News and Events
Some 200 guests attended Veterans Ceremony in Ottawa
The event was arranged by the Friends of Iceland of Ottawa, The Embassy of Iceland, and the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa, to pay tribute to Canadian soldiers who served in Iceland during World War 2, and Candian soldiers of Icelandic descent who fought in both World Wars and the Korean War.
The Mayor of Reykjavik, Vilhjálmur Th. Vilhjálmsson came to Ottawa as a special guest. He was featured on Ottawa City TV, Channel “A”, Friday morning, October 20, 2006, at 07:40 along with Fred Hicks, Sergeant, Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa, who had served in Iceland, with that Regiment, in July 1940.
The occasion was the ceremony at the Cartier Drill Hall, in Ottawa, October 21, 2006, where the Friends of Iceland, The Embassy of Iceland, and the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa honoured the arrival in Iceland, in June, 1940, of the Ottawa Regiment along with Les Fusiliers, Mont-Royal, the Royal Regiment of Canada, and the RCAF, all arriving by July 1940, to become the Home Guard of Iceland.
There were more than 190 people present in the Drill Hall when the Pipe Band of the Cameron Highlanders marched out onto the Drill Hall floor with their drums and pipes filling the Hall with their music for a 15 minute show. The guests thrilled to the different paces and the different musical pieces that the band played. Toes were tapping and bodies were swaying as the band captured the musical memories of the members of the audience.
At the start of the program, Lt/Col Bud Walsh, welcomed the audience to this ceremony outlining the pride of the Regiment for the one year they spent in Iceland. 
Markús Örn Antonsson, the Ambassador of Iceland to Canada, started off the program by acknowledging that while Iceland was strategically located, it was one of the places not known as a battlefront, but its significance becoming evident in one of the greatest battles of them all, the Battle of the Atlantic, which was enormous and pivotal for the Allies. He expanded on this theme directing his comments to the change in the traditional commercial links of Iceland, from Europe to the American continent. During the war, Iceland was gradually gaining full independence from Denmark and became a republic in 1944. After the war, Iceland as a free country joined the Western democracies as a founding member of NATO and has been a devoted member of the organization. Iceland is now a candidate for a seat of the UN Security Council in 2009-2010.
As Master of Ceremonies, Lou Howard, President of the Friends of Iceland in Ottawa, spoke from his experiences as the Navigating Officer of HMCS Sarnia on convoy duty. He voiced his concern for all Naval personnel who fought off submarines from the Baltic Sea on the coast of America, and wondered how much more difficult their job would have been if Germany, and not the Allies, had occupied Iceland.
The Mayor of Reykjavík Vilhjálmur Th. Vilhjálmsson spoke about the historical aspects of the defence of Iceland, including up to date information on what is now being planned after the United States left Iceland in September. The Mayor has announced the establishment of the Reykjavík World Peace Council to commemorate the summit meeting between US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Michael Gorbachov that was held in Reykjavík 20 years ago. Its goal will be to discuss peace affairs in the international arena and invite disputants from all over the world to discuss peaceful approaches to - and resolution of- their disputes. The Mayor has asked for a Canadian representative to be appointed to the Governors of the Peace Council.
Almar Grímsson, President of the Icelandic National League (INL) in 
Iceland, reviewed the history of the INL and referred to the efforts of the Jon Sigurdson Chapter of the IODE in the publication of the “ Canadians of Icelandic Descent World War 1 &2”.
Later in the program Susan Stephenson, President of the Icelandic Canadian Club of Quebec, in Montreal, presented him with a copy of the publication with information as to how to access the whole data base through the internet
at: http://www.bookoflifeonline.com/ww2search.htm
A Message was received from the Honourable Greg Thompson, Minister Of Veterans Affairs, thanking the Embassy of Iceland for hosting this event of commemoration.
Jeffrey Holmes presented to Lt./Col Bud Walsh, pictures that his family had taken in August of each of the 49 Canadian military gravesites in Iceland.
David R. Franklin, Honorary Consul of Iceland, in Montreal introduced Corporeal Serge Oulette who spoke about the service of Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal in Iceland in 1940. He presented a framed picture of the Regimental Crest to the Mayor of Reykjavík.
Gail Einarson McCleery, Honorary Consul of Iceland, in Toronto introduced Major Kevin Denby of the Royal Regiment of Canada who spoke about the service of that Regiment in Iceland in 1940. He presented a memento from the Regiment to the Mayor of Reykjavík.
Brigadier General Fougues spoke about the role of the RCAF in Iceland during the war.
Lt, (N) Christopher Barker spoke about his experiences as Commanding Officer of the HMCS Skeena Cadet Corps, when he went to Iceland three times to help in the creation of a memorial on Videy Island in Reykjavik harbour in memory of the grounding of the Canadian Destroyer on October 25, 1944, with the loss of fifteen Canadian sailors. He presented memorabilia of the service in Videy to the Mayor of Reykjavík, and later, a copy of posters showing pictures of people at the site, before the creation of the memorial and after the unveiling of that memorial on Videy island.
Historian Gloria Morrison spoke about her Masters thesis in which she searched out the history of the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa in its service in Iceland. She presented a hard copy of her thesis to the Mayor of Reykjavík.
The Ambassador of Iceland to Canada and his wife Steinunn then hosted a reception as the guests mingled and spoke to the fifteen veterans of the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa, who actually served in Iceland.