Interesting Info on the 10.00

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Some interesting info I found?  Has anyone else seen this?


In addition to the picture of the veteran on the back right-hand side of our $10,  on the back left-hand side there is the poem "Flanders Field'  with a poppy wreath. 


THE VETERAN ON OUR TEN DOLLAR BILL 

 

 

     

If you look at the back right-hand side of a Canadian $10 bill, you will see an old veteran standing at attention near the Ottawa war memorial. His name is Robert Metcalfe and he died last month at the age of 90.

 That he managed to live to that age is rather remarkable, given what happened in the Second World War.

 Born in England , he was one of the 400,000 members of the British Expeditionary Force sent to the mainland where they found themselves facing the new German warfare technique - the Blitzkrieg.

He was treating a wounded comrade when he was hit in the legs by shrapnel.   

En route to hospital, his ambulance came under fire from a German tank, which then miraculously ceased fire. Evacuated from Dunkirk on HMS Grenade, two of the sister ships with them were sunk.

Recovered, he was sent to allied campaigns in North Africa and Italy. En route his ship was chased by the German battleship Bismarck .

In North Africa he served under General Montgomery against the Desert Fox, Rommel.

Sent into the Italian campaign, he met his future wife, a lieutenant and physiotherapist in a Canadian hospital. They were married in the morning by the mayor of the Italian town, and again in the afternoon by a British padre.

After the war they settled in Chatham where he went into politics and became the warden (chairman) of the county and on his retirement he and his wife moved to Ottawa . At the age of 80 he wrote a book about his experiences.

One day out of the blue he received a call from a government official asking him to go downtown for a photo op. He wasn't told what the photo was for or why they chose him. 'He had no idea he would be on the bill,' his daughter said.

And now you know the story of the old veteran on the $10 bill.

That's a nice piece of history. I saw this at a store in my neighborhood just yesterday afternoon while my son was in Archery practice. A fitting tribute to this gentleman and soldier.

Dei Gratia

While it's a great story, that's all it is.

The Bank of Canada has specified that the image of the veteran on the back of the $10 is a composite drawing from several photos and does not depict any one particular veteran. I'm off to bed now, but if I can think of it tomorrow, I'll try to find the email about it.

The CPMS got an email from the Bank on this subject after we ran an identical (or very similar) article in the Newsletter a few years ago.

Hey Brent see if you can find that info, it would be interesting to read.  Yes it just goes to show that not all you read has truth to it!  I just received that bit of info in a email that a friend had seen in a magazine?  Not sure what magazine they got the info from? 

The more I think about what Brent had said I think I remember something about it a while back as well.  We will wait and see if he can find that information on this topic...

 Jeff

The following clarification was published in the Canadian Paper Money Newsletter, Volume 13, Issue 3, September 2005, on p84:

A CLARIFICATION FROM THE BANK OF CANADA

Our mention of Maj. Robert Metcalf, on page 62 of the June 2005 Newsletter, has prompted the following
feedback from Ginette Crew, Senior Analyst, Bank of Canada:
"The Bank of Canada retained the services of bank note designers to assist in designing this bank note. As part of their role, the designers hired several people to pose for similar photographs. The designers then used these photographs to develop composite images, from which they created the illustrations that are featured on the back of the note. The illustration of the veteran on the $10 bank note is intended as a general representation of all Canadian veterans, not as any one particular person."

(Our information was obtained from the Globe and Mail, 7 May 2005 issue.)


It is amazing how often this story has come up. I saw it published in another newsletter within the past year, and it was submitted for the CPMS again this spring for the March newsletter but was not printed. I was also at a local coin club meeting last night and a printout of this story was read to those in attendance and copies made available. From the look of the printout, it was evident that it had been circulating via email prior to last night's presenter printing it off for the meeting. I advised the president of the club of the Bank of Canada's comments and he said that as a result, the story would not be reprinted in the club's next newsletter as was originally being considered.

While I have the utmost respect for Maj. Metcalf and all of our Canadian veterans, this story reminds me of the many stories, videos, overblown virus warnings, etc, that are being constantly circulated around the Internet through email and the like. I have to chuckle at how people blindly republish material without any verification of facts. Did Maj. Metcalf die just last month? No... he died several years ago (assuming this fact was accurate when first published). Was he the veteran depicted on the $10 note? No, but he may have been one of several veterans used to create the composite image. Are the details about his service record and later life accurate? I don't know. It is a nice story that inspires respect and admiration of our veterans, but keep in mind that not everything you read is true, especially on the Internet.

It is a nice story that inspires respect and admiration of our veterans, but keep in mind that not everything you read is true, especially on the Internet.

This is where things get complicated and the best way to sort through the info. is by going to the source, or reading the opinions of a lot of people on one subject and trying to find the one that's most likely. Easier said than done though, isn't it?

Yep, It's easy to have your mouth equal your shoe size.
I'm sure that no matter who was depicted on this note it would always represent every Veteran that served.

Back to the photo again:

This same information that I first posted about the veteran on the bill was printed in the Regina Coin Club Newsletter this month.  They are saying the same story as I had said.  It has defiantly had drawn attention on both sides of the story.  Did anyone else here get the Regina Coin Club Newsletter?

Regardless we owe alot to all our brave Veterans!

 Jeff

This one just doesn't die!

Another reference to Maj. Metcalfe was found in the February 2010 bulletin of the Mississauga-Etobicoke Coin Stamp and Collectibles Club. I have emailed the editor.

Boo!!

It won't die because it is a great story, that cronicles the life and sacrifices of a brave Canadian soldier. Like the WWI vets (last one died yesterday at 109) the WWII vets will soon be gone and missed. Our way to keep their legacy alive and it would be great if this vet was honored by the Bank of Canada in such a way (not suggesting that they've not done enough). Story won't die because we don't want it to, regardless of the truth of it. It's a wish. Let's just leave it that way.