D-Day

by **Warrior** Tue 21 May 2019, 3:00 pm

Inside the making of the D-Day Heritage Minute

The head of Historica Canada takes us behind the scenes of a Minute marking the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy

By Anthony Wilson-Smith / May 21, 2019

A young actor waits in the smoke in Calgary’s Heritage Park during the filming of Historica Canada’s Heritage Minute about D-Day (Historica Canada)

Anthony Wilson-Smith is president and CEO of Historica Canada and a former editor-in-chief of Maclean’s.

When Norman Leach arrived for a meeting in Calgary one morning last September, he had a checklist of items to be veriﬁed and lessons to deliver. An expert on Canada’s military history, author of a dozen related books and frequent consultant and speaker at home and abroad, Leach specializes in war conditions “on the ground”—what life was really like for troops in battle. That knowledge was to be put to the test in the ﬁlming of a Heritage Minute, to be released later this month, focused on the Second World War efforts of Canadian soldiers 75 years ago on June 6, 1944. D-Day, as it was known, was the biggest military invasion in history—359 Canadian lives were lost—and the beginning of the end of the war. Leach began by checking some army uniforms hanging neatly on a rack in one corner of a makeshift ofﬁce. After verifying their authenticity, he did the same with the (unloaded) weaponry. Then, he assembled the cast—a group of mostly teenage extras and the star, 47-year-old veteran actor Michael Shanks—to demonstrate how to carry and aim their rifles. It was not yet 9 a.m. on an unseasonably cold, blustery day just getting under way.

So began ﬁlming of the newest Minute, the 60-second vignettes that have told stories of memorable Canadian people and events since their 1991 inception. They are produced by Historica Canada, the charitable organization of which I am president. We make them in collaboration with ﬁlm companies chosen from across the country—in this case, Calgary-based Bamboo Shoots. If you aren’t familiar with the Minutes, the evidence suggests you are part of a shrinking minority. Our most recent one, about the Vancouver-based Japanese-Canadian Asahi baseball team of the 1930s, was viewed more than 2.6 million times within the ﬁrst 30 days of its release in February. Its predecessor, an LGBTQ2-focused Minute on gay rights pioneer Jim Egan, was seen 2.5 million times in the same period. That’s not including views on television, planes and trains, all of which show the Minutes. Last year, the Minutes—there are now more than 90—collectively aired 125,138 times on Canadian TV stations.

It’s fair to say that the Minutes, like their familiar and oft-repeated tagline, have over time become “a part of our heritage.” Done right, they are equal parts entertainment and education—putting the lie to the tiresome old saw that “Canadian history is boring.” The Minutes were conceived of and brought to life by philanthropist Charles Bronfman—still a member of our Historica Canada board—for reasons he outlined several years ago. “No society can be of merit,” he observed, “unless it has heroines, heroes and myths. In Canada, while there were many, they had not been taught.” Even though they predated the internet era, the format was ready-made for the impatient digital world: they are micro-mini feature ﬁlms, with developed characters and a full storyline—told in less time than it takes to toast your bread in the morning.

Producing those 60 seconds takes a minimum of nine months. Our decision-making process mixes hard research, hundreds of submissions from experts and the general public, some occasional polling (on what subjects respondents would like to see as a Minute), and, ultimately, a collective gut sense as to what will work. We also get hundreds of submissions annually from high school students who take part in our Ottawa-based Encounters With Canada program. One goal, alongside telling important, compelling stories, is to get to a point where every Canadian can say they see a part of their background or heritage in one of our Minutes.

That’s no small undertaking when you consider that making each Minute costs about $250,000. Funding for the D-Day project came almost entirely from private donors, but others are funded mostly by the federal heritage department. Successive Conservative and Liberal governments have been equally supportive in providing funding, while also taking a hands-off approach to the actual making of each Minute.

The preparations for the D-Day Minute feature the same elements we try to bring to all such productions: a story that reflects the importance of an event; a tale that packs emotional punch; and, in telling it, a near-obsession with authenticity. We wanted a story that would reflect a quiet heroism—a person or people whose story isn’t well known, and who thus is representative of the 14,000 Canadians who, mostly without fuss or acclaim, risked their lives landing on the beaches of Normandy. A network of historians and other contacts provided input while the team at Historica pored over books and old magazines and consulted our own voluminous Canadian Encyclopedia looking for the right choice. We found what we wanted through the excellent Juno Beach Centre, which maintains an enormous archive of material related to Canada’s efforts on D-Day.

The Minute centres on a fortysomething First World War veteran from New Brunswick who re-upped when the second war began. As a major, he led a group composed largely of teenagers, most of whom had never set foot outside the province before they enlisted. Using letters to and from our protagonist and his family, interviews with veterans and their descendants, and photographs and other background material, the script shows how he watched over them, leading them selflessly into what was, literally, the fog of war.

Small details, taken together, have a big impact on whether the ﬁnal result seems realistic. In many movies, the middle-aged hero is played by someone younger—and the supposed teenagers are played by actors a decade older. Michael Shanks was the same age as the character he plays—and the actors playing the teenage soldiers look very much that age. That difference is crucial to understanding the emotional relationship between them.

Norman Leach ensured that as the actor/soldiers patrolled, they swivelled their heads slowly in measured, different directions—as a real patrol would have done. Another piece of advice: “Never walk directly behind each other. Soldiers always spread out so one bullet couldn’t get all of them.” Unlike the submachine-gun toting ofﬁcers in movies, our major carries a pistol—true to the real man.

Computer-generated anti-aircraft dirigibles float overhead, matching newsreel images of the day (Historica Canada)

We shot over two days at Alberta locations: Calgary’s Heritage Park and a lake about 20 minutes from the city. They look very little like the ﬁnal images. Through computer graphic imaging and some impressive set design by Bamboo, the ﬁnal Minute quite faithfully matches photographs and newsreels of the day. There are Spitﬁres buzzing overhead, smoke billowing from the beach, and anti-aircraft dirigibles overhead. Peter Mansbridge, who does the end voice-over, has his own reasons for emotional engagement: his father was a Royal Air Force veteran of the war.

The dialogue in all our Minutes is drawn whenever possible from words the characters are on record as having said or written, included to understand underlying feelings and context. Our previous Minute on Lucy Maud Montgomery, creator of the Anne of Green Gables books, reflects her battles against rejection, sexism and depression in words drawn from her diaries. We consult experts on and representatives from related communities. For this Minute, we used family letters to set the tone of the love and concern among members.

The enduring appeal of the Minutes is, to my mind, due to several factors. Canadians, behind our reputation for self-deprecation, are deeply patriotic; young Canadians more openly so than previous generations. The Minutes provide an outlet for that. Moreover, the Minutes focus on people: how they lived, what they feared, loved and loathed. Viewers thus often ﬁnd themselves reflecting not on how different life was in the past, but rather on how people then were not unlike us in their reactions to events.

For the D-Day Minute, we took note that the several hundred living Canadian veterans of that battle are now well into their 90s. We don’t know how much longer we will have them with us. This story of a small group of men that day—one in particular—is a reminder that events of that era still resonate in intimate, personal ways for many people. The lucky ones went home to families or started new ones. Some who came back were irrevocably changed. Those who never returned left widows and fatherless children whose lives were forever altered. The sacriﬁces of those people, and the courage underlying them, transcend the passage of time. With this story, please take a Minute to remember them.

https://www.macleans.ca/history/making-heritage-minute-normandy-d-day-landings/

by Cooper Wed 22 May 2019, 7:28 pm

D-Day an opportunity to reflect on the horrors of war

May. 22, 2019

On June 6, 1944, I arrived by boat on Juno Beach in Normandy, France, with the Canadian Scottish Regiment. My role was in the mortar platoon.

On June 17, I was based in a barn, anticipating an attack that never came. I went into a nearby shed to disarm the grenades when one exploded, resulting in the loss of my right arm.

When I returned to Canada, I became a member of The War Amps, which was started by amputee veterans returning from the First World War to help each other adapt to their new reality as amputees.

Through the years, we have made it a goal to remember and commemorate our fallen comrades, and to educate youth about the horrors of war.

In Normandy, many Canadians died or suffered wounds that they had to carry for the rest of their lives. As we mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day, it’s important that we never forget.

Allan Bacon

Toronto

https://www.sookenewsmirror.com/opinion/letter-d-day-an-opportunity-to-reflect-on-the-horrors-of-war/

by Cooper Wed 22 May 2019, 7:39 pm

Military Ames to host Act of Remembrance to commemorate 75th anniversary of D-Day

COREY BULLOCK / May. 22, 2019

Military Ames, Kimberley’s veteran camaraderie group and Veteran’s Canada, Calgary are proud to be officiating an Act of Remembrance and commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of D-Day at the Kimberley Veteran Memorial Park and cenotaph on Saturday, June 8, 2019. There are approximately 60 veterans coming from Alberta and Montana who will be part of the Service.

Cindy Postnikoff of Military Ames says that all veterans are invited, while a special invitation is extended to any and all WWII veterans in the area.

“All these years later, Canada’s impressive efforts in WWII remain a point of great national pride and we will be honoured to have your presence among us,” Postnikoff said. “We will have priority seating for our WWII Veterans and the non-ambulatory. The public is encouraged to attend, and help preserve their legacy for generations to come. We expect you will find the Service both educational and inspiring.”

She commented on the significant history that D-Day holds to veterans and family members of those who fought in WWII.

“As June 6 approaches, and we are reminded of the sacrifices that were made on that day, D-Day, 75 years ago on the murderous sands of Normandy, it is brought to mind that there was more bravery and courage on that day than one can imagine,” Postnikoff said. “The courageous Canadians that went ashore on D-Day in the Battle of Normandy were among the more than one million men and women from our country who served in the cause of peace and freedom during WWII. Sadly, over 45,000 did not return.”

Included in those 45,000 were four men from Kimberley, Gunner RJ Price, Bombardier W.H. Keays, Trooper C. Alton and Flying Officer Pilot R. Gill.

“These four Kimberley heroes are either buried or memorialized in the province of Normandy, France. They are also memorialized along with twenty other Fallen from WWII on the west tower of the Kimberley Cenotaph,” Postnikoff explained.

The June 8 Anniversary ceremony will take place at 2 p.m., with the Colour Guard mustering at the Platzl clock at 1:30 p.m.. Military Ames will also be hosting a dinner for Veterans and spouses or family members at the Elks Hall on Howard Street, following the service, at 5 p.m.. All veterans are welcome. Seating is limited, so please RSVP to Cindy at 250-919-3137 to reserve your seats.

Kimberley Bulletin

by Cooper Wed 22 May 2019, 7:52 pm

For many Canadians, their D-Day was in 1943

The 75th anniversary of D-Day: A special presentation of The Hamilton Spectator’s Newspapers in Education program.

May 22, 2019

D-Day B88717742Z.1_20190522163611_000_GOAJMN5P.2-0_Super_Portrait

An official War Office photo, titled Two Minutes in Ortona. - Hamilton Spectator WWII Photograph Collection, McMaster University Library

https://www.thespec.com/news-story/9366155-for-many-canadians-their-d-day-was-in-1943/

by **Spider** Thu 23 May 2019, 7:25 am

Canadian D-Day survivor, 94, returning to Normandy for 75th anniversary

Christy Somos, with a report by CTV News' Annie Bergeron-Oliver
Published Wednesday, May 22, 2019

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canadian-d-day-survivor-94-returning-to-normandy-for-75th-anniversary-1.4433403

by Gridlock Thu 23 May 2019, 7:24 pm

Combat boots commemorating D-Day journey stop off in Charlottetown

CBC News · Posted: May 23, 2019

D-Day Combat-boots-travelling-canada-pei-may-23-2019

The pair of combat boots began their journey across Canada on March 29 in Vancouver. (Jessica Doria-Brown/CBC)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-dday-boots-cross-canada-commemoration-1.5146523

by **Spider** Fri 24 May 2019, 7:53 am

P.E.I. Veterans Affairs staff prepare to accompany WWII veterans to D-Day ceremonies

Sarah MacMillan · CBC News · Posted: May 24, 2019

In 2014, Canada held ceremonies in Normandy to commemorate the 70th anniversary of D-Day, and will do the same this year to mark the 75th anniversary. (Veterans Affairs Canada)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-veterans-affairs-d-day-ceremonies-travelling-with-veterans-1.5147408

by Marshall Fri 24 May 2019, 5:44 pm

D-Day +75 Years: Huron Students Return to Normandy

Published on: May 24, 2019

Anne Frank’s diary entry for June 6, 1944 expressed the jubilant hope of entire nations when she wrote “This is D-Day. The invasion has begun.”

The 14-year-old Jewish girl whose family had been in hiding in an Amsterdam attic since August 1942 wondered “is this really the beginning of the long awaited liberation?”

Was it possible, Anne wondered, that “the liberation we’ve all talked so much about, which still seems too good, too much of a fairy tale to ever come true?”

The news of the invasion broadcast on the BBC, Frank wrote, “fills us with fresh courage and makes us strong again. Friends are coming.”

Indeed, the liberation of Europe from Nazi domination was underway. By the end of the D-Day on June 6, 1944, 156,000 allied troops had landed by air and sea in Normandy. Nearly 20,000 of them were Canadians who stormed ashore at Juno Beach. It was the largest and riskiest seaborne invasion in history and one of the most important dates in modern history.

Seventy-five years later, 81 Huron County high school students and their chaperones from Central Huron S.S and F. E. Madill S.S. will be in Normandy to commemorate that anniversary and Canada’s vital role in the liberation of Europe.

On Friday, May 31, the first wave of students will be departing for Normandy. For most, their knowledge of D-Day comes from their Grade 10 Canadian history class and Steven Spielberg’s epic film Saving Private Ryan.

CHSS student, Connor Brooks, 17, said, “it was a turning point in the war.”

Most knew that D-Day had “something to do with ending World War II” and stopping “them (Nazi’s) from taking over.”

At least three generations removed from the war, few students know grandparents or relatives who fought in the war or endured Nazi tyranny.

CHSS Canada and World Studies head Terry Barton felt compelled to organize a trip from his school because he wanted 21st-century students to develop a connection with their country’s past achievements and sacrifices. Barton believes “the 75th anniversary of D-Day is a significant event for Canada to recognize its contributions to the war effort and the defense of freedom and democratic values in Europe and around the world.”

Barton believes that, “This is likely to be the last great commemoration event that will allow for the students to combine with surviving members of our forces who participated on the day. The students will never again have the opportunity to both interact and pay tribute to these heroes in such a meaningful context again.”

F.E. Madill teacher Kelly Payne echoes Barton’s sentiments and adds, “The Canadians landing at the Juno Beach sector at Normandy were one of the most successful operations that were carried out on June 6, 1944.”

Payne states that, “D-Day was the pivotal moment that decided the course for the remainder of the war.” Payne says “Our school is honoured to share this day with the approximate 45 Canadian Juno veterans who are able to attend the ceremonies, and who can best transmit the lessons of history to our younger generations. Being able to share this day with our few remaining Juno veterans is priceless.”

There will be one other honoured traveller from Huron County who will be at Juno Beach for the ceremony. It will not be his first time there. Captain Bill Anderson, 97, of Goderich, landed at Juno Beach on June 11, 1944, at D+5. He landed in Normandy as a replacement officer in the 96th Battery of the 5th Anti-Tank Regiment (4th Armoured Division).

Anderson’s first battle experience was in the fight to close the Falaise Gap in the Normandy battles to prevent the remnants of the German army from escaping. Anderson described the ‘carnage’ that he saw in the Gap as ‘horrendous’ and as ‘the worst thing I ever saw.’

Anderson is one of only 43 Canadian veterans of those great and terrible days who will return to bear witness to his generation’s sacrifices three quarters of a century before.

The few surviving veterans of the Normandy campaign are powerful transmitters of our cultural heritage to the next generation. Yet, the living veterans will not be the only ones. The carefully tended Canadian cemeteries in Normandy will be an important part of the students’ journey overseas. The white marble headstones in serried rows are mute but powerful testimony to freedom’s cost as the Commonwealth War Graves Commission carefully tends the graves of 5,000 Canadians killed in the Normandy campaign from June 6 to Aug. 27, 1944.

Most of those whose final resting place lay in Normandy were scarcely older than those who have come to pay homage. Another important stop on the tour will be the annex in Amsterdam where Anne Frank and her family hid for two years.

The students who leave for Normandy on May 31, 2019 will undoubtedly be the largest contingent of Huron County residents to land in Normandy since the D-Day invasion. This time the Canadians come as pilgrims not as liberators.

And, indeed, for Anne Frank who did not live to see the much-awaited liberation, “Friends are coming.”

Signal Star

by Marshall Fri 24 May 2019, 5:51 pm

'Lord, Let Me See One More Sunrise': D-Day Vets Revisit Normandy, Recall Horror and Triumph

05-24-2019

D-Day Veteran Dennis Trudeau

https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2019/may/lord-let-me-see-one-more-sunrise-d-day-vets-revisit-normandy-recall-horror-and-triumph

by Thunder Fri 24 May 2019, 8:00 pm

A nostalgic trip to Normandy 75 years later

Published on: May 24, 2019

Bill Anderson will return to the beaches of Normandy 75 years later for special D-Day ceremonies. KATHLEEN SMITH/Goderich Signal Star

In June of 1944 troops landed on the beaches of Normandy in the Allied effort against Germany.

Victory was obtained at a terrible cost, as many Canadian soldiers made the ultimate sacrifice.

One local Veteran who escaped the clutches of peril during WWII will soon return to those same beaches of Normandy 75 years later.

On June 6, 2019 Bill Anderson will stand alongside upwards of 39 other Veterans from Canada.

There they will honour their fallen comrades who found their final resting place on the beaches of Normandy.

Organized by Veterans Affairs Canada, Veterans will return to the site they landed in and fought at 75 years ago. Bill will make this trek along with his friend and travel companion Nancy Boucher.

Nancy sat with Bill during a trying time when his wife passed earlier this year. She wanted to give him something to look forward to and applied for this trip via Veterans Affairs.

“I have known him for years and I think it’s important to get as many Veterans back [to Normandy] as possible,” admits Nancy.

“I’m looking forward to sitting back and hearing the stories between the Veterans and soaking in the memories.”

While in France they will partake in various ceremonies and parades, including the unveiling of a monument on June 8 that honours the ‘Anti-Tank Gunnery’ regiments, which Bill was a part of during the war.

The Anti-Tank Gunners went into zones when the infantry went in and were small groups attached to regiments all over Europe.

Enlisting and serving in the military was not a matter of a question for Bill. Rather, it was one of duty and legacy.

His father served during the Boer War and his brother was also a member of the Canadian Armed Forces.

During WWII, Bill spent time in England, France and Germany with his regiment.

He was a Lieutenant Colonel of the 5thCanadian Anti-Tank Regiment and his unit worked the beaches and countryside of France.

Bill Anderson enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces in the Allied effort to defeat the Nazis during WWII. He will return to Normandy, France on June 1.

Memories of his time in active duty will never leave Bill: Seeing all the casualties and remembering moving through France with his unit; doing all to survive in the onslaught of enemy mortar bombs; diving under a tank for safety.

A decorated war Veteran, Bill is a man of legacy, of honour, of sacrifice and of service to freedom and peace. His trip back to France will be one of nostalgia for a world full of duty, full of honour and full of death.

Bill is a man who, without question, signed up to serve his country knowing that like many before him, death loomed and waited for many soldiers on the shores of France.

He served to aid in the defeat of the Nazis and bring peace back to Europe and Canada. He is a physical, daily reminder of history where evil ideologies and reckless, autocratic rulers were fought.

When the idea of travelling back to Normandy 75 years later was put toward Bill, his initial response was one of negativity.

“I didn’t want to be an old guy in everybody’s way. But then, I realized that all the other old guys are going to be near my age and I will happily be one of the crowd,” Bill admits.

“Sure I’d like to go, but how much do I want to give up of my comfortable life, in a nice little cottage in Goderich.”

Bill quickly changed his mind on the proposed trip back to Normandy. He understood that there are people, including younger generations, who need reminding that there was a time in which people were hurt and died on their behalf.

“We are all one. Everybody of our generation and others – we are all Canadian. We better keep reminding our selves about that,” says Bill.

“The more people who get over there and yell loudly about what happened in the past, the better.”

Bill knows it will be an emotional trip but for younger generations who are so far removed and disconnected from such the harsh reality of war, it can be a challenge for them to comprehend the importance of remembering history.

While speaking on the upcoming visit back to Normandy, he recalled a story of a young girl, the daughter of a war correspondent, who was cynical of glorifying war through ceremonies.

“I remember, he took her to France and took her to a cemetery. The first headstone she saw had a 16-year-old name on it,” Bill explains.

“All of a sudden the whole thing turned around for her. It is then personalized and gives you an opportunity to relate to them.”

Bill doesn’t see himself as a survivor of WWII but a man who went in and did his job. He admits he is often weepy about those who weren’t so fortunate to step off the battlefield and return home, including his best man who was killed in active duty overseas.

“I get all worked up. You can’t get more personal than that. I shouldn’t be all weepy but I am cause they are there, and I’m here. It’s important to remember them,” Bill says.

There aren’t many of the original 1939 soldiers around today and Anderson believes it is important for younger generations to visit war cemeteries to realize that 16-year-olds like them were killed. It gives them something to relate to.

“People can relate that way, otherwise it just becomes another comic strip, or another piece of film,” Bill says.

History is an important facet of human development, moving forward from positive progress and learning from the mistakes made.

Many sacrifices were made by soldiers to defeat the monstrous acts of the Nazis during WWII.

Bill believes that by remembering the names of the fallen and the horrendous events, humans do not become complacent again. They can continue to stand up against injustice and autocrats.

“We can end up the same way and don’t think it can’t. We have a man to the south of us right now who doesn’t care about the structures in place to keep him in check,” says Bill.

“Why not watch out? Who says that we are through with autocracies? Who says that we are through with monstrous changes if we turn our back and get too complacent?”

Bill furthers that the Nazis were well-trained bullies with no counter balance as all conventions were stripped away.

He fears that this is what is happening in North America right now, and remembering the past is more important in the current political climate.

“We are seeing that convention, which was put in place to curtail the very thing that is happening, is being run over and the right people are not reacting,” Bill adds.

“I remember these things, and I talk about them because I would rather worry about something now and stop it, then try to undo it.”

Despite his initial response to not attend the ceremonies in France and return to where many perished, Bill chose to walk the beaches in Normandy 75 years later to honour that sacrifice.

Bill is a man who fought the very ideologies that created the political climate in WWII, which led to suffering and the death of millions.

As a fabric of history and a man who saw the perils of war, he believes that remembering and having conversations about the great events that happened could help safeguard freedom and peace for generations to come.

Flying from London to Ottawa on June 1, Bill and travel companion Nancy will meet with the other Veterans and some dignitaries who are also attending.

From there, the group will fly to Normandy for the ceremonies, which are commencing the week of June 6.

“The opportunity to go back and see where it was that great event happened and see that beach that I landed on and stand there and see the beach now is an affirmation of memories,” says Bill.

“It’s all nostalgia.”

Signal Star

by **Powergunner** Sat 25 May 2019, 7:21 pm

D-Day's 75th anniversary to be marked in Sarnia

Published on: May 25, 2019 | May 25, 2019

Canada’s role in the Second World War D-Day landings in France will be remembered and honoured with a sunrise ceremony June 6 at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 62 cenotaph on Front Street.

It’s set to begin at approximately 6:15 a.m.

This year is the 75th anniversary of the landings on beaches in Normandy by Canadian, British and American forces.

Les Jones, with Branch 62 of the Royal Canadian Legion in Sarnia, said the service will be held at sunrise, the time of day when the landings began.

“That’s part of our mission, to make sure we never forget the sacrifices made.” he said. “It seems like almost a regular occurrence now that we’re losing our (Second World War) veterans. … There’s very, very few of them remaining.”

Canadians landed on a beachfront code-named Juno and were also among the paratroopers dropped inland on June 6, 1944, as part of the invasion of German-occupied France.

This photo, provided by the Imperial War Museum AFP/Getty Images, was taken on June 6, 1944, and shows Canadian soldiers from 9th Brigade landing with their bicycles at Juno Beach in Bernieres-sur-Mer as Allied forces storm Normandy beaches in northwestern France on D-Day. The 75th anniversary of the D-day landings will fall on June 6, 2019.

There were 14,000 Canadians among the nearly 150,000 Allied troops involved in the invasion, according to the Canadian War Museum.

They included Sarnia’s James Doohan, who was said to have been hit by friendly machine gun fire but only lost his middle right finger.

He went on to become famous for playing Scotty in the original Star Trek TV series in the 1960s, and several films in the years following.

Doohan, who attended SCITS, died in 2005 at age 85.

Canada also contributed 110 ships and 10,000 sailors in support of the landings, and had 15 fighter and fighter-bomber squadrons in the skies over Normandy.

Canadians suffered 1,074 casualties on D-Day, including 359 killed, according to the museum’s website.

The sunrise service in Sarnia has been arranged as part of special 75th commemorations of the landings.

“It will resemble a Remembrance Day ceremony,” including the laying of wreaths at the cenotaph located outside the legion hall in Sarnia, Jones said.

A Second World War-era Sherman tank is mounted on display near the legion cenotaph.

The Sherman was the type of tank used by the First Hussars, a London-based regiment that landed on D-Day. The First Hussars is now an army reserve unit with a site in Sarnia.

Following the sunrise service, those attending will be invited inside the legion hall for refreshments.

The Observer

by **Zoneforce** Sun 26 May 2019, 8:15 am

May 26, 2019

Uncovering D-Day: Canadians unearthing, preserving Hitler’s Atlantic Wall as reminder of war

https://globalnews.ca/news/5316656/uncovering-d-day-canadians-preserving-atlantic-wall/

by Thunder Sun 26 May 2019, 9:36 pm

The 10 Things you Need to Know about D-Day

D-Day - 6 June 1944 - was the largest amphibious invasion in the history of warfare. The statistics of D-Day, codenamed Operation Overlord, are staggering. The Allies used over 5,000 ships and landing craft to land more than 150,000 troops on five beaches in Normandy. The landings marked the start of a long and costly campaign in north-west Europe, which ultimately convinced the German high command that defeat was inevitable.

Here are 10 things you need to know about D-Day

by **Starman** Mon 27 May 2019, 10:13 am

May 27, 2019

Finding Pte. Baker: Canadian historians solve 75-year-old mystery of D-Day soldier’s identity
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https://globalnews.ca/news/5319641/finding-pte-baker-d-day-soldiers-identity/

by **Starman** Mon 27 May 2019, 10:38 am

Blood and thunder at sea: British veteran remembers D-Day

Published: May 27, 2019

LONDON (Reuters) - Seventy-five years ago, a young British sailor stood on the bridge of a warship, its gun barrels pointing out to the coast of France and watched the devastation being rained down on a country he wanted to liberate.

Today, Richard Llewellyn, 93, is among the dwindling number of veterans of the Allied D-Day invasion of Normandy – an operation that turned the tide of World War Two and marked the beginning of the end of the conflict.

The invasion of France is usually told as the story of brave, young men struggling across beaches and fighting their way inland. However, another battle unfolded at sea that day, between the Allied ships and the massive German coastal guns.

Llewellyn describes the thunderous explosions rolling along the shore as every ship in the Allied fleet was blazing away. The enormous firepower sent shells pounding into the cliffs, churning earth, rock, and entire landscapes.

All the while the German battery guns blasted back. The men on the boats could hear the scream of the shells as they passed overhead. The engines of the bombers above added to the concussion of noise. Dead bodies floated in the sea.

Llewellyn compares the scene to watching a spectacular firework display. The warship guns belched out enormous orange balls of flames and mustard colored smoke. Some of the battleships fired 16-inch shells, almost as heavy as a car, and so big they could be seen as they went past.

"The noise was just unbelievable. One of the things that I remember afterwards more than anything else was the noise," said Llewellyn, who was 18 at the time, and a midshipman on HMS Ajax, which was a light cruiser in the British navy.

"If you go to the cinema and you hear a lot of noise and gunfire and so on, it doesn't really register. But if you are actually there the whole air is vibrating all the time."

The assault by almost 7,000 ships and landing craft along a 50-mile stretch of the Normandy coast remains the largest amphibious invasion in history.

In the decades since, the invasion has become a touchstone for the leaders of Britain, the United States, France and other western countries who will gather in Normandy next month to invoke the heroism. The event will take place as the trans-Atlantic relationships that D-Day forged are fraying.

Differences over military spending for the NATO alliance, disagreements over how to approach the Chinese telecoms giant Huawei and Britain's decision to leave the European Union have raised tensions in the decades-old alliance.

SEABORNE ASSAULT

These concerns are a far cry from the epic mobilization of military machinery and manpower that resulted in the invasion of France in 1944. Then, tens of thousands of men piled into ships and planes to cross the English Channel.

Llewellyn, who has a white goatee and is smartly dressed in a navy jacket and beret for his interview on the HMS Belfast in London, is eloquent and perfectly recalls the events that day. He effortlessly climbs the ship's steep steps without help.

He said the mood among the men as they crossed the sea was more anticipation than fear or tension.

"It was exciting," he said. "We were far more patriotic in those days than we are now. We knew that the Germans had to be defeated and anything had to be done to make it possible."

He dismisses the idea that people were praying or savoring their last meal as the invasion began.

"We weren't Americans, I am afraid," he said with a chuckle.

THE LUCKIEST SHOT

Although only a teenager, his experiences living through the German bombardment of London, known as the Blitz, meant he was familiar with being bombed.

On D-Day, Llewellyn's ship was engaged in a duel with German gun batteries, particularly those at Longues-sur-Mer, nestled high on the cliff tops, situated between where British and American troops were landing on the Gold and Omaha beaches.

In what was perhaps one of the most accurate or luckiest shots of the war, his ship situated a few miles offshore, scored a direct hit, landing a heavy shell through the narrow slit of one of the fortifications.

On the bridge of the ship, Llewellyn watched the invasion through binoculars as the haze of smoke shrouded the shore.

"There were landing craft destroyed," he said. "They really met a hostile reception and you could see that and you could see the landing craft being hit by shells, there were a lot of fires."

As his ship continued to shell the German positions it faced its own threat from mines, shelling, and the Luftwaffe, the German air force.

At one point, a German plane dropped a bomb that landed just a few meters from his boat. The explosion winded him and sent the ship violently swaying from side to side.

Was it terrifying?

"I suppose it was in a way," he said with typical understatement.

Llewellyn survived the onslaught and the Allies conquered the coastline. He plans to attend the D-Day anniversary in Normandy next month.

He has been back several times and says it is an emotional experience, particularly visiting the graveyards.

But he also feels guilty about the destruction caused to France, particularly as the navy began firing shells at targets further inland, some of which fell in nearby villages.

"The ordinary citizens come up and say how grateful they are. I found that quite difficult to take actually. I don’t feel that we had done anything special, especially for them," he said. "Their homes were knocked down by shells and troops. Unfortunately, war leaves a lot of destruction."

(Editing by Guy Faulconbridge)

LONDON (Reuters)

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