Raymond “Scotty” Leland

Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada – Canadian Scottish Regiment

Princess Patricia’s Light Infantry – Royal Canadian Army Pay Corps

Scotty was born on 22 June 1920. He was born and raised in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. In March 1942, he enlisted for service in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan with the Prince Albert Volunteers. His brother, Gordon, also enlisted for service during the Second World War and served with the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Scotty travelled to the United Kingdom in May 1943 and served with the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada. The unit landed in France shortly after D-Day and served as part of the Second Canadian Infantry Division. He was wounded on three occasions, once seriously on 8 August 1944, slightly on 22 February 1945, and seriously again on 27 February 1945 when he was struck by shrapnel in the left arm and right leg. Immediately after victory in Europe and the German surrender, he served with the Canadian Scottish Regiment in the Netherlands as part of the Canadian Army Occupation Force. He returned to Canada on 28 December 1945 aboard the troopship RMS Queen Elizabeth.

After the Second World War, Scotty continued his military service, serving in the Korean War with the Second Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Light Infantry. He transferred to the Royal Canadian Army Pay Corps in 1953 and deployed again in 1959-1960 with the United Nations Emergency Force in Egypt. There, he and the force supervised the cessation of hostilities in the area, acting as a buffer between the Egyptian and Israeli forces. During the Cold War, he also deployed to France and Germany with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). He continued his service with the Pay Corps until receiving his discharge in 1970.

After retiring from the army, he was employed by Royal Roads Military College until 1980. In retirement, he enjoyed traveling the world and spent many winters in Mesa, Arizona. He spent the last 18 months of his life at Broadmead Veterans Memorial Lodge in Victoria, British Columbia, before he passed away on 3 August 2025 at 105 years old.