Re: History - Topics & Posted Articles

by Viper Sun 29 Dec 2019, 9:33 am

History - Topics & Posted Articles - Page 39 Gilbert-hunter

Karen Hunter's father, Lieutenant Gilbert Hunter. His memoir of Second World War service in the Netherlands during the liberation inspired his daughter to start "In Our Father's Footsteps.

In father's footsteps, Guelph woman recreates Dutch liberation trek

Max Leighton · CBC News · Posted: Dec 29, 2019

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/fathers-footsteps-guelph-karen-hunter-netherlands-wwii-1.5409346

by Dragonforce Sat 04 Jan 2020, 8:48 am

Retracing WW2 footsteps, hundreds to follow battle route of Canadian warriors

DOUG SCHMIDT, WINDSOR STAR //January 3, 2020

History - Topics & Posted Articles - Page 39 253641733-papa_and_nana_s_wedding_photo-w-e1578003320833

Wedding bells. Edward Parsons and Monica ‘Pam’ Sweetman on their wedding day in England in 1945. Parsons was on leave while serving with the 6th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery, II Canadian Corps, during the Second World War. His wife was a WREN, serving in the Women’s Royal Navy Service.

https://windsorstar.com/news/local-news/retracing-ww2-footsteps-hundreds-to-follow-battle-route-of-canadian-warriors

by Logan Tue 21 Jan 2020, 5:26 pm

Remembering Chief Petty Officer Max Bernays

Jan 21, 2020

Chief Petty Officer Max Bernays was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal for his valour and dauntless devotion to duty during intense surface gun action against the German submarine U-210, the highest award made to a man in the service of the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War! #NavyHistory #CAFHistory #CAF #RCNavy #SWW

by Gridlock Thu 23 Jan 2020, 6:59 pm

Aviator to aviator

Visit with veteran ties RCAF history together

Posted on January 23, 2020 by Capt Matt Zalot

History - Topics & Posted Articles - Page 39 Icnp2019-01-mcrae-1-1024x683

https://www.skiesmag.com/news/aviator-to-aviator-visit-with-veteran-ties-rcaf-history-together/

by Hunter Mon 27 Jan 2020, 1:38 pm

The untold story of how Canadian POWs helped liberate the women of Ravensbruck death camp

Richard Warnica
January 27, 2020

History - Topics & Posted Articles - Page 39 Ravensbruck-2

https://nationalpost.com/news/liberation-1945/the-untold-story-of-how-canadian-pows-helped-liberate-the-women-of-ravensbruck-concentration-camp

by Logan Mon 27 Jan 2020, 4:34 pm

WWII veteran Chesley Bull proudly independent through a century in Eastport, N.L.

Jan 27. 2020

History - Topics & Posted Articles - Page 39 Second-world-war-vet-chesley-bull-proudly-independent-through-a-centur_za7y43O_original

Bull served on The Revenge during the Second World War.

https://www.thechronicleherald.ca/news/provincial/wwii-veteran-chesley-bull-proudly-independent-through-a-century-in-eastport-nl-402735/

by Logan Wed 05 Feb 2020, 4:45 pm

History - Topics & Posted Articles - Page 39 Yarmouth-family-of-second-world-war-veteran-to-walk-in-his-footsteps-4_original

Staley Goodwin was a wireless operator in the Second World War.

Yarmouth family of Second World War veteran to walk in his footsteps

05.02.2020

https://www.thechronicleherald.ca/news/provincial/yarmouth-family-of-second-world-war-veteran-to-walk-in-his-footsteps-407170/

by **Falcon** Thu 13 Feb 2020, 5:19 pm

FEBRUARY 14, 2020

Canadian soldier of Second World
War identified

History - Topics & Posted Articles - Page 39 1581542740422

Lieutenant John Gordon Kavanagh.

History - Topics & Posted Articles - Page 39 1581542754206

From left to right, back row: Lieutenant John Gordon Kavanagh and his two brothers, Frank and Bob Kavanagh. From left to right, first row: Cora and Mabel Kavanagh, his mother and his sister.

https://www.miragenews.com/canadian-soldier-of-second-world-war-identified/

by Echostar Sat 15 Feb 2020, 7:35 pm

FLQ Crisis: Pierre Trudeau's right-hand man recalls Canada under terrorist threat

George Hoff
W5 Producer
Published Friday, February 14, 2020 7:00AM EST
Last Updated Friday, February 14, 2020 9:48AM EST

History - Topics & Posted Articles - Page 39 Image

https://www.ctvnews.ca/w5/flq-crisis-pierre-trudeau-s-right-hand-man-recalls-canada-under-terrorist-threat-1.4809054

by Maverick Sun 23 Feb 2020, 12:58 pm

Canada’s military history is best understood through the stories of the brave men and women who lived it – our Veterans. The Heroes Remember database gives us a window into the lives of ordinary Canadians who answered the call to serve in uniform over the years. Explore our collection of video interviews to hear some of these personal stories.

Heroes Remember Interviews

by **Edgefore** Sun 23 Feb 2020, 4:27 pm

First-hand knowledge disappearing as ranks of WW2
vets fade into history

Published Friday, February 21, 2020 3:55PM AST
Last Updated Sunday, February 23, 2020 3:45PM AST

https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/first-hand-knowledge-disappearing-as-ranks-of-ww2-vets-fade-into-history-1.4822392

by Echostar Mon 24 Feb 2020, 5:02 pm

War veterans’ sacrifices should be
remembered

These incredible stories are a part of history, writes Jeff Maguire

Monday Feb 24. 2020

In May, the countries involved will hold a variety of events to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Holland and the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe.

In May 1995, my wife Kathleen and I were fortunate enough to travel to Europe with a group of 20 Second World War veterans and their wives from Carleton Place, Lanark County and Ottawa. We were there to attend observances of the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands, in which Canadian troops (including the former soldiers we accompanied) played a pivotal role. During that same week, the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe was celebrated in continental Europe and in the United Kingdom, where we spent a week of our 15-day excursion.

I was there in my role as a newspaper editor/publisher to cover the landmark anniversaries, and in particular our local veterans’ involvement. The 1995 liberation parade in the Dutch city of Apeldoorn was truly incredible. Organizers had expected 5,000 Allied veterans to march in the parade and believed a crowd of some 50,000 would watch the spectacle. Instead, more than 8,000 veterans took part and a massive crowd, estimated at half a million people, jammed the centre of the small city to cheer for their returning heroes in blistering spring heat (it was 35 degrees Celsius).

On Jan. 7, the last of the Second World War veterans we travelled to Europe with nearly 25 years ago passed away. Erwin (Tex) Morris was someone for whom I have the utmost respect. He served with the Lanark and Renfrew Scottish Regiment, and later was Regimental Sergeant Major for the famous Cameron Highlanders Regiment of Ottawa. He was someone my wife and I counted as a friend. We saw and talked to each other often around the community. I was also fortunate enough to interview him (and many others here) for a DVD series commissioned by the Carleton Place and Beckwith Historical Society. Tex’s memories of his military service and his incredible recall, relative to his youth in Carleton Place, are preserved in the local museum for future generations.

I have been very interested in the world wars since I was old enough to understand what they were. My late mother Molly and my wife are both natives of Chatham, Ontario. Several relatives on my mother’s side of the family served in either the Canadian army or navy during the Second World War. Among them were my maternal grandfather and two uncles, all from Chatham, and an uncle from Detroit who served in the U.S. army. Kathy’s late father, Harry Lee, was also a Second World War veteran who saw action in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. Sadly, my mother’s uncle, Private Frederick Hardy, was killed in action at Cassino, Italy in April 1944. Fred was just 24. He left behind a young wife and infant son in Chatham.

So, needless to say, my feeling for veterans runs deep, and that respect only increased as a result of our incredible pilgrimage to Europe with the local and area veterans’ group 25 years ago. Viewing and covering the 50th anniversary observances was an unforgettable experience for me. So too were our very emotional visits to Canadian, British and American war cemeteries in Holland and France.

INCREDIBLE STORIES

Ever since, relating the stories of Canadian and Allied veterans and their experiences has been a calling for me. Every one of these remarkable people has an interesting story to tell about their wartime experiences. Unfortunately, only a select few have (or had) an opportunity to share their stories publicly. Sadly, our Second World War veterans will soon be gone, and the ranks of our Korean War vets are also dwindling rapidly.

Last September, I wrote a column about the Battle of Britain and the death of the last surviving Canadian pilot to have fought in that pivotal aerial campaign. The 80th anniversary of the start of the Battle of Britain will be observed on July 10 of this year.

Just to clarify things, the Battle of Britain lasted three months and three weeks (July 10 to October 31, 1940). The German aerial bombing raids on London and other British cities, commonly called “The Blitz,” began officially on Sept. 7, 1940 (80 years ago this summer) and continued until May 11, 1941, when Hitler and his generals turned their attention to the ill-fated attack on Russia.

In my September article, I paid tribute to the last surviving Canadian pilot from the battle. John Stewart Hart, a native of Sackville, New Brunswick, had died just weeks earlier in Vancouver (where he settled after the war) at age 102.

Last month, Jan. 28, the last fighter ace from the battle passed away. Wing Commander Paul Farnes died peacefully at his home in the English county of Hampshire. He was 101.

Farnes, a Hurricane pilot, was an “ace,” meaning he brought down five or more enemy aircraft. During the war, Farnes was officially credited with shooting down seven enemy planes himself – six over England and one over France. He also recorded two “probables,” shared in destroying two other German planes, and during the Battle of Britain his attacks damaged six other enemy aircraft. He was presented with the Distinguished Flying Medal in October 1940.

My son Craig and I had the opportunity to meet Farnes when we attended the ceremony marking the 77th anniversary at the Battle of Britain Monument in London, England in September 2017. I had the incredible privilege of shaking Farnes’ hand and speaking to him briefly at the end of the ceremony.

At the time of this writing, Flight Lieutenant William Clark and Flying Officer John Hemingway are the only remaining members of the group of pilots known as “The Few.” Both men are 100 years old. A total of 3,000 Allied airmen fought in the Battle of Britain.

The Battle of Britain pilots were dubbed "The Few" following Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s wartime speech to Parliament during the battle. Churchill famously stated, “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”

His statement is immortalized on the impressive Battle of Britain Monument which stands on the Victoria Embankment, located on the north bank of the River Thames, not far from Westminster and the British Parliament buildings. We visit the memorial every time we’re in London, including last October.

As I’ve already stated, recalling the efforts and the incredible sacrifices made by our veterans is something of a mission for me. I don’t believe they get nearly enough credit. That’s due partly to the unfortunate modern viewpoint, held by too many people in my opinion, that telling the stories of veterans and the battles they fought somehow “glorifies war.”

Having interviewed many veterans over the years, I can safely say that none of them experienced anything approaching glory. Too many others laid down their lives in defence of our country and the British Commonwealth. That includes the 544 Allied pilots who died while helping to successfully repel the German Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain in the summer and fall of 1940.

During this 75th anniversary year, I intend to write more columns related to our Second World War veterans and their truly incredible stories. There is no glory in war – only sacrifice.

Jeff Maguire is a career journalist who lives in Carleton Place, Ontario. He has been writing for community and daily newspapers in Ontario since 1971. He can be reached by email at jeffrey.maguire@rogers.com.

https://www.insideottawavalley.com/opinion-story/9863648-war-veterans-sacrifices-should-be-remembered/

by Echostar Mon 24 Feb 2020, 5:23 pm

Group wants new south-end high school named for Sir Robert Barrie

'He certainly was a hero of the War of 1812 and he was instrumental in protecting Ontario'

Feb 24. 2020

History - Topics & Posted Articles - Page 39 2020-02-22-sir-robert-barrie-painting

https://www.barrietoday.com/local-news/group-wants-new-south-end-high-school-named-for-sir-robert-barrie-2111485

by Maverick Tue 25 Feb 2020, 9:13 pm

Remains of Canadian missing since Second World War to be laid to rest

February 25, 2020

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/remains-of-canadian-missing-since-second-world-war-to-be-laid-to-rest-1.4825785

by Xrayxservice Wed 26 Feb 2020, 8:29 am

THESE NEWLY DIGITIZED
MILITARY MAPS EXPLORE
THE WORLD OF GEORGE III

The last British monarch to reign over the American colonies had a collection of more than 55,000 maps, each with their own story to tel

BY SARA GEORGINI

SMITHSONIANMAG.COM | Feb. 26, 2020

History - Topics & Posted Articles - Page 39 951122-1578415861

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/monarch-who-had-mind-maps-180974272/

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