Black Watch friends:

Regret to report that Colonel Craig Cameron passed away on Tuesday morning in BC.
Craig was one of the originals in 1st Canadian Highland Battalion and, over the years that followed, spent much time in 1st Battalion, The Black Watch RHC, in various appointments including adjutant, and company commander. His memories of 1CHB/1RHC have been recorded in our Canadian Red Hackle magazine.

Below is an extract from an e-mail sent by Grant Guillet on 20 March.

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Black Watch Friends:

It is with a heavy heart that I inform you that Craig passed away this morning!

Mary Cameron is now at home with Hanne and Mary's Husband John arrives this evening!
Craig has requested that there NOT be a Funeral Service.
We will of course raise a glass in Craig's memory at the luncheon this Friday !
Mary will discuss the luncheon with the family this evening and decide whether or not
they will be up to attending the luncheon this Friday or wait until the April luncheon !
I will keep you informed !
I would request that our wonderful PIPERS play for the occasion when the family joins us !
My Sincere condolences go out to Hanne and all of The family! Craig was a very important
member of our Black Watch Family and will be greatly missed by all ! He always took great
Interest in the well-being of all of our members !!
To Craig: "Rest in Peace my Friend, you will never be forgotten" !
"Yours aye"
Grant

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With thanks to Terry Power for forwarding the above mail from Grant.
R. I. P.
NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT

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Added 02 Apr 2018

Further to report last week:

Herewith a copy of Craig’s obituary prepared by the family that can be found on the funeral home website. It will also appear in the Victoria Times Colonist on Saturday March 31. The Pacific Branch had a form of a "Celebration of Life" in Craig's honour at the Victoria luncheon on Friday March 23. Dave Leslie delivered a brief eulogy, including a more detailed record of service than appears in the attached obituary. Here is a condensation of his service, including his post-retirement contribution to Canada's Red Hackle magazine.

Craig enrolled in the Regular Force in 1951 and accompanied C Coy of The Seaforth Highlanders to Hanover Germany with 1 CHB. Returning to Camp Aldershot in 1953 he rebadged to the Black Watch, a regiment he remained with until his retirement in 1982. All of his service with the Watch was with 1 RHC in Aldershot and Gagetown. His principal regimental duty appointments in 1 RHC included adjutant and company commander. His storied career took him to Petawawa, Ottawa and Winnipeg. Overseas service took him to the Gaza Strip with UNEF I, another tour in Germany as Detachment Commander CFB Baden and tours as CFA to Warsaw Poland and Cairo Egypt.
Following his retirement Craig retained his connection with the regiment as a member of the Pacific Coast and Atlantic branches of the Association. When the first edition of Canada’s Red Hackle was published in 2000, Dave Leslie approached him with a request. Given the fact that we (Pacific Branch) would not have much to contribute to the journal, and being aware of his keen memory and penchant for storytelling, Dave asked him to write a series of articles about the experiences of some of our WW II vets. Naturally, Craig responded enthusiastically. Dave gave him several topics including the fact that three members of the branch had served in 15 Platoon and that 7 or 8 had served together in Scout Platoon. Craig did a marvellous job, and after finishing five articles on those topics, went on to submit three or four more articles of his choice. In this way Craig made an important contribution to the popular history of the regiment.



Colonel (Ret’d) Alastair Craig Cameron 1927-2018

CameronPassed away in Victoria, March 20, 2018, at the age of 90 (born June 3, 1927). Predeceased by son Chris, sister Joy (Ed McGougan), brother Evan (Dorelle) and sadly missed by his best friend, fellow spy, and loving wife Hanne, daughter Mary (John), son Drew, daughter Jennifer and her son Jacob, and many nieces and nephews. After serving as a Cadet, and in the Army Reserve units of both the Seaforth and Calgary Highlanders, in 1951 he became a professional soldier in the Regular Force. Craig served as an officer of the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada, in many positions with his Regiment and also on staff in various locations across Canada and overseas, retiring in 1983. While serving with the United Nations in the Middle East in 1965, he met his wife who was there as a nursing sister with a Danish Army Hospital. Two of his later appointments were as the Canadian Military Attaché in Poland 1976-78 and later in Egypt and Sudan 1979-82. He also served as the Past President of the Royal United Services Institute, Vancouver. He retired first to Surrey, then to Parksville and finally Victoria, BC, where he lived for the last 17 years. During his time in Victoria he took to writing about the 1st Canadian Highland Battalion (1CH and the 1st Battalion Black Watch (RHR) of Canada.

In later years, during key times both in celebration of life and death, Craig shared a quote on the matter of age. In 1955 General Douglas MacArthur on the subject of the youth and age stated:

"Youth is not entirely a time of life; it is a state of mind. It is not wholly a matter of ripe cheek's, red lips or supple knees. It is a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigour of the emotions. Nobody grows old by living a number of years. People grow old only by deserting their ideals. You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt, as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear, as young as your hope, as old as your despair. In the central place of every heart, there is a recording chamber, so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, and courage, so long are you young. When the wires are all down and your heart is covered with the snows of pessimism and the ice of cynicism, then and then only are you grown old.”

Craig embraced beauty, hope, cheer and courage to the very end and indeed was forever young. A cremation and private family service is planned. Craig asked that friends “raise a glass” and make an extra donation this year to their favourite charity. Condolences may be left for the family at www.firstmemorialsaanich.com



With thanks to Dave Leslie for the foregoing.