WW2

Thursday June 6, 2024

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Animation by Graeme MacKay, Thursday June 6, 2024

D-Day at Eighty

June 6, 2019

As the world commemorates the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, we find ourselves reflecting not only on the monumental events of June 6, 1944, but also on the enduring significance of the sacrifices made by the Allied forces. For Canadians, this anniversary holds a profound place in our national consciousness, symbolizing both our country’s contribution to global peace and the enduring bonds with our allies.

June 6, 2014

This year’s ceremonies will see a distinguished assembly of world leaders and dignitaries converging on the beaches of Normandy. U.S. President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla will be among those paying tribute. From Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Veterans Affairs Minister Ginette Petitpas-Taylor, and Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will join in the commemorations, alongside 13 Canadian veterans aged 99 to 104. This gathering underscores the unity and shared purpose that defined the Allied efforts during World War II. The presence of these leaders not only honours those who fought but also reaffirms the commitment of their nations to the principles of freedom and democracy that were fiercely defended on the shores of Normandy. The inclusion of Indigenous youth performers from Manitoba, Grace Ginter and Mitchell Makoons, adds a poignant reminder of the diverse fabric of those who contributed to the war effort.

June 6, 2023

For Canadians, the story of D-Day is deeply personal. The 14,000 Canadian troops who stormed Juno Beach on that fateful day played a critical role in the success of Operation Overlord. Facing fierce resistance, they advanced further inland than any other Allied force, a testament to their bravery and determination. The cost was high: 359 Canadians lost their lives on D-Day, with many more wounded. These sacrifices were instrumental in the eventual liberation of Western Europe from Nazi occupation. This anniversary is not just about looking back; it is also about recognizing how the values and freedoms fought for on D-Day continue to shape our world. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew’s remarks capture this sentiment perfectly, highlighting how the foundations of modern human rights and democracy were forged in the crucible of World War II. The freedoms we cherish today—gender equality, the benefits of immigration, and the liberty to live as we choose—are legacies of the victory secured by those who fought on D-Day.

On Remembrance Day, we must honour the sacrifices made by those who fought for freedom and democracy, while also recognizing the need to speak out against injustice and work towards a peaceful world.

November 11, 2023

As we gather to honour these heroes, it is crucial to remember the individual stories of courage and sacrifice. Veterans like Jim Parks, who will be present at the ceremonies, remind us of the human faces behind the historic events. Parks, a 99-year-old veteran of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, will relive his landing on Juno Beach, thanks to the dedication of those who work tirelessly to preserve these memories. The ceremonies at Juno Beach and Omaha Beach, the wreath layings at significant sites such as the Royal Winnipeg Rifles monument and the Château d’Audrieu, and the smudging ceremony at l’Abbaye d’Ardenne, where many Canadians were executed, all serve to honour these personal sacrifices. These acts of remembrance ensure that the bravery and resilience displayed during the D-Day landings are never forgotten.

May 5, 2000

As we stand at the cusp of history, this 80th anniversary also serves as a call to future generations. The values upheld by the Allied forces—courage, unity, and a steadfast commitment to freedom—must continue to guide us. The presence of world leaders and the participation of young Canadians in these ceremonies highlight the importance of educating and inspiring the next generation to carry forward this legacy.

The 80th anniversary of D-Day is a solemn reminder of the sacrifices made by the Canadian forces and their allies. It is an opportunity to reflect on the profound impact of their bravery and to reaffirm our commitment to the principles they fought for. As we honour these heroes, we must ensure that their legacy lives on, guiding us towards a future of peace, freedom, and shared humanity.

 

Thursday June 6, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday June 6, 2019

When the tide turned: Canadians hold massive D-Day event at Juno Beach

World leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, gathered on France’s Normandy coast today to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the remarkable military and political achievement known as D-Day.

May 5, 2000

There have been two commemoration events along the 10-kilometre stretch of coastline that Canadians fought to liberate — one Canadian, one international.

As many as 5,000 people, including French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe, attended the Canadian event. Thursday’s commemoration in France follows another memorial, on Wednesday in the U.K., that was attended by leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump, U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May and Justin Trudeau.

Their chests laden with medals, Canadian veterans listened solemnly, overlooking the tall grass and sandy expanse below in Normandy on Thursday.

Naturally, the beach today looks entirely different from the one that greeted the invading allies on June 6, 1944. The three major communities along the coastline have regained in many respects the sleepy resort quality they enjoyed before the Germans came.

Three-quarters of a century ago today, Fred Turnbull was sitting in a landing craft plowing through the grey, choppy surf towards the shell-raked Normandy coast.

November 11, 2009

His landing craft took ashore a section of troops from the Régiment de la Chaudière, a reserve brigade.

His first hint of the invasion’s cost in blood was the sight of the bodies of military divers floating in the surf — killed as they tried to disarm metal obstacles booby-trapped by the Germans.

The rising tide carried the landing craft over the deadly traps, but all six boats — including Turnbull’s barge — were blown up after they had delivered their troops and turned back to sea to get more.

Turnbull and his men had to swim from the barge to the beach. There they waited as the battle raged around them for three hours before a larger landing ship came in and took them off.

“That was the worst part of it, waiting to be rescued,” said Turnbull.

The soldiers cracked jokes about their plight and tried to remain calm while waiting for retrieval. One enterprising sailor liberated a bottle of rum from the wreckage — which no doubt made the time pass more comfortably.

June 6, 2014

Canadian military planners had expected 1,800 casualties on D-Day — killed, wounded and captured. According to federal government records, the day saw 1,074 Canadian casualties during the taking of the beachhead.

D-Day was just the beginning, though. By the end of the Normandy campaign, more than 5,000 troops had been killed out of roughly 18,000 Canadian casualties. (CBC)

A crazy amount of social media shares on this one…


 

Friday June 6 2014

Friday June 6 2014By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday June 6 2014

Thousands of veterans, visitors mark 70th anniversary of D-Day

Ceremonies to commemorate the 70th anniversary of D-Day are drawing thousands of visitors to the cemeteries, beaches and stone-walled villages of Normandy this week, including some of the few remaining survivors of the largest sea-borne invasion ever mounted.

World leaders and dignitaries including President Barack Obama and Queen Elizabeth II will gather to honour the more than 150,000 American, British, Canadian and other Allied D-Day veterans who risked and gave their lives to defeat Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich.

For many visitors, the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial with its 9,387 white marble tombstones on a bluff overlooking the site of the battle’s bloodiest fighting at Omaha Beach is the emotional centrepiece of pilgrimages to honour the tens of thousands of men killed on D-Day and the months of fighting afterward.

D-Day veteran Clair Martin, 93, said he’s come back to Omaha Beach three times in the last 70 years — “four if you count the time they were shooting at me.”

The San Diego, California resident landed on D-Day with the 29th Infantry Division and said he kept fighting until he reached the Elbe River in Germany the following April. “I praise God I made it and that we’ve never had another World War,” he said.

Ceremonies large and small are taking place across Normandy, ahead of an international summit on Friday in Ouistreham, a small port that was the site of a strategic battle on D-Day. French President Francois Hollande’s decision to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to participate in the official ceremony despite his exclusion from the G-7 summit in Brussels is being seen by some as justified recognition of the Soviet Union’s great sacrifice in defeating Hitler, but by others as a distraction given the West’s dispute with Russia over Ukraine.

With many D-Day veterans now in their 90s, this year’s anniversary has the added poignancy of being the last time that many of those who took part in the battle will be able to make the long journey back to Normandy and tell their stories. (Source: Toronto Star)

Tuesday April 9, 2002

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday April 9, 2002

A Queen for Canada

A snap of history’s thread, a chunk of Canada’s past cut adrift. It will get harder now, with Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon gone, to remember who we were and what our national problems were six decades ago when she first came here as a queen. To remember what her importance was to Canada’s story of the day.

The British Monarchy

To view the country as it was in May, 1939 — when the CPR’s Empress of Australia and four accompanying naval ships sailed up the St. Lawrence River, bringing Elizabeth and her emperor-husband, King George VI, to Canada for a four-week visit — is to look at a quaint curiosity. Like a photograph of one’s parents, much younger, sweetly smiling, dressed in old-fashioned clothes.

The king’s assistant private secretary, Alan (Tommy) Lascelles, saw Canadians thus: “They sing ‘God Save the King’ as if it really was a prayer.”

Our prime minister’s behaviour, as always, was interesting.

William Lyon Mackenzie King recorded in his diary that the late king, George V, had visited him in spirit form to tell him the reason George VI and Elizabeth were coming to Canada was “due to their affection for you.”

Most engaging of all was how Mr. King, for whom the adjective “wily” eternally seems appropriate, so skilfully used the presence of the king and queen in Canada — especially the media-savvy, charismatic queen — to address Canada’s perpetual difficulties around national unity, French-English fissures and, above all, recognition by others of Canada’s sovereignty. (CP)