Meritorious Service Medal

• Awarded on: November 20, 2020
• Invested on: April 13, 2022

Colonel Robert Mark Hutchings, M.S.M., C.D. (Ret’d)
Kingston, Ontario

Mark Hutchings spearheaded the creation of a memorial to the 1917 Battle of Hill 70, an important First World War victory for Canadian soldiers who were fighting, for the first time, under a Canadian commander. He launched a volunteer committee to secure funds and international support to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the event. Thanks to their dedication, the monument—a striking obelisk surrounded by parkland—now stands near the battleground in Loos-en-Gohelle, France.