Ordeal by Ice

Ordeal by Ice

| 10 min
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streaming

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This short documentary is part of the Canada Carries On series. The secret winter maneuvers of the British Army's Lovat Scouts took place in the Canadian Rockies during the winters of 1944 and 1945. In combined operations with the Canadian Army, these elite mountain commandos tested themselves and their equipment in temperatures of -50oF.

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Ordeal by Ice, Tom Daly, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

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Credits
  • director
    Tom Daly
  • producer
    Tom Daly
  • photography
    Joe Gibson
  • narrator
    Lorne Greene

  • lovatscout1972

    Was amazed to find this piece of footage. My grandfather was in the Lovat Scouts and came from Balivanaich in Benbecula. He told me stories of training on the ice in the Canadian Rockies so looking at this footage I know he is in here somewhere. He was a 'batsman' to Colonel Pat Wooden who died in Canada years ago, and every year would send my grandfather a couple of hundred dollars. My grandfather saved his neck a few times. If anyone knows any stories of Calum Iain Monk I would be glad to hear them.

    lovatscout1972, 30 Jan 2013
  • SomeJoe

    Impressive. Today's Canada has no idea how hard Canada trained to defend itself from it's enemies. And there wasn't any whining about it. we just did what needed to be done. Not like today with freaking bleeding hearts. BLAIRBOY: I salute your father.

    SomeJoe, 17 May 2010
  • BLAIRBOY

    My father, Jim Boswell from Blairgowrie, Perthshire, served with the regiment and trained in Jasper. He must have like Canada for we emmigrated to Calgary in 1961 living in Forest Lawn. He died n 2003 at age 79. His gravestone (Youngstown, Alberta) carries the crest of the Lovat Scouts and the motto "Je Suis Prest". - "I Am Ready". -Jim Boswell, Saskatoon

    BLAIRBOY, 4 Apr 2010

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