PPCLI veterans come together to display paratrooper history at their local Legion

June 14, 2021 - Tim Bryant, Western Sentinel

For the past few months, there has been a new face to greet you when you visit the Trafalgar Pro Patria Legion #292 in Victoria, B.C.

In late 2020, a mannequin dressed as a paratrooper was installed in the front foyer of the Legion as a way to honour those who risked their lives to defend Canada.

“The reason we put that in there is to have a paratrooper so that people would know when they came in what happened to people that were serving—especially airborne infantry—where they dropped over in different places, behind the enemy lines,” explained Bruce Dickey, one of the men involved in installing the mannequin.

Similar to how other Legion branches will have rifles on display, having the mannequin helps show the history of the Canadian Armed Forces and the veterans who are members of the Legion, Dickey added.

Getting the mannequin dressed and installed at the Legion took the work of several people. Dickey, Jack Bates and Dougal Salmon were the men who had the idea and worked to get the mannequin’s outfit, while Gerry Nugent and his toolbox were integral in the final assembly.

Nugent explained he had been present while the three other men were talking about the project – Dickey had bought the mannequin but the COVID-19 pandemic took root and the mannequin was sitting and waiting.

As the pandemic progressed and eased, the men debated how they were going to bring all the pieces together, especially when it came to ensuring it stood upright. That was where Nugent fully came into the picture.

“I said, ‘Well, why don’t you come over to my place and my garage and we’ll put it together?’” Nugent said.

Dickey brought over the mannequin in pieces, and in roughly half an hour it was fully assembled.

There was, however, a small problem – the bracket holding the mannequin upright was too low and the jump boots were too tall. Since cutting the jump boots was a non-starter, the men decided to weld a new bracket to go up and into the jump boots.

Beyond the jump boots, the mannequin is outfitted in a genuine uniform of a paratrooper. Dickey explained the separate pieces were sourced from members of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) Association in the Victoria area. This was a bit challenging, as pieces like the uniform buttons are difficult to track down because they either go missing because they’re collectors’ items or are melted down.

So far, the mannequin has drawn positive reviews, Dickey said. The plan is to keep it in place for a while to help people learn more about Canada’s military history.

“It's a nice little tool because from now on to Remembrance Day, people will go in and people who that don't know much about the history will inquire,” he said. “We have a little brochure there also about what happened and what the paratroopers did.”

In addition, Bates said the mannequin plays a role in a lighthearted rivalry between the Queen’s Own Rifles veterans and the PPCLI veterans.

“The PPCLI have got a leg up now,” he said.