THE VETERAN ON OUR TEN DOLLAR BILL

If you have a Canadian $10 bill, look at the back right side of the bill. You will see an old veteran standing at attention near the Ottawa war memorial. His name is Robert Metcalfe and he died last month at the age of 90.



That he managed to live to that age is rather remarkable, given what happened in the Second World War. Born in England, he was one of the 400,000 members of the British Expeditionary Force sent to the mainland where they found themselves facing the new German warfare technique - the Blitzkrieg.

He was treating a wounded comrade when he was hit in the legs by shrapnel.



En route to hospital, his ambulance came under fire from a German tank, which then miraculously ceased fire. Evacuated from Dunkirk on HMS Grenade, two of the sister ships with them were sunk.



Recovered, he was sent to allied campaigns in North Africa and Italy. En route his ship was chased by the German battleship Bismarck.



In North Africa he served under General Montgomery against the Desert Fox, Rommel



Sent into the Italian campaign, he met his future wife, a lieutenant and physiotherapist in a Canadian hospital. They were married in the morning by the mayor of the Italian town, and again in the afternoon by a British padre.



After the war they settled in Chatham where he went into politics and became the warden (chairman) of the county. At the age of 80 he wrote a book about his experiences and on his retirement he and his wife moved to Ottawa.

One day out of the blue he received a call from a government official asking him to go downtown for a photo op. He wasn't told what the photo was for or why they chose him. "He had no idea he would be on the bill," his daughter said.

And now you know the story of the old veteran on the $10 bill.

That's a remakable story Chris.

That is a great story, thanks.

God bless him and all the others who have ever served.....

Bob/IG

:wint36:

Very interesting.

awesome story indeed,I just want to share a thought with you all.Yesterday was my Dads birthday,he died in the 90s.During the War,he was drafted from the Fishing Industry to the RN in 1941 at 18yrs old.He lost his Dad(my Grandad)in Sept 1941.Trawler was Torpedoed of Iceland by U202,the Ship was lost with all hands.My Dad himself was wounded while patrolling East Africa looking for U Boats and Minesweeping.A Shell blew the breach on the 4inch while confronting a U Boat on the surface.Left him partly deaf in his right ear,but sadly decimated the Gun Crew as you can imagaine.After the War he returned to the Fishing Industry he was a Seaman all his life, since about 12yrs old.His younger Brother(uncle)was the only survivor from a British Sub.My other Grandad(Mums Dad) was in the Horse Artillary 1914-18,he didnt talk much about it,but he did tell me it was Hell on the front,as far as I can remember he was at Ypres,Mons and a few other major Battles.He came home and worked for British Rail for the rest of his life,died in 1976 at 78.Most of my Family,including myself have served our Country,even my Son has done his bit.It seems like a family tradition,however I suppose the point I am trying to make is that there is No Glory to be gained or Won,just sadness and a sense of loss always.Why do we never learn form our own past,why are we so intent on letting History continually repeat itself,Is it realy just to easy to say NO.....thanks for listening.

Well, Franny... it would be wonderful if it worked that way, but there is always some tyrant (Hitler, et al...) that will not stop until they are stopped!

I, too, would have grown up with a lot more relatives around me if it had only worked like that... God bless.

Bob/IG (Air Force Retired)

I hear you loud and clear Franny!

One Grandfather belonged to the Loyal Regiment in the first war. they were pretty well decimated and he was trampled by a Ulan Cavalry charge. During the 2nd WW he assisted with bomb disposal as he was too old for the military.

He wanted my dad to join the loyals in the 2nd war and as usual they were almost wiped out again. He told my dad, "see son you could have been a hero." The Loyals were also known as "The Black and Tan"
My Dad flew bomber command for the duration of the war (here were no tours for the RAF) he stayed in and retired a senior officer RCAF in 1978. His last years were spent in norad in the US and canada


My mum was supposed to be an Auxilary fire fighter in london during the blitz. When the bombs started dropping the men would put her down the nearest shelter

My other grandfather was Brigade of Guards (Grenadiers) in WW! and RAF in WW2.

My uncles were Royal Marines

There wasn't much left of my family at wars end so we immigrated to canada in 1948.

I served in RC Sigs and RCAF and my brother was also RCAF. It was a rite of passage in those days.

The military is an honorable calling and an experience that builds character.

It's a good thing that our troops are getting some well deserved respect. It wasn't always that way.

beaser wrote:

It's a good thing that our troops are getting some well deserved respect. It wasn't always that way.

Amen on that, Beas... I had three tours in Viet Nam, and it felt like we were fighting over there and when we got back home, too. I hope our troops never have to experience anything like that again!!!

Your family certainly has an exceptional record of service..... you and yours should be very proud of such a family history.

Bob/IG