VETERAN BANNERS

Piper James Cleland Richardson VC (25 November 1895 – 8/9 October 1916) 

Victoria Cross Citation

For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty when, prior to attack, he obtained permission from his Commanding Officer to play his company "over the top".

As the Company approached the objective, it was held up by very strong wire and came under intense fire, which caused heavy casualties and demoralised the formation for the moment. Realising the situation, Piper Richardson strode up and down outside the wire, playing his pipes with the greatest coolness. The effect was instantaneous. Inspired by his splendid example, the company rushed the wire with such fury and determination that the obstacle was overcome and the position captured.

Later, after participating in bombing operations, he was detailed to take back a wounded comrade and prisoners.

After proceeding about 200 yards, Piper Richardson remembered that he had left his pipes behind. Although strongly urged not to do so, he insisted on returning to recover his pipes. He has never been seen since, and death has been presumed accordingly owing to lapse of time.

The Chilliwack Museum and Archives website War Memorial section presents a full bigiography of Piper Richardson

Piper Richardson is commemorated on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial and on Page 154 of the First World War Book of Remembrance. 

A statue in memory of Piper Richardson was unveiled on the grounds of the Chilliwack Museum and Archives in 2003.

Piper Richardson's Bagpipes

Richardson's bagpipes were believed to have been lost in the mud of the Somme for almost 90 years until 2002, when the Pipe Major of The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary's) responded to an Internet posting. He discovered that Ardvreck preparatory school in Crieff (Perthshire, Scotland) had possession of a set of bagpipes with the unique Lennox tartan on them, the same tartan used by the pipers of the 16th (Canadian Scottish) Battalion.

A British Army Chaplain, Major Edward Yeld Bate, had found the pipes in 1917 and brought them back home after the war to a school in Scotland where he was a teacher. The pipes were unidentified for several decades, and served as a broken, mud-caked, and blood-stained reminder of an unknown piper from the Great War.

Andrew Winstanley of The Canadian Club and Pipe Major Roger McGuire were largely responsible for the investigative work into identifying Richardson's pipes. With the support of The Canadian Club and a group of patriotic citizens, Pipe Major McGuire travelled to Scotland in January 2003 to help identify the pipes that had been displayed at Ardvreck School for over seven decades. Tomas Christie, a parent of students there and also a piper, initiated the search for the origin of the pipes.

Their collective effort led to conclusive evidence that identified the pipes as those played by Piper Richardson on that day in 1916. An anonymous donor facilitated the purchase of the pipes on behalf of the citizens of Canada. In October 2006, a party of dignitaries visited Scotland and received the pipes from the Headmaster of Ardvreck School for repatriation to Canada.[7]

On 8 November 2006, the bagpipes were officially repatriated when troops from The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary's) placed them at the British Columbia Legislature as a reminder of a generation's valour. They are currently on public display.

Corporal Bryan Robert Kormendy (29 April 1972 - 8 August 1995)

1 Combat Engineering Regiment

Bryan Kormendy served on multiple peacekeeping tours as a member of 1 Combat Engineering Regiment and was preparing for another in the former Yugoslavia when he was lost in a training accident on Vedder Mountain.

Corporal Kormendy is remembered on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial and is commemorated on Page 199 of the In the Service of Canada (1947 - 2014) Book of Remembrance