Lieutenant-Colonel Ian Tait
Seaforth Highlanders of Canada

His predecessor, Lieutenant-Colonel J.M.S. Tait, who reportedly liked to adorn himself with Patton-like pistol holsters, had been neither liked nor respected by the soldiers of the unit, the nickname “Hollywood” attesting to their cynicism regarding his abilities and sincerity.

(Delaney, The Soldier’s General, 43)

Born in Vancouver on 1 December 1903, John “Ian” Moore Spottiswood Tait was the son of Lieutenant-Colonel J.S. Tait who commanded the 29th Battalion in late 1916. As a child he attended school in England while his father was on the Western Front. He returned to Vancouver in the early 1920s and joined militia. He went overseas with the Seaforth Highlanders in December 1939, and took command two years later.

Continue reading →