overrun and wiped out. The 27th British Commonwealth Infantry Brigade—along with its Canadian contingent— was called up from reserve to the Kapyong Valley to cover this desperate retreat.
The Kapyong Valley
Less than three kilometres across at its widest point, the Kapyong Valley was dominated by the surrounding hills. A defensive position was quickly established with the 3rd Royal Australian Regiment on Hill 504, the 2 PPCLI on Hill 677, and the 1st Middlesex Regiment (a British unit) situated south of the Canadians.
During the night of April 23, the Australians came under heavy attack, holding out until the next day before being forced to withdraw. Their retreat left the Canadians exposed and, at 10:00 p.m. on April 24, the communist assaults began.
Risky move
It was a wild battle and some of our positions were overrun; at one point the Canadians even called in an artillery strike on their own location to hit the enemy soldiers amongst them. The Canadians took cover while the attackers bore the brunt of the fire. The risky move worked and the enemy was driven off. The danger was not yet over and the morning of the 25th saw an intermittent exchange of fire.
Holding the line at Kapyong was an impressive achievement, but came at a cost. Ten Canadians were killed and 23 were wounded, a total that could be considered relatively light in view of the fierce fighting there and a testament to the skill and organization of the defenders. Our fallen soldiers at Kapyong were among the 516 Canadians who died in service during the Korean War.
Legacy
The Battle of Kapyong was an important episode in the Korean War. The soldiers of the 2nd Battalion of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry persevered in the face of great adversity to help prevent a potentially costly defeat for the South Korean and UN forces. Their heroic efforts did not go unnoticed with the Americans awarding them the United States Presidential Unit Citation—a very rare honour for a Canadian unit.
The Battle of Vimy Ridge began on Easter morning 1917. Amid sleet, mud and shellfire, the soldiers of the Canadian Corps fought their way up the ridge to take the high ground overlooking the Douai plain.
This is the story of the Battle - please visit The Vimy Foundation for more detail and an in-depth review of this significant event in Canadian history.
The text is reproduced from the Vimy Foundation.
This stunning victory followed years of failed attempts to retake the ridge, and months of planning and preparation for the operation. The ridge had fallen into German hands during the initial advances of 1914. Since then, around 150,000 French and British soldiers had fallen trying to retake it. The Germans had been fortifying their positions on the ridge for years with deep bunkers, overlapping fields of machine gun fire and layers of barbed wire. When the Canadians attacked, they directly faced around 8,000 entrenched German defenders, not counting another 2,500 in reserve, and many more to the rear.
A preliminary bombardment began on March 20 and lasted for thirteen days. In the meantime, Andrew McNaughton and his counter battery staff were hard at work finding and silencing the German guns. The Royal Flying Corps provided aerial reconnaissance, returning with photographs of enemy batteries. The objectives set for the four divisions were four lines, the Red, Black, Blue and Brown Lines.
The battle began at 5:30am on April 9, with the first wave of around 15,000 men advancing under the creeping barrage of almost 1000 heavy guns. Most objectives were taken on schedule, and by afternoon most of the ridge was captured, with the notable exception of The Pimple, a high point at the North end of the ridge, where defenders held out until April 12.
By April 12, the Canadians had taken all of their objectives, as well as 4,000 prisoners. The Canadians held Vimy Ridge. This victory came at a high cost as 3,598 Canadians lost their lives, and 7,000 were wounded during the four-day battle. April 9, 1917 is still the bloodiest day in Canadian military history.
A key technological development that greatly contributed to the Canadians’ success at Vimy was the widespread use of the new 106 fuse in shells. This fuse made shells explode on contact with barbed wire, which marked a huge improvement from the shells used during the Battle of the Somme, which would often leave barbed wire untouched but create huge craters.
The most important tactical innovation used in this battle was the rolling barrage. Early in the war, when soldiers attacked a position, the artillery would bombard that position and then stop so that the soldiers could run over and take it. However, this caused problems, as often the time between the bombardment and when the soldiers actually arrived on the position allowed the defenders time to get prepared for the attack, and inflict devastating casualties on the attackers. The rolling barrage meant that the soldiers advanced at the same time as the bombardment. At Vimy, the artillery moved forward 90 metres every three minutes. This meant that soldiers had three minutes to catch up with the barrage and silence any defenders left.
Another important factor contributing to victory was the scale of preparations. The troops had been practicing and training for this battle for months. From frequent night raids to gain information on the opposing German troops, as well as night combat experience, to practice in the mock-up battlefield behind the lines, the Canadians were supremely ready for the battle. Each unit was told its objectives, as well as those of the units around it, so that they could take over should their neighbours get bogged down. Junior officers and NCOs were told the plans so that they could take over if their superiors were hit. 40,000 maps of the battlefield were also distributed to the troops.
Key people in the battle included Sir Julian Byng, the beloved commander of the Canadian Corps. Well-liked by his troops, who called themselves “the Byng boys”, Byng was a British officer, who would later be promoted to General and become Lord Byng of Vimy. Major Alan Brooke was the 33-year old mastermind behind the rolling barrage, and Sir Arthur Currie, who would soon become commander of the Canadian Corps, was in charge of the 1st Canadian Division during the battle.
The battle was a strategic victory, as Vimy Ridge was an important observation point over the whole of the Douai plain, a key industrial and railway region in Northern France. The Battle of Vimy Ridge was also the first time that all four divisions of the Canadian Corps had fought together. This symbolically showed the strength of Canadians when they fought as one. It was also important that the Canadian Corps, this small colonial unit, had managed to do what both its former colonial powers could not do in retaking the ridge.
The history of Canada’s Air Force is the story of the men and women who had the guts, determination and vision to serve their country in the aviation arm of the Canadian Armed Forces.
Canadians in the Air Force immediately distinguished themselves as fighter aces in the First World War. Although the years between the wars were modest ones with an often limited mandate to act as an aid to the civil power, the Royal Canadian Air Force grew to be the fourth largest air force in the world during the Second World War. It played a world class leadership role in the Cold War years as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and a joint partner in the continental air defence of North America as a member of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Though the early years of unification provided new challenges, the RCAF regrouped and restored much of its heritage and traditions.
Today, it continues to play a leading role on the world stage as a multi-purpose, combat-capable force that fulfills a variety of domestic and international commitments.
The Canadian Air Force (CAF) officially became the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and a permanent component of Canada’s defence force on 01 April 1924.
Per ardua ad astra - Through adversity to the stars
Today we celebrate the founding of the RCAF.
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