Discovered insignia recalls renowned WWII regiment

From time to time, events unfold that remind us that Jasper only feels like a bubble. That we are, and have long been, inextricably connected to the wider world. 

Recently, of course, the event in question has been the COVID-19 pandemic. But on a hike out of the Tonquin Valley on August 23, I stumbled across an artifact from an encounter between Jasper and a different fight to contain a crisis of global proportions—one that took place much earlier. 

On a cool morning in late August, my friends and I left the Tonquin Valley Adventure camp en route to the Portal Creek trailhead by way of the Old Horn – Maccarib col. Leaving the well-trodden Maccarib Pass trail behind, our route took us through pristine alpine meadows, loose scree slopes, exposed ridges and slidable snow patches. 

The only signs of traffic that morning were the broad, cloven hoofprints of caribou and we enjoyed the euphoric sense of freedom that comes from picking one’s own “line” through demanding terrain. 

It was only while moving through intermittent snow patches on Maccarib Mountain that I spied the first sign of previous human visitation. There on a boulder lay a tattered shred of red fabric bearing a brass insignia inscribed with the words “Lovat Scouts.” 

I knew I had found something special. 

I had first heard the name “Lovat Scouts” while skiing a beautiful circuit in the Bald Hills/Maligne Valley area. Later, I came to learn that it was the name of a British Army regiment that had trained in Jasper during the Second World War. By the time I got home from the Tonquin Valley, relic in hand, I was desperate to learn more. 

The Lovat Scouts were a regiment first assembled in 1900 by Simon Fraser, Sixteenth Laird (Lord) of Lovat and Chieftain of Clan Fraser (the explorer and namesake of the river and the university was a distant relative). The Scouts saw their first action in the second Boer War in South Africa, gained renown during the WWI Gallipoli Campaign in Turkey, and spent the early part of the Second World War guarding the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic. 

But in 1943, plans were developed to provide the Scouts with intensive training in winter mountain warfare, in preparation for a campaign to liberate Norway from the Nazis. With Canadian mountaineer Rex Gibson at the helm, the planners settled on Jasper National Park as the ideal winter training ground. 

From its inception, the Lovat Scouts were composed primarily of Scottish Highlanders whose experience stalking and shooting game prompted the regiment’s designation as the British Army’s first “sharpshooter” unit. But, while the Highlands of Scotland offer many challenges to the mountaineer (especially in winter), the Scouts could not have been prepared for the sights and experiences that awaited them in Jasper National Park. 

Having no experience with skiing, the Scouts began their training on the grounds of the JPL golf course. They soon progressed to Whistlers and the Palisades and within weeks were skiing on the Columbia Icefield. In addition to skiing, they received training in all elements of winter mountaineering. During their four months in the Rockies, members of their regiment would make first winter ascents of such notable peaks as Athabasca, Andromeda, Snow Dome, Kitchener and Columbia.

Injuries during this time were commonplace, but there were few serious accidents. The exception took place just 10 days into their training on January 19, 1944, when Lance Corporal Sandy Collie died in an avalanche on Nigel Peak. 

In April 1944, the Lovat Scouts began their return trip to Europe. By the time they arrived, the planned invasion of Norway had been called off and they were soon redeployed to Italy. While pursuing a retreating German army, many Lovat Scouts were injured or killed by landmines and artillery. 

The Lovat Scouts were never to apply their mountain warfare training in the European theatre, but they fought— and sometimes died—heroically in the battle against fascism. For that, the whole world owes them a debt of gratitude. 

And in Jasper, 76 years after their training mission concluded, there are still reminders of these brave men who tested themselves against the Canadian Rockies. These include still heavily-used trails that were improved for their training, as well as the beautiful Maligne Valley ski loop that bears their name. 

But if you cast your sights on some of the less-traveled routes in the park and choose to take on terrain that would give a sporting challenge to a hardened highlander, you might chance upon some other reminders of the brave men of the Lovat Scouts. 

And if you should be so lucky, please pass them along to Parks Canada, so they can make their way to the Jasper Yellowhead Museum and Archives.

Doug Olthof // info@thejasperlocal.com