From this humble beginning, a great institution has risen. Gunners continue to participate in United Nations operations that promote international peace and stability. But many Canadians do not see first hand this excellent work abroad. Their salutes at Canadian legislatures thrill, and deafen, Canadians from coast to coast. They most certainly do not go unnoticed.
Gunners are also conspicuous on the list of the great Canadian military commanders.
General Crerar commanded the First Canadian Army. Lieutenant-General McNaughton, who commanded the Army before General Crerar, is a Canadian military legend. Lieutenant-General Simmonds succeeded in meeting even the severe Standards of Field Marshall Montgomery and distinguished himself as a master of the battlefield. Among my predecessors, one also finds gunners. Lieutenant-General McNaughton held the post of Minister of National Defence from 1944 to 1945 and Brooke Claxton, a most influential Minister in the history of the Department, held the post from 1946 to 1954.