Released on November 9, 2017
A prominent coulee on the Lake of Rivers near Assiniboia will now bear the name of Captain David McAndie, a fallen soldier who homesteaded near the area at the beginning of the First World War.“Our government is honoured to recognize Captain David McAndie for his service to our country and our province,” Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Gene Makowsky said. “It is because of his sacrifice, and the sacrifices of so many other brave women and men, that we have the privilege to live in this free and prosperous nation.”
Captain McAndie was born in Tarbet, Scotland in 1887 and immigrated to Saskatchewan in 1911. After the First World War began, he enlisted with the 46th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force in Moose Jaw. During the war, McAndie was assigned to the 10th Battalion and became one of the most decorated Canadian officers of the First World War receiving four awards for conspicuous gallantry in the face of the enemy.
Tragically, he was wounded by enemy shellfire in France, dying of his injuries on August 15, 1918 at the age of 31. Members of the McAndie family were pleased to receive news of this announcement.
“I am delighted that Saskatchewan has honoured the name of my uncle by naming this feature,” nephew of Captain McAndie Mackenzie McAndie said. “We, as a family, are very proud of David McAndie and, indeed, of the 10th Canadian Battalion who acquitted themselves so well in the face of the enemy. Especially, those who gave their lives.”
The GeoMemorial Commemorative Naming Program was established in 1947 and is designed to honour Saskatchewan military personnel, police officers, emergency responders and others who are killed in the service of our country or province. Since its inception, nearly 4,000 GeoMemorial features, including the McAndie Coulee, have been named across the province.
Lieutenant-Colonel Peter J. Boyle, Curator of The Calgary Highlanders Regimental Museum and Archives, brought McAndie’s nomination forward. The nomination was reviewed by the Saskatchewan Heritage Foundation’s Geographic Naming Committee, who forwarded its recommendation to the Minister of Parks, Culture and Sport for approval.
To learn more about the province’s GeoMemorial Commemorative Naming Program, including instructions on how to nominate a new geographic place name, visit www.saskatchewan.ca/residents/parks-recreation-heritage-and-arts/heritage/propose-a-new-geographic-place-name.
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For more information, contact:
Katrina Robinson
Parks, Culture and Sport
Regina
Phone: 306-787-3506
Email: katrina.robinson@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-550-5927