Trooper Tommy Baker Snortin’ Norton Award 2023
The King’s Own Calgary Regiment is pleased to offer a number of scholarships to eligible members.
In 2020, the year which marked the 75th anniversary of The King’s Own Calgary Regiment completing service in the Second World War, Trooper (ret’d) Tommy Baker established an award to be presented annually to a student who is a serving member either of The King’s Own Calgary Regiment, of the 2512 King’s Own RCACC, or of the 1910 Pte Pattison, VC RCACC, and who will be commencing or continuing their education at the post-secondary level. The award is named after despatch rider Trooper Tommy Baker and his “snortin’ Norton” motorcycle.
Tommy joined the Regiment in February of 1941, and following Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV) training in Camp Borden, arrived in the United Kingdom on July 1st of that year. On 19 August 1942, Tommy took part in the Dieppe Raid, but he was one of the lucky ones who made it back to England that day. The following summer, in July 1943, Tommy landed with the Regiment in Italy, and there assumed the role of despatch rider. During the battle of Motta Montecorvino, on 01 October 1943, two days before his 20th birthday, Tommy was riding his Norton motorcycle, and leading the regimental physician, Doc Alexander, to the location of injured regimental personnel, when he was blown off his vehicle by a German 88. Tommy was severely wounded and would spend the next six months convalescing in hospital, as well as being retrained, before returning to the Regiment – just in time for the fourth Battle of Monte Cassino, in May of 1944. Tommy continued to serve with the Regiment throughout Canada’s Italian campaign, and then into Northwest Europe, until the end of the war. Tommy passed away on December 11th, 2021, in Red Deer, Alberta.
The award will be presented to the student/applicant who best exemplifies the valiant and intrepid character of Tommy Baker, and his qualities of brave and informed decision making, ownership of outcomes, inspirational leadership, and being a provider of results. The successful candidate will be a hard-charging team player who is accountable, lifts the spirits of his or her colleagues with his or her own positive attitude and good humour, and who leads by inspiring loyalty, rather than by imposing authority.
The criteria for the Trooper Tommy Baker Snortin’ Norton Award ($2000 CAD) is as follows:
- Applicant must be a graduating high school student enrolling in post secondary education, OR a student who is already enrolled in an accredited post-secondary institution in Alberta, in a full-time program that will lead to a degree, diploma or certificate. Full time is considered to be a minimum of three (3) credit earning courses per semester, and a minimum of two (2) semesters per year;
- Applicant must be a member of the King’s Own Calgary Regiment or a cadet or Cadet Instructor Cadre Officer in either the 2512 King’s Own RCACC or 1910 Pte Pattison, VC RCACC;
- The applicant must have attained a minimum of 65%, or a 2.6 grade point average, measured over all courses listed on the transcript for their most recently completed academic year; and
- If a student/successful applicant withdraws from their academic year of studies, they are no longer eligible for the award and any monies issued must be returned in full to The King’s Own Calgary Regiment (50 CEF/14 CTR) Association.
This award is made possible by the late Trooper Tommy Baker (1923-2021) via the Regimental Funds Foundation (RFF).
The application deadline for this award is Friday, March 31, 2023.
The application form with further information and application requirements may be found by clicking here:
http://kingsown.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Tommy-Baker-Snortin-Norton-Award-2023.pdf
Onward!
Posted by MCpl Mitchell
