THE VETERAN ON CANADIAN TEN DOLLAR BILL

[The Monkey God]

If you look at the back right-hand side of a Canadian $10 bill, you will see an old veteran standing at attention near the Ottawa war memorial. His name is Robert Metcalfe and he died last month at the age of 90.

That he managed to live to that age is rather remarkable, given what happened in the Second World War. Born in England , he was one of the 400,000 members of the British Expeditionary Force sent to the mainland where they found themselves facing the new German warfare technique - the Blitzkrieg.

He was treating a wounded comrade when he was hit in the legs by shrapnel.

En route to hospital, his ambulance came under fire from a German tank, which then miraculously ceased fire. Evacuated from Dunkirk on HMS Grenade, two of the sister ships with them were sunk.

Recovered, he was sent to allied campaigns in North Africa and Italy . En route his ship was chased by the German battleship Bismarck .

In North Africa he served under General Montgomery against the Desert Fox, Rommel.

Sent into the Italian campaign, he met his future wife, a lieutenant and physiotherapist in a Canadian hospital. They were married in the morning by the mayor of the Italian town, and again in the afternoon by a British padre.

After the war they settled in Chatham where he went into politics and became the warden (chairman) of the county and on his retirement he and his wife moved to Ottawa . At the age of 80 he wrote a book about his experiences.

One day out of the blue he received a call from a government official asking him to go downtown for a photo op. He wasn't told what the photo was for or why they chose him. 'He had no idea he would be on the bill,' his daughter said.

And now you know the story of the old veteran on the $10 bill.

[regimentalrogue]

Some time ago, I was forwarded a copy of the piece titled "The Veteran on the Ten Dollar Bill". The item just seemed a little too neat and I started to check a few facts that were presented.

• The BEF in France did not total 400,000 men, but all of the Allies involved in the battle did. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dunkirk )
• The HMS Grenade itself was sunk during the evacuation at Dunkirk, and one of her sister ships was also sunk, the Grafton (they were among a total of 9 British and French destroyers sunk) (http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/4396.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunkirk_evacuation)
• The Bismark was sunk on 27 May 1941 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_battleship_Bismarck), which was long before the landings in Northern Africa on 8 Nov 1942 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Torch)
• And I do wonder why the anonymous government official wouldn't have found a Canadian veteran for this photo op.
• If the veteran wrote a book on his experiences, it is very unusual that the original reporter didn't mention the book's title (or the veteran's name).

I certainly don't mean to sound critical, because the story brings forward all of the emotions we are supposed to feel at reading such a heart-warming tale. It would be nice to know who the veteran on the bill really is, and what his own story might be.

[peter monahan]

I must confess to having the same reaction as you did: too good to be true, even if one ignores some errors and implausibilities in the narrative. I actually spent some time chasing this story down a year or so ago and the best conclusion I could come to was the great Scots criminal verdict of "Not proven", which in my mind means 'not true'. I was sure the official version of |Mtecalfe's saga would be avaiable if it had been true.

Today I dug a bit deeper and here's the official story from the Bank of Canada's [/u]web site, the section on bank note designs:

"The armistice that marked the end of World War I in 1918 is commemorated with annual Remembrance Day ceremonies, held on 11 November, in cities and towns across Canada.

The Remembrance Day service illustrated on the back of the $10 note shows a male veteran, a young boy, and a young girl observing the ceremony. In the background, a male master corporal from the land forces stands vigil at a memorial cenotaph, with a female naval officer. They are depicted in accordance with the standard protocol observed at Remembrance Day ceremonies.

The master corporal wears the distinctive land forces uniform in the Number 1 order of dress. He is armed with a Canadian issue C7 rifle and is at the rest-on-arms-reserved position. The female naval officer is a nurse and is dressed in the distinctive naval uniform with an overcoat in the Number 1 order of dress. Members of the Canadian Forces stand vigil at memorials/cenotaphs only for Remembrance Day services.

The monument depicted on the back of the $10 note is not true to life. It is meant to represent cenotaphs/war memorials across the country. Together, the illustrations commemorate all Canadians who participated in past wars."

In other words, perhaps sadly, the story is a fabrication. Robert Metcalfe, however, is not. The story of his settling in Canada is true and he worked tirelessly for the Gurkha Welfare Trust and to assist veterans. Here is the text of the Department of Veterans Affairs Commendation which he was awarded in 2003:

"A Veteran of the Second World War, Mr. Metcalfe was awarded a Life Membership to The Royal Canadian Legion in 1996, in recognition of his valued commitment and support of the RCL. During the past 45 years, he has helped raise thousands of dollars on behalf of the Gurkha Welfare Appeal, to provide pensions, welfare, recreation and medical centres to the Veterans of Nepal.

For the past 10 years, Mr. Metcalfe has been The Royal Canadian Legion speaker at the "Encounters With Canada" program, addressing grade 12 and 13 students from across the country. Mr. Metcalfe also served many years as a volunteer guide at the Canadian War Museum, offering them remarkable insights into the achievements and sacrifices of Canadian Veterans. Mr. Metcalfe hosted at his own expense, many groups of Veterans and their families in Europe, leading them on visits of First World War battlefields, cemeteries and cenotaphs. In addition to funding two tours to Sicily and Italy, Mr. Metcalfe conducted several tours to coincide with D-Day anniversaries. He has personally researched the sites prior to conducting the tours, ensuring that the next of kin would visit the final resting places of their relatives and comrades.

Mr. Metcalfe has published his war memoirs, thereby keeping alive for future generations the memory of the sacrifice of Veterans. Mr. Metcalfe is a much-admired role model among Veterans and in his community."

While his memoirs are mentioned, no details are given and I suspect at least some of what appears in the 'legend' represents embellishment by the unknown original author(s) of this touching urban myth. A pity people feel compelled to make up such stories when so many true ones are as stirringand yet go unremarked.

Edited November 6, 2010 by peter monahan