# Eligibility for the Seventh Book of Remembrance



## Sojer (3 Dec 2010)

In July 1977, at CFB Dundurn, Saskatchewan, a young female private from MP company was killed in a service-related motor vehicle accident. That private - as with all of us who served there - signed pay sheets for a full 24-hour period, each day. 

I received a letter yesterday from Jean-Pierre Blackburn (the Veteran's Affairs Minister) that, according to DND, no such death or mishap took place in Dundurn in 1977.

I was in Dundurn that summer, and a young private (female) was definitely killed there, as has been confirmed by other members who were also serving in Dundurn at the time.

Does anyone out there remember her name, or where she was from?


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## a78jumper (14 Dec 2010)

I somehow am not surprised-I made a inquiry regarding the omission of MCpl Denis Regimbald, a 911 Sup Tech who died while serving with 3 PPCLI during a road move from Chicolten to Wainwright in Dec '81 and basically was told the same story as you. I know the man died because I was tasked with inventorying all his worldly goods and returning those belonging to DND to Supply. VA needs to do a little research-somewhere for example there must be copies of the CFSO's that used to among other things announce deaths, at least in the Reg Force. 

I still remember being really ticked off when the Board recommended to NOK, his parents, who I recall were from Laval, QC, to sell all his stuff. The government was too cheap to ship the items back to Quebec from Esquimalt on their nickel. I think they squaked, rightly so, and the F&E was finally shipped to them. 

Good luck with this.


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## Michael OLeary (14 Dec 2010)

I would suggest in each case that if you can find local newspaper articles about the deaths it may provide the details needed by VAC.  VAC is limited to the available information, which isn't always comprehensive for past events, and if they can't find the necessary confirmation in surviving files, then they are stuck until new information is provided.


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## Sojer (22 Dec 2010)

This just in...according to military author and researcher Darrell Knight in Calgary, it appears the girl killed at CFB Dundurn was a "child soldier" of the CF Reserve. She was seventeen-year-old Private Darlene Leona BARKLEY, killed in a motor vehicle mishap allegedly caused by a sexual impropriety (i.e., sexual attack by a regular force NCO) that DND moved heaven and earth to hide the facts of, even from the Veterans Affairs minister.

BARKLEY was killed on Wednesday 27 July 1977, then shipped to Saskatoon from the field and on to Edmonton asap without accessing Dundurn base hospital, and as quietly as was possible. There was, according to witnesses serving at Dundurn that summer, no memorial service or press statement to the troops in Saskatchewan, and members of the CF Reserve asking questions in the aftermath were advised of a gag order.

A military funeral was conducted by Rev. Captain R. Brown for BARKLEY at CFB Edmonton (St. John's Protestant Chapel) on Tuesday 2 August 1977, with arrangements made by Park memorial ltd., from whence she was buried at Evergreen Memorial Gardens in Edmonton.

Pte. Darlene BARKLEY was indeed one of the "officially forgotten," victimized KIA "comfort women" of the Canadian Forces Reserve, circa 1977.


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## the 48th regulator (22 Dec 2010)

Sojer said:
			
		

> This just in...according to military author and researcher Darrell Knight in Calgary, it appears the girl killed at CFB Dundurn was a "child soldier" of the CF Reserve. She was seventeen-year-old Private Darlene Leona BARKLEY, killed in a motor vehicle mishap allegedly caused by a sexual impropriety (i.e., sexual attack by a regular force NCO) that DND moved heaven and earth to hide the facts of, even from the Veterans Affairs minister.
> 
> BARKLEY was killed on Wednesday 27 July 1977, then shipped to Saskatoon from the field and on to Edmonton asap without accessing Dundurn base hospital, and as quietly as was possible. There was, according to witnesses serving at Dundurn that summer, no memorial service or press statement to the troops in Saskatchewan, and members of the CF Reserve asking questions in the aftermath were advised of a gag order.
> 
> ...




Do you normally refer to your self in the third person, _researcher Darrell Knight_???

Can you give any links, or proof of your assertions?  All I found was this.  There is no mention of a death or sexual assault.....


dileas

tess


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## Sojer (23 Dec 2010)

Always in the third person, and often in the second. 

You're reference to the Gauntlet article was in regard to a very different jeep accident from February 1977 at CFB Calgary (Sarcee), where it took until 2000 to discover a recommendation for a CDS commendation, and where permanent back and head injuries led to "full denial of benefits from VAC," for want of "records," records that were ordered destroyed by 14th Service Battalion. 

The particulars of the BARKLEY death may be found  - buried - in the Edmonton Journal (obituary column), Friday, July 29, 1977, page 58.

Also, you may wish to access Ms. Catherine Tremblay (Veterans Affairs Canada, "Canada Remembers") at 613 992 4237, for further corroboration of how the troops of the 1970s were "remembered."


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## Journeyman (23 Dec 2010)

Sojer said:
			
		

> .....was indeed one of the "officially forgotten," victimized KIA "comfort women" of the Canadian Forces Reserve...


 :   


> The particulars of the BARKLEY death may be found  - buried - in the Edmonton Journal (obituary column), Friday, July 29, 1977, page 58.


Yes, because no one would suspect there'd be death notices - *buried* - in the obituaries.

I'd refer to myself in the third-person too.


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## Sojer (23 Dec 2010)

For the "thoroughly bored" and for those others who wish to paddle through many years of the Edmonton Journal's past issues, check out the front page of that ubiquitous "rag" from Friday, 11 July, 1952, under the heading "Northern Exercise Pilot Dies As Plane Dives Into Lake," the details of the death of a RCAF Reservist Officer, Flight-Lieutenant Donald John Urquhart, 27 years of age, from 402 "City of Winnipeg" RCAF Auxiliary Squadron. 

Even after the details of Urquhart's death were presented to Minister Blackburn many weeks ago, the Minister claims his underlings have no knowledge of a death in service, or access to Urquhart's service file (?) and consequently, this pilot will not be referred to in the seventh book of remembrance any time soon.

Two weeks after the death of BARKLEY at CFB Dundurn in the summer of 1977, another article appeared in Regina Leader-Post, Front Page, 6 August 1977, detailing a mid-air collision between two aircraft over the former CFB Rivers and subsequent death of Canadian Forces Reserve Lieutenant David Joseph STAMP, 21 years of age, of Edmonton. The name STAMP does not appear in the seventh book of remembrance, nor will it any time soon, under the current Ottawa regime.

For those who wish to read about other forgotten Canadian soldiers and airmen, check out Darrell Knight's latest book, "Artillery Flyers At War - A History of the 664, 665 and 666 'Air Observation Post' Squadrons of the Royal Canadian Air Force," 484 pages, available in hard-cover and softback, from Merriam Press, Bennington, Vermont, USA; this book was awarded an "Alberta Historical Resources Foundation" publication grant of $5000 in 2008.


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## aesop081 (23 Dec 2010)

> was a "child soldier" of the CF Reserve. She was seventeen-year-old



Your use of "child soldier" is misleading. You are attempting to create the impression of something improper with its use. You are aware that being in the military at 17 is perfectly legal right ?


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## Fishbone Jones (23 Dec 2010)

You, sir, are despicable and disgusting. A blight on the low standards already entrenched in the journalistic media.

Your attempt to bolster your own credibility, by acting concerned in the first person, and quoting yourself as a credible source in the third does an injustice to the victim involved. How dare you put your heart on your sleeve to foster your own self interest.

You don't even belong with TMZ, The News of the World or National Enquirer.

Unless you can post verifiable proof of all your outlandish accusations, your stay here will be very short, as will this thread. I only hope none of the friends and family come here and find you trying to make your journalistic bones with your reprehensible misrepresentation of this unfortunate incident.

Milnet.ca Staff


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## Sojer (23 Dec 2010)

...don't forget "dead accurate!"

All of us serving at CFB Dundurn in 1977 knew about the cover-up and the circumstances behind this girl being killed...and for what?.


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## Fishbone Jones (23 Dec 2010)

Sojer said:
			
		

> ...don't forget "dead accurate!"
> 
> All of us serving at CFB Dundurn in 1977 knew about the cover-up and the circumstances behind this girl being killed...and for what?.



In your mind. You haven't provided proof and your clock has just about run out.



> Pte. Darlene BARKLEY was indeed one of the "officially forgotten," victimized KIA "comfort women" of the Canadian Forces Reserve, circa 1977



You're a sick, demeted creep and huckster


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## Fishbone Jones (23 Dec 2010)

Sojer said:
			
		

> For the "thoroughly bored" and for those others who wish to paddle through many years of the Edmonton Journal's past issues, check out the front page of that ubiquitous "rag" from Friday, 11 July, 1952, under the heading "Northern Exercise Pilot Dies As Plane Dives Into Lake," the details of the death of a RCAF Reservist Officer, Flight-Lieutenant Donald John Urquhart, 27 years of age, from 402 "City of Winnipeg" RCAF Auxiliary Squadron.
> 
> Even after the details of Urquhart's death were presented to Minister Blackburn many weeks ago, the Minister claims his underlings have no knowledge of a death in service, or access to Urquhart's service file (?) and consequently, this pilot will not be referred to in the seventh book of remembrance any time soon.
> 
> ...



On top of all the other baseless allegations you've made, that contravene the site guidelines, you are now advertising your own book without the site owners permission. You've got about ten seconds to remove the offending portion of the above quoted post.

Some people just don't get it.

Milnet.ca Staff


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## Fishbone Jones (23 Dec 2010)

Times up Mr Knight.

You've made demeaning and baseless allegations with out providing proof;

When asked for proof, you tried changing the subject and tossed out strawman articles about aircraft incidents;

You tried to misrpresent yourself;

You came here with something noble, then defiled it for your own nefarious purposes; and,

You didn't read the Guidelines (a requirement) and tried to advertise without the Site owner's permission.

We don't tolerate this kind of self serving, loathsome behaviour.

Banned

Milnet.ca Staff


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## 57Chevy (28 Jan 2011)

Remembering Canada's forgotten veterans

It was a clear July day, in 1952, when Donald John Urquhart climbed into the cockpit of his P-51 Mustang bomber at the airfield at Watson Lake, Yukon.

With a pair of 500-pound bombs tucked under each wing, the 27-year-old pilot, a reservist attached to the Royal Canadian Air Force’s 402 City of Winnipeg Squadron, deftly steered the aircraft onto the runway, guided it into the air and headed west for a practice bombing run with a dozen other Mustangs, as was the plan.

When the target came into sight — a raft floating in the middle of Teslin Lake, about 250-kilometres west of camp — Flight Officer Urquhart brought his Mustang to 9,000 feet, tipped the aircraft toward the ground, and began a vertical dive, as he had done many times before. 

But when the aircraft reached the bombing altitude of 2,000 feet, instead of releasing its bombs and pulling out, as was procedure, Flight Officer Urquhart kept going straight down, plunging into the lake.

“I think he was mesmerized by the target,” said Herb Spear, a pilot with Calgary’s 403 Squadron who was part of the bombing runs that day who remembers Flight Officer Urquhart well. “Don was the life of the party in the officer’s mess at night. There was piano in the mess and we had a pretty good piano player and Don was always entertaining.”

What Mr. Spear, now 87, can’t understand is why Mr. Urquhart is not included in In the Service of Canada: The Seventh Book of Remembrance, the official record of those whose deaths are attributable to military service since the Second World War.

The young pilot is just one of several Canadians who died while serving in the Armed Forces whose names are missing from the official record, omissions that veterans advocates say illustrate a lack of commitment to the commemoration of Canada’s military dead. 

The book lists 1,700 Canadian Forces members who have died since 1947 while serving their country, but Veterans Affairs Canada concedes there are still names missing, a result of staff hindered by a lack of funds and a system that relies on voluntary submission of names from the public.

“Should the Minister of Veterans Affairs be aware of any omissions in this sacred and most honourable book of remembrance, it is his duty to prioritize the correction of this error,” said Michael Blais, a former soldier and founder of the group Canadian Veterans Advocacy. “It is vital that those names are included with all due haste, for they have earned this in blood and sacrifice. To delay or to make excuses when an inappropriate amount of time has passed is unacceptable.”

The Seventh Book of Remembrance sits in the Memorial Chamber in the Peace Tower. The Department of National Defence determines if a member’s death was attributable to military service by convening a board of inquiry. Whether or not the death occurred in battle, during training, off base or while off duty, if the the death is ruled attributable to military service, the member’s name is supposed to be included in the book.

Yet after years of research, there are names still missing. More than 4,200 files have been reviewed, of which about 1,700 deaths were found attributable to military service.

Veterans Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn conceded there is more research to be done, and encouraged any Canadians who believe they know of Canadian Forces personnel whose names are worthy of inclusion in the book to contact his department.

“We imagine that it will probably never be finished,” Mr. Blackburn said. “We may always find new names.”

Canada Remembers, the division of Veterans Affairs responsible for the book, has just one salaried employee tasked with researching names, and relies primarily on tips from the public.

The department is aided in its efforts by John Stuart, a retired Gulf War veteran who has dedicated countless volunteer hours to tracking down missing names — a difficult task given the long history covered by the book, spotty record-keeping, and the tendency for many fallen Canadian Forces personnel to share the same name.

He is currently working on 14 names for inclusion in the book, including Donald Urquhart. 

Military historian and former Canadian War Museum Director Jack Granatstein says part of the challenge faced by Veterans Affairs when trying to track down the names of dead Canadian Forces members is dealing with the Department of National Defence. “DND, in my experience, knows very little about anything except what’s happening now,” Mr. Granatstein said. “It’s the biggest department in government, it’s dealing with people who go into the service, leave, are killed in action or killed in accidents, and who are somehow lost in the files because records aren’t kept properly.”

All inquiries to DND about the process of tracking down names of dead military members were directed back to Veterans Affairs. The ministry says there are now systems in place with DND to provide the names of any soldier who dies in the line of duty.

Pat Stogran, the former Veterans Ombudsman, is more blunt in his assessment of the situation: “The system doesn’t give a s--t.” said the retired colonel.

“The commitment of the person who puts on the uniform today is every bit of that of the service person going off to World War One and World War Two. You go where you’re told, you do what you’re told to do, you die for your country. We don’t have that sense of empathy for the sacrifice.”

Col. Stogran says Veterans Affairs should be actively hunting down names for inclusion in the book. 

“These are our loved ones.”

Other forgotten veterans:

On August 5, 1977, Stephen Jenuth awoke at 5 a.m. to do his daily inspections of the gliders belonging to the regional cadet gliding school at the Rivers, Manitoba air base.

After inspection, the then 17-year-old took to the skies with the rest of his squadron, returning before noon to ensure the next squadron had ample time to conduct their exercises.

Not long after he returned to the barracks, Mr. Jenuth learned one of the gliders had been involved in an accident and crashed. 

“That led to the worst hour of my life because I had done the inspection of the glider in question,” said Mr. Jenuth, now a Calgary lawyer. “I thought, good lord, did I miss something? Was I careless? I was sure at that point that I had caused a death. I was mortified.”

The cadets were later to learn, however, that the glider was functioning perfectly and had in fact collided with the tow plane, a Piper Super Cub, killing the pilot, reservist Lieutenant David Joseph Stamp, 21, and the cadet, Paul M. Trach, 16. 

Mr. Jenuth said the cadets were supposed to fly their gliders in a large, rectangular circuit that would eventually bring them back to the runway. Instead, Paul Trach had been blown out of the regular circuit and was making a long, wide turn when his glider collided with the tow plane. 

Veterans Affairs has no record of Lt. Stamp’s death in the Seventh Book of Remembrance, despite the fact that it occurred while he was on duty. 

Cadet Trach is not eligible for inclusion in the book because he was not a full member of the Canadian Forces at the time. 

Mr. Jenuth believes Lt. Stamp’s name should be included in the official record, not only because the pilot appears to meet the criteria for inclusion, but because of Lt. Stamp’s last act.

“The last thing he did was to reach up and pull the emergency lever to release the glider he was towing, saving the life of the cadet flying it,” Mr. Jenuth said, his voice cracking. “I think that was an incredible act of bravery. There’s no reason why he shouldn’t be in the book of remembrance.”
---
Darlene Leona Barkley joined the military the day she turned 17. 

The teenager with a wide smile had always been interested in the Canadian Forces. She joined her local Airborne Cadet Corps in Edmonton at age 12, later attaining the rank of Cadet Sergeant and becoming a qualified ground-trained parachuter. In 1977, she joined the reserves, choosing the military police platoon of the 15th Service Battalion at CFB Griesbach, an army base in the north end of Edmonton. 

That summer, after obtaining her military driver’s permit in Ontario, Darlene was sent to CFB Dundurn in Saskatchewan, about 40-kilometres south of Saskatoon.

Sharon Barkley-Clark, Darlene’s younger sister, was home alone on July 27th, 1977, when a military police officer phoned asking for her step-father. 

“I knew it was something bad,” she recalled.

They were told that Darlene, who was by now a private, had been put on duty immediately after arriving at the base. In the middle of the night, an order came down for a roadblock to be set up following a report of a stolen vehicle containing guns and ammunition. Pte. Barkley was the only one on duty with a valid military driver’s licence, so was tasked with driving three other soldiers to the site of the roadblock along the dusty dirt road leading south from camp. 

While the quarter-ton jeep she was driving was in good condition, Pte. Barkley was inexperienced. The poor condition of the road and the pitch black didn’t help. 

The jeep began listing, Pte. Barkley over-corrected, panicked, and pressed the gas pedal. The jeep flipped into the ditch. 

The three passengers were thrown from the jeep, but Pte. Barkley held onto the wheel; her body was crushed in the wreckage.

She was still alive when the military ambulance arrived, but later died of a ruptured spleen. She had only been in the Forces, legally, for seven days. 

The military paid for the funeral and burial at Evergreen Memorial Gardens in Edmonton.

Library and Archives Canada records obtained by Calgary-based military historian and retired reservist Darrell Knight indicate that the accident occurred “2 miles south of CFB Dundurn Camp Boundary on road going from camp to town of Dundurn, Sask.” The records also show the date of Pte. Barkley’s death as July 27, 1977.

Earlier this week, the National Post contacted Veterans Affairs to ask why Pte. Barkley’s name was not included in the Seventh Book of Remembrance. Her name was added to the book on Thursday. 

“It certainly took them long enough,” said Ms. Barkley-Clark. “I don’t know what they’ve been doing for all this time. But it’s better than nothing.”
                              
Photos:
Flight Officer Donald Urquhart, left and Cadet Sargeant Darlene Barkley are just two Canadian military members that were left out of a book of remembrance.
Handout; Dave Brunner for National Post
                                 (Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act)


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