Expect episodes that discuss the human aspect of warfare throughout the evolution of weapons, tactics, strategy, and leadership. Topics will vary but will always bring in the aspects that your average soldier, sailor, and aviator had to endure when giving their all for their cause.
Rejoy Chatterjee and Colin Robinson are two amateur military historians who were both infantry officers in the past. They have a shared love and admiration of the camaraderie and selflessness of combatants the world over, and are eager to bring to life stories of ordinary folks who achieved the extraordinary
On June 1, 1876, eighteen young Canadians arrived at Point Frederick in Kingston, Ontario, to begin an ambitious experiment: could a young nation educate and develop its own military leaders?
As the Royal Military College of Canada celebrates its 150th anniversary, the Rum Ration Podcast explores the remarkable evolution of an institution that began in a former naval storehouse and helped shape generations of Canadian officers.
Join Rejoy and Colin as they trace RMC’s journey from the legendary “Old Eighteen” through two World Wars, changing military expectations, evolving traditions, and the challenges facing the college today.
Beyond the history, they tackle a question as relevant now as it was in 1876: what does it really take to develop effective military leaders?
With their usual blend of historical insight, military experience, and humour, they explore what 150 years of Truth, Duty, Valour means for Canada's future.
31 Oct 2026
Episode 68 - Mud, Water and Wasps: The Canadians at the Scheldt
Leopold Canal: The RMR’s Baptism of Fire
October 1944. The Allies desperately needed Antwerp’s port, but German forces controlled the Scheldt estuary. Standing in their way were flooded fields, fortified canals, and determined defenders.
Enter The Royal Montreal Regiment.
In this episode of the Rum Ration Podcast, Rejoy and Colin recount Operation Switchback, one of Canada’s most gruelling battles of the Second World War. Follow a company of largely inexperienced Montreal soldiers as they cross the Leopold Canal behind a spectacular flamethrower barrage, only to find themselves fighting desperately to hold a bridgehead barely ten yards deep.
Meet Captain Robert Schwob, whose extraordinary leadership earned the Military Cross; stretcher-bearer Stanley Enair, who repeatedly risked his life rescuing wounded comrades; and the remarkable Thomas Cripps Lewis, killed commanding a brigade at just 33.
It’s a story of courage, sacrifice, and ordinary Canadians facing extraordinary circumstances, revealing the human cost behind one of the RMR’s proudest battle honours.
24 Oct 2026
Episode 67 - Valcartier 1914: Building Canada's First Army
How do you turn 33,000 civilian volunteers into an army in just a few weeks? And what happens when the man in charge is the brilliant, controversial, and occasionally outrageous Sam Hughes?
In August 1914, Canada faced an extraordinary challenge: mobilizing an expeditionary force for a war nobody fully understood. Almost overnight, farmland near Quebec City became Valcartier Camp, a sprawling canvas city complete with railway sidings, rifle ranges, electricity, running water, and mountains of military supplies.
In this episode of the Rum Ration Podcast, Rejoy and Colin explore the astonishing logistics, political connections, questionable equipment, and everyday experiences of the soldiers who arrived from across Canada. From missing rifles and inadequate boots to burnt porridge and 150,000 pairs of socks, it's a story of ingenuity, improvisation, and military chaos.
Was Valcartier Sam Hughes's greatest achievement or proof of his recklessness? As it turns out, perhaps both.
Who has been a guest on Rum Ration
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Hal Klepak
George Elliott Clarke
Amynte Eygun
Christopher Robinson
[Guest Name]
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
1,493
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
13 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 30 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
32
Social presence
0
YouTube
68
Engagement
0
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