A Vancouver military regiment made a public appeal on Tuesday for the return of its 100-year-old mace, a baton that's been with the unit since its inception and was stolen mere weeks before Remembrance Day and the regiment's centennial parade.
The 1.5-metre-long mace was being transported to the Seaforth Armoury late last month when its keeper, the unit's drum major, stopped for a game of pickup hockey. When he returned to the parking lot, both his vehicle and the mace were gone.
Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Ursich told reporters during a news conference at the armoury Tuesday afternoon that the mace is priceless because it's the only item left from the volunteer regiment's establishment that is still in active use.
"That regimental mace has been with us since our formation, through World War I, through World War II, through the soldiers that we sent to Korea and soldiers who've served on UN and NATO missions in Afghanistan. [They]have all seen that mace out in front of the pipes and drums and have marched behind it, and it's been an important part of our regimental heritage," he said.
"Everything else from that era is either behind glass already, or it's out of service, or it's otherwise not available to be used."
The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada was formed by a group of Vancouverites of Scottish descent in November, 1910. The mace was presented to the regiment upon its establishment by the Seaforth Highlanders of Scotland. More than 3,700 of the Vancouver Seaforths served during the First World War.
Lt.-Col. Ursich called the loss of the mace, which was not insured, "disheartening." He said the baton could be sold as a collector's item, but the regiment is hoping that doesn't happen.
"As we go into the last few weeks before we celebrate our 100th anniversary, we would love to have our regimental mace back," he said.
The mace was not scheduled for use on Thursday since the unit's drum major was to be deployed to Afghanistan, but it has played an important role in past Remembrance Day ceremonies and was scheduled for use in the centennial parade on Nov. 27.
Mitchell Bain, a pipe major who joined Lt.-Col. Ursich at the news conference, said the mace instills a sense of heritage. He said he's confident the baton will be returned.
"Some people may not know what they have at the moment and may realize the important of that [and]they may want to return it," he said. "All we're asking is if you do have this, please return it and there'll be no questions asked. We just want to get it back."