Admiral Landymore named 2010 inductee to the Wall of Honour at the Royal Military College of Canada
Well this is timely, isn't it. As an RMC alumnus, I duly received my copy of Veritas in the mail yesterday, to pleasantly discover that Admiral Landymore (this blog's patron, by the way) was inducted to the RMC Wall of Honour, in part for his courageous stance against unification. The great admiral became embroiled in a bitter public disagreement over the unification of the Canadian Armed Forces and resigned from the Royal Canadian Navy on 19 July 1966. Here is his citation as printed in Veritas:
2399 REAR-ADMIRAL WILLIAM MOSS “BILL” LANDYMORE
OBE, CD, MID
1916 – 2008
Born in Brantford, Ontario, in 1916, the only son of Dr. Frederick and Gladys (Moss) Landymore, Bill Landymore enrolled in the Royal Military College of Canada in 1934. The College motto, ”Truth, Duty, Valour,” was to be the inspiration for his 32-year military career. Landymore entered the RCN in 1936 as a midshipman, and saw service in Palestine, World War II and Korea. He served with distinction in 13 RN & RCN ships, as well as training the gunnery crews of seven allied ships at Scapa Flow in 1943. In WWII, he survived the sinking of HMCS Fraser and HMCS Margaree, and was awarded a Mention-In-Dispatches (MID) on the Murmansk Convoys.
He commanded HMCS Iroquois for two tours of duty in Korea, was awarded a second MID, and as Commander, Canadian Destroyers Far East, became an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. Following the war, he commanded HMCS Bonaventure, Canada’s last aircraft carrier. His final sea-going appointment was Senior Canadian Officer Afloat Atlantic.
Landymore served as both Flag Officer Pacific and Atlantic and was twice appointed Senior Officer in Chief Command Atlantic Sub-Area. He led the Canadian Naval Contingent in the United Allied Parade, 14 June 1942 in London, and he was Parade Commander when H. M. Queen Elizabeth II presented her colour to the RCN, 1 August 1959. His final act of service earned him a place of honour among Canada’s naval supporters. A staunch opponent of unification, Admiral Landymore refused to sacrifice his principles to save his career. Foreseeing problems that unification would bring for the Navy, and to the morale of its sailors, he argued his case forcefully. Many of the unification initiatives that ended the Royal Canadian Navy have since been reversed.
In retirement, Bill Landymore served as Chairman of the Board of the Grace Hospital, Halifax, for which he was awarded the Salvation Army Cross of the Order of Distinguished Auxiliary Service. Throughout his life, he thought of others for whom he was responsible before himself. He gave generously of his time, skill and resources, particularly encouraging education of special needs children.
Plaque inscription: Distinguished naval flag officer, honored by peers and subordinates, volunteer leader.
A great man. He would be rolling in his grave if he knew that the Navy has a chance to be Royal again and there are actually flag officers who are either against or, if in favour, afraid to speak out.
ReplyDeleteNo kidding. It is not a good thing for our serving and retired flag officers to be offside of where our veterans are. I am going to crack that nut later on, as I know many retired senior officers who have signed the petition, but are totally mum inside the Naval Officers Association.
ReplyDeleteAgree, the absences of the Navy League and the Naval Officers Association are conspicuous. Apparently, they follow CMS's lead. So much for being independent lobby groups.
ReplyDeleteWe have not actually tested the waters at both those groups yet, because we are aware of the politics there. That said, we will be writing them soon enough, but there are just so many associations out there, we've been very busy leaving them alone for now.
ReplyDeleteBTW, this is outstanding work you're doing. A big BZ to you.
ReplyDeleteBased on the perceived concerns from some of these retired admirals, I was wondering if any Quebec based groups had been approached. It would be nice to show that Francophones have a stake in this also.
ReplyDeleteThe White Ensign Club of Montreal is likely to provide an endorsement.
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