Major-General W.M. Holmes MBE, CD
Colonel of the Regiment
The Royal Canadian Regiment


Regimental Headquarters
The Royal Canadian Regiment
Wolseley Barracks, 750 Elizabeth Street
London  ON  N5Y 4T7

     September 2006


Dear Fellow Royals,

   This is my first formal communication to the Regimental family since taking over as Colonel of the Regiment in June.  I am delighted to be back in uniform, if only in an honourary capacity, and to be able to continue to serve all components of our great Regiment. We have much to be proud of and I am writing to bring you up-to-date on a project that I believe will serve to enhance our reputation with Canadians and inform them of the valued service that our Regiment has and continues provided to Canada from our earliest days to the present.   

   At the June 2005 Senate meeting issue of the new Regimental history under preparation by Colonel Bernd Horn was discussed.  The outcome of that discussion was the acceptance of a wider more encompassing "RCR History Project" proposed by Colonel Bernd Horn, our Regimental Historian.  The project entails two main components - first; the creation of a useable, catalogued archives and second; an updated populist history of our Regiment.  The decision to opt for a more modern, readable account of our entire history was predicated on the fact that the existing volumes are out of print and not written in a style that appeals to our younger members or the public at large. It should be noted that Colonel Horn is a regular serving officer with a full work schedule who has volunteered to write the history in what little personal spare time he has and we are indebted to him for taking on such a monumental task.

   As such, the "History Project" is well under way.  We have contracted a professional archivist who has made outstanding progress.  Although not complete, our archives are now organized, catalogued and easily accessible in accordance with professional standards for archival material.  In fact, our archives are now a significant repository for our Regimental history and will serve as a key resource for all Royals, as well as scholars and researchers.  I would encourage those of you who may have any documentary historical material (or copies thereof) stashed away in your homes or elsewhere to donate them to our archives through our Regimental Headquarters in London.

   The second part of the project is also moving along but given Colonel Horn's personal commitments progress is at times limited.  This reality, as well as other considerations, led the Regimental Leadership to decide to break-up the populist history into two parts.  The first volume will be titled, For Country: Establishing a Legacy of Service, 1883-1953. It will cover the period from the Regiment's founding in 1883 until the end of the Korean War and it will be ready for our 125th anniversary celebrations in the summer of 2008. The follow-on volume will be titled, For Country: From the Cold War to the New Millennium, 1954-2008 and should be ready a year or so later. This volume will include material from the Cold War period to our contemporary operations now ongoing in Afghanistan.

   Regimental histories by their very nature are only written once every thirty to forty years so every one of us has a remit to assist in ensuring the story told is as accurate and all encompassing as possible. After all it is our history and we are all responsible for maintaining the traditions, stories and experiences that collectively make up that history.  Also the importance and timeliness of this project to our Regiment as our military transitions to the challenge of the contemporary operating environment can't be over emphasized. We therefore all have an obligation to ensure that the current "public record" is as accessible and appealing as possible. 

   In this context I encourage you to contact Colonel Bernd Horn and provide material that will assist him in documenting our past and our present.  Photographs, journals, documents of all sorts will be returned to the donor or entered into the archives (donor's choice).  Colonel Horn will also being doing interviews, however, be aware that he will only conduct the interview once he has reached the respective time period in his writing.  Therefore, if you are a Cold War warrior and have not yet been interviewed, the reason is he is not ready for you.  Nonetheless, research and writing are two different processes, so your historical material would be appreciated at any time.  In the end, if you have any questions, or can be of assistance, do not hesitate to contact Bernd at 613 541 6000 extension 6977 or horn.b@forces.gc.ca .

   In closing I encourage all Royal Canadians to become involved, it's our history so we all need to play a part "in writing it."

Pro Patria       
   

(original signed by)
Major General W.M. Holmes, MBE, CD (Ret'd)
Colonel of the Regiment
The Royal Canadian Regiment