Lieutenant-Colonel Rowan Coleman
Loyal Edmonton Regiment
Lincoln and Welland Regiment

Rowan was, beyond doubt, one of the most liked and respected officers in the 2nd Brigade … Armed with only his pipe, he was completely unflappable, and always exuded a quiet confidence, no matter how desperate the situation … He was one of the few officers who went out of his way to show me the ropes and give me a little encouragement when I badly needed some help. Yet, he would not suffer gladly junior officers who didn’t measure up, or who groused about their problems.

(C. Sydney Frost, Once a Patricia, 424)

Born in Winnipeg on 22 June 1915, Rowan Corry Coleman, was son of the president of the Canadian Pacific Railway and a graduate of McGill University and Dalhouise law school. Commissioned with the McGill Officer Training Corps in 1940, he joined the PPCLI in the United Kingdom and served as a company commander during the invasion of Sicily in July 1943. Earlier that year, Coleman had been one of the Canadian officers attached to the British First Army in North Africa to gain combat experience fighting with the Royal Buffs in Tunisia.

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