Coast Guard honours Pte. Robertson a second time

By Tim Kalinowski on December 16, 2017.

tkalinowski@medicinehatnews.com @MHNTimKal

On Nov. 16, 1917 Canadian Forces were fighting for control in the village of Passchendaele.

Mired in the muck, the Canadians fought their way ferociously toward German positions, with hundreds of their comrades dying around them for every yard taken.

It was hell on Earth, and it was the Canadians’ most costly victory of the war, with more than 16,000 killed and wounded.

Sadly, this large number was only a drop in the bucket to the overall Allied butcher’s bill for the battle, which had already registered more than 250,000 killed or wounded by the time the Canadians delivered the victory.

It was only acts of individual, extraordinary heroism and valour among the Canadian soldiers which made the victory possible.

One of those who sacrificed all to secure the victory was Medicine Hat’s own Pvt. Pete Robertson. Robertson fell after heroically leading his squadmates to overtake a German machine gun position, and then by going out under heavy fire to carry two of his wounded comrades back to safety. He had just succeeded in bringing in the second when a German bullet struck and killed him. Robertson was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.

Five years ago the Canadian Coast Guard honoured Robertson by naming one of its Hero Class vessels after him, the “Private Robertson V.C.” Robertson’s great niece Lynn Tebay went out for the dedication then, and was later present when the ship launched for official duty in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway.

To mark the 100-year anniversary of his death, the Coast Guard, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Canadian Pacific Railway on Dec. 10 dedicated a new plaque on board the ship. Tebay is grateful to all involved with the dedication.

“It is a beautiful ship,” she said, “and I guess this dedication plaque was sponsored by the locomotive engineers of the CPR because he was an engineer before he went over and enlisted in the war.

“This is the second time they have given my great uncle this type of honour. There is a second plaque in the Medicine Hat Legion. The one on the ship looks just beautiful.”

The CPR dedicated the plaque at the request of its engineer Darrel Sundholm of Calgary.

“After his family moved from Springhill, N.S. to Medicine Hat, James Peter Robertson joined the Canadian Pacific Railway, working his way up to locomotive engineer,” explained Sundholm, when asked why he’d made his request. “He earned his nickname ‘Singing Pete’ for his cheerful singing and whistling, whether in the cab or at the roundhouse.

“The bravery that earned him the Victoria Cross made him a legend among locomotive engineers the world over.”

The Private Robertson V.C. ship commander Steve Pauley said the plaque was a reminder to all future crews of the vessel of the sometimes high cost of doing one’s duty. Robertson’s will be a legacy to live up to for anyone who walks its decks, he said.

“In this, the 100th-year anniversary of his death, it is our honour to share the story of Private Robertson’s service to our country and remember his ultimate sacrifice with dignity and respect,” Pauley stated. “This plaque will educate all who step aboard this ship for many years to come.”

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