A Soldier's Christmas Story: Christmas 1943, The Ortona Dinner.

I was invited to be the Keynote Speaker at the Seaforth Highlanders Cadet Corps (online) Ortona Dinner tomorrow, 20 December 2020, but I'll be unable to attend - so here is my pre-recorded presentation.
It's a bit 'kludge' - I didn't have the time to pull together a slick video with slides., so another officer will be running the PowerPoint that you see me referring to during the Zoom. When I find the time I'll edit this to include the slideshow.

This presentation is more 'story-telling' than military history - so here are some links for those who want to know more about the Italian Campaign and the Battle of Ortona:


One point I forgot to make (because I always speak better in front of a 'live' audience than to a camera) is that were any 'Shade' of any soldier of Western Civilization from as far back as the founding of Rome somehow appear during this dinner they would instantly know what day it was.

In a very real way you have some invisible companions at the table....

Documentary video of Canadian and German veterans of the battle:    • The Battle of Ortona  

The Seaforth Museum: https://www.seaforthhighlanders.ca/visit (I was SURE that they had a pdf of the regimental history. but now I can't find it. In any case, the Ortona story is in chapter eight - pages 235-272.


A lovely - and true story about Captain Wilf Gildersleeve MC, OC Signals platoon, 1st Battalion Seaforth Highlanders of Canada:    • Heritage Minutes: Liberation of the Nether...  

The Mystery of the Christmas Photo: https://www.seaforthhighlanders.ca/st...