Lieutenant-Colonel Dick Rutherford
Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders

Dickie Rutherford, commanding “A” Company came back and he was wounded and he was laughing … He said he and the sergeant-major had had a little bet as to who was going to be back in England in a hospital first. And here he was walking back with his fingers shot off!

(Norman Ross interview, 16 Aug 1979)

Born in Shrewsberry, England in March 1916, Richard Lewis Rutherford a graduate of the University of Manitoba and commissioned with the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders since 1936. He served as aide-to-camp for Major-General Victor Odlum of 2nd Canadian Division in 1940 before returning to Canada for staff officer work with the Pacific Command. He rejoined the Camerons and served as a company commander during the Normandy campaign.

Following a hand wound in July 1944 from a sniper’s bullet, he rejoined the Cameron’s as second-in-command. Referencing the high turnover in command of the battalions, with five commanders in two months, the 6th Brigade news sheet joked: “We understand the 2 IC of the Camerons of C, Maj. Rutherford is out to get a quick promotion. He started his campaign by trying to run his CO’s jeep, complete with CO off the road. The system has its points at that, you know, open season on CO’s.”

The promotion to take command would wait. Instead, by the end of September 1944, Rutherford was assigned to be brigade major for the 6th Infantry Brigade. The news sheet, The Iron Brigade, noted “Dick is no stranger to us and we know all join us in wishing him every success.” The high command turnover in the battalion continued into early 1945.

Lieutenant-Colonel E.P. Thompson of the Camerons was killed on 26 February 1945. His replacement, Lieutenant-Colonel A.A. Kennedy, former CO of the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment in Italy, took over in March. Disputes with both the second-in-command and the brigadier together with suspicions of his battle exhaustion resulted in Kennedy’s relief a month later. Rutherford left 6th Brigade headquarters to take over in April. As the battalion’s twelfth official wartime commander, he would lead the Camerons home in November 1945.

Rutherford remained in the army after the war, serving general staff and instructional duties. In 1951, he became commanding officer of the 1st Canadian Highland Battalion (The Black Watch). During the late 1950s, he acted as deputy director of army training and worked as senior planning officer for peacetime emergencies in the late 1960s.

Rutherford died in Ottawa on 17 April 1991.