The Chaplain's Diary

The Chaplain's Diary is a work of historical reconstruction rooted in memory, war records, and the private reflections of Padre Laurence Wilmot, MC. Through the eyes of a soldier-priest who served in Sicily and Italy, the book examines courage not as legend, but as lived experience. It asks a direct question: why does Canada's Victoria Cross remain unawarded since its creation in 1993, despite acts of extraordinary bravery in earlier wars?

At the centre of this investigation stand two men.

Colonel Ronald Waterman rose from the ranks to command in some of the fiercest fighting of the Italian campaign. At the Foglia River and along the Gothic Line, he led from the front, rallied exhausted men under fire, and held positions that might otherwise have collapsed. Recommendations were written. None resulted in the Victoria Cross.

Corporal Alphonsus Hickey's story is starker. During the withdrawal under heavy fire, he remained behind with a Bren gun to cover his battalion's retreat. He fought alone, deliberately, and held the line long enough for others to survive. His action was reduced to a brief mention in despatches.

The Chaplain's Diary does not diminish the honours that were awarded. It examines the ones that were not. Drawing from diaries, official records, and reconstructed narrative, it challenges readers to consider whether silence itself can become policy, and whether a nation sometimes hesitates to confront the full measure of its own courage.