Argyll and Sutherland Highlander John Dinsmore: A good and trusted friend

By Joanne McDonald

When Lieutenant Colonel (RTD) John F. Dinsmore CD is given a minute, he uses all 60 seconds.

Filling every minute, he has walked with royalty and he has set thousands of young people on the road to lifelong learning. And through the years he has espoused the words of Rudyard Kipling in his poem ‘If’ as a philosophy of life.

The poem is an ethos of a successful, principled and harmonious life based on values of integrity, humility and selfdevelopment. It speaks to readers about what it means to become a complete man and that success is only meaningful if it is in a nexus with modesty.

Time does not know how to forgive those who waste it.

Dinsmore joined The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise’s) at the age of 18 and rose through the ranks to command the Hamilton regiment while working as a vice-principal in the public school system during a 35-year teaching career. He has filled every minute with worthwhile endeavours and he has stayed the course.

Gordon J. Scott, Pipe Major of the Grimsby Pipe Band, calls Dinsmore a trusted and good friend. “If John tells you he is going to do something, you can always count on him. He will be there when you need him.”

And said Scott, Dinsmore appreciates others. “John doesn’t judge. He doesn’t have a preconceived notion. He’s analytical for sure, by virtue of his training, but he really tries to think the best of everybody.”

“I’ve seen him change his mind. From an intelligence point of view, he is willing to relook and change direction if necessary. As head of a regiment he was adaptable.” He showed leadership and never expected anyone to do anything that he wouldn’t do himself.

“He believed in what he was doing. The Argylls is his life blood.”

“His superior knowledge in many fields has given him a good perspective. He has a unique talent for seeing the whole picture. There are very few people you can trust to that degree and he’s one of them.”

There’s no subterfuge with Dinsmore.

“You can trust John with the most delicate situations. He’s up front and if you ask his opinion, he will always give an honest response. He’s always been that way.”

“He used all his talents and education for good. He was a Lieutenant Colonel but it was always about doing good – doing good and transferring knowledge.”

“We’ve been friends for years. He is family to us.”

LONDONDERRY

Born in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, Dinsmore came to Hamilton in 1956.

At 15, Dinsmore said it was a good age to practice to be able “to talk Canadian.”

He was entered in Grade 12, finished Grade 13, and at 18 went to Teachers’ College in Hamilton. By the age of 19 he was teaching in Port Loring in the Parry Sound District but soon found a way to transfer back to Hamilton. It was the start of a 35-year teaching career. He began at Hagar School in Grimsby and retired from Prince Philip School in St. Catharines as the vice-principal.

As a Boy Scout in Ireland, it was on his first time out of the country to Edinburgh, Scotland that Dinsmore saw kids in kilts. “There is no way they’re getting me to wear a skirt,” he told his friends, only a few years later to be proudly wearing the kilt. “And I’ve been wearing it all my life.”

At 18, Dinsmore joined the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise’s) in Hamilton. A friend in Grade 13 had encouraged him to check it out and he decided to join.

The young reservist joined as an officer and did many jobs, moved through all the officer ranks and would eventually become commanding officer of the Hamilton regiment.

Dinsmore’s life took an abrupt change in course the night he met Carol at a party in the officers’ mess. She worked for a dentist who served as the dental officer for the Argylls and by chance Dinsmore was in the right place at the right time. He called her the next day, they went for a drive and before long were engaged. When Carol bought John his first set of bagpipes in 1963 he knew it was true love. His bagpipe teacher, Argyll’s pipe sergeant Jim McNeil played at their wedding. They married in 1964 and bought their first house in Grimsby in 1966. And rumour has it they can cut a rug on the Scottish dancing floor.

Scott recalls John’s words about his

Continued From Page 7 wife Carol on their 50th wedding anniversary. “John was working full time as a vice principal and was head of the regiment. He said Carol never complained and that without her he wouldn’t have succeeded. Carol really has been a pillar of strength for him. They’re both very generous people with their time and their knowledge.”

Carol is equally positive about the Dinsmore team. “John was teaching all day, two nights a week he was with the regiment, he was taking classes at Brock finishing his master’s and still being there for the family,” including their children Siobhan and John. He completed a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Education in Educational Administration. He also taught at the Canadian Army Staff College in Toronto.

In 1976 they went to Australia on a teaching exchange. Dinsmore received an International Teaching Fellowship Award from the Government of Victoria and a highlight of the exchange was making lifelong friends. They’re looking forward to welcoming Australians Rosemary and Peter Nicholson who will be in Grimsby in June for a stopover visit.

It’s been a great love for Dinsmore to play the bagpipes. It’s an instrument that stirs deep emotions and can bring listeners to tears. Asked if the music brings him to tears, Dinsmore jokes that depending on the proficiency of the player, “sometimes they make me cry too.”

Dinsmore joined the Grimsby Pipe Band around 2000 and was instrumental in encouraging new members. “John is very well read. He knows his history and was a great resource for our kids in the band.”

“At practice every Tuesday, John would have about a 15-minute history lesson for the kids. He brought history to life for them. We would call it ‘John’s 15 minutes’.”

The Argylls

The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise’s) is a Primary Reserve Highland infantry regiment, an integral component of the Canadian Armed Forces based at John W. Foote VC Armoury in Hamilton.

The Regiment contributed an aggregate of more than 20 per cent of its authorized strength to the various task forces which served in war in Afghanistan between 2002 and 2014. Dinsmore said that included more than 60 from the Hamilton regiment who served in a variety of capacities including providing education for girls.

On October 22, 2014, Corporal Nathan Cirillo of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders was murdered while standing ceremonial guard duty at the National War Memorial in Ottawa. He was approached from behind and shot several times in the back by an Islamic extremist.

It’s a reminder of the fragility of peace.

Canadians can’t overstate the importance of their military. “Canadian military serves a crucial role in maintaining democracy and protecting our geography,” Dinsmore said.

“When the Argyll was shot at the cenotaph, John was interviewed by the media. He was describing the ceremony, what would happen, and he was instrumental in the program that followed for the memorial,” Scott said. “John has represented the Argylls many times. He is an eloquent speaker and he was the announcer for the Tattoo.”

His announcing career began at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 1986 and continued in Hamilton when a group began producing what was to become the Canadian International Military Tattoo.

He served as Chairman of the Hamilton International Tattoo and Director of the Canadian International Military Tattoo. The Regimental Pipes & Drums band has represented the unit at gatherings across the country and internationally including at the famed Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

But more than the accolades and honours, nothing was more rewarding than a note of thanks from a student or parent.

From a student: “Your teaching methods, ideas, and the way you structured the class are far superior to any other teacher

Esprit de corps through the years

• Lieutenant Colonel of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise’s)

• Honorary Aide-de-Camp to Henry N. R. ‘Hal’ Jackman, 25th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario

• Golden Jubilee Medal presented for significant contribution to Canada

• Canadian Forces’ Decoration (CD)

• Chairman of the Hamilton International Tattoo

• Director of the Canadian International Military Tattoo

• Secretary of the Grimsby Pipe Band

• International Teaching Fellowship Award from the Government of Victoria, Australia

• Bachelor of Arts in English, Brock University

• Master of Education in Educational Administration, Brock University

• Teacher - Canadian Army Staff College in Toronto

• Vice-Principal - 35 years teaching in the public school system

I’ve had. I would like to be able to take your influence as a teacher and one day apply it to my own classroom.”

From a parent: “We appreciate the challenge you have given (daughter) this year. We are particularly thankful that you were willing to broaden (daughter’s) horizons through your world-wide perspective and articulate emphasis on excellence.”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with kings – nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!

Says Dinsmore’s friend Scott, “when you’re with John, you’re going to learn something.