Question of the Hour

[Spr.Earl]

Jaegers?

Anyways, I thought I'd try this quiz game.   In 2002 during Operation Anaconda, the 3PPCLI BG air-assaulted into a geographic feature known as "The Whale" located in the Shah-i-kot Valley; where did this name for this feature originate from?

Because the geographic feature looked like the back of a whale?
A very long rising hump and declining on the reverse side?
Or was it because it was a bitch for all?

 

[armyvern]

Because the geographic feature looked like the back of a whale?
A very long rising hump and declining on the reverse side?
Or was it because it was a ***** for all?

I think Infanteer is teasing us...he was here today..but gave no hints to if we were correct or not?? Perhaps he has forgotten he was going to play this game and posted a question? Relief...we need relief!!

 

[vangemeren]

Here goes my first attempt:

King George never said such a thing, infact he never existed; it was Edward VIII who said it to Charlotte Fullman in 1936 at the unveiling of the Vimmy Memorial. She was a widower that married Fredrick Wood, who already had 6 boys. They would have 7 children together. The oldest son (not named in my source) died in South Africa in 1900. Fullman, Wood and the four youngest children emigrated to Canada in 1905. All of the 11 boys and Fred were either in the British or Canadian military by 1916.

Fred- Killed at the Somme 1916
Louis- Lost at sea when HMS Houge was torpedoed in 1914
Joseph- Survived Gallipoli and the Somme, killed at  Passchendaele in 1917
William- survived
Arthur- survived
Alfred- seriously wounded, survived
Frederick- survived
John- seriously wounded, survived
Herbert- survived
Harry- killed at Gallipoli in 1918
Percy- killed at Vimy in 1917 (at the age of 17)
Charles- survived

Source:
http://www.cwgc.org/education/imp_pop/family_can.htm

 

[armyvern]

Here goes my first attempt:

King George never said such a thing, infact he never existed; it was Edward VIII who said it to Charlotte Fullman in 1936 at the unveiling of the Vimmy Memorial. She was a widower that married Fredrick Wood, who already had 6 boys. They would have 7 children together. The oldest son (not named in my source) died in South Africa in 1900. Fullman, Wood and the four youngest children emigrated to Canada in 1905. All of the 11 boys and Fred were either in the British or Canadian military by 1916.

Fred- Killed at the Somme 1916
Louis- Lost at sea when HMS Houge was torpedoed in 1914
Joseph- Survived Gallipoli and the Somme, killed at   Passchendaele in 1917
William- survived
Arthur- survived
Alfred- seriously wounded, survived
Frederick- survived
John- seriously wounded, survived
Herbert- survived
Harry- killed at Gallipoli in 1918
Percy- killed at Vimy in 1917 (at the age of 17)
Charles- survived

Source:
http://www.cwgc.org/education/imp_pop/family_can.htm

Oh my very very BAD!! You are correct.
The eldest son's name was Richard, who died during the Kroonstad typhoid epidemic of May 1900, while serving with the British Army in South Africa.
In 1901 when the youngest son (Charles) was born the ages of the other children were as follows:
Louis (aged 19), Joseph (18), William (17), Arthur (15), Alfred (14), Ellen (12), Frederick (10), John (7), Herbert (6), Harry (4), Percy (2).
Originally known as "Canada's War Mother," Mrs. Charlotte Wood came to be Canada's first Silver Cross Mother. She was buried upon her death at age 78, 11 October 1939, in an unmarked grave at Lot 113, Section 52, of Brookside Cemetery in Winnipeg Manitoba.
She was finally given a grave marker on 3 June 2003, with an official dedication ceremony occuring on the 15th of that month. It was truly deserved.
http://www.hellfire-corner.demon.co.uk/ceris.htm

 

[Infanteer]

Okay, here is the answer from Stephan Biddle's Afghanistan and the Future of Warfare:

Figures 3 and 4 show broader samples of the Shah-i-kot battlefield on which Anaconda was fought, including the features known as "The Whale" (after a similar rock formation at the U.S. National Training Center at Ft. Irwin California)....

Biddle gives no source, so I can't back the veracity of his statement, but his work is generally top-notch.  I just found the notion interesting - campaigning Armies tend to name features in strange areas after familiar things that are close to home; The Whale is no different.

 

[geo]

OK... let's try this question on for size:
The country is England;
1) In what year did they abolish the buying of Commissions? and....
2) before the deed was done; how low could you go; what was the largest rank available for purchase?

 

[North Star]

Hello,

I think purchase was abolished in 1871, as part of a series of reforms. The government spent about six million pounds to buy the commissions back.

Officers could purchase their rank from Ensign/2Lt up to the rank of LCol. Col was usually given after a few years of service at LCol. However, if the officer in question was promoted to General level rank he lost his investment.

 

[geo]

Norstar you got it on the money........

Officers commissions including that of Lcols were purchased at generally high prices, which varied according to the branch and corps. However, it was necessary to fulfill certain conditions and to be approved by the officers and by the commander in chief of the army, who was directly responsible to the king. The purchasing of commissions was only abolished in 1871.

 

[redleafjumper]

Here's another commission question:  The signatures of which officials appear on the current commission scrolls of Canadian officers?

 

[armyvern]

The signature of the Governor General of Canada appears in the middle of the scroll and that of the Minister of National Defense appears at it's bottom:

http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/community/mapleleaf/html_files/html_view_e.asp?page=Vol4_12____entrenous14_15

 

[geo]

OK....
How about, which signature (or signatures) appear on the Chief Warrant Officer's "Warrant scroll"?

 

[larry Strong]

Are they not the same?

 

[redleafjumper]

No, they aren't the same.  If I correctly recall one that I saw several years ago, the warrants are signed by the Chief of the Defence Staff.  Geo will certainly sort us out when the guesses all fade!  Armyvern's answer on the commission scroll is correct.

All these questions might make a great board game - Army.ca trivial pursuit, or some such thing. 

 

[redleafjumper]

What are the names of the two people who circulated a petition to form a military unit in North Vancouver in 1910?  What was the unit and who was the first CO?  For bonus points, what year was it actually formed?

 

[geo]

with respect to Redleafjumper's CDS suggestion - nope
with respect to Larry's answer...... well it depends... (yeah - trick question)

The warrant has gone through a number of editions over the last number of years.

Mine was signed by the Minister of National Defence while those that have been issued over the last couple of years have, in fact, been signed by both the MND and the Governor General.

 

[redleafjumper]

That was a good question Geo.   Those warrants are certainly more rare than commission scrolls!

 

[geo]

School of hard knocks

 

[geo]

What are the names of the two people who circulated a petition to form a military unit in North Vancouver in 1910?   What was the unit and who was the first CO?   For bonus points, what year was it actually formed?

On the eve of World War I there were several Lower Mainland militia units,
the 6th Regiment (Duke of Connaught's Own Rifles);
New Westminster's infantry regiment:
No. 18 Field Ambulance, Army Medical Corps (founded 1909);
the 6th Field Company, Canadian Engineers (1910) of North Vancouver;
the 72nd Seaforth Highlanders (1910);
No. 19 Company, Army Service Corps (1912);
No. 19 Company, Canadian Signal Corps (1912); and
the 11th Regiment, Irish Fusiliers of Canada (1913).

A meeting was held on May 11th 1909 Present were: Mr. Alexander Morrison (elected chairman), Dr. S.J. Tunstall, McC Hutchinson, D.C. McGregor, C.W. Sarel, Alexander Sim, J.W. Manson, Maj. J. Duff Stuart, Capt. J.S. Tait, Capt. A. Rowan, Lieut. Jas. Sclater, and Mr. A. McKinlay.
The delegates met again on January 17th, 1910 with two more members present; Mr. H.O. Bell-Irving and Mr. J. McGlashan. It was reported that application had been sent to the Minister of Militia to raise a Highland regiment in Vancouver.  It had been decided to apply for the number 72, that of the Seaforths in Scotland, and that number being vacant on the Militia List.
On July 15th, 1910 The Militia Department signified its approval of the formation of a Vancouver regiment bearing the number 72, and wearing the same uniform and tartan (Mackenzie No. 2) as the Seaforth Highlanders of the Imperial service. the authorization for the formation of the new regiment was received from the Militia Department on November 24th, 1910.  It was decided that Capt. R.G. Edward Leckie would become the Commanding Officer of the 72nd Highlanders.  Consent to the name 'Seaforth' in the title; Seaforth Highlanders of Canada, was received from the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Imperial Seaforths in a letter dated April 11th, 1911.

 

[redleafjumper]

Geo, that's a darn fine guess, and well-researched.  The North Vancouver unit that you mention, the 6th Field Engineers, formed in 1910 is part of the correct answer.
Do you, (or others) have the rest of the information on that unit?

 

[armyvern]

Geo, that's a darn fine guess, and well-researched.   The North Vancouver unit that you mention, the 6th Field Engineers, formed in 1910 is part of the correct answer.
Do you, (or others) have the rest of the information on that unit?

Major James Pemberton Fell (Retired as a Colonel) was the first CO of the 6th Field Engineers but I can not find any refernece to a petition that began them.