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Dan Snow's History Hit podcast featured a tank commander from WW2, David Render, and it was a compelling story of men at war. David's war began a few days after D-Day, where he started losing men before he even hit the beach.
That was a rough introduction to WW2, and the guy was only nineteen years old. For all his achievements in the war, he is still a humble team player, recognizing that he didn't win the war, but the small contributions of everyone involved did. There is a good story about David Render on the Telegraph.
David is in the process of finishing his book, Tank Action: An Armoured Troop Commander's War 1944–45
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There is a call from the Queen's Own Rifles for anyone who may know of the locations of missing Enfields on a monument to the Canadian Volunteers. The monument was built to memorialize the Battle of Ridgeway in 1866, where inexperienced Canadians faced up to battle hardened Fenian invaders.
Canadian Volunteers Monument, missing the rifles and the hands that held them.
Picture from Wikimedia contributor Captmondo
The Fenian Brotherhood invaded Canada in 1866 in an attempt to free Ireland from British dominion. Their plan was too seize enough Canadian assets to bring England to the bargaining table. Their ranks were filled with men fresh from the battles of the American Civil War. The Canadians on the other hand were somewhat less experienced.
Battle of Ridgeway
The Fenians could have been stopped by US authorities, but British support of the Confederacy stayed their hand. The Canadians got clobbered at the Battle of Ridgeway, and the US finally intervened and cut off the Fenians logistical support, causing them to finally withdraw. To the Canadians credit, the Fenians tried again to invade in 1870, and a single volley from Canadian Volunteers drove them out of the country.
The Volunteers monument in 1890
The Canadian Volunteers monument is the oldest in Canada, built in 1870 in Queen's Park, Toronto. It has recently come to light that the soldier's marble rifles are missing, and have been missing for some time. The Queen's Own Rifles would like them returned and have sent out a call to that effect. The perpetrators might very well be dead and gone, as a photo from 1890 show the rifles already gone, although it looks like there are plenty of real Enfields close by. There is also speculation on my part as to what kind of rifles they were. The Canadian Volunteers were carrying Pattern 1853 Enfield rifles, but the QOR, who was also present, were carrying Spencer Repeating rifles.
Spencer Repeating Rifle, picture by Wikimedia user F-35
Pattern 1853 Enfield
