Recently I attended the Lincoln and Welland Regiment's 3rd annual Military History Symposium on Saturday, November 7, 2009 at the Lake Street Armoury in St. Catharines. Sponsored by the Lincoln and Welland Regiment; the Laurier Centre for Military, Strategic and Disarmament Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University; as well as the history departments at the University of Waterloo and Brock University, the day offered an impressive list of historians and authors sharing their insights on almost 200 years of Canadian Military History.

The event began the previous evening (Friday, November 6) with a keynote address by Terry Copp, professor emeritus at Wilfrid Laurier University and a leading scholar on the Second World War. His topic was “The Last Great Battle: The Canadians in the Rhineland, February - March 1945”. Recognized for his many books, including Fields of Fire (2003) and Cinderella Army (2006), Copp is also a writer for the Legion magazine and has co-authored a number of battlefield guides for Northwest Europe in 1944 and 1945.

Saturday morning's presenters included Heather Moran (Comap, Inc.), David Schimmelpenninck van der Oye (Brock University), James E. Elliott, (Author, "Strange Fatality: The Battle of Stoney Creek, 1813"), James Wood (University of Victoria), Mike Bechthold (Wilfrid Laurier University) and Elizabeth Vlossak (Brock University). A wide range of topics were presented including; the construction of website based on the 1812 conflict which when launched can be accessed by students,scholars and the general public; Robert Rogers, The Original Ranger; The Battle of Stoney Creek; the long-standing militia links between Canada and the US and the many visits accross the border pre World War 1; the Canadian Corps at the Battle of Fresnoy, May 1917 and the Treaty Of Versailles - why it still haunts us 90 years later. A number of the presentations offered unique perspectives not only of the events focussed on but the individuals who played a large part in those events.

During the breaks and lunch I took the opportunity to visit a number of the displays and book tables which offered a number of fine volumes on the history of Canada's military and it's involvement in a number of conflicts. Many of our presenters remained for the entire day and took time to answer questions from those interested.

At 1:45 our afternoon session began with a presentation by Geoffrey Hayes, author of "The Lincs: A History of the Lincoln and Welland Regiment at War". In his presentation Hayes took us on an exploration of the third and fourth generations of the Lincoln and Welland Regiment and the heavy fighting which took them through the Rhineland and into Germany in 1945. The symposium concluded with a look at on Canada’s military, aid and development mission in Afghanistan. Dr Lee Windsor, lead author of "Kandahar Tour: Turning Point in Canada's Afghan Mission" and scholar from the University of New Brunswick presented a powerful look at Canada's role in Afghanistan. Stripping away some of the media filters Dr. Windsor gave us a better understanding of what our mission has accomplished and what still needs to be done.

Many thanks to the members of the Lincoln and Welland Regiment for providing us with a chance to explore Niagara Region's rich military history.