Major John Keefer MahonyMelfa River, Italy
May 24th, 1944
The Westminster Regiment
John Keefer Mahony was born in New Westminster, British Columbia, on the 30th of June 1911. He received his education at the Duke of Connaught High School, New Westminster and then entered the world of journalism as a reporter with the 'Vancouver Province'. Prior to the outbreak of war he had been an officer in the Westminster Regiment of the militia and he was among the first to enlist for active service. On the cessation of hostilities he remained in the army until 1962 serving successively as Commandant Cadet Officer of the Western Command, Director of Publications for the Canadian Army and Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster-General of the Western Ontario Area. On the 5th of April 1954, Lieutenant-Colonel Mahony went to Washington, D.C. as Canadian Army Liaison Officer. He retired to London, Ontario where he engaged in youth work. At his own request, he was buried without a military funeral. He died on the 16th of December 1990.
Citation
On the 24th May, 1944, "A" Company of the Westminster Regiment (Motor), under the command of Major Mahony, was ordered to establish the initial bridgehead across the River Melfa.
The enemy still had strong forces of tanks..... Present day...I left the house this morning with no clear destination in mind, with a report that there were Rememberance Day Ceremonies at City Hall and the Mutart Conservatory. The Royal Edmonton Regiment Museum also had some activities. I knew there was a cenotaph at the Legion hall on 82nd Street and 111th Ave also. I didn't know where to go as I left at about 10:15am but I figured I would just head towards downtown and see. I took 82nd street south and was stopped at a red light on 153ave when I glanced over at the car beside me. And lo..sitting in the passenger seat was a kid in a green beret, a cadet. Huh. I had an idea then and rolled down my window. I started waving my hand to get his attention and mimed rolling down his window when he looked over. He got this puzzled look on his face and said something to the driver. I mimed again and after getting another odd look from the driver, he rolled it down. Without thinking it through, the first words out of my mouth were, "Where are you guys going?".....Another odd look later and I realized what I had said and so decided to elaborate. I pointed to my forehead, tapping it lightly, and asked again where they were going. It took another couple seconds for them to get my...meaning and the cadet(with the beret on his head) spoke up then saying they were going to the Cenotaph Parade at the Legion Hall. The light changed then and after smiling my thanks we moved out.
Now for a bit of history. From age 14 to the day I turned 19 I was a cadet with the 1922 Royal Westminster Regiment Army Cadets in Aldergrove, BC. Each year with that corp I paraded in the Rememberance Day Ceremonies. I also did a stint as Cenotaph Guard for two of those years. Those were some defining, character building years that have carried me through to this day. Being a Cadet with The Westies were good, good years, and I was very proud to represent. And this is where it starts to get interesting.
I knew where I was going then. And it occurred to me that I had been willing to let fate decide where I would end up today. And as always, She stepped up. Three times.
I arrived at the Cenotaph at about fifteen to eleven. The parking lot was filled with people and I saw that the cadets were assembling just around the edge of the Legion building. I made my way through the crowd until I had a fairly clear view of the dias and didn't have to wait more than a couple of minutes when the flag party was marched on along with the cadet guard. It made me smile. Two different Cadet units represented today. There were the requisite speeches and then we sang O Canada. Now I haven't sung this song in many many years. I knew the words though and today I really felt good singing our National Anthem aloud and from the heart. And then dear Fate turned her little 5 year old head right around and looked up at me as I was singing the last three lines. And I felt..It...in that moment. She, this little child, was who and what we are standing guard for. I felt a lot in that fleeting moment and in the end I couldn't help but smile as I finished those three lines looking down at her, singing them to her. And you know, she smiled at me too.
Only two cadets *fell* out of formation during the proceedings. Pale and near to fainting both took a knee before they thundered in. Wise. *smile* Roadrash on the nose hurts.
So the ceremonies concluded and I offered to help a Veteran take some pictures of himself with a few other Lady Veterans on the Cenotaph dias. And then I was asked by MLA Billy Bonko to take his picture with those same Veterans. He was nice.
It was time to go inside then and I lined up with all the other *adults* to go into the main celebration hall. It felt weird because usually(yeah ok so a long time ago) I would spend the afterward with the rest of the cadets chowing down on hotdogs and kool-aid. So, as the line moved down Memory Lane I was able to see a bit of the history of this particular Legion and it's members. There were old pictures of soldiers and countrysides from long ago, plaques and framed lists of both the living and fallen.
And then...yeppers, Fate was standing around the corner at the head of that line.
Apparently it was $5 to get into the Main Hall for the *after* celebrations and I didn't have it. Oh well I sighed, and I broke out of line to have a look at the rest of the pictures and plaques. The last framed display tucked away near the foot of some stairs caught my eye. It was a memorial to about twelve Victoria Cross recipients.
The Victoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the British realm’s highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy. It has precedence over any other of our Sovereign’s awards or Commonwealth decorations.
The Victoria Cross was founded by Royal Warrant on 29 January 1856. The Cross itself is cast from the bronze of cannons captured at Sevastopol during the Crimean War. The design, chosen by Queen Victoria, consists of a cross with the Royal Crest resting upon a scroll bearing the words ‘For Valour’.Each of the twelve recipients -read Heros- were depicted by a colour sketch under which were the place, date where they had earned this award were written. As I looked over these men I began to see something that I had been needing over the past months, and I was finding it there on that wall. These men were true Heros, their stories moving.
And I recognized one of them.
I just couldn't place where I had seen this person before. "Why did he look so familiar?" Went through my mind. I glanced around at the others then wondering, crazily, if any of the others were familiar. And no they weren't, but it was then I noticed that under each picture and their write-up were the Cap Badges of their respective Regiments. I looked back at this so familiar face and looked down and saw my
Regimental Cap Badge.
Major John Keefer Mahony was a member of The Westminster Regiment, long ago. He was a Hero and I remembered then that his photograph was hung in our Cadet Corp.
All this may not mean anything to anyone else, but tonight I sit here and write about this experience because I still need to thank a Veteren today. Major Mahony was a Veteran, a Hero, and a Citizen who represented Canada in defending our borders.
So to Major John Keefer Mahony, and indeed to all Veterans everywhere, you have my heartfelt thanks and admiration for going above and beyond to keep safe all that we are as a Nation, our ideals, people and way of life.
But you should know that I am sad. Sad that there is such hate in this world that you had to be tried to the end of your limit to maintain these things. And so I'll leave this post with a poem that even now, though I have read it many times, makes me cringe and want to rail for those who perished so terribly in wars that should never be.
Dulce et Decorum est Pro Patria Mori
