Let's Go
Municipality/Province: Calgary, AB
Memorial number: 48007-012
Type: Statue
Address: 4520 Crowchild Trail SW
Location: The Military Museums
GPS coordinates: Lat: 51.0135604 Long: -114.1177851
Submitted by: Kevin Evans. The Military Museums.
The Let's Go statue honours Veterans of the Korean War. Duncan McNeill approached the museum and offered to fund a statue that commemorated the service of Korean War Veterans. Duncan funded the statue in honour of his brother Private Malcolm McNeill, who served in Korea as a member of the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. The statue was unveiled on April 25, 2003, quite a special day in Canadian history - the anniversary of the Battle of Kapyong.
Major (Ret’d) Rod Middelton, Platoon Commander, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, was one of the movers of the statue initiative. He designed the statue and provided the technical advice to the artists on the soldier’s dress and equipment throughout the statue’s creation. The statue was created by renowned bronze sculptor Don Begg of Studio West Bronze Foundry Ltd. The soldier is rising from a crouched observer’s position in the rocky terrain of Korea and signaling his unit forward to mount another attack during the battle of Kapyong. The soldier is in the full battle dress of the 2nd Battalion of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. Begg used a 1960 - 70 photo of a Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry Junior Leader waving his men forward. In the original photo, the Infantry Junior Leader is in cold weather kit.
Inscription found on memorial
"LET'S GO!"
WITH A SHOUT, SOLDIERS OF 2ND BATTALION PRINCESS PATRICIA'S CANADIAN LIGHT
INFANTRY OF THE CANADIAN ARMY SPECIAL FORCE MOUNT YET ANOTHER ASSAULT ON A
HEAVILY DEFENDED CHINESE HILL-TOP POSITION SOMEWHERE IN SOUTH KOREA IN THE
SPRING OF 1951.
BY MID APRIL UNITED NATIONS' FORCES HAD PUSHED INVADING CHINESE COMMUNIST
FORCES BACK ACROSS THE 38TH PARALLEL THAT SEPARATED NORTH AND SOUTH KOREA.
THE CHINESE MADE ONE MORE DESPERATE ATTEMPT THAT MONTH TO RECAPTURE THE
SOUTH KOREAN CAPITAL OF SEOUL BUT WERE SOUNDLY DEFEATED BY UN FORCES.
2PPCLI GAINED RECOGNITION FOR THEIR GALLAN STAND AT KAP'YONG APRIL 24/25,
THEIR DTERMINED DEFENCE RECOGNIZED BY THE AWARD OF THE UNTED STATES
PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION, THE ONLY CANADIAN UNIT EVER SO HONOURED.
THIS STATUE COMMEMORATES THE 25,000 CANADIANS WHO SERVED DURING THE KOREAN
WAR FROM 1950 TO THE CEASEFIRE IN JULY 1953 AND IN PARTICULAR THAT OF PRIVATE
MALCOLM McNEILL OF 2PPCLI AND IS PLACED HERE IN THEIR HONOUR BY DUNCAN
McNEILL OF CALGARY.
Street view
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