So why a site about the miltary, and why choose the 3PPCLI?
To set the record straight, I am not now, nor have I ever been a member of that Battalion. I am a civilian, and am not in any way connected with the Department of National Defence or any part of Canada's Armed Forces. These pages are strictly a private venture and any opinions expressed here are my own. While much of the material you will find here was gleaned from various DND websites to such extent as permitted under the terms of it's copyright rules, the responsibility for manner in which this material is presented here is strictly mine.
Which leads back to the question - why have I done this?
The primary reason dates back to the events of September 11, 2001. It was on that day that people of ill will inflicted on our nation's neighbour and closest ally a horror that to this day still defies comprehension. The fact that this happened in another country mattered little - these people had attacked our shared continent and the pain of that event was just as real for those of us in Canada as it was for those in the US who lived outside of New York City. By attacking them, they had in fact attacked all of us.
In the wake of those events, our nation faced a choice. Canadians could either sit back and send our sympathies, or we could as a nation rally with our neighbours to hunt down and confront those who committed these horrors. Our political leadership recognized their duty, and joined with the US to hunt down those responsible for the events of that day.
While many Canadian troops have since that day served in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the world in the ongoing War on Terror, for those of us in Edmonton the deployment of 3PPCLI represented this country's first major commitment in that effort. As the Battalion makes Edmonton its home, for Edmontonians this mean that "our" troops were on the front line. In a way, it made us feel that by their presence in that distant land, a part of us all was over there. Their successes became our successes, and when a tragedy befell them which resulted in the death and wounding of several of their number, we all grieved. And later when the rest of that battalion returned home, we all rejoiced in their safe return.
This is why this site, intented as a tribute to the 3PPCLI, represents my way of saying to those men and women, "Thank you - you made us all proud!"
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The connection between the City of Edmonton and the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry goes back a long way.
On August 12, 1914 at the Prince of Wales Armouries in Edmonton, 12 men of the Edmonton Caledonian Pipe Band, some of whom may have been police officers with the Edmonton Police Service, joined the fledgling Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) under the leadership of Pipe-Major John Colville, a veteran who reported for duty in Hunting Stewart Tartan and announced to the Commanding Officer that "We came (Sir) to pipe you to France and back again".
Their intention was to pipe the regiment over to the battlefields and, like so many of their compatriots be home in time for Christmas.
In the four long years in which they would serve their King and country, the bandsmen acted with honour and distinction, earning numerous awards and honours. Pipe Major John Colville and Pipe Sergeant Henry Laing were mentioned in dispatches. Piper/Sergeant John MacDonald, Piper Jock Robertson and Bass Drummer (Tambour) William Miller were awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. Sergeant John Ritchie was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.
In addition to providing support on the battlefield through their music, the bandsmen acted as stretcher-bearers on the battlefields of France and Belgium. Both these duties were treacherous; unarmed pipers playing the original regimental march "All Blue Bonnets Are Over the Border" were the first over the top and later, at the conclusion of the battle, the men were sent, again unarmed, into no-man’s land to retrieve the dead and wounded. While these duties were of immediate benefit to the ordinary soldier, the originals had a third duty. They were, to a man, immigrants to Canada, from towns and villages in Scotland and fluent in Gaelic. At some point during the war, it was discovered that the enemy was intercepting communications between PPCLI Headquarters and the front lines. It was decided that the linguistic talents of the men should be taken advantage of and orders were given that any further communications would be conducted in Gaelic. With bandsmen at Headquarters and on the front lines, the order was easily followed.
Prior to demobilization in the spring of 1919, the men played at the wedding of the regiment’s Colonel-in-Chief, Princess Patricia. It was to be one of the final performances. At demobilization, the men returned to their civilian lives and the band ceased to exist until 1959 when members of the Service, most of whom were Scottish and Irish expatriates, expressed an interest in forming a band. Two years of practice paid off on November 9, 1961, when Chief Constable M.F.E. Anthony gave his official sanction and the Edmonton Police Service Pipes and Drums became the official band of the Edmonton Police Service.
The band was invited to play at the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry’s Beat the Retreat service in 1964, resurrecting the wartime relationship. Three years later, the band was asked to play for the regimental Trooping of the Colours and with the regiment’s brass band at Alberta’s Centennial Tattoo celebrating the 100th anniversary of the confederation of Canada.
On the 4th of February 1972. the Pipes and Drums of the Edmonton Police Service was presented with the authority to wear the badge of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and since then they have proudly worn the PPCLI cap badge on their sporrans.
In addition to the 3 PPCLI, Edmonton is also the home of both 1 PPCLI as well as the Reserve (Militia) Batallion, The Loyal Edmonton Regiment (4 PPCLI).
2 PPCLI is stationed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, while Army Cadet Unit 2483 PPCLI makes its home in Victoria, British Columbia.
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