Today was the 69th anniversary of the Battle of Kapyong and a remembrance ceremony for the 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Light Infantry (PPCLI), and the other countries involved in the defence of this area, was held at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on a bright, brisk April morning.
Normally this ceremony would have been held at the Monument to the Canadian Fallen, a monument specifically created to commemorate the Korean War Veterans, but the National Capital Commission had denied access to any of the properties under their control (and on which this monument is placed) for any reason due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Undeterred, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea and the Korean Veterans Association (Unit 7) were determined that the sacrifices be remembered and, with physical distancing foremost in everyones’ minds, devised a ceremony that limited attendance to five in the official party with no other participants or guests, kept everyone at least 2 metres apart, and required the use of masks.
The fighting took place during 22nd-25th April, 1951, along the Kapyong River during the Chinese Spring Offensive where the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade (including 2nd PPCLI) hastily prepared defences against overwhelming numbers of the Chinese Peoples Volunteer Army (CPVA). The PPCLI were most heavily engaged on Hill 677 where the fighting was so fierce, that Capt. JGW Mills was forced to call for artillery fire on his own positions several times during the early morning of 25th April to keep from being overrun. At the end, some estimate that the PPCLI killed up to 3,000 enemy CPVA and the loss of Seoul, the capital of the Republic of Korea, was prevented.
The Canadian troops numbered about 700 and faced approximately 5,000 CPVA troops, and wound up with 10 killed and 23 wounded. This was a drawn out and complicated battle and cannot be covered in a blog but there were several other countries involved in this action and their contributions to this defence should not be diminished. The 2nd PPCLI was awarded the U.S. Presidential Unit Citation for their actions.
The program was typical with a small history of the battle from Mr. Bill Black, the Act of Remembrance, the Last Post and Rouse, and the laying of wreaths. In attendance as the official party was the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, H.E. Maeng-ho Shin, Republic of Korea Defense Attaché Col. Keunsik Moon, President of the KVA Unit 7, Mr. Bill Black, Secretary of the KVA Unit 7, Mr. Claude Charland, and member of KVA Unit 7, Mr. Ron Bourgon. Of those, the Ambassador, Mr. Charland, and Mr. Bourgon laid wreaths on behalf of Korea, Canada, and the PPCLI, respectively.
At the end, each member of the official party laid two poppies on the wreath to the PPCLI, one in remembrance of each of the 10 men killed in this battle.
To see all the pictures, CLICK HERE
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