Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Canadian Cavalry Takes On Secret Service

 Last week I published three blogs describing the scene around Moreuil, France, on March 28-30, 1918. At a luncheon in honour of Moreuil Day earlier in March this year I chatted to David Sproule, a retired Royal Canadian Dragoon. He recounted the following:

"When I was in the RCD Reconnaissance Squadron (1961-63) my Officer Commanding, Major Spike Malone, a former cavalry soldier in the Dragoons prewar, was based in St. Jean Barracks south of Montreal.
"Spike was a legend in the corps and used to tell the story about the visit of President Franklin Roosevelt's visit to Quebec City in July 1936. The RCD provided a mounted Vice - Regal escort for Roosevelt's cavalcade. Captain Churchill Mann was the escort commander.
"Apparently one of the Secret Service "G" men tried to insert himself between the mounted escort and the President's sedan, an action which one of the escort NCOs objected to. He lowered his lance and ran the G man through the shoulder. Apparently there was no disciplinary action."

So, in the movie, which part goes to Clint Eastwood?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Spike Malone is my father. This is a story he never told me. I am sorry I didn't ask him to tell me more.

Robert Mackay said...

to Anonymous--I haven't yet spoken to a child of a veteran who said they asked too many questions. Usually the opposite.

Anonymous said...

He was a hard guy to nail down sometimes....He enjoyed telling fun and funny stories but he had to be pressed to talk about the not so fun stuff.

Patrick Malone

Anonymous said...

Hello Patrick, I was just looking for some info on your Dad. My neighbour was telling stories and I told him about your Dad. 'Spike' retired his old horse Jiminy at our stables near Chatsworth and he and your mom were like grandparents to my kids. He only told us the fun stories as well. We live near Ottawa now and still have a very few of his old pieces of horse equipment stamped 'Spike', and an old edition of The Dog Who Wouldn't Be with 'Stolen from Malone' (his signature) written inside the front cover. We'll never forget him :)

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