Wednesday 10 November 2010

Ceremonial Mace stolen ahead of Remembrance Day

Spotted a report on Canadian news about a regimental mace belonging to the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada being stolen:

A Vancouver military regiment is pleading for the return of a stolen century-old ceremonial mace in time for the annual Remembrance Day parade.

The ceremonial club, a gift to the Seaford Highlanders from their Scottish counterparts in 1910, would have played a major role in Remembrance Day proceedings this week, as well as in the unit's 100th anniversary celebration at the end of the month.

"It's an irreplaceable regimental artifact, and the timing of it makes it even worse," Capt. Bill Annand told CTV News.

The regiment's drum major carries the mace during parades, and uses it to direct the pipes and drums band. Annand says that it has a storied history, both inside Canada and overseas.

"It's been carried by the regiment in deployments overseas in the First and Second World Wars," he said.

The mace was inside the drum major's SUV when the vehicle was stolen from the parking lot at Queen's Park Arena in New Westminster on Oct. 29.

Former Vancouver MP John Fraser, an honorary colonel with the Highlanders, says that the unit is hoping to appeal to the "fundamental decency" of whoever stole the mace.

"This is a piece of Canadian history," he said. "It's of no real value, in terms of money, to whoever who took it, because if the person who took it tried to get rid of it, the game would be up."

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