A demonstration of military pageantry, the unveiling of The RCR Cenotaph and the presentation of Colours by HRH Prince Philip, were important milestones not only for the Regiment, but also for the London, ON community. The occasion called for detailed, in-advance preparations. A quick glance at the program printed for attending guests, shows the complexity of the project as well as the admirable work done by all who contributed to the double-event. The Duke of Edinburgh held the most important role in both events.
Each event had its own separate program, a limited number were leather bound together to include both the unveiling of the Cenotaph and the presentation of Colours. This is one of these copies that belonged to Lieutenant Colonel D.B. Weldon. At the time, D.B. Weldon was Honorary Lieutenant Colonel of the 3rd Battalion, The RCR (London and Oxford Fusiliers), one of the battalions receiving new Colours. Unlike the other recipient, the 1st Battalion, which represented the ties of the The RCR with the establishment of a permanent force in Canada back to the mid 1880s, the 3rd Battalion was, at that time, more closely connected to the local military history through its links in the local militia regiments from which it had been formed (the London 7th Regiment of Fusiliers and the neighbouring Oxford Fusiliers in Woodstock, ON).
DATE: 1959
Provenence: The Royal Canadian Regiment Collection
Object ID: RCRM2019.004.0001