North Saskatchewan Regiment soldiers to walk in predecessor’s footsteps on European battlefield tour

“The Regimental Senate has been working for the last two years to raise money to be able to send soldiers over to Europe to actually get a tour of the battlefields and understand our regimental history.”

The regiment’s senate raised funds to sponsor 17 soldiers, primarily junior ranks, covering their airfare and battlefield tour costs.

“For the most part, we’re going to be walking the ground where members of the regiment were fighting 110 to 115 years ago,” Bellisle said. “Instead of just being a scroll on a flag, those battle honours will actually mean something for the soldiers having been at Hill 70 or at Vimy.”

Among those travelling are three currently serving members who parade with the Prince Albert detachment of the regiment, while the remainder are from Saskatoon and surrounding communities.

The tour coincides with the 110th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. On July 1, they will participate in commemorative ceremonies at Beaumont-Hamel, where the Royal Newfoundland Regiment suffered devastating losses on the opening day of the battle in 1916.

While overseas, the soldiers will also take part in the Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate in Belgium and visit military cemeteries where Canadian soldiers are buried.

Each sponsored soldier has been assigned a member of the regiment who was killed during the First World War and will share that soldier’s story at relevant battlefield locations.

“You’re actually walking the ground and seeing, ‘Okay, there’s not a lot of cover. How did they do this? How did they move?’” Bellisle said. “Knowing there’s machine guns, artillery and everything else going on, it gives you a much better appreciation for what happened there.”

The trip will conclude with visits to Dieppe and Juno Beach in Normandy, sites closely tied to Saskatchewan’s military history during the Second World War.

Although the Saskatoon Light Infantry — one of the regiment’s predecessor units — served with the 1st Canadian Infantry Division in Italy rather than Normandy, Bellisle noted the Normandy connection remains important to Prince Albert and Battlefords-area families.

As Canada mobilized for war, the Prince Albert Volunteers and Battleford Rifles were initially designated for home defence but one company from each unit volunteered for overseas service with the Regina Rifles. Many soldiers from the Prince Albert region subsequently fought in Normandy as members of the Regina Rifles, including John Hall, Doug Chisholm and Cec Corrigal from Prince Albert and Tom Settee from Battleford.

“That is why many of the Second World War veterans from the Prince Albert area were Regina Rifles,” Bellisle explained.

Sgt. Billy was the regiment’s mascot while stationed overseas during WWI. He was promoted often for his ability to warn soldiers an attack was coming and demoted for eating paperwork. His stuffed remains can be seen at the Broadview Museum. (Image Credit: submitted/Maj. Ramsay Bellisle)

The contingent will also carry a unique piece of regimental history overseas.

Last weekend, representatives of the regiment received ceremonial tassels once worn by Sergeant Bill, the famous goat mascot of the 5th Battalion during the First World War. The tassels, normally displayed at the Broadview Historical Museum, will accompany the regiment throughout the battlefield tour before being returned to the museum.

Members of the public will be able to follow the journey through updates, photographs and videos posted on the North Saskatchewan Regiment’s social media channels throughout the summer.

“It just brings about that the 46 battle honours connect all those who came before us to the soldiers serving today,” Bellisle said. “It combines the regiment as a whole.”

Bellisle and other members of the regiment will be out on Saturday during the Downtown Street Fair on Central Avenue.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com

by Susan McNeil

North Saskatchewan Regiment soldiers to walk in predecessor’s footsteps on European battlefield tour

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