28 April 2015, Westmount, QC – A monument in Italy is looking a lot better now, due in no small part to the efforts of Captain Grant Furholter of the RMR (also a member of RMR Association) who worked tirelessly to manage the overseas shipping and even managed to get the tires sent over by Air Canada Cargo at no cost. This monument in the central town square was dedicated the memory of the men who broke the Hitler Line at Pontecorvo in the spring of 1944.
Comrade Steve Gregory of RMR Association (Br. 14) and acting as the President of Canada Company (Quebec Chapter), joined Canada Company member Jacques Borne and his son Rik, with Gilles Aubé Co-Founder of the 3rd Battery of Montreal Artillery (3BAM) as they travelled to Pontecorvo Italy during the week of April 13th to restore an artillery piece known as the “Pontecorvo Gun”, which has served as the town’s cenotaph.
The 3BAM, a volunteer organization dedicated to supporting veterans and cadets of the 2nd Field Regiment, brought significant expertise to the restoration project. 3BAM has been very supportive of the RMR Family over the years, recently donating an 81mm mortar to the RMR Museum, as well as providing cannons to flank the entrance to the RMR’s Centennial Gala in November 2014.
Tires for the restoration project were generously donated by Ralph and Andy Chiodo of Active Green and Ross, while the paint was supplied by Jean Mayrand of International Paint.
Captain Grant Furholter of the RMR – also a member of the RMR Association (Br. 14) – worked tirelessly to manage the overseas shipping and even managed to get the tires sent over by Air Canada Cargo at no cost. The organizers are very grateful for this generosity.
The Pontecorvo Gun is significant as this town where the 1st Canadian Infantry Division broke the Hitler Line on May 24th, 1944. Canadian citizens, through Veterans Affairs which provided approximately one third of the funding for the project, will be happy to hear that in recognition of the Canadian investment, the town will be rebuilding the piazza in which the Gun sits, complete with new lighting and security cameras.
The formal unveiling ceremony will be held in Pontecorvo this May 16th. Members of the public are welcome to attend. For more information contact Steve Gregory at steve@isaix.com.