Scotty Beams Up for the Last Time

[John McGillivray]

Another Second World War veteran has passed away today. James Doohan who played Scotty on the original Star Trek series, had landed on D-Day as a FOO with the Royal Canadian Artillery.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/nationa...bit050720.html

[cmperry4]

Sad to see him gone. His Scottish engineer was always my favourite gag on Star Trek.

Does anyone know exactly which RCA unit he was with - there were four ashore in the assault with Sextons with 3rd Div on D-Day, 12,13,14,19th Field Rgts, RCA - anyone know for sure his exact unit or battery? Or was it something else?

[John McGillivray]

The following is from the Star Trek web site.

“It was largely for that reason that Jimmy "escaped" from his life by signing up for the Royal Canadian Artillery, once the country joined the war effort in 1939. Posted in England, he served throughout the duration of the war, becoming an officer and rising through the ranks, but without seeing actual combat until June 6, 1944 — D-Day — where he led a regiment of 33 men onto Juno Beach at Normandy, France.

You may have never noticed, watching the Original Series and the movies, that Mr. Scott has a physical handicap — he's missing the middle finger of his right hand. That's because the actor kept it very well hidden. (Watch the shows again carefully — Scotty is almost always clenching his right hand, or hiding it behind a console — but if you know to look, the missing digit is occasionally apparent.) That injury occurred on D-Day. Lt. Doohan successfully led his Canadian troop onto the beach and pushed inland to establish the best possible gun position (along the way Doohan shot two German snipers, never knowing whether he killed them). A field was secured and command posts were established, but not all Germans between the beach and their position had been captured. That night about 11:30, Doohan and another officer were walking between command posts when machine gun fire broke out. Doohan was hit; he fell into a shell hole, looked at his hand and saw blood. Three bullets struck the one finger. Never losing consciousness, he actually walked to the regimental aid post, unaware he also took four bullets in the leg.

There was an eighth bullet, and it was nothing less than a miracle that he's still with us today. It hit his chest, four inches from his heart. But it ricocheted off the sterling silver cigarette case in his pocket, the one his brother had given him for being best man at his wedding. It's like a trite plot twist, he acknowledges — his brother saved his life from thousands of miles away. Jimmy pushed the dent out of the cigarette case and continued using it until he quit smoking years later. He stayed in the military, learned to fly and came to be known as the ‘craziest pilot in the Canadian Air Forces.’”

Source

http://www.startrek.com/startrek/vie...icle/6527.html

[Tony Viste]

Found the following in the 13th Field Regiment War Diary for 6 June 1944

"The recce party consisting of the RSO (Lt T.C. GREENLEES) and the COPs (Lt J.M. DOOHAN, Lt R.J. WALDIE, and Lt J.T.R. BROWNRIDGE) and 3 CPOAs landed on MIKE sector at approx H+20."

"Lt J.M. DOOHAN was wounded and had to be evacuated."




Tony Viste

[cmperry4]

Thanks, question answered very nicely. It's interesting to see how surprised some people are when the find that Doohan was Canadian, and landed on D-Day to boot - and the part about having his finger shot off, of course.

Now, about his flying career ...?

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

I have seen suggestions that Mr Doohan's family came from Ulster, now largely Northern Ireland. He was once in a segment of BEWITCHED when he played Sam's cousin.

Apart from William Shatner of Montreal were there any other Canadian actors in ST?

[cmperry4]

John Colicos played the first Klingon on the original series. (He was later on Battlestar Galactica with Lorne Green, Canada's "Voice of Doom" on CBC duriing the Second World War (and Pa Cartwright, of course).

As for the rest:

http://ccr.ptbcanadian.com/star-trek/

[cmperry4]

Poked around imdb.com and discovered this director was making a documentary about actors wartime experiences, which included James Doohan:

http://www.weggeeproductions.com/


There's a little demo movie link.

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

The only British actor I know of was Marina Sirtis from north London, a Tottenham Hotspur supporter.

[Gunner]

Jimmy Doohan's exploits as an Air OP pilot can be read in the book, "Canada's Flying Gunners" available from the CWM gift shop.

He was an active member of the Air OP Association and attended several meetings and conventions here in Ottawa.

"End of Mission, Stand Easy"

Mike

[Snowtractor]

"Scottie I need warp power NOW!" "C'ptin, I canno do it, the gism sinq in the doofunkinator is all feerbed up! It'll take tree weeks in a Starbase just to get the cappicino machine Werkin agin"

3 mins later " C'ptin, I've got 'er werking , but I dunno if she'll hold"

For your duty to country I salute you Mr Doohan and for your duty to the Enterprise I will miss you. Have big adventures where you are now.
Sean

[cmperry4]

Surely Patrick Stewart (Picard), and I think that guy who played the Dr. on DS9 might have been from the U.K.

As for Doohan's flying career, from FOO to AOP makes perfect sense. I'll have to track that book down.

[Alex Blair (RIP)]

Media Advisory - SPACE Salutes James "Scotty" Doohan
Saturday, July 30, beginning @ 11am ET

TORONTO, July 26 /CNW/ -

WHAT: SPACE: The Imagination Station will pre-empt its previously
scheduled programming this Saturday to air a special tribute to
James Doohan who played Montgomery Scott ("Scotty") on Star
Trek: The Original Series. SPACE's tribute begins with James
Doohan's favourite Star Trek: The Original Series episode
entitled "The Doomsday Machine," followed by four other classic
Trek episodes that centre on Doohan's character, and an episode
of Star Trek: The Next Generation that featured a special guest
appearance by Doohan.

11am ET - Star Trek: The Original Series, "The Doomsday Machine"
12pm ET - Star Trek: The Original Series, "Wolf In The Fold"
1pm ET - Star Trek: The Original Series, "The Trouble With Tribbles"
2pm ET - Star Trek: The Original Series, "By Any Other Name"
3pm ET - Star Trek: The Original Series, "The Lights of Zetar"
4pm EST - Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Relics"

WHY: To honour the life of Canadian actor James Doohan, who passed
away July 20, 2005.

WHEN: Saturday, July 30, beginning at 11am ET.

WHERE: Only on SPACE: The Imagination Station.

SPACE: The Imagination Station, a division of CHUM Television, is a
24-hour-a-day English-language national science fiction, science fact,
speculation and fantasy channel (www.spacecast.com). CHUM Television is a
division of CHUM Limited (TSX: CHM/CHM.NV.B, www.chumlimited.com), one of
Canada's leading media companies and content providers which owns and operates
radio stations, local television stations, specialty channels and Internet
properties.

Please visit SPACE Media for high-res photos: www.spacecast.com/media




For further information: please contact: Alison Salinas, Publicist,
(416) 591-7400 x2865, alisons@spacecast.com; Jennifer Lo, Director of
Communications, (416) 591-7400 x2761, jenniferl@spacecast.com





SPACE: THE IMAGINATION STATION

[John McGillivray]

I was in a book store yesterday and looked through Donald Graves’ new book “Century of Service: The History of the South Alberta Light Horse”. One of the Alberta Regiments covered in the book is the 13th Field Regiment RCA. There is one reference to James Doohan. It appears that Lt. Doohan’s wounds were the result of friendly fire. He was hit by a burst from a Bren Gun fired by a nervous sentry.

[John McGillivray]

As you all know James Doohan who played Scottie in the Star Trek series was a Canadian Artillery officer who was injured on D-Day. He later retrained as an Air OP Pilot.

In the Canadian Army Newsreel No 50 there is a story on the training of Air OP pilots. Between 4:12 and 4:16 in the video there is an officer on the right of the screen who appears to resembles James Doohan. Could this be him?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ldg...3C686&index=51