Here is a Toronto Star article on it...
http://www.thestar.ca/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1026146294318&call_page=TS_News&call_pageid=968332188492&call_pagepath=News/ News&c ol=968793972154
Saluting the Queen‘s regard for military
IF THERE ARE those who wonder what purpose the Queen serves Canada in the third millennium, perhaps it‘s this: Unlike our own politicians, too many of them, she has a deep and sincere regard for soldiers, a poignant and intrinsic attachment to those who stand on guard for thee.
It‘s not terribly fashionable any more. Our own elected officials don‘t really know how to do it, don‘t greatly care for it, and don‘t wear it with any degree of authenticity on those rare, so rare, occasions when they pause to give thanks.
In Canada, the military has been beggared by Ottawa, under-financed and unable to meet international commitments, marginalized despite the individual valour of the men and women in uniform. Generally ignored by our Prime Minister, except when he can bask in the reflected glory of their accomplishments.
But when Queen Elizabeth II stands to take the salute — as she did yesterday in Hamilton, after presenting new colours to the splendid Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise‘s) as their colonel-in-chief — there is no artifice. She is their commander and not merely by the divine right of kings. She‘s earned it.
Daughter of parents who famously refused to leave Buckingham Palace at the height of World War II, taking refuge in the palace dungeons during the Blitz, Elizabeth was still a princess when she joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service in 1944 — second subaltern, registration No. 230873 — wherein she trained in driving and vehicle maintenance. She was the young wife of a brilliant naval officer, mother of a helicopter pilot, Prince Andrew, who actually saw front-line action during the Falklands War. And, at the age of 15, she was the youngest ever colonel-in-chief of a British regiment, the Grenadier Guards.
It is an aspect of her professional and symbolic life, her duty, that‘s dear to her heart. She cares most especially, as did the Queen Mother, for war veterans, the dwindling old men — including so many Canadians — who fought for England, when they were young and brave.
Men like Lieutenant Albert Coffin, retired, who was commander of the entire regiment by the end of World War II, and who brought them back to Canada. Not all came home, though. Two hundred and eighty-two didn‘t survive the war. The Queen bent over his wheelchair to have a few private words with the 92-year-old vet.
"She said, `We‘ve met before, haven‘t we? You were the commander of the regiment. You brought them home.‘ I said, yes, we had met before, when she came to the York Armoury. That must have been, oh, in 1951."
Without rushing, giving them their due, the Queen moved down the line of Highlander vets who‘d gathered at Copps Coliseum, all smartly dressed in uniform jackets and Glengarry caps. Coming upon Gordon Franks, she stopped to admire the 83-year-old‘s clutch of medals. One in particular, a defence-of-England medal depicting the profile of King George VI, caught her attention. "It‘s her father," said Franks. "There was a sparkle in her eyes when she looked at that one."
The Queen rarely shows excessive sentiment in public, has too much self-control for that. But there were tears on her face earlier this year when a favourite military man — the 6-foot-5 drill sergeant of the Argyll Regiment in London, who towered over everybody on the parade ground — bellowed his final orders before retiring.
Queen Elizabeth is colonel-in-chief of 14 Canadian regiments. The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders of Canada, with their wonderful blue and green tartan, are one of those so privileged. Established in Hamilton in 1903, known for exemplary service, the Argylls have won 34 battle honours in two world wars. Its pipe band was chosen to play the Canadian Corps into Germany in December, 1918 — the regiment had lost 1,374 soldiers in the Great War; its Pipes and Drums represented the Canadian Forces at the 1945 victory celebrations in Berlin. In WWII, the unit demonstrated innovation and unorthodox ingenuity in a notable Normandy battle, for Hill 195.
Military pageantry, like ceremonial monarchy, is tribal and totemic in nature. Its traditions, like those of royalty, are fetishized. But that‘s also what invests the military, on show, with such splendour.
Thus the impressive display from the regiment yesterday, before a sold-out crowd of 17,000 — Hamilton is a loyalist town, for sure, but the inhabits also have a huge affection for the public service work of the Argylls.
On this occasion, one year short of the regiment‘s centennial, it was the Queen‘s purpose to present new colours — the standard around which soldiers have rallied in battle. The old standard — in its unit colours of yellow and primrose — in use for 42 years, was trooped for the last time, then tenderly taken down to the strains of "Auld Lang Syne" and marched off.
The new colours — their fourth "stand" — draped over an altar of drums, were blessed by the regiment‘s chaplain general, as the assembled members, in their swirling kilts and sporrans, the skean-dhu tucked into their socks — declared aloud their "renewed dedication."
It was all quite stirring and colourful, a panoply of military tradition. But to the Queen, this presentation of new colours was more than merely ceremonial. Dressed in a royal purple ensemble, she stepped off a swatch of Argyll plaid to take hold of both the regimental standard and her own royal cipher.
"In committing these new colours into your care, I know that those of you on parade today will continue to maintain and honour the values and traditions of successive generations of Canadian Argylls who have earned, through sacrifice at places such as Vimy Ridge and Hill 195, the battle honours emblazoned upon the regimental colour I have presented today."
The Queen took particular notice of the 1st Battalion veterans in attendance.
"As your colonel-in-chief for the past 52 years, I know that the legacy of service that began with the formation of the 91st Highlanders in 1903 is being maintained by my Canadian Argylls serving at home and overseas as the regiment begins its 100th year of service to Canada and this community.
"I sense the pride and dedication that is evident in each and every one of you on parade today. It is also clear from the large number of citizens who have joined members of the regimental family here that the Argylls truly are `Hamilton‘s Highlanders.‘‘‘
The Queen charged the regiment to carry the "Argyll spirit" into the regiment‘s second century.
"I have been pleased to grant you the distinction of carrying my cipher emblazoned on the regimental colour. In doing so, I hope that you will continue to build on the traditions of the past and strive to reflect them in service to your country as both citizens and soldiers.
"Chanada-Gu-Brath."
Canada Forever.
It was not all so full of pomp and ceremony, on the Queen‘s second day in Ontario.
Earlier, while the Duke of Edinburgh visited Massey College, QEII had dropped by Sheridan College in Oakville, there to unveil a plaque — she does a lot of this, plaquing — renaming the Journalism New Media Centre.
As part of that program, Her Majesty was treated to a short animation feature, created by second-year student Andrew Kim, who cleverly presented one of the Queen‘s ancestors — Prince Albert Edward — as an animated emcee. She was then presented with a CD copy of Kim‘s creation.
Outside the college, the Queen was greeted, as per usual, by a clutch of flower-offering children, in this case kids from the two day-care centres on the campus.
The youngsters were darling, if not entirely sure who this lady might be.
"She‘s the queen of the country!" announced 5-year-old Jenna Gardner, triumphantly.
And what did that mean? Jenna didn‘t know, exactly. But classmate Spencer Williams, 4, had the answer: "She lives in a castle and she sweeps the floor."
***
From what little tidbits of the ceremony I was able to see on CHCH (they were blabbing about the Queen‘s trip to Sheridan College a lot of the time and didn‘t show much of the actual parade), their drill was most good, and so comments some of the people who went to the parade. Good job Argylls.
