Colonel Ralph Douglas West OStJ, CD

Black and Gray portrait of Major Ralph D. West, CD of the Kent Regiment.

Colonel Ralph Douglas West, OStJ, CD was born and raised in Chatham, Ontario. West started his military career in 1942 when he enrolled with the Army Cadets at Chatham Collegiate. West concluded his time with the cadets as its Commanding Officer.

In 1948, West enrolled in the Kent Regiment as a Private. Later, he was promoted to Corporal then offered the opportunity to be a commissioned officer due to his education and extensive experience with the Army Cadets. After graduating from officer training at the Royal Canadian School of Infantry, Camp Borden he rejoined the Kents.

Throughout his military career, he had many appointments from lieutenant to colonel including: Platoon Commander, Intelligence Officer, Adjutant, Company Commander and District Commander. West’s appointments were served with three different regiments: the Kent Regiment, the Perth Regiment, and the Essex and Kent Scottish. He dedicated sixty-six years of his life to service of his country.

As a representative of Kent Regiment, Captain West help organize the amalgamation of the Essex Scottish and Kent Regiment on 1 October 1954. Before the official amalgamation, the final parade for the Kent Regiment was held on 30 September 1954 in Tecumseh Park located in front of the Chatham Armoury. Her Royal Highness, Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, Colonel-in-Chief, was in attendance of the final parade and acted as the Reviewing Officer for this final parade. Major West commanded the Royal Guard for Princess Marina.

In 1967, West retired from the Essex and Kent Scottish with the rank of Major and Deputy Commanding Officer. West was approached by the HQ Western Ontario Area to form an open Army Cadet Corps in place of the high school corps that were being phased out. West oversaw four hundred cadets in the Corps until 1976, making it one of the largest in Canada. West was then appointed the first area Cadet Instructor List (CIL) officer, advising all Army Cadets units in the area. In 1967, he oversaw the creation of a re-enactment platoon of the 41st Regiment of Foot by the Chatham garrison to celebrate the Canada’s centennial. This was the same British regiment that served in the area during the War of 1812. This demonstration platoon paraded throughout Southern Ontario performing drills of the period in vintage uniform. West popularized the genre of modern war re-enactments in southern Ontario.

In 1978, West rejoined the Primary Reserves as the Lieutenant-Colonel and was appointed as Deputy Commander of the Windsor Militia District and eventually District Commander as Colonel. West retired from the Army for the last time in 1983. Later he was appointed Honorary-Colonel of the Windsor Regiment (RCAC).

Colonel West was a true career military man volunteering and contributing to several areas in his community. West served on the board of the Chatham Police Commission, the board of the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires and command the St. John Ambulance Brigade. Colonel West was awarded the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Medal in 1977 and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002. In October 2005, West received his 3rd bar to his Canadian Forces Decoration representing 42 years of good service.

After sixty-six years of faithful service in the cadets and militia, Colonel Ralph West, OStJ, CD passed away on 4 April 2017 at the age of eighty-eight. West’s legacy and dedication is continued to be celebrated within the Essex and Kent Scottish.

Story by Taylor Blackmere, Canada Summer Jobs 2022 participant
with the Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment Association.

Sources

• Duty Nobly Done: The Official History of The Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment. Sandy Antal and Kevin R. Shackleton, 2006 - Chapter 15
• The Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment Association archival collection
• Obituary of Ralph Douglas West. McKinlay Funeral Home, 2017

Colonel-in-Chief, Her Royal Highness Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent accompanied by Major Ralph D. West, CD. August 1954, the inspection of the Kent Regiment during a Trooping of Colours parade in Chatham, Ontario.