WINNIPEG – The Royal Winnipeg Rifles on Tuesday will honour a man who has served for more than half the storied reserve regiment’s history.
Master Warrant Officer (retired) Jack Walton achieved the previously unheard-of milestone Tuesday, 70 years to the day after he joined the infantry regiment in the last months of the Second World War. Walton was just 13 years old when he joined the Royal Winnipeg Rifles as a musician in 1945. He’d already served for several years with the Lord Strathcona’s Horse Cadet Bugle Band, which he joined in 1941.
Walton retired from the Royal Winnipeg Rifles in 1987, but continued to volunteer with the band for another 28 years, a news release from the Canadian Forces said.
“No one told me to stay home,” Walton said when asked why he continued to serve.
The Royal Winnipeg Rifles will hold a ceremonial military parade with speeches and presentations at Minto Armouries in Winnipeg at 9 p.m. Tuesday to honour Walton, who is again retiring from the regiment.
Walton’s experiences with the band include playing on Victory in Europe Day on May 8, 1945, which marked the formal acceptance of Nazi Germany’s surrender; welcoming home Second World War soldiers; witnessing the marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1981; and participating in the Juno Beach Centre opening ceremonies in 2003. He also played in many parades and concerts, including during royal visits.
The Royal Winnipeg Rifles is Western Canada’s oldest infantry regiment. Formed in 1883, they fought in the Northwest Rebellion at Fish Creek and Batoche, the Boer War in South Africa, the First World War and the Second World War.
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