Honourable senators, I rise today to commemorate the seventy‑second anniversary of the Battle of Hill 355 — from October 23 to 24, 1952 — for one of our heroic and proud Canadian regiments, The Royal Canadian Regiment, or RCR.

During the Korean War, Canadians were often deployed on or near Hill 355, so named on military maps because it was 355 metres above sea level. It was nicknamed “Little Gibraltar” because of its shape. The hill was located about 40 kilometres north of Seoul, the capital of South Korea, and was highly valued because it was the highest ground overlooking the surrounding front lines and supply routes.

It was October 1952. The 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment had been stationed on Hill 355 since early September. Attacks by enemy forces left the defences badly damaged and weakened. Enemy attacks were relentless. Under heavy assault, with communication cut off, they fought and stood their ground, ready to die in the name of freedom.

Communist Chinese forces attacked on October 23, putting down another heavy artillery and mortar barrage — estimated at 6,000 rounds — mostly on the left forward B Company, and then sent forward their soldiers in a large attack, estimated at battalion sized, on the Canadian positions. The RCR counterattacked with a company-sized force, D Company. The Chinese withdrew, and the Canadians succeeded in reoccupying the position in the early hours of October 24. The challenging conditions in which these troops fought are unimaginable to most of us, yet they persevered in a foreign land, day after day, and refused to give up at all costs.

Although victorious in the Battle of Hill 355, it was a costly battle for Canadians and the RCR: 18 Canadians were killed, 35 wounded and 14 taken prisoner. Members of the Royal Canadian Regiment will long remember the legacy of the Battle of Hill 355 and the brave Canadians who fought in the Korean War.

The RCR has a long legacy of serving Canada with great courage and distinction. Since December 21, 1883, the men and women of the Royal Canadian Regiment have fought tirelessly to defend Canadian values of freedom and democracy in lands both near and far. We will remember them.