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Brigadier General Sydney Valpy Radley-Walters
January 11, 1920 - April 21, 2015
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<div itemprop="description">Brigadier General Sydney Valpy Radley-Walters CMM, DSO, MC, CD, OLd&rsquo;H<br /><br />Brigadier General Radley-Walters, known as &ldquo;Rad&rdquo; to many, &ldquo;Syd&rdquo; to some, &ldquo;Uncle Son&rdquo; and Valpy to those on the Gasp&eacute;, and affectionately as &ldquo;Woppy&rdquo; to family, passed away peacefully in Kingston on April 21, 2015, in his 96th year. Loving husband of 68 years of Mary Patricia (nee Holbrook). Beloved father of Gary (Martha), Grant and his wife Maureen, Chris (Sue deceased), and Greg (Kumla deceased). Proud and loving grandfather of Alison (Scott Nichol), Elizabeth (Patrick Childerhose), and Mark, Radley-Walters, and Sarah, Cairis, Caitlin, Phaidra, Lilly, Stella, and Rowan. Great-Grandfather of William and Olivia Nichol. Predeceased by his wonderful sisters Ruth, Marjory (Bill Smith deceased) and Joyce (Siki Quinn deceased). <br /><br />Son of the late Rev. Sydney and Marjorie, Rad was born in Malbay on the Gasp&eacute; Coast on January 11, 1920. His early education was in many one-room schoolhouses, followed by high school at Bishop&rsquo;s College School. His time at Bishop&rsquo;s University was filled with happy football memories. He then enlisted as an Infantry Officer in October 1940, with the Sherbrooke Fusiliers, which was always dear to his heart. The Fusiliers later became the 27th Canadian Armoured Regiment. Rad landed on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day 1944, as a Captain second-in-command of C Squadron. Within ten days of the landing he was promoted to major and commanded A Squadron to the cessation of the hostilities in Europe. He is recognized at the Canadian War Museum as Canada&rsquo;s Tank Ace of the Second World War, with 18 confirmed enemy tanks knocked out. He was decorated for gallantry by Field Marshall Montgomery and by King George VI, receiving the Military Cross and the Distinguished Service Order. He was promoted to the rank of Lt-Col in command of his regiment in June of 1945, making him one of the youngest regimental commanders at the age of 25. After the war, he stayed in the Regular Army as a Major in the Royal Canadian Dragoons. He was appointed to the Directing Staff of the Canadian Army Staff College in Kingston, Ontario. In 1957, then Lt-Col Radley-Walters was chosen to be the first Commanding Officer of the 8th Canadian Hussars, a position he held proudly. In June 1968, he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General and served as the Commander of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade Group and Commander of CFB Petawawa, Ontario. His final career appointment was on July 29, 1971 as Commander of the Combat Training Centre in CFB Gagetown, New Brunswick.<br /><br />Rad retired form the Forces in 1974 and was honoured by the Government of Canada with the award of a Commander of Military Merit (CMM). He was also awarded the Order of the Legion of Honour from the French Government at the French Embassy in Ottawa. He was instrumental with others in creating the Normandy Foundation and raising funds to be used in the Mus&eacute;e Memoriale in Caen, France, to recognize the substantial contribution and sacrifice of the Canadian Forces in the Allied Victory in Normandy and Europe.<br /><br /> After retirement to his much loved farm in the Killaloe-Wilno area in Ontario, Rad was a guest lecturer at the Canadian Land Forces Command and Staff College in Kingston and participated in numerous battlefield-teaching tours in Normandy. One of his favourite tours was showing his children and grandchildren where he landed on D-Day and recounting his history during the war. Each summer he and his wife Patricia returned to their home that he was raised in, in Perc&eacute;, Quebec where he spent a large part of his childhood. His heart was in the Gasp&eacute;. Our Woppy could capture any audience with his stories about the war, his world travels and his day to day adventures. He will be remembered for his courage and leadership, and equally for his joie de vivre, his infectious laugh, and sense of humour, his incredible appetite for seafood and desserts. We fondly remember gathering around the farmhouse table, enjoying a salmon or a roast of venison or bear, and playing in the tank and armoured vehicles at the farm. We loved exploring the Perce coast and backcountry together, and seeing his smile any time he returned from a day spent fly-fishing on the Grand Cascapedia or Miramichi Rivers with a twenty-five pound salmon to show us. He was a wonderful Father, Father-in-law, Grandfather, Uncle, Soldier and Friend. He was our hero. He was a man of immeasurable courage and energy, and will be greatly missed. His spirit lives on.<br /><br />The funeral arrangements have been prearranged with Robert J. Reid, Kingston. <br />The funeral will be at the Anglican Cathedral Church of St. George in Kingston on Saturday, May 9, 2015 at 11:00 am. A reception will follow at the Fort Frontenac Officers&rsquo; Mess. There will be a family internment service at St. Paul&rsquo;s Church Perc&eacute; in the summer time. Special thanks are given to Major C.K. Catry MMM CD as well to the caring staff at Providence Care Manor, Sydenham 5th Floor and the ICU staff of the KGH. If desired, donations in memory of Rad can be made to Wounded Warriors Canada COPE Ontario and The Canadian Battlefields Foundation.</div>