They are our fathers, brothers, mothers, sisters, and neighbours. They are heroes. Canada’s veterans. Their courage, service and sacrifice will never be forgotten. On Nov. 11, let us remember them.
In the days leading to Remembrance Day, it is important to take a moment to remember the many local residents and Parks Canada staff who served their country in both wartime and peacekeeping missions.
Throughout the years, local Parks personnel have served Canada in wartime with distinction. One prominent example is the very first permanent park superintendent of Jasper, Colonel Maynard Rogers. Appointed park superintendent in 1913, Rogers became the Commanding Officer of Winnipeg’s 8th Battalion, known as “The Little Black Devils” on Aug. 16, 1914.
During the First World War, Colonel Rogers led his battalion into the battlefields of Europe before eventually securing the commanding position of the Valcartier Training Base, a post he would hold for the remainder of the war, before coming back to Jasper.
Rogers had a lasting impact on Jasper National Park, including hiring the architect A.M. Calderon to construct the iconic Visitor Information Centre building. Lake Annette is also named for his wife. Rogers continued to serve as park superintendent after the First World War until his retirement in 1936.
Today, Jasper National Park remembers our veterans in a variety of ways. The park is home to the Victoria Cross Range Mountains where 17 peaks are set aside to honour the memory of Canadians who have been awarded the Victoria Cross—Canada’s highest military honour.
Currently, six peaks have been named for Victoria Cross recipients who have roots in Alberta:
- Mount Kerr is named after John Chipman Kerr who was awarded the Victoria Cross during the battle of the Somme. He survived the war, and died in Port Moody, B.C. in 1963.
- Mount Pattison is named after John George Pattison who enlisted in 1916 and won his Victoria Cross during the battle of Vimy Ridge. He was killed two months later during an attack on the generating station at Lievin, near Lens.
- Mount Zengel is named for Raphael Louis Zengel, a prairie farmer who won his Victoria Cross during fighting near Amiens in 1918. He died in 1977 in Rocky Mountain House, Alta.
- Mount Kinross is named for Cecil John Kinross who was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions during the attack on Passchendaele in October of 1917 during the Third Battle of Ypres, or Passchendaele. He survived the war and died in 1957 in Lougheed, Alta.
- Mount McKean is named after George Burdon McKean who got his Victoria Cross for his work with the 14th Canadian Infantry Battalion near Vimy Ridge. He survived the war and died in England in 1926.
One mountain outside the Victoria Cross Range is also named for a Victoria Cross recipient. Mount Bazalgette is named for Squadron Leader Ian Willoughby Bazalgette who was “master bomber” of a Pathfinder Squadron (No. 635 Squadron). He was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions during a bombing raid on Aug. 4, 1944 in which he was killed. In 1949, the mountain in Jasper National Park was named after him. Squadron-Leader Bazalgette is buried in France.
Over the last year, Jasper National Park has honoured Canada’s veterans through a number of commemorations of significant anniversaries from the First World War. These included the 100th anniversary of the death of Edith Cavell and the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War I. Jasper residents and visitors to Jasper National Park were able to attend a commemoration service on Aug. 4, 2014 to mark the beginning of the Great War. Throughout the summer months, Parks Canada interpreters also offered a themed guided hike called “Remembering World War I” to introduce visitors to the military heritage of Jasper National Park and the stories of a number of Jasper’s distinguished war veterans.
Jasper National Park would like to thank Jasper’s veterans for their service and encourages visitors and residents to take a moment on Nov. 11 to remember and honour those who have given so much to protect our democratic and peaceful way of life, including those men and women who are proudly serving in uniform today.
For more information about Remembrance Day and the contributions of Canada’s veterans, please visit the “We Remember Them” page on the Government of Canada’s website.
Parks Canada
Special to the Fitzhugh
