Lieutenant-Colonel W.S. Rutherford
Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders
Perth Regiment

The first act was a burlesque skit, most certainly not appropriate for Christmas, in which a bid randy lumberjack in this case none other than Lieutenant-Colonel Rutherford himself, rode into town to get himself laid. And who would his ravishing partner be but none other than the best female impersonator in the whole damn Canadian Army … As for the skit, it really wasn’t all that much in the way of a professional burlesque, or acting ability, but it sure did bring on the laughs.

(Stanley Scislowski, Not All of Us Were Brave, 101)

Born in Toronto on 26 September 1907, William Samuel Rutherford was a University of Toronto graduate, Shell Oil employee, and militia officer with the Toronto Scottish Regiment since 1929. He went overseas in December 1939 but returned to Canada later the next year when posted to the 9th Infantry Brigade as brigade major. The brigade, as part of the 3rd Canadian Division, departed for the United Kingdom in July 1941. By the end of the year Rutherford had become acting general staff officer with the division.

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